Franciscan Church (Lucerne)
The Franciscan Church (formerly Barfüsserkirche) “St. Maria in der Au “near the city center of Lucerne is dedicated to the Virgin Mary .
history
The church was built by the brothers of the Franciscan Order , founded in 1210 , who had their monastery in Lucerne from the 13th century to 1838 ; it belonged to the Upper German (Strasbourg) order province, Provincia Argentina . The first parts of the convent and the church were built from 1269 (1223). Countess Gutta was a generous donor for the construction of the monastery and the donation of extensive land to maintain the Barfüßer Convent. Much has been speculated about the origin of the founder mentioned as Gutta von Rothenburg. It is possible that she retains Gutta (Guda) of vineyard , widow of the imperial chef Henry I of Rothenburg, the ancestor of the Lords of Rothenburg and later in Freiburg resident Men Enter . These lands and the local chapel “ St. Maria in der Aw zu Luzern ” were bought by Gutta or Guda from Theobald von Faucolgney. The reason for the foundation in Lucerne goes back to the Murbachian abbot Hugo von Rothenburg, possibly the brother of her husband Heinrich I. The Murbach Monastery , founder of the city of Lucerne, already had extensive land there. At that time the monastery was still outside the small town on the left bank, on the road to Unterwalden . Later this property passed to the Habsburgs as the Murbachian fiefdom . In the centuries after the church was built, many changes were made, including an ossuary chapel , and most of the interior furnishings today come from a major renovation in the 16th century.
After the Confederates' victory over the Habsburgs at the Battle of Sempach , the battle banners captured by the Lucerne were kept and exhibited here. As these gradually fell apart over the centuries, they were removed. They were replaced by the battle banner drawings that still exist today and can be seen in the central nave below the row of windows there.
At that time, among other things, the Antonius Chapel was heavily rebuilt. The ribbed vaulting probably also dates from that time , all roofs were renewed and partly changed and the window arrangement on the south side changed. In 1701 there was a violent explosion in the powder tower on Musegg , the pressure wave of which caused some windows in the church to break. As a result, the colorful windows in the nave were replaced by then modern transparent windows. In the Marienkapelle new windows had to give way to put the altar in the right light. In addition, the late Gothic paneled ceiling , which threatened to collapse, was replaced in the middle of the 18th century .
The church was also used as a burial church , which Pope Gregory IX did. in the 13th century first granted to friars, later also to lay people. The church was mainly used as a place of burial for the residents of the small town, as the cemetery - also known as the churchyard - was too far away for them. Wealthy citizens were able to buy a grave place in the church while they were still alive. There were three places in which there were graves: the monastery church, the outer cloister with garden near the ossuary and the garden between Antoniuskapelle and Kropfgasse. Towards the end of the 16th century, the cemetery was overcrowded for the first time, whereupon the city council requested it to be closed. Excepted were people with their own grave. At that time, the church floor was raised by a work shoe due to moisture . There were later complaints of bad smell in the church. Lime was then poured over the corpses. Seven years later, the gravedigger complained that the corpses would not rot due to the moisture and the lime - fear of an epidemic spread. After a failed application in 1784, the cemetery was finally closed in 1798. Before that, around 60–80 people were buried in the cemetery each year, around 50% of the city's deaths. It should also be noted that over 50% of those buried were men and only 30% women. The majority - around 75% - of those buried were over 50 years old when they died.
During renovation work in 1988/1989, archaeological investigations were carried out, among other things, mainly the burial chamber systems, which were destroyed after the ground was lowered to the level of 1554. The choir arch fresco from the middle of the 15th century: In the center Jesus on the cross, surrounded by angels, apostles and religious saints. The pulpit that rests on a kneeling angel from 1628 by Niklaus Geisler from Schweinfurt. The old Gothic choir with the ribbed vault and the choir stalls from the late Renaissance by Kaspar Tüfel and Hans Ulrich Räber. On the south side of the church there is a green square with the Marienbrunnen. This was the area of the outer cloister and the cemetery of the former monastery.
The Franciscan Church was formerly also called Barfüsserkirche. The term is still known, especially since the locality in the parish office is still called 'Im Barfüsser'.
Architecture and equipment
In the front part is the choir , the original monastery church. It has a cross vault with keystones that contain important ecclesiastical figures. In the front part of the choir is the high altar from the 18th century, which is made of stucco marble . The richly decorated choir stalls from the 17th century on the side have 46 seats and a smaller choir organ. In the past, the three-aisled nave, which was added on for a short time, was separated from the choir by a rood screen ; in the 18th century this was replaced by a wrought-iron grille. In the nave there are also several altars dedicated to different saints. In 1626 Gian Antonio Castelli from Melide TI realized several stucco work.
The central nave contains several wall paintings and three ceiling paintings , of which the central one shows the ascension of St. Francis into heaven. Flags can be seen on the side walls. Originally the flags that were taken from enemies in battles hung here. Probably because they rotten, they were replaced by paintings in the 18th century. In the front third is the pulpit , built in the 17th century , which is "carried" by an angel.
There are several extensions on the north side of the church: the vestibule, the Antonius chapel and the Marienchörlein.
organ
The organ was built in 1988 by the organ builder Goll (Lucerne), reusing the historical case and pipe material from the historical organ from 1653. The instrument has 34 stops on three manuals and a pedal . The actions are mechanical.
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- Coupling : I / II, III / II (each as sliding coupling), I / P, II / P, III / P
- Secondary register: tremolant
- Annotation:
- H = original pipe material from 1653
literature
- André Meyer: The Franciscan Church of St. Maria in der Au, Lucerne. (Swiss Art Guide, No. 471). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1998, ISBN 3-85782-471-9 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ New yearbook. Heraldic Genealogical Society "Adler", 1903, p. 15 (online)
- ↑ JPJ Gewin: The affinities and political relationships between the Western European royal houses in the early Middle Ages. HL Smits, The Hague 1964, DNB 451537432 .
- ↑ PF Malachiam: Annales or yearly stories of the Baarfüseren or Minor Brothers S. Franc. ord. Colmar 1864, p. 66 (online)
- ↑ Aloys Schulte: History of the Habsburgs in the first three centuries. Innsbruck 1887, OCLC 215374784 , p. 89.
- ↑ Old name 'Barfüsser' still known
- ^ Gian Antonio Castelli. In: Sikart , accessed January 18, 2016.
- ↑ Information on the organ
Coordinates: 47 ° 2 '58.9 " N , 8 ° 18' 12.7" E ; CH1903: 665 719 / 211324