Explore the Original location of this artwork.
Originally the Bernward monument stood further north, roughly halfway between the cathedral and the bishop's house and looked down from the top of a podium which was more than three metres high towards the Großen Domhof to the north. This was the same location in which the Bernward Column stood until it was moved inside the cathedral for conservation reasons in 1893.
The pedestal, made from light grey granite had neoromanesque architectural decorations and was divided into several different levels of decreasing size. On the rounded central level there were four bronze reliefs: the front one bearing Bernward's name and dates, the other three showing key scenes from his life, which showed him as a teacher, a church leader, and an artist - indicating the contemporary meaning of the monument. Immediately below the statue itself was a copy of the Cross of Bernward, which explains why this symbol is absent from the statue itself.
The bronze reliefs were taken and melted down for war purposes in 1943. The statue itself was put in storage and escaped the destruction of Hildesheim. After the war, the cathedral chapter decided that the tall podium was no longer appropriate and it was removed in 1966.
Domhof neoromanesque granite Bernward Hildesheim cathedral chapter Cross of Bernward Bernward Column