Mariazell Basilica

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Basilica of the Nativity of Mary

The Roman Catholic basilica of Mariazell is the most important place of pilgrimage in Austria , one of the most important in Europe and the only one with the title of a national shrine (Catholic) in German-speaking countries. A wooden image of the Virgin Mary is venerated in the place of grace founded in the 12th century . The place of pilgrimage is still looked after by monks from St. Lambrecht Abbey , the current superior of Mariazell is Father Michael Staberl OSB, a native of Mariazell.

history

Around 1103 the area around Mariazell was taken over by Duke Heinrich III. (Carinthia) to the St. Lambrecht Abbey , whose monks built a cell there to evangelize the local population. According to legend, the foundation of the pilgrimage site goes back to December 21, 1157. Mariazell was first mentioned in a document in 1243, and a Marian altar was consecrated in 1266.

There are essentially three legends about the origin of the place of grace and its development. The founding legend says that in 1157 the St. Lambrecht monk Magnus was sent to the area of ​​today's pilgrimage site as a pastor. When a rock blocked his way, he put down the figure of Mary he had brought with him, which split the rock and opened the way. On a nearby hill he sat down, placed the statue of Mary on a tree trunk and built a wooden cell over it, which served him as a chapel and living space.

The second legend tells of the Moravian margrave Heinrich and his wife, who, with the help of Our Lady of Mariazell, healed from severe gout out of gratitude, made a pilgrimage to this place and had a first stone church built there in 1200 instead of the wooden chapel. The third legend tells of the victory of the battle of the Hungarian king Ludwig I over a numerically superior Turkish army. In gratitude, he built the Gothic church and donated the “treasure chamber” that he had placed on his chest in a dream.

Pilgrimage

Devotional image

Pilgrims are said to have made their way to the Marian Shrine as early as the 12th century. There is documentary evidence of larger numbers of pilgrims around the year 1330. Some secular courts imposed a "cell trip" as atonement for crimes. In the following years, pilgrims came from neighboring countries. After the Counter-Reformation, Mariazell became a national shrine for the Habsburgs.

Emperor Joseph II dissolved all brotherhoods in Mariazell in 1783 and completely forbade pilgrimages in 1787. With the restrictions being lifted soon, around one million pilgrims visit the pilgrimage site every year. The Mariazellerbahn (formerly known as the “Lower Austrian-Styrian Alpine Railway”) was built between 1905 and 1907 to transport the enormous streams of pilgrims to Mariazell more easily. The railway quickly found great popularity.

In May 2004 the Central European Catholic Day took place in Mariazell. How popular Mariazell is can be seen, among other things, from the fact that the then Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer (SPÖ) made a pilgrimage to Mariazell in spring 2007 in fulfillment of one of his election promises. During the apostolic journey of Pope Benedict XVI. to Austria on the occasion of the 850th anniversary of the foundation of the pilgrimage site Mariazell in September 2007, the pilgrimage site was awarded the Golden Rose , a high papal distinction.

  • Mariazell, Entry of the Graz Procession, lith. Around 1830

  • Mariazell from the church square, approx. 1833

  • Historical view of the Mariazell Basilica, ca.1880

Building

Gothic stone portal

A Gothic church with a pointed arch portal and a 90 m high tower, today's central tower, was built in the 14th century . In it hangs the largest bell in Styria from 1950 with a weight of 5702 kg. The Gothic main portal shows the third founding legend of Mariazell in the tympanum : the victory of King Ludwig I of Hungary over a superior Turkish army, and the king's votive offering to the Mother of God: the "treasury picture". In 1420 and 1474 the church was damaged by fires.

From 1644 to 1683 Domenico Sciassia extended the church building and made it Baroque . A baroque tower was built to the left and right of the Gothic tower. The nave was lengthened and widened; each with six side chapels in the north and south, their design and frescoes refer to the saints to whom the altar is consecrated. A dome room was added to the east. In front of the main portal are two life-size lead statues made by Balthasar Moll in 1757. On the left is the Hungarian King Ludwig I , on the right the Moravian Margrave Heinrich.

In 1907 the pilgrimage church was elevated to a minor basilica . It bears the ecclesiastical title of national shrine . From 1992 to 2007 it was completely renovated.

Furnishing

Interior view from the west portal towards the Chapel of Mercy

Altars

The high altar, consecrated to the Holy Trinity in 1704, was designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach .

In the twelve side chapels there are baroque altars made from red marble by Carlo Gianollo based on designs by Domenico Sciassia. On the north side from west to east, these are Saints Leopold and Ladislaus, St. Dedicated to Catherine, Saint Stephen, Emmerich of Hungary and James; on the south side of St. Antony , St. Family, the Holy Trinity, St. Barbara, St. Aegidius and St. Benedict . The baroque confessionals were built in the middle of the 18th century. Wrought iron lattices from around 1675 close off the chapels to the nave.

  • The high altar

  • The Trinity Altar

  • The Barbara Altar

  • The Aegidius Altar

  • The altar of St. Benedict

  • Baroque confessional

  • The vault of the Benedict Chapel

The sculptural ornamentation of the organ gallery and the organ case erected in 1737 comes from the Viennese sculptor Johann Wagner from 1740. Behind the Gnadenkapelle, in the baroque extension, there is a five-meter-high marble column with a stucco capital, an almost two-meter-high, late Gothic, from around 1520 Virgin Mary with child. The crowns are made of gilded copper; the gilded halo was added in 1709.

Chapel of Mercy

Statue of grace in modern dress (dirndl)

The Chapel of Grace, built in 1690 using older parts, still stands today on the site of the first “cell”. It contains the late Romanesque miraculous image , the Magna Mater Austriæ - also called the Bell Madonna - a 48 cm sculpture made of linden wood . The image of grace receives an elaborately designed grace dress every year. The more than 150 clothes can either be viewed in the treasury or are carefully preserved. Many clothes were given as votive gifts or by wealthy people. The design of a grace dress is still considered a great honor.

  • Image of grace "Magna Mater Austriæ"

  • Late Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary with a halo

  • Founding legend of Mariazell by the monk Magnus, relief on the organ gallery

Organs

West gallery with organ

There are four organs in the basilica .

Viennese organ

The current case of the so-called Viennese organ on the west gallery, with the figural decorations by Johann Wagner, goes back to the Viennese organ builder Gottfried Sonnholz , who completed this instrument in 1739, while the old organ from 1689, which was made by Christoph Egedacher , came to Sankt Veit am Vogau , was erected there in 1753 and has been preserved. After renovations and new constructions in 1868, 1912, 1929 ( Dreher & Flamm ) and 1957, the Mathis company ( Näfels / CH) delivered a new movement with 54 stops on three manuals and a pedal in 2003 , which was installed in the case from 1739. In the course of this, the Rückpositiv , which had been removed during the renovation in 1868, was reconstructed.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Principal 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Hollow flute 8th'
4th Viol 8th'
5. Viol flute 8th'
6th Voce umana 8th'
7th Octav 4 ′
8th. flute 4 ′
9. Gemshorn 4 ′
10. Quint 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
11. Super octave 2 ′
12. Third octave 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
13. Cornett V 8th'
14th Mixture major III-IV 2 ′
15th Mixture minor II-III 1'
16. Trumpet 16 ′
17th Trumpet 8th'
II Rückpositiv C – g 3
18th Quintatön (from c 0 ) 16 ′
19th Praestant 8th'
20th Dumped 8th'
21st Octav 4 ′
22nd Reed flute 4 ′
23. Sesquialtera II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
24. Octav 2 ′
25th Quint 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
26th Scharff IV 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
27. Krummhorn 8th'
Tremulant
III Swell C – g 3
28. Covered 16 ′
29 Principal (eng) 8th'
30th Bourdon 8th'
31. Salicional 8th'
32. Vox coelestis (from c 0 ) 8th'
33. Fugara 4 ′
34. Transverse flute 4 ′
35. Salicet 4 ′
36. Nasard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
37. Flageolet 2 ′
38. Third (far) 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
39. Sif flute 1'
40. Mixture IV-V 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
41. Trompette harmonique 8th'
42. oboe 8th'
43. Clairon 4 ′
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
44. Pedestal 32 ′
45. Principal 16 ′
46. Sub bass 16 ′
47. Violon bass 16 ′
48. Octavbass 8th'
49. Covered bass 8th'
50. cello 8th'
51. Octav 4 ′
52. Rauschpfeife IV 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
53. trombone 16 ′
54. Trumpet 8th'
  • Pairing :
    • Normal coupling: II / I, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P.
    • Super octave coupling: III / P
    • Sub-octave coupling: III / I
  • Secondary register: Vogelgesang, Rossignol, Schauer, Glockenspiel (bowl bells, g 0 - g 2 ) Zimbelstern

Mariazell organ

The Mariazell organ

The modern and asymmetrically designed choir organ ("Mariazeller Orgel") on the north wall of the dome room, completed in September 2000 (2 manuals, 29 registers), also came from Mathis.

When the main organ was rebuilt in 2003, a general console was also installed in the nave, which enables the organist to play both Mathis organs together.

I main manual C – g 3
1. Bourdon 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Hollow flute 8th'
4th Gemshorn 8th'
5. Octav 4 ′
6th Pointed flute 4 ′
7th Quint 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
8th. Super octave 2 ′
9. Mixture IV-VI 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
10. Cornet V 8th'
11. Trumpet 8th'
II Prelude Manual C – g 3
12. Covered 8th'
13. Salicional 8th'
14th Unda maris 8th'
15th Principal 4 ′
16. Reed flute 4 ′
17th Dolce 4 ′
18th Forest flute 2 ′
19th Quint 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
20th Sesquialtera II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
21st Mixture IV 1'
22nd oboe 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
23. Principal bass 16 ′
24. Sub bass 16 ′
25th Octavbass 8th'
26th Covered bass 8th'
27. Choral bass 4 ′
28. trombone 16 ′
29 Trumpet 8th'

Konrad and Marien organ

Finally there are two small organs in two identical historical cases (Johann Georg Schnepfleithner 1752) in the side galleries, both were built by the Pflüger company (Feldkirch) in 2003. ("Konrad organ" I / P / 9, "Marien organ" I / 6)

Konrad organ C – g 3
1. Principal 8th'
2. Dumped 8th'
3. Octav 4 ′
4th Forest flute 4 ′
5. Quint 3 ′
6th Super octave 2 ′
7th Mixture V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
Tremulant
Pedal C – d 1
8th. Sub bass 16 ′
9. Octave bass 8th'
Marian organ
1. Copl major 8th'
2. Principal 4 ′
3. Copl minor 4 ′
4th Octav 2 ′
5. Quint 1 1 ⁄ 2  ′
6th Sedecima 1'
Tremulant

Peal

Big bell
Ferdinand bell

In the central tower built in the Gothic style, seven bells hang as the main bells in a mighty wooden belfry. It is the largest bell in Styria.

A small bell ("peace bell") originally came from the chapel on the Sigmundsberg, but it no longer exists today.

No. Surname Nominal Weight
(kg)		 Transit
diameter
(cm)		 Casting
year		 Caster
1 Christ the King Bell,
Great Mariazellerin		 g 0 +0 5702 210 1950 Upper Austrian bell and metal foundry
2 Ferdinand bell, Mariazeller bell,
Marien bell		 h 0 +0 2800 167 1830 FX Gugg d. Younger ones
3 Benedict bell d 1 +0 1625 139 1950 Upper Austrian bell and metal foundry
4th Florian bell e 1 +0 1121 124
5 Joseph Bell g 1 +0 0672 105
6th Lambert bell h 1 +0 0297.9 080 1968 Pounds
7th Rupert bell d 2 +0 0240.8 071

In November 2012, the great Mariazell's clapper broke . In February 2013, a new, lighter clapper from the Grassmayr bell foundry was installed.

Others

literature

Web links

Commons : Basilica von Mariazell  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Father Mag. Dr. Michael Staberl OSB. Retrieved June 28, 2019 .
  2. ^ Richard Pogatschnigg: The medieval Benedictine monastery St. Lambrecht. A cultural and power-political factor in the border area between Styria and Carinthia. ( academia.edu [accessed January 3, 2020]).
  3. ^ Kath.net : Austria: Gusenbauer makes a pilgrimage to Mariazell January 23, 2007.
  4. ↑ Pope brought "Goldene Rose" to Mariazell , accessed on November 22, 2014.
  5. ^ The bells of Mariazell , accessed on April 8, 2011
  6. ↑ "Große Mariazellerin": The bell rings again on ORF on February 27, 2013, accessed on February 27, 2013.

Coordinates: 47 ° 46 '22.2 "  N , 15 ° 19' 7.2"  E