Charlemagne chose Aachen as his center of power, and work began in 794 and continued until his death in 814. The architect was Odo of Metz, of whom little is known. The article calls the style Carolingian, drawing on Roman, Byzantine and Lombard models, especially San Vitale in Ravenna. The palace square measured about 394 feet (120 m) per side.
The Palatine Chapel used marble, polychrome stone, bronze doors and columns taken from Ravenna and Rome. Its octagonal cupola is 54 feet (16.5 m) wide. The Council Hall was brick, 156 feet (47.4 m) long, and a Viking raid damaged the complex in 881.
The chapel now forms part of Aachen Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. Parts of the hall survive in the town hall.
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