Carolingian Monastic Reform and the Plan of St. Gall, Part III: Some Comparisons
The second of these great churches is the abbey church at Fulda. This construction had an inner length of 321 feet and so distracted the monks during its construction that they complained to Charlemagne. The builder of this massive church was the master builder Ratger who had began rebuilding the abbey as early as 7904. After his election as abbot in 802 he began an even more extensive construction program. Although Ratger may have pioneered the "total environment" approach to monastic planing, his monks did not share his enthusiasm. He was replaced in 817 as a result of constant complaints from the community5.
Once again at Fulda we see the triple-aisle, double-apse design combined with an extended transept. At least nine altars are identified in this church all of which faced east6. Three altars stood in the east apse, the oldest part of the church. The altar of St. Stephen and St. Clement flanked the main altar in the north and south aisles respectively. At the west end were located the altars of SS Luke and Mark (at the entrance to the crossing) and the altars of SS Agatha and Agnes (in the transepts). The Altar in the west apse bore a dedication to St. Boniface. In the center of the nave stands the Altar of the Holy Cross.
Once again we see certain parallels with the plan of St. Gall. Beyond the obvious connection at the altar of the Holy Cross, the altar of St. Stephen holds the same position in the Plan as at Fulda. The altar of St. Clement is omitted at St. Gall and SS Agatha and Agnes are combined at St. Gall at an altar near the south entrance. Luke and Mark are not honored with an altar at St. Gall.
The final church of significance in the formulation of the St. Gall plan is the Carolingian cathedral of Cologne. The church was begun under Bishop Hildebold (d.819) and was consecrated in 870. Its internal length was just over 300 feet (91.20 m). Originally a monastery church dedicated to SS Peter and Mary, it was eventually transformed into the city cathedral and expanded in the thirteenth century to house the relics of the Magi. In fact, the church was reconstructed twice in the Carolingian period and the earlier of these constructions is almost identical in design to the plan of St. Gall. Hildebold's relationship to Charlemagne was
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