Charlemagne at Aachen
“The palatine chapel at Aachen, c. 805. The emperor sits on his throne overlooking the octagonal nave. Foreground shows Charlemagne wrapped in fur, his throne raised on a tribune; midground reveals court scholars Alcuin and Einhard at long desks under arches; bronze grilles and Byzantine columns glow under a mosaic dome that anchors the Carolingian renewal.”
