ity. It was funded by the
mother of Constantine the Great, who, according to tradition,
consecrated the primitive church here in 319.

Really, it is not a very stupendous pile, the present cathedral, but it
looks far more imposing than it really is by reason of its massive
central tower and steeple.

It is one of the most ancient and most remarkable of the cathedrals on
the banks of the Rhine.

[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW _of BONN_]

The effect of its five towers is that of a great pyramid rising skyward
from a broad base.

In the main, it is a construction of the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries, but it is known beyond doubt that the choir and the crypt
were built in 1157. To-day there are visible no traces of even the
foundations of the primitive church.

[Illustration]

There are two polygonal apsides, more noticeable from without than
within.

The main portal, or the most elaborate at least, is that of the north
facade.

The interior is not as sombre and sad as is often the case with a very
early church. To enter, one ascends eight steps to the pavement, when
the rather shallow vista of the nave and choir opens out broadly.

There are a series of white marble statues representing the birth and
baptism of Christ, and some paintings of notable merit, including an
"Adoration."

In the crypt, already mentioned, are the bones of the martyrs, Cassius,
Florentinus, and Malusius.

The chief interest of the interior, outside of the constructive elements
of the fabric, centres in a great statue of St. Helene in bronze, which
is placed in the middle of the grand nave. It is a fine monument, and
was cast in the seventeenth century as a somewhat tardy recognition of
the founder of the church at Bonn.

At the western extremity of the nave is the Gothic tomb of Archbishop
Englebert, and another of Archbishop Robert.

The choir is somewhat raised above the pavement of the nave, being
placed upon the vaulting of the crypt. The walls of the choir are hung
with gilded Cordovan leather, which is certainly rich and beautiful,
though it has been criticized as being more suitable to a boudoir than a
great church.

At the foot of the choir, to the right, is a tabernacle, a feature
frequently met with in German churches. It is of Renaissance design and
workmanship, and is ungainly and not in the best of taste.

Behind the great pillars of the choir are found, back to back, two
imposing altars, to which access is had b