Karlsschrein

Frederick II personally carried out the transfer of the bones and the sealing of the shrine on 27 July 1215,[1] the first anniversary of the Battle of Bouvines, which had spurred him to seek the German throne.

The double step of the base is adorned with enamel plates, engravings, filigree, and silver stamped with floral designs.

The two long sides each show an arcade of eight archways resting on double columns, in which the kings and emperors of the realm are enthroned.

The front gable end shows Charlemagne enthroned, with Pope Leo III standing to his right and Archbishop Turpin of Rheims to his left.

On the two long sides of the shrine, otherwise reserved for Prophets and Apostles, sixteen Holy Roman Emperors and Kings are enthroned, the roof reliefs continue the imperial character of the composition.

These show the legendary life of Charlemagne, based on the Historia Karoli Magni et Rothalandi, allegedly written by Archbishop Turpin of Rheims (c. 748–749).

In 1874, the Aachen Stiftkapitel allowed a scientific investigation of the remains of Charlemagne to be carried out by Hermann Schaaffhausen (1816–1893), an anthropologist from Bonn.

Here, care was taken that apart from this conservation a restoration or renovation was not made – as frequently happened in the repair of artworks in the past – which would have irreversibly changed the shrine or damaged its original form.