ABSTRACT
In the Roman cemeteries, which typically lined the main traffic axes leading out of town, were buried the remains of the third-century. The name "Xanten" comes from the Latin ad sanctos, meaning "near the saints." About the middle of the fourth century, the Romans were forced to abandon the recently fortified city to the local Germanic tribes, who built up a new settlement outside the city wall along the main road leading to the south. The Gothic cathedral has the same dimensions as its predecessor, suggesting that the decision to rebuild in the new style had more to do with the canons' self-perception, and with fashion and prestige, than with the need for more space. Much of the interior decoration of the cathedral has been preserved; in addition to the Romanesque shrine for the relics of St. Victor, and some of the stained glass windows from the earliest building period are still to be seen in the choir.
