Before the completion of the new late gothic choir, there was a chapel beneath each of the two rooster towers. The name of the towers dates back to the 14th century and is derived from the two golden weathercocks at the top of the towers.
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The two oldest chapels in the cathedral
The two chapels are similar in structure. However, they differ greatly from one another in terms of their ornate decoration. While the Magdalene Chapel incorporates the ornamentation from the Romanesque minster that stood in its place before the high-gothic alterations, the Chapel of St Nicholas has its own rich decorative programme of figurative capitals and cornices.
After the apse wall of the chapels was breached in 1507, the chapels were stripped of their former function and converted into a passageway from the transept to the choir aisle. After the deconsecration of the Romanesque Magdalene Chapel, the patron saint of Mary Magdalene was transferred to his chapel in 1512 at the request of the founder Johannes von Blumeneck.
Reliefs in the Chapel of St Nicholas
The reliefs in the Nicholas Chapel (ca. 1210) are among the oldest figural ornamentation in the Minster.
Pilgrim and St James the Elder
This relief on the north wall of the former chapel (next to the stairs) probably depicts a pilgrimage scene. For a long time, the enthroned man crowning a kneeling youth was thought to be a depiction of the young David, who receives kingship from the prophet Samuel. More recent research interprets this group of figures under the hand of God as a pilgrim with a pilgrim's staff and shoulder bag, who is received by the enthroned apostle St James the Elder after his arrival in Santiago de Compostela.
Reliefs at the entrance portal
The reliefs at the former entrance to the chapel now greet visitors at the entrance to the choir chapels and ambulatory.
Alexander the Great
The southern capital of the portal (current entrance and exit to the chancel chapels, adorned with wrought iron grating) depicts the aerial flight of Alexander the Great with the griffins. According to legend, he was carried into the sky in a basket by two griffins lured upward by two hares impaled on spears.
Wolfsschule (wolf school)
To the left of the scene with Alexander the Great, on the inner side of the portal arch, the Wolfsschule (wolf school) is depicted – an animal fable that was very popular in the 11th century. A monk unsuccessfully attempts to teach a wolf cub wearing a monk’s cowl how to read and write, as illustrated by the ‘ABC’ directly above them. However, the wolf pupil craves only his prey, represented by a ram.
King David and the lion
On the far right of the cornice we see a man sitting on a lion, opening its mouth. A sheep's head appears behind him. This depiction is interpreted as a scene from the life of King David and his predecessor Saul. The young David wants to allay King Saul's concerns about the impending battle between David and Goliath. The powerful dominance over the lion in the relief refers to the biblical tradition according to which the shepherd David pursued the lions and wolves that had stolen his sheep and snatched the lost sheep back from their jaws. With the same strength, according to the conviction captured in the image, God will also save the young David from Goliath.
Siren family and Demon Battles
On the opposite side, in the sinistral capital, the Siren Family depicts a siren tenderly suckling the child in her arm. The frieze next to it shows two Demon Battles: on the left, a man armed with a sword and shield attacks a mighty griffin; while on the right, two winged centaurs are engaged in a duel.
