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After Mass this morning at the main parish church in Bruchsal, we went to Speyer to see the diocesan cathedral, which is the largest Romanesque church in the world. This is the burial ground of kings and emperors. Dedicated to Our Lady, the floor of the center aisle bears the four inscriptions "O clemens" (O Clement), "O pia" (O Loving), "O dulcis" (O Sweet) "Virgo Maria" (Virgin Mary). These are from the final invocations of the well-loved Marian hymn "Salve Regina." After visiting the cathedral treasury several a couple blocks away from the church itself, we had a very filling lunch of bratwurst and sauerkraut and saw some other sites in the town, including a lovely parish church.
After leaving Speyer, we toured the palace in Bruchsal, Constantin's hometown. The palace was over 90% destroyed during the war, so it's almost entirely a reconstruction. This is mind-boggling, considering the artistic poverty of most modern buildings. Great works of art and architecture aren't just things for the past! The palace also contains one of the largest collections of automatic (i.e., self-playing) musical instruments in the world. Constantin had conveniently failed to tell me about this in advance, so it came as
a pleasant surprise. I couldn't help but think of all the work the curator(s) of that museum must go to in order to keep all the instruments in tune and in working order. A piano with a built-in string quartet was especially impressive. The mechanism that plays the strings is amazingly complex, even by today's standards. The notes are played not only with the correct volume and expression, but also with appropriate vibrato. Quite remarkable!
In addition to the musical instrument museum, the palace has exhibits on local archeology, history, and the rebuilding of the palace. Constantin had also withheld from me that the palace was a reconstruction. I would hardly have known before seeing the relevant exhibit. This is a wonderful, concrete testament to the spirit and endurance of the German people. Bruchsal was bombed March 1st, 1945, when the war was essentially over. Nearly 1,000 died.
Supper was a delectable home-cooked meal of white asparagus, steak, and potatoes. The evening was spent at home. Constantin and I watched the movie
Malta Story, as he had just returned a week earlier from a visit to that sacred island.
Patrick
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