Marienweiher Basilica

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Marienweiher Basilica

The Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in the Marienweiher district of Marktleugast is the pilgrimage basilica of the Roman Catholic parish Marienweiher of the dean's office in Hof in the Archdiocese of Bamberg .

Within the Archdiocese, Marienweiher is the largest Marian pilgrimage site and, alongside the Bamberg Cathedral , the Vierzehnheiligen basilica and the Gößweinstein basilica, one of the four basilicae minores. Marienweiher is one of the oldest Marian pilgrimage sites in Germany , which around 8,000 pilgrims visit every year. In 1993 the church received the papal honorary title basilica minor .

The original legend of the pilgrimage from the 12th century

Pilgrimage sites usually have an origin legend, for example a story about a miracle, which gives the place a special sacred character. For Marienweiher in 1816 the pastor A. F. Hofmann wrote down the legend that had been handed down orally up to then:

“A main road went through there from Franconia to Saxony, but at that time the local area was still very overgrown with dense forests, so several so-called emergency inns were built in the woods at different distances on the country road, one of which was also on the front lake built. Now a carter from Saxony, who was once completely Catholic there, is supposed to have a picture of Mary made in Franconia in order to bring it home with him. When he had this picture on his car, he was sleeping there on his way home in front lake.
In the dense forests, especially on the country roads, hordes of robbers were not uncommon according to the zeitgeist there. Such a gang raided the inn at Vorderesee on the same night the carter slept; the raid was probably aimed at him, but he got through with carriage, horse and property. In order to show his gratitude to God and Mary, whom he called upon in this great danger, he set up the portrait of Mary he had with him next to the road, built a small wooden chapel over it, and afterwards is supposed to store his goods Saxony and have settled here as a resident. [...]
This legend of the origin of the image of Mary is assured by the oldest men from the mouths of their fathers and grandfathers and that they heard it from the mouths of their fathers and grandfathers. There is always something venerable in this oral tradition - enough - that this image was erected seven hundred years ago for veneration, and at the time of St. Otto was called an old pilgrimage. "

The first church

The first historically documented evidence of a church in Marienweiher comes from the year 1189, when it passed into the possession of the Cistercian monastery of Langheim by Bishop Otto II of Bamberg . In the following more than 200 years, Cistercian monks took care of pastoral care in Marienweiher from there, also when Langheim had to sell the parish church and village in 1384 due to high debts to the diocese of Bamberg. The story about the name of the place after the invasion of Franconia by the Hussites in 1429/30 is not historically secure : the inhabitants of Marienweiher hid the Madonna image in a nearby village pond to protect it. Denzel states: “There is no source that would confirm these destructions and events. Instead, the parish Marienweiher even had to make a contribution to the so-called Hussite tax in 1431, while parishes whose churches had been destroyed (according to Marktschorgast) were exempt from this. "

The zeitgeist of the time appears to be much more significant, when people were increasingly concerned about their souls and pilgrimages on foot increased very strongly, especially in places of grace that were close by and thus easily accessible for the predominantly poor population. This is reinforced by miracle stories about Marienweiher, the best known of which is the so-called Turkish miracle, the liberation of the young Marktleugast citizen Drescher from Turkish captivity during the Turkish wars in the 16th century. This man did not want to renounce the Catholic faith and was to be executed. He then prayed to Our Lady of Marienweiher and when he awoke from sleep he found himself on the steps of the high altar of the church. During the change in the subsequent service, the chains also came off without human intervention.

The second church

At the end of the 15th century there was a new church building as a three-aisled hall. This contained the miraculous image from around 1500, which has been preserved to this day: a carved figure of Mary by a sculptor who is not known by name. The fact that she is standing on a crescent moon and that her hair is depicted curled down to her waist cannot be recognized by the magnificent baroque cloak. Further miracle stories like that of the young Drescher promoted the pilgrimage cult around Marienweiher, especially in the 17th century. Then there was the devastation and destruction of the Swedes, who invaded Franconia from 1631 onwards. Eggolsheim , for example, was razed to the ground with the exception of the church tower, whereupon the surviving residents vowed a procession to Marienweiher. In the middle of the 17th century, Franciscan brothers were active for the first time to cope with the growing number of 700-800 pilgrims a day, so that by 1690 the existing monastery officially became a monastery and the Franciscan community became one for the now twelve Franciscans Convention was raised.

Today's church

Interior view of the basilica in 2018

The existing church could often no longer hold the crowds; in addition, a different aesthetic feeling arose over the years, which could not do much with Gothic elements. A decision was then made for a new building, and the largest and richest church complex of the time in the bishopric of Bamberg was built from 1740 to 1745 according to plans by the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg's court architect Johann Jakob Michael Küchel .

The centerpiece is the miraculous image from around 1500, framed by a classicistic high altar. Many visitors are impressed by the brightness of the room and the ornate stucco ceiling with the ceiling frescoes by Antonio Nove depicting biblical and theological scenes from the life of Mary.

In 2012, extensive renovation work began on the roof structure, the natural slate roofing and the bell stalls of the basilica over a period of one and a half years. They were completed in autumn 2013. In the same year, the extensive renovation of the adjacent Franciscan monastery began, which was completed in 2014.

organ

The organ

The organ of the pilgrimage basilica Marienweiher was built in 1988 by the organ building workshop Gebrüder Mann (Marktbreit am Main) and has 40 registers (three transmissions) on 3 manuals and pedal. The organ has the following disposition:

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Pommer 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Reed flute 8th'
4th Octave 4 ′
5. Pointed flute 4 ′
6th Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
7th Super octave (from 9.) 2 ′
8th. third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
9. Mixture V 2 ′
10. Trumpet 8th'
II Positive C-g 3
11. Wood-covered 8th'
12. Principal 4 ′
13. Coupling flute 4 ′
14th Nasat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
15th Octave 2 ′
16. Third flute 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
17th Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
18th Sif flute 1'
19th Cimbel III  1 ⁄ 2 ′
20th Krummhorn 8th'
Tremulant
III Swell C – g 3
21st Lead-covered 8th'
22nd Viol 8th'
23. Vox Coelestis 8th'
24. Principal 4 ′
25th Wooden flute 4 ′
26th Sesquialter II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
27. recorder 2 ′
28. Super octave (from 29.) 2 ′
29 Mixture V 2 ′
30th Dulcian 16 ′
31. Trumpets 8th'
32. Clairon 4 ′
Tremulant
Pedal C – g 1
33. Violon 16 ′
34. Sub bass 16 ′
35. Octave 8th'
36. Covered 8th'
37. Small set 4 ′
38. Choral bass (from 39th) 4 ′
39. Back set IV 4 ′
40. trombone 16 ′
  • Coupling : II / I, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P

Bells

The ringing of the pilgrimage basilica Marienweiher includes five bells, the first two mentioned in 1957/58 being a replacement for two small bells from 1752, each weighing 1.75 and 3.5 quintals. With this change, the peal was added to a full and warm sound.

No. Surname Casting year Caster Weight
(ct.)
1 No information No information Bachert (Kochendorf) ~ 12
2 No information 1716 Johann Konrad (Roth) ~ 12
3 Angelus bell 1755 Prince-Bishop's Bell Foundry Keller (Bamberg) ~ 14
4th 11 o'clock bell 1765 Prince-Bishop's Bell Foundry Keller (Bamberg) ~ 30
5 Marienbell 1820 No information ~ 53

Friends' association and foundation

In July 2006 the Friends of the Pilgrimage Basilica Marienweiher was founded, whose main goal is to promote pilgrimages and support the basilica. In October 2010 , Professor Monsignore Rüdiger Feulner from Enchenreuth was elected as the new First Chairman. In May 2009, thanks to the voluntary work of some women, a monastery shop with traditional and modern devotional items, books and souvenirs was opened. The proceeds are intended for the renovation of the chapel between the monastery and the basilica.

With funds from the EU funding program Leader , the district of Kulmbach, the market town of Marktleugast, the Marienweiher Church Foundation and the Friends' Association, the Marienweiher pilgrimage office was opened in October 2010. The director is Jörg Schmidt from Stadtsteinach. Over a period of two years, projects in the areas of public relations and value orientation are to be designed and implemented there in cooperation with the people and initiatives of the region.

In 2014, the Marienweiher Pilgrimage Basilica Foundation was established, which mainly stipulated the promotion and support of pilgrimage in its statutes. In 2014, a community of interests of the citizens of Marienweiher was founded, which has dedicated itself to the care, restoration and restoration of the basilica field.

Pilgrimages

The pilgrimage season is generally from May to October. Traditionally Oberwarmensteinach starts on May 1st. The main days of pilgrimage are Pentecost and the weekend after the birth of the Virgin Mary . The catchment area extends in the west to Großeibstadt (Rhön) and Reichmannsdorf, in the east to Konnersreuth in Stiftland, in the north to Haßlach in the Franconian Forest and in the south to Weingarts in Franconian Switzerland. In the following, the pilgrimages are listed alphabetically according to their location:

literature

  • Karl-Ludwig Lippert : Stadtsteinach district. In: Die Kunstdenkmäler von Bayern , Kurzinventare, XX. Tape. German art publisher . Munich 1964. pp. 55-61.
  • Max Zapf: Marienweiher. 800 years of parish and pilgrimage site . 1989.
  • Markus Denzel: Marienweiher. The place of pilgrimage in the Franconian Forest . Heinrichs-Verlag Bamberg 2005.
  • Marienweiher . (Church leader) without information.

Web links

Commons : Basilika Marienweiher  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ AF Hofmann: The history of the parish Marienweiher in the Main district of the Kingdom of Bavaria from parish and other secure documents. Kulmbach, with Augustin Franz Spindler, 1816
  2. ^ Markus A. Denzel / Karl-Heinrich Brückner / Peter Ruderich: Marienweiher - The place of pilgrimage in the Franconian Forest. Heinrichs-Verlag, Bamberg 2005 (2nd edition), p. 7f.
  3. ↑ Denzel et al. a. 2005, p. 9
  4. ↑ Denzel et al. a. 2005, p. 11f.
  5. ↑ Denzel et al. a. 2005, p. 14
  6. ↑ Denzel et al. a., p. 14 f.
  7. ↑ Denzel et al. a. 2005, p. 26

Coordinates: 50 ° 9 ′ 27.9 ″  N , 11 ° 38 ′ 9.7 ″  E