Trier Part I – The Porta Nigra

I gaze in awe at its towering black stone while my mind adjusts, fixing the disconnect from what I imagined while being taught Roman history, and what stands before me now. A part of me knows that if I get the opportunity to see the coliseum in Rome, the mental shift will be even greater and more staggering. But for now, as I gaze at the Porta Nigra, the adjustment is enough. There’s nothing like seeing reality to prove my imagination needs to keep growing. 

The Porta Nigra

Trier stands as Germany’s oldest city and it’s littered with ruins. One of the most breathtaking, in my opinion, is the Porta Nigra. It’s all that’s left of a Roman wall. My imagination struggles to knit together a picture of how majestic the wall must have been when the remaining gateway is so impressive. It used to be gray, but lichen and years have slowly turned the stone black, thus giving it its current name. 

Part of the shift that happened in my brain was this concept of a gate being a thick wall with a portcullis or, when stories talk about being inside the wall, it being a narrow passageway. No, what stands before me now is a four-story building with a narrow courtyard in the center. Once you climb past the first floor, it’s airy inside with arches lining the passageways and high ceilings, and outside arches allowing an expansive view of the city. 

It could be sad, a remnant of what used to be, but that’s not the feeling I get from it. Instead, it’s the sentinel still overlooking its charge. The stalwart soldier standing strong and keeping watch. Why do we not build things like this anymore? I’m constantly asking this question lately. 

Blessings,

Jennifer

P.S. There’s soooo much in Trier that I can’t cover it all in one post. We’ll visit the Trier Basilica next week. 

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