ng a great part of the
fourteenth century, the revolution of 1332 that altered the form
of the government of the town, the ravage caused by the black
plague in 1349 with the insurrections accompanying it, the
contest of bishop Berthold with his chapter and with the emperor,
all this retarded of course the progress of the construction of
the Cathedral. Nevertheless they terminated in 1365 the northern
tower; K[oe]nigshoven calls it the new tower, perhaps, because
they purposed erecting a pyramid on it, which was quite an
innovation in the architecture of that time. The southern tower,
which the chronicler calls the ancient one, because it was not
intended to be raised higher, was finished at the same time. The
name of the artist who made the plan of the pyramid and spire of
the northern tower is still unknown; nor is it known who built
the steeple which formerly rose above the _grande rosace_, or
rose.

In 1368 the church was again struck by lightning without
receiving much damage; in 1384 a fire that broke out in the
organ, burnt all the interior with the exception of the chancel.
Ever since that time large vats were set in the different parts
of the building and guardians placed in the interior and in the
towers. In 1429, John Hueltz of Cologne was sent for to complete
this great work; ten years after, he finished the spire; on
Midsummer's day 1439, in the presence of a great multitude, he
laid the last stone, exactly a hundred and sixty two years after
Conrad of Lichtenberg had placed the first stone of this
monument; a statue of the Virgin Mary was also erected on the
knob terminating the spire[1].

[1] It was taken down in 1488.

At the time of the reformation the Cathedral passed over to the
protestants; it is true that on account of their worship, they
caused several chapels to be closed and some altars to be
removed, but they made no material change, nor spoiled any thing;
on the contrary, they watched with care over the magnificent
building and even caused important repairs to be made in it.
Several times it was very much injured by fire and by lightning,
particularly in the years 1540, 1555, 1568, 1624 and 1625. In
1654 the spire was destroyed by lightning; the skilful architect
Heckler was obliged to rebuild it sixty five feet high. By
the capitulation of 1681 the Cathedral was restored to the
catholics, who immediately began to repair it, but unfortunately
in that wretched style then prevailing, and