Constantine's Trier

OK folks! Can’t believe I haven’t shown much about our travels on this blog. So I’m designating Tuesdays as Traveling Tuesday. Come journey with us!! We’re starting off with a bang and journeying only about a half hour down the autobahn to Trier, the oldest city in Germany.

The Dom (Cathedral) of Trier (first photo) is breathtaking inside and out. The oldest church in Germany, built by Constantine beginning in the year 326 A.D, it contains The Holy Robe of Christ, the robe that He is said to have worn during his crucifixion.

In the second photo and below, is the Porta Nigra (or Black Gate) that dates all the way back to the Romans (built 186-200 A.D to be exact). Incredible to walk where Constantine and later Napoleon tread. The next photos are taken inside the second and third levels. Get this, when Napoleon walked here, and subsequently had it reconstructed, it was already 1600 years old.

This is the Karl Marx (1818-1883) house. Remember Karl Marx? The German philosopher, and author of The Communist Manifesto. He was the forerunner to all things communist that Americans would later shed blood to defeat. This is his birthplace and childhood home. A tourist finds this just down the street from the largest walkplatz in Trier, containing hundreds of shops, eateries, all things commercial, all things capitalistic……(grin)…..

The brick building on the left is Constantine’s Basilika (Throne Room built in 310 A.D) and the pink palace is just that – the Electoral Palace (construction began in 1614).

Every time we visit one of these incredible cathedrals, my eyes wonder what I’ve shown them in my life thus far. Nothing compares. The carvings above are so intricate and thought provoking. There simply isn’t time to digest it all. Time….how long did it take to build? When Jesus left this earth, He said He was going to prepare a place for us. That was 2000 years ago. The God of the Universe has been working on our home in heaven for 2000 years, and it’s not ready yet. Think about how this piece will pale in comparison to the majestic awe we will have waiting. My puny brain cannot fathom.