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Symbolism in the Würzburg Episcopal Residence jwr47

At 1st  of March 2014 I visited the episcopal residence in Würzburg and admired the marvelous

wealth of the precious architecture artwor! and the secretl" hidden details which ma" have been

restricted to the medieval rulers# caste$

%his document contains some of m" traveler#s notes I documented at m" latest Würzburg visit$

Contents

Apostles of &ranconia $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2

%he 'ooz and (achim pillars$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)

%he all*seeing divine +"e$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4,ail Mar"$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$-

%iepolo#s inscription$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

 /"mph carr"ing the episcopal power$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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Apostles of Franconia

%he apostles of Franconia have been painted in bright red and as far as I could observe also some

traces of blue in the apostle#s coat$

%hese sculptures from the 3iemenschneider atelier had been dated around 1-20$

 Fig. 1: One of the three apostles of Franconia – Würzburg Dom (cathedral)

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The Booz and Jachim pillars

riginall" from 12)0 up to 1.44 the 'ooz and (achin 1 pillars had been installed at the entrance hall

of the Würzburg 5ilian*cathedral$ %he" had been designed around 12)0 as e6uivalents to the

(erusalem temple which according to the legend had been created b" ,iram of %"re$

'oth pillars had been inscribed with their names 'ooz and Iachim respectivel" 2$ %he original red paint ma" be observed at several locations$ ther colors are ver" scarce or missing$

%he Iachim pillar has been e6uipped with a singular more complicated 4 level !not whereas the

'ooz pillar uses two dual level !nots$

1 (achin has been e7plained in 8en 4.109 'oas in 3ut 2*4$

2 (achin and 'oas : 'ibelwissenschaft$de ;8erman<

 Fig. : !he "ooz and #achim pillars (1$%)

 $: &achim pillar (1$%)': "ooz and &achim

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The all-seeing divine Eye

%he all*seeing divine +"e has been found at a great number of places$

 Fig. : !he allseeing di*ine +,e at the chapel-s entrance

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Hail Mary

 /umerous images of the saints reveal their red white = blue preferences in their garments$ I found

a perfect representative in a songboo! dated 1>>-$ %he crown#s gemstones ;as well as the

 bac!ground decorations< also combine gold red green and blue colors$ %his is representative

depiction of ?t$ Mar" in red = blue garments$

 Fig. /olored 0ail ar, pra,er and songboo2 (13)

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Tiepolo's inscription

%he brilliant ceiling painting) b" the @enetian artist 8$ '$ %iepolo in the stairwa" survived world

war II and displa"s a puzzling inscription in Apollo and the ontinents ;Asia obelis! group<$ %he

inscription is interpreted as hierogl"phic writing : birthplace of learning and writing$

In 1-2*-) the hierogl"phs had not been deciphered "et and %iepolo couldn#t simpl" have writtenmessage in his fresco$ %he real brea!through in decipherment began with the discover" of the

3osetta ?tone b" /apoleon#s troops in 1BB$

Athanasius 5ircher  a student of optic and Arabic had read Ibn Wahshi""a#s wor! in the 1th

centur" and continued the stud" of hierogl"phs from where Ibn Wahshi""a had left off 4$ Ma"be

%iepolo used some of the results which had been documented in the 1...*published manuscript

Obelisci 4eg,ptiaci 5 interpretatio hierogl,phica.

) &rescoes in the Würzburg   3esidenz ;1-1*-)< * Web 8aller" of Art

4 Cecipherment of hierogl"phic writing

 Fig. 6: 4pollo and the /ontinents (4sia7 obelis2 group)7 16$

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ymph !carrying" the episcopal po#er 

ne of the opticall" constructed   intimate s"mbols is a n"mph carr"ing the episcopal power

which onl" ma" be seen from the enclosed position at the inside the 'urgfried ;!eep< of the

Marienberg &ortress an area which had been restricted to the fortress# inhabitants$

f course the image had not been intended to be interpreted the wa" I did see the imaginativecombination$

 Fig. 3: 8,mph 9carr,ing the episcopal po;er