GATEWAY

The gateway into the now-destroyed abbey of St. Nazarius, Lorsch, near Worms, Germany. The design follows that of public monuments in the late Roman Empire and may have been erected as a celebratory arch to welcome Charlemagne when he rode in to consecrate the monastery in 774. The upper storey is decorated with flat fluted pilasters, triangular gables and small windows above the keystones of the lower arches. The brightly colored stones are arranged in a carpet-like pattern. The roof is of a later date.