Churches!

 Of all the places in Trier I loved the most and looked forward to the most it was the Basilica.  This was the official throne room planned by Constantine.  Imagine this place covered with marble, decorative furniture, wall hangings, heated floors and walls.  It must have been impressive.  Of course after the fall of the Roman Empire thieves striped the marble and with years of war it has aged, but 1500 year old it looks good.  During World War II the roof was destroyed, but it has been recovered.  Now the Basilica is home the Protestant Church where all the grandour of a Throne room is the opposite of what you see now.  Simple wood benches, few wall hangings, a simple organ, and of course a simple Cross.  Seems fitting though Germany is where Martin Luther started the Reformation which started the Protestant Church and split Germany apart.
In contrast in the same city we find the Trier Cathedral in all its slender. We were only able to go into the entry way.  They were having a service and weren't allowed in (or didn't force our way in).  The catholic church in Trier had a interesting relationship with its residents. The church was brought about by Constantine's Mother Helen (she gave parts of her palace for the church) who was canonized for her efforts to bring Holy items to Trier.  The Arch Bishop who headed the Cathedral was one of seven who elected the Holy Roman Emperor or German King and the Arch Bishop expected to be treated as a ruler of the city, but the town didn't want a ruler besides the Holy Roman Emperor.  The town square is filled with symbols of the difficult relationship between the two.  The Arch-Bishop was also very rich because the trade routes Otto the Great gave the Archbishop.  All this was very interesting for as to hear because of what we have been studying this year in co-op.