The Northern Imperial Chapel is dedicated to Emperor Maximilian I and his son Philip I, King of Spain († 1506).
Listen to the Audio Guide
Stained-Glass Windows
The Northern Imperial Chapel is dedicated to Emperor Maximilian I and his son Philip I, King of Spain († 1506). Both are portrayed with their respective patron saints in the windows (1526–30).
In the left window, the Emperor is depicted in a richly decorated interior scene. Arrayed in a blue cloak with ermine collar, he kneels in a prie-dieu, gazing at the patron saint of the city of Freiburg, St George. The imperial coat of arms shown next to him is embellished with the neck chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece and adorned with the Austrian imperial crown.
King Philip I is shown in the right window before Andrew the Apostle, the patron saint of both that order and Burgundy. Philip’s multipartite royal coat of arms bespeaks his numerous dominions.
Maria Immaculata Altarpiece
The altarpiece, made in 1891 in Marmon’s atelier and displaying scenes from the life of Mary, was added to the chapel in 2009. Before that, it served as a tabernacle in the southern aisle. The centrepiece contains, above a large silver crucifix, a colourfully painted group of figures depicting the Coronation of Mary.
The tabernacle with its magnificent enamel panelling is integrated into the predella of the altar and is flanked by two reliquaries. The inscription of the letters A – Alpha and Ω – Omega stand for the beginning and the end. The cost of the altar was covered by the bequest of the cathedral's treasurer Franz Konrad Weber, who died in 1766. He is buried in the south aisle next to the altar's previous location.
Graves and Stone plinths
There are three tomb slabs in the Northern Imperial Chapel. The well-preserved floor slab with the detailed 'spangenhelm' commemorates the philosophy and medicine professor Franz Josef Vicari († 1735). The gravestones of the jurist Johannes Settrich von Sirk († 1595) and the former canon of Basel, Humbert Brimpsi von Herblingen († 1596), are placed next to each other on the wall. The latter was buried in front of the chapel.
Painted Epitaphs
Commemorations of Basel clergymen
The two painted epitaphs opposite the altar commemorate Basel clergymen. The upper epitaph is dedicated to the theologian Christoph Pistorius († 1628) and shows a scene from the legend of the prophet Eliseus. A figure wrapped in shrouds can be seen emerging from a tomb – The tomb bearers move aside in fright. Approaching horsemen can be seen in the background. The octogonal painting is framed by a magnificent Renaissance frame, flanked by two pillars entwined with vines. Christoph Pistrorius was a cathedral priest and member of the Basel cathedral deanery for 18 years.
Painted epitaph of the former dean of the Basel cathedral chapter
The epitaph below is dedicated to Nikolaus von Brinikhoffen († 1576), former dean of the Basel cathedral chapter. It shows a simplified depiction of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary. The deceased is kneeling in the lower left corner: an armour can be seen in front of him on the right. The picture is flanked by eight coats of arms of his ancestors.
Representation of the Imperial family
For the Roman-German Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519), the demonstration of his imperial status and his posthumous fame were of great importance. In the Freiburg Minster, Maximilian I donated the three high choir windows and the two Imperial Chapels, which are located in the centre axis of the Minster. As soon as you enter the cathedral, you notice the high choir windows because they occupy the central position in the choir polygon. The coat of arms of Emperor Maximilian I can be seen on the centre window and the coats of arms of his grandsons Emperor Charles V and Ferdinand I on the windows next to it. In the choir chapels, these coats of arms are also present in the vault keystones.
The imperial coat of arms with the crowned double-headed eagle can be seen in the magnificent curved and broken ribs vaulting inside both imperial chapels.
The coat of arms of Ferdinand I adorns the ambulatory in front of the southern imperial chapel: clockwise, it shows the coats of arms of Austria, the Younger House of Burgundy, the House of Burgundy and Flanders.
A multi-parted coat of arms of the Habsburg imperial family can be seen in front of the northern imperial chapel.
