Why is the porta nigra black

With the ending of the Roman Empire and changing times, the city gate was used for a variety of purposes. Thus in the 11th century it served as an abode for the monk Simeon, who lived as a hermit. On his death the city gate was converted into a church, which was another reason for its survival.

The subsequent centuries were marked by renovation and maintenance measures. In under Napoleon's rule the church was dissolved, and orders were given to restore its ancient design. Today too, measures are taking place to renovate and conserve the Porta Nigra. Nowhere else north of the Alps can you experience the Roman era more authentically than in Trier.

It became one of the imperial capitals under the Tetrarchy at the end of the 3rd century, and became known as the "second Rome. The Porta Nigra is the only one of four Roman gates that still stands in Trier; the others were gradually pillaged for their stone and iron. The Porta Nigra survived because it was used as the humble residence of a hermit monk named Simeon for seven years After his death he was buried in the gate and the structure was transformed into the two-story Church of St.

Simeon lay church on the bottom, monastery church on top. Napoleon destroyed the church in , but the 12th-century Romanesque apse survived and the entire structure has been restored to its medieval appearance.

The entire structure is made without mortar - the sandstone blocks are connected only by iron rods. The Porta Nigra was built in grey sandstone between and AD. The original gate consisted of two four-storied towers, projecting as near semicircles on the outer side. A narrow courtyard separated the two gate openings on either side. For unknown reasons, however, the construction of the gate remained unfinished.