st
the laws of the twelve tables drop from her left hand. On the
parvis before this porch is erected, on the left, the statue of
Sabina herself, and on the right, the statue of Erwin of
Steinbach, both due to the chisel of Mr. Grass.

The wall of the upper tier has openings for several windows of
an ogive form, above which a gallery runs all along; two
round-windows take up the third tier. The northern portion of the
cross-aisle has more generally preserved the byzantine manner
than that we have just spoken of; however, this intermixture with
the gothic style denounces latter renovations. The ancient porch,
the remains of very old constructions, is masked by a fore-front
that belongs to the last period of the gothic art, and which was
built in 1494 by James of Landshut; this new porch (_porch of St.
Laurence_), though handsome in its _ensemble_, is wanting in that
noble simplicity and purity of taste that distinguishes the other
parts of the Cathedral; it is overloaded with ornaments, and its
statues have a stiffness that is found nowhere else.

The octangular dome over the chancel is also of the byzantine
era; however, it has been renewed in several parts. In the place
of the deformed cupola, destroyed by the fire of 1870, a handsome
pyramid has been erected in the year 1878, after the plans of Mr.
Klotz, architect of the Cathedral.

Up to 1772 the lower part of the lateral fronts of the church was
disfigured by paltry decayed houses; the same year they were
pulled down and in their places the present porticos were built,
which are not wanting in elegance: the shops and stalls that
formerly obstructed in so disgraceful a manner the access to the
nave, have also disappeared; and the porches have been repaired
with a great amount of good taste.

The view of the _interior_ of the nave leaves a deep impression.
It is mysteriously lighted by magnificent painted windows, and
supported on each side by seven large pillars, composed of round
agglomerated columns. The two first of these pillars, more
gigantic than the rest, support also the towers; the total
elevation of the upper arch is more than 31 metres. The interior
front, over the principal porch, is adorned with a beautiful
sculptured round-window; between this and the grand rose-window
is a glass gallery. Above the arches that unite the pillars on
both sides of the nave and all along is a fine gothic gallery,
serving as a basis to large windows, similar to those