 The Altar of the Holy Blood is located upstairs in the west gallery of St. Jakob's Church in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It is the masterpiece of the famous Würzburg sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider. This altar was commissioned by the Rothenburg Council in the Middle Ages and it was carved by Riemenschneider between 1499 and 1505. At the top of the altar, there is a rock crystal capsule which holds the Reliquary of the Holy Blood set in the reliquary cross which dates back to 1270. The crystal can be seen at the top of the photo above and in the center of the photo below.   In the photo below, the two side wings of the altar show the Entry of Christ into Jerusalem, on the left, and Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the right. The altar casing is the work of Rothenburg master craftsman Erhard Harschner.   A close-up of the Altar of the Holy Blood, shown in the photo below, shows the scene of the Last Supper where Jesus Christ is giving Judas a morsel of bread, which marks him as the traitor. The Apostle John is leaning on Jesus. Shown in the photo below is the center panel of the Louis de Toulose altar in St. Jakob's Church, carved around 1490 by Tilman Riemenschneider.  On the north aisle of St. Jakob's church is the Franciscan altar, carved by Riemenschneider, which was originally located in the Franciscan church on Herrengasse. Altar of the Virgin MaryHigh AltarHome
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