Friday, August 14, 2026

It is the 14th of August 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Even old coins can be wrong.

 

In 1849, a coin was minted in Germany for the foundation stone being laid in 1848 at the Cologne Cathedral to mark the completion of the massive church that was begun 600 years prior. The coin says the foundation stone was laid on this, the 14th of August. And so there is no shortage of books and other sources that claim today is the anniversary of both foundation stones- 1248 and 1848 being laid.

 

Except the coin was in error. Every single source prior to 1849 notes that the foundation stones were laid on the 15th of August in 1248 and 1848. And, as the church was dedicated to St. Peter and Mary, it would make sense that the 15th of August- the Feast of the Assumption of Mary would be the correct date.

 

Nevertheless, 14th or 15th (tomorrow is a Saturday and we’ve got a Weekend Edition), let me tell you the story of one of the most impressive churches in the whole world.

 

It was about 2 decades ago that I took the train out of the airport in Cologne, crossed the Rhine, and laid eyes on what is still the most impressive church I have ever seen. It was the Cologne Cathedral- at one point the tallest church and building in the world when it was officially completed (only to be overtaken by the Washington Monument a few years later).

 

A few notes on language- as Ben Folds reminded us- “Cologne” is “saying it wrong”- in a way, it’s an Exonym- like “Germany” itself- a word used by “outsiders”. It is called the “Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria” in Köln.

 

Really fast: it is “Köln” or “Cologne” after its Roman name “the Colony of Agrippina”. And yes, a Frenchman in the 1700s sold perfumed water out of this city such that we call men's perfume: cologne. In German: Kölnisch Wasser.

 

The city on the Rhine was the home of an important church in Roman times- from about 313 there was a house church on the current site. By the 6th century, we have a baptistry, and from around 800 the first mention of a “Cathedral”- that is, a church where the local Bishop presides (he sits in his special chair, or “cathedra”).

 

In 1164, Archbishop Rainald von Dassel was gifted the supposed relics of the Magi from Emperor Frederick I, Barbarossa, for Dassel’s support in his Italian wars. The relics, supposedly found by Helena (mother of Constantine) in India, had gone from Constantinople to Milan and then been housed in Cologne at the Cathedral. For this reason it became one of the chief pilgrimage sites in the Middle Ages. It became especially popular for monarchs to visit- after all, weren’t those the first monarchs to be recognized by Christ himself?

 

The foundation stone for the current building- or close to it- was laid on... well, probably tomorrow- in 1248. What was to be the most massive church ever built was in construction for over 200 years until the Reformation came to the Rhineland and construction was halted. The original plans were eventually lost, and with Napoleon eventually coming, he turned the cathedral into a prison and an armory.

 

But it was in the 19th century- the age of Romanticism and the love of the Gothic past that the original plans for the cathedral were found- first, half of them in an attic in Germany and then the other half, 2 years later, in a Paris bookshop.

 

Despite the country being Lutheran in the 19th century, the rediscovery of the plans provided excitement for its completion in the old Gothic style- and, in an attempt to placate the Catholic population, Frederick Wilhelm IV decided to go ahead with the completion of the building. And so, it was on… once again, that coin confuses us… the 15th of August in 1848, a new foundation stone was laid. It would be completed… ish… in 1880 and was the largest church.

 

Remarkably, the Cathedral survived 14 heavy explosives and 70 firebombs during World War II. A third foundation stone was laid in 1948- on the 15th of August (they corrected the mistake found on the coin) and in 1996 it was named a UNESCO heritage site. It is today the single most visited landmark in Germany and, at 516 feet, the 3rd tallest church (behind the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and the Ulm Minster in Ulm)- it remains the tallest Cathedral and the tallest two-steepled church in the world. And it has 3 different “foundation” stones which were laid… well… some say today- it was probably tomorrow- in 1248, 1848, and 1948.

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and a benediction in the form of a Psalm- Psalm 67:

May God be gracious to us and bless us
 and make his face shine on us—[b]

2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
 your salvation among all nations.

3 May the peoples praise you, God;
 may all the peoples praise you.

4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
 for you rule the peoples with equity
 and guide the nations of the earth.

5 May the peoples praise you, God;
 may all the peoples praise you.

6 The land yields its harvest;
 God, our God, blesses us.

7 May God bless us still,
 so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 14th of August 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who rejects all antonyms- he lives in the state of Meskousing… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who can recommend Ben Folds’ “Cologne” as it is free of profanity… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.