Carolingian Monastic Reform and the Plan of St. Gall, Part III: Some Comparisons
was similar to that of Benedict of Aniane to Louis the Pious. Boecklemann suggests that Hildebold may have would up on the wrong side of the reform conflicts of 816-17. If so, then the enormous church (VI) could have been a "sacrifice" to the new ecclesiastical policies7. In this scenario, the church plan of St. Gall was based on the plans of Hildebold for Cologne. As a result of the reform conflicts of 816-17, the Plan was amended with new dimensions reflection the prevailing policy without a corresponding modification of the drawing. If this is the case, one might presume that the altar arrangements at Cologne VI were identical to those at St. Gall with some variation in dedications.
It is clear that the church plan at. St. Gall is based on earlier traditions of design. To be otherwise would have been anomalous in a society which depended so heavily on tradition as a legitimizing force for the basic structures of society. The basilica design seen in the Plan reflects a design which had proven its usefulness as not only as a house of prayer and liturgical space, but also as a theater for imperial ceremonial and expressions of divine and royal power. The reform movement of the early ninth century influenced the ideal plan of a monastery church, but there were two versions of what was considered appropriate dimensions for such a structure. The older vision is embodied in the linear plan of the church, while the newer, more restrictive position is reflected in the dimensions given in the explanatory texts. Altar arrangements were based on a combination of liturgical standard and local need. The altar of the Savior or Holy Cross appears in the center of a church and was accessible to the general public (those most in need of the salvation available through the cross)8 while the altar of St. Stephen seems to recur at the west side of the crossing entrance9. A much broader study would be required to explore the impact of the reform after the early eighth century.
NOTES:
1 - For extensive discussions on church design and altar arrangement consult Joseph Braun, S.J., Der Christliche Altar in seiner geschichtlichen Entwicklung, volume I & II,(Munich : Alte Meister Guenter Koch & Co., 1924), Wolfgang Braunfels, Monasteries of Western Europe, (New York : Thames & Hudson, 1972), Robert Cabie, The Church at Prayer-Volume II:The Eucharist, A.G. Martimort, ed., (Collegeville, Minn.
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