The Bamberg Rider, Ecclesia, and Synagoga

The sculptures of the Cathedral's façade prepare the visitor for the sculptural centerpiece that awaits inside- a man who appears to embody the spirit of Germany (Holy Roman Empire) itself. Conquering, brave, and refined.

Ecclesia and Synagoga are allegorical figures meant to represent the superiority of the Christian church and the passé Jewish faith. They both stand alone outside the Fürstenportal. Ecclesia is an elegant queen, standing proudly, but Synagoga stands off-balanced, blindfolded, and with her tablets dropping. You can see that both the figures are beautiful and of noble birth, but Synagoga has been incapacitated. Her presence is reflective of the way Jews in Bamberg's community were treated- included, but incapacitated.

The Bamberg Rider stands on a console attached to a pier in the St. George choir. There is still no conclusive evidence as to who the Rider represents, but guesses range from various kings to Christ himself. It was sculpted around 1230 and was the first major equestrian sculpture made since antiquity. The sculpture used to be fully colored like Ecclesia and Synagoga, but now only traces of pigment remain, like on the pupils.

Nina Rowe suggests that these three sculptures were meant to be understood in conjunction with each other. Ecclesia and Synagoga were supposed to be seen as "pendants" to the Rider. The three of them together were an image of the order kept on Earth, where Synagoga heeded the Emperor's (or Rider's) need to keep the Jews under control in order to heighten Christian society and Ecclesia supported his fight for the spread of Christianity.

Bailey McCulloch // Bibliography