Buxheimer choir stalls

The Buxheim choir stalls are high baroque choir stalls created by Ignaz Waibl between 1687 and 1691 in the monastery church of St. Maria in Buxheim in Upper Swabia . As a result of the dissolution of the Charterhouse in the course of secularization , it came into the hands of the counts in 1803. Count Hugo Waldbott von Bassenheim had it auctioned in Munich in 1883. When the stalls in 1886 again came under the hammer, it auctioned the director of the Bank of England and donated it to the Sisters of St. Savior's Hospital in England London , which during the laying of the hospital to Hythe in the county of Kent -taking. When the hospital in Kent was closed, the choir stalls could be bought back in 1980 by the administrative district of Swabia for 450,000  pounds sterling , which corresponds to a price of 1.05 million euros. It was extensively restored from 1980 to 1994 and has been back at its original location in the former Charterhouse in Buxheim since then .

The stalls are built in the shape of a horseshoe and originally consisted of 36 stalls , 31 of which are still preserved. The main part of the rich figurative decoration are the statues of the founders of the order in the back walls of the seats, the dorsals, with the emphasis on orders of hermits . The cornice is dominated by sculptures of the twelve apostles .

The choir stalls in the priest choir of the monastery church St. Maria in Buxheim

history

prehistory

The predecessor of Ignaz Waibl's choir stalls was relatively simple in design, comparable to the stalls that were still in the former Christgarten Charterhouse . There is no news about pre-baroque chairs. In the course of the renovation of the Carthusian Church , the then Prior Johannes Bilstein commissioned the construction of new choir stalls, which began in 1687. Bilstein was one of the most important priors in Buxheim. He was born in Cologne around 1626 and made his profession on July 22, 1648 in Danzig, where he initially worked as a vicar . Before he became prior in Buxheim in 1678, he headed the Charterhouse in Schnals in Tyrol (1661-1670) and the Charterhouse Karthaus near Danzig (1670-1678). At the same time, he got to know numerous Carthusian monks as a visitor and consultant . In addition to the Low German, he also traveled to the Upper German province, going to Austria and Bohemia and the Spanish provinces of Catalonia and Castile . Inspired by the impressions he had gathered on his many travels, he had choir stalls made in Gdansk, which became an extremely artistic masterpiece of interior design. The stalls, which were completed in 1677, are carved from oak and have a wealth of figures and ornaments that has not yet been seen in Carthusian monuments. In addition to Italian influences, the stalls of the Canons' Monastery in Sion , Switzerland, are worth mentioning, where Bilstein had admired the intermediate cheeks with plant decoration and angel heads and had them realized similarly in Gdansk. The Buxheim choir stalls are the second stalls that were made under the direction of Johannes Bilstein. Correspondences with the Danzig stalls cannot be overlooked.

Creation of the choir stalls by Ignaz Waibl

Northwest corner in the area of ​​the Hochwangen

The prior commissioned the Tyrolean sculptor Ignaz Waibl to carry out the sculpting work on the new choir stalls and Master Peter from Memmingen for the carpentry work . This master appears in the monastery archives as Master Peter, the carpenter from the city , but is not listed in any of the Memmingen archives that still exist. It is therefore assumed that the master carpenter came from a village not far from the city of Memmingen. It is not known why Bilstein chose Ignaz Waibl. We can only guess whether the designs for the choir stalls were made by Waibl himself; the iconographic program was given by the Carthusians.

The sculptor set up a workshop for himself and his journeymen in the Charterhouse. Due to the different quality, the research assumes around five to seven figure carvers and a few journeymen who were responsible for the foliage. Johann Georg Dettelbacher from Ochsenfurt is the only one of them who has been identified by name. The manual of Prior Bilstein names Joseph and Johannes, two other sculptors who are not known. Waibl was personally and professionally connected to the Tyrolean sculptor Andreas Etschmann. It is conceivable that both worked together first in Buxheim and then in Rot an der Rot. The start of the work can be dated to autumn 1687 based on invoices. In the years before, Prior Petrus von Schneit had cut around 200 oaks in the monastery's own forests and had the wood stored. The fact that seasoned wood was used for the stalls can be seen above all from the shrinkage cracks that were cut out during processing and have not changed since then.

The first two chairs were finished in February 1688 and were paid for on February 11 with 121 guilders . On the invoice, the name Ignaz Waibl appears for the first time in connection with the choir stalls in the Buxheim archives. Master carpenter Peter received 80 guilders for the two chairs, and additional chairs were paid to him in July and November 1689. In the bill in November it is noted that the carpenters worked on the 15 chairs for a year and eight months. Ignaz Waibl was rewarded with 730 guilders for this. The stalls with 36 stalls, 15 each on the north and south side of the choir and 6 on the west side in front of the cloister , was finished in 1691. In May Waibl received the final payment, in October of the same year he carved the portal of the stalls, which earned him another 75 guilders. The master carpenter Peter also received the last payment in 1691. In the same year, master locksmith Georg Eberhard the Younger from Memmingen manufactured the lock, fittings and door hinges for the portal and was rewarded with 60 guilders for this. On April 17th Johann Friedrich Sichelbein received 7 guilders and 12 Kreuzer for the gilding and setting of the ribbons.

The celebrant's seat, also known as the priors chair, which was intended for the celebrating priest monk, was made by Ignaz Waibl between 1699 and 1700. The seat was set up on the south side of the choir stalls.

Rebuilding after the church was baroque

The choir stalls before 1710 and after the Baroque renovation of the St. Maria monastery church in 1720

The baroque redesign of the church made an initial change to the choir stalls necessary. Johann Baptist and Dominikus Zimmermann were commissioned to redesign the entire monastery church in Baroque style. The stalls had to be dismantled and stored in 1709 for the renovation work. The Gothic Kreuzganglettner was relocated about 2.4 meters to the east, which resulted in a shortening of the priest's choir and thus the choir stalls. During the reconstruction, a total of five chairs and the corresponding desks were dispensed with, the north side was reduced to twelve and the south side to thirteen stalls. The symmetry in the architectural structure of the dorsal fields between the north and south sides was lost, which is still present in the choir stalls in the Ittingen Charterhouse , which follow on from the Buxheimer stalls. Nothing is known about the sculptures in these five stables.

Before the renovation, the monks had to go down two steps when entering the priestly choir. This height difference of about 27 centimeters was removed during the Baroque era by lowering the cloister. The portal had to be moved down by the same amount, which led to the loss of the harmonious connection between the portal and the stalls created by Waibl. Nothing is known about further renovations, but it can be assumed that later only minor repairs were made to the stalls.

Change of ownership through secularization, auctions and donations

The south side around 1883

Installation probably in Amsterdam, early 1886

Due to the secularization , Buxheim came into the possession of Count Maximilian von Ostein in 1803 , who initially tolerated the Carthusians. After his death in 1809, the former Reich Charterhouse became the property of Count Waldbott von Bassenheim . These dissolved the convent in April 1812. With the death of Count Friedrich Karl Waldbott von Bassenheim , the church became a crypt in 1830. Since his son Count Hugo Philipp Waldbott had a lavish lifestyle, he began selling Carthusian property in 1850. The first plans to sell the choir stalls are documented for the year 1882. Count Hugo Philipp offered it to the Bavarian Trade Museum in Nuremberg for sale. Those responsible there asked for photographs of the stalls. Count Hugo Philipp had several photographs taken and sent them to the museum. A sale did not take place.

The entire property of the count was seized by the court on May 2, 1883 . A foreclosure auction was imminent, which would also have affected the stalls in the priestly choir. In order to prevent them, Count Hugo Philipp decided to auction almost all former monastery properties for sale. In addition to the chairs of the priest choir, the chairs of the brothers choir, the library with its 16,680 books, altars, paintings and silver objects were offered. The objects arrived in Munich on June 23, 1883. The auction of the choir stalls took place on September 14, 1883, but at 42,100 marks, it was nowhere near the expected proceeds. The celebrant's seat remained in the church. Only the seating furniture of the celebrant's seat, the so-called stool , went under the hammer for 700 marks. It is unknown who bought the stalls; Investigations into the repository remained without result. It is possible that the stalls first came to Holland and were intended for an exhibition in Amsterdam. In February / March 1886 a photograph was taken of the stalls, which the Archbishop's Museum in Utrecht sent to the State Office for Monument Preservation in 1938. An installation in Holland is not archived.

The stalls reappeared in London in 1886. In August of that year, the Times put it up for auction at Bonhams. On September 1, 1886, Edward Howley Palmer, director of the Bank of England , bought the choir stalls for £ 3,500 and gave them to the nurses at St. Savior's Hospital in London, who had them painted with black lacquer. Then they set up 18 of the 31 stables in the chapel of their hospital in a horseshoe shape, 7 chairs each on the long walls and 2 chairs each next to the portal on the west wall. The rest of the chairs were taken apart, sawn up, adjusted and used as bedside desks, chairs or wall paneling. The completion could be celebrated on November 1st, 1888. The London convent used the choir stalls in this chapel for 75 years.

New building in Hythe

Due to road regulation between 1963 and 1964, the chapel and hospital had to be demolished. The sisters moved their location to Hythe in Kent . The prioress of the convent, Reverend Mother Sladys Cathleen Bush, contacted Buxheim. She and her architect visited the former Reich Charterhouse in October 1963 to get an idea of ​​the original location of the installation of the choir stalls. She intended to build a chapel in Hythe according to the dimensions of the Buxheim priestly choir. When the chapel was completed in 1964, work began on installing the stalls. Changes have been made to the lineup in London. In the new structure, the long sides were each occupied by eight stalls and one row of desks. A double barn was placed next to the entrance portal. The frame of the original portal was redesigned as a high altar. On June 14, 1965, the chapel with the built-in choir stalls was inaugurated.

In 1979 the convent decided to give up the hospital and the chapel and to sell the choir stalls. Prioress Sladys Cathleen Bush saw it as the best solution to return the choir stalls to Buxheim.

The return of the choir stalls

Back first: James the Elder

The news of the impending sale and the request of the prioress reached Peter Burman, then secretary of the Council for the Care of Churches . At an international symposium on conservation issues in the summer of 1979 he reported this to the head of the restoration workshops of the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Dr. Karl-Ludwig Dasser, who immediately became interested in the seating. Back in Munich he received the approval for repatriation negotiations from the Conservator General Michael Petzet. The Buxheim Salesian Convention under the direction of Father Herbert Müller agreed. On December 8th, Müller, Dasser and Burman met with Prioress Cathleen Bush for negotiations in Hythe. At the same time, contacts were held with Professor John Withe, a member of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art . Because time was short to dismantle the stalls, the auction house Sotheby’s was commissioned to sell the property at an estimated price of £ 450,000. The company's management stated that it was their opinion that the work of art should be returned to its place of origin. The Free State of Bavaria , which was definitely interested in the stalls, was unable to create any budgetary requirements in such a short time to pay the purchase price. In order to avoid a new auction and thus possibly the complete dismemberment of the stalls, Georg Simnacher finally agreed by telephone at Dasser's request that the Swabian district would act as a buyer, despite unexplained financial risks . The purchase intent was signed a little later. The purchase negotiations took place in Munich on July 16, 1980. The estimate of £ 450,000 could not be reduced. Half of the price was due upon delivery, the other half one year after the contract was signed. The transportation cost was £ 34,000. About buying found on 28 July 1980 in Hohenschwangau a District Assembly tags instead. The acquisition was approved by the district council with 20 to 3 dissenting votes. The purchase contract was signed on August 6th. Due to the devaluation of the D-Mark in foreign exchange trading, the choir stalls rose from the estimated 1.8 million to 2,065,441 DM. After the purchase, the restorers of the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation Edmund Melzl and Christoph Müller drove to Hythe and documented the dismantling. The choir stalls first had to be temporarily stored in Canterbury , as there was no export permit under British monument law. This approval was accelerated after the intervention of the Bavarian Minister of Education in England and was granted in October 1980.

In addition to the state of Bavaria, which granted a grant of 690,000 DM from the compensation fund, the Federal Republic of Germany contributed 100,000 DM, the Episcopal Finance Chamber Augsburg with 100,000 DM, the Bavarian State Foundation with 250,000 DM and the Unterallgäu district with 50,000 DM Donations from the private sector were added, so that the district itself had to raise 725,442 DM. In the community of Buxheim , people waited impatiently for the famous stalls to arrive. On December 4, 1980, the community welcomed the container decorated with garlands on a special truck with bells ringing and brass music. The schoolchildren had no school for the reception of the choir stalls and could celebrate the arrival together with the adults in the monastery courtyard of the former Charterhouse. In the cloister courtyard, the then District Assembly President Georg Simnacher began to unpack the chairs. The first saint to be welcomed back to Buxheimer Boden was St. James the Elder . Simnacher held it up and shouted into the crowd "It ish again!". In an interview for radio, Simnacher said afterwards "This is an hour of European understanding of art and monument protection."

Restoration and reconstruction

North row of the partial construction of the black lacquered chairs from 1981

After the Free State of Bavaria renounced co-ownership, the district of Swabia became the sole owner of the choir stalls, which were returned to their place in the church on permanent loan from the district. Because the rood screen was not to be closed again for liturgical reasons, initially only a partial construction in the original place was considered. First, together with English restorers, the two rows of eight seats each, as they were set up in Hythe, with the corresponding desks were provisionally set up and consecrated on May 24, 1981. At a subsequent ceremony, the prioress Cathleen Bush received the honorary citizenship of the community of Buxheim. The unassembled parts of the stalls were temporarily stored in the former Magdalenenkapelle.

Restoration and reconstruction took place in two phases and began in the spring of 1981 under the direction of Edmund Melzl. Before the Swabian district took over regular funding, the work was financed from donations made available by the Buxheim Home Service. From 1981 to 1986, the main work was to remove the black paint. The stalls were freed from the paint with the help of 3500 liters of ethyl alcohol . The first phase of work caused costs of 880,000 DM. From 1986 to 1992 work on the stalls had to be stopped because the church was being restored.

The second phase of the reconstruction began in May 1992, for which only the photographs taken for sales purposes in the 1880s could be used as a guide. More parts than initially thought had to be re-carved. Acanthus jewelry , fruit pendants and masks had to be supplemented or completely renewed. New beams had to be made for eleven chairs . Only 21 of the 25 consoles remained. For these renovations, oak blocks from the Franconian Lake District were ordered in 1991 and stored in the cloister. A total of around ten cubic meters of oak wood were required for the reconstruction. Ignaz Waibl had processed around eighty cubic meters of wood. As the restoration progressed, the desire to restore all of the stalls to the version from 1883, which probably largely coincided with the installation from 1711, grew. Georg Simnacher held talks with the Salesians who used the former Carthusian monastery church for worship services, and in March 1993 received their approval for the rood screen to be closed. Now the way was clear for the reconstruction of the entire stalls.

Construction began on the portal to the sacristy, which had already been reconstructed in a simple form a year earlier using old photographs. The sacristy portal carved by Waibl is lost. Photos show that the stalls were directly adjacent to the door frame paneling. So first the north side was built, then the south side, and in late summer 1993 the west side was started. The cloister, which was opened during the restoration in 1955/56, was closed again and converted back to the Kreuzganglettner. The second phase of work was worth 1,200,000 DM and the cost of restoring the choir stalls, in which several municipal financiers and the Free State of Bavaria participated, reached around two million DM, the same amount as the purchase price. After the work was completed, the choir stalls were solemnly assigned on June 24, 1994 in the priest's choir. Due to the high humidity in the church, mold found its way into the choir stalls in 2011 . An attempt is being made to find a coating that will prevent the fungus from spreading further.

description

The choir stalls consist of 31 seats and are set up in the shape of a horseshoe, based on the cloister. The north side with its twelve stalls is 10.62 meters long, the south side with thirteen stalls is 11.35 meters and the west side with six places is 8.34 meters long. The seating is divided into three levels and consists of the seats with shoulder rings, the dorsals built on them and the canopy-like entablature at the top . The seats are about 1.02 meters high up to the shoulder rings, with the seat height fluctuating between 46 and 49 centimeters. The dorsals have an average height of 1.42 meters, the framework rises 47 centimeters. A seat has a total width of around 88 centimeters. The chairs stand on a walking floor 38.5 centimeters high.

Seats and desks

Carthusians at the desk south of the entrance portal

Since only a few remains were preserved, the single-step walkway had to be completely rebuilt. The visible parts are made of oak, the substructure is stiffened with spruce squared timbers. The seats are on the wooden floor. The fold-up seat boards, which are provided with misericords on the underside , a standing aid for the monks , are attached between two stable cheeks, the seat cheeks . The back walls are made of smooth wood. The seat cheeks are made of acanthus carving that ends in a console-like inclined half-figure that can be assigned to one of four different types. Some half-figures look like putti with wings laid on, there is a shawl type with a headscarf that covers the whole back, a shawl type with crossed arms and a group that is characterized by a chest band. There are shoulder rings on the seat cheeks, which are up to 44 centimeters deep, and on the rear walls.

Frontal view of the north side with desk blocks

In front of the seats there are consoles 68 centimeters apart , which are connected to form several blocks. To allow access to the rows of seats, six stalls have no desks. There are two blocks of five each on the north side and two desks on the rood screen. On the south side there are five and six desks in a row. At both ends of the blocks, putti are depicted on the sloping desk covers, which merge into acanthus tendrils. At the entrance portal there are two praying Carthusian monks in the variant of the prostration characteristic of their order . Like the dorsal, the front of the desk is architecturally structured. The plinths are decorated with acanthus tendrils that form in the middle to form leaf masks that sometimes look malicious and give the demonic expression. Half-figures of entablature girders, mostly in the form of angels, rise from foliage on the plinths . The fields between them are decorated with different geometric shapes, each with an angel's head in the center. The first and last fields of the blocks on the north and south sides are narrower and have an empty niche in the middle. Putti heads and acanthus tendrils fill the frieze zone of the entablature.

Dorsal

Dorsal with Hieronymus

Directly above the seat cheeks are the high cheeks on the shoulder rings, with two types of different heights alternating on the north and south sides. The lower ones are 1.42 meters high and end at the lower edge of the entablature, giving the impression that they are supporting the entablature. The higher ones measure 1.57 meters and extend into the interior of the hollow timber frame. In the middle of the high cheeks, facing the front, herm-like angel figures can be found, which merge into openwork carved acanthus tendrils. Between the high cheeks are the dorsals, the back walls of the individual stables, with arched niches that have an architectural structure. The lowest level is a base with a name cartridge . Above the cartouche is another niche crowned by a shell with a putti or acanthus leaf console for the figure of the saint that is placed there. This niche is flanked by supporting elements, mostly columns or pilasters , which support an entablature with a varied gable zone . The gussets between the arch and the high cheeks are alternately filled with putti heads or acanthus leaves.

On the consoles of the niches there are sculptures of Christ, Mary, the founders of the orders and personalities with whom individual orders are connected. At 47 centimeters, these figures are only about half the size of the statues on the cornice. Since not only have numerous saints' attributes and three sculptures been lost, but also three names are missing from the cartouches, the order of the present-day list had to be painstakingly reconstructed. There are still several places on the north and south sides where the assignment of a particular saint appears questionable.

West side

Dorsal with Mary

The entrance is flanked by Christ and Mary. Christ is shown south of the portal, on the epistle side , with the globe in his left hand as Salvator mundi . His right hand is stretched out to bless. This stable is intended for the prior. On the Gospel page, Mary pulls up her long robe with her left hand, while her right hand rests on her breast. The places next to Christ are dedicated to Elijah and Paul of Thebes . The Old Testament prophet Elijah, venerated by the Carmelites as the founder of their order , steps with his left foot on a severed bearded head. This attribute is related to the judgment of God on Carmel , when Elijah had them killed after his victory over the prophets of Baal ( 1 Kings 18: 16–40  EU ). The place of Paulus von Thebes is empty, his statue has been lost, only the inscription on the name cartouche reminds of him. He was the first hermit and became a role model for the Paulines . The statue of John the Baptist is missing. The hermits of St. John showed him special veneration , an order that was awarded in 1575 by Pope Gregory XIII. has been confirmed. The name of the Baptist on the cartouche indicates that he was seated next to Mary, followed by Antony the Great , the father of Western monasticism, easily recognizable by the Antony Cross on his cloak and the bell in his hands. The Antonites refer to him . By ringing the Antonius bell, they drew attention to their hospitals in collections.

South side

Dorsal with Augustine and Basil the Great

On the south side, Paul of Thebes is followed by Basil the Great , who is regarded as the father of oriental monasticism. As one of the great Greek Doctors of the Church, he is represented in the episcopal regalia with the Gospel book. The monks of the Greek rite live according to its rules. According to the inscription on the cartouche, there should be a sculpture of St. Augustine in the next dorsal field , who is usually depicted as a bishop with a flaming heart as an attribute . The statue shows him in religious garb with a book without an individual attribute that could provide final security. The third field shows the Benedictine abbot and reformer Odo von Cluny , who tightened the rules for his order. Next to him is Bruno of Cologne , the founder of the Carthusian monastery , in his religious costume. The hermit Wilhelm von Malavalle stands out from all others because of his unusual clothing. He wears a helmet and chain mail under a penitential robe made of furs. His hands are folded in prayer. He is a model for the Wilhelmites , whose order was founded on his grave. The next cartridge is inscribed with Stephan von Muret , the name of the founder of the Grammontensians . The sculpture cannot be assigned to him with absolute certainty. A monk is shown holding a ring with his right index finger. There are no doubts about Johannes von Matha , the co-founder of the Trinitarians , who is dressed in his religious robe. On the scapular , the cross is clearly recognizable at chest level.

Dorsal with Philipp Neri and Ignatius von Loyola

The name cartouche is missing at the next stable and so, according to Friedrich Kobler, it cannot be proven who was intended there. Franz von Paola , the founder of the Paulaner (Minimen), belongs to the 15th and 16th centuries. Century and does not fit between Johannes von Matha and Petrus Nolascus , both in the 12th / 13th centuries. Century are to be dated, since the people in the two longitudinal rows are arranged chronologically from west to east. Against the thesis that the figure is the founder of the order, the fact that his tonsure is missing and that he is not girded with a rope over the scapular speaks against it. Petrus Nolascus is a co-founder of the Mercedarians and can be clearly identified by the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Aragon on his scapular. Due to the lack of a cartridge, Kobler leaves the next niche open. You can see Birgitta of Sweden , the founder of the Order of the Birgit , who holds a book in her hands. The so-called Birgittian crown, which is part of the traditional costume of the Birgittines, is visible under her headscarf. Next to her stands Kajetan von Thiene , co-founder of the Theatiner , dressed in a belted cassock and a coat with a collar. He is followed by Ignatius of Loyola , the founder of the Jesuits, wearing a chasuble and with outstretched arms . According to the inscription, Philipp Neri , who founded the order of the Oratorians , is the last in the series shortened during the Baroque era. He wears a long coat over the cassock belted with the cingulum .

North side

Putti head on a lectern

The church father Jerome takes first place in the west of the north side. Standing with his right foot on a lion from which, according to legend, he had pulled a thorn from its paw, he is not depicted as a cardinal, as is often the case, but as a repentant hermit. He is scantily clad, only with a cloth around his waist, and as a penance exercise he hits his chest with a stone with his right hand; with his left he holds up his translation of the Bible. Benedict of Nursia , with a book in his right hand on which there is a cracked cup, was the founder of the Benedictines and, like Anthony the Great, is called the father of western monasticism. The cup refers to the legend in which it is reported that confreres wanted to kill the saint because of his strict discipline. When Benedict blessed the cup with poisoned wine, it shattered and the wine ran out. According to the inscriptions, Romuald von Camaldoli , the founder of the Camaldolese , and Robert von Molesme , co-founder of the Cistercians , should be in the next two squares . There are slight uncertainties with both figures, as they cannot be clearly identified by any characteristic attributes. The situation is different with Norbert von Xanten , the founder of the Premonstratensians , who, despite the lack of attributes, can be recognized by his clothing, which indicates his existence as a regular canon and his activity as Archbishop of Magdeburg.

Dorsal with Robert von Molesme, Norbert von Xanten and Guido von Montpellier

Guido von Montpellier, the founder of the Brothers of the Order of the Holy Spirit , is equally clearly identifiable , wearing a gown , biret and a cloak. A patriarchal cross with split ends can be seen on the cloak and gown as a sign of the order . He is followed by Dominikus von Caleruega , founder of the Dominicans , with a dog as an attribute at his feet. His mother had dreamed that her son was a dog with a torch in its mouth that lights up the whole world. The torch on the statue has been lost. The dorsal field next to Dominic is empty; the cartouche indicates that it is the place of Philip Benitius, Prior General of the Servites . In the next niche is the statue of Petrus de Murrone , a hermit who was elected Pope in 1294 and who, when Celestine V resigned his office after just a few months. As an attribute, he holds the discarded papal cloak on his right arm. He is the founder of the Coelestine hermits, later named after him. Due to the missing inscription, the figure next to Petrus de Murrone can no longer be identified. In the current list, the square is occupied by Francis of Assisi , the founder of the Franciscan Order . He can be recognized by his wounds. According to the cartouche, the penultimate sculpture depicts John of God , whom the Brothers of Mercy took as a model. Its attributes are lost. With a flame in front of her breast as a symbol of love for God, Teresa of Ávila stands as a Carmelite reformer at the end of the shortened north side.

Sculpture program of the dorsal fields

When choosing the saints, according to the way of life, the Carthusian hermits and founders of hermit orders were preferred. Engraving templates for the carved figures have not yet been found. An identification of all statues including their allocation to the right places is not possible with absolute certainty.

The architectural structure of the dorsal fields changes from field to field. Waibl designed the opposite dorsals on the north and south sides with great resemblance, so that one can speak of a symmetrical structure of the seating. When reducing the stalls by five, not only did the last chairs in the two rows be removed, but a change was made in the middle of the stalls. Either one arbitrarily moved the seat of Franz von Paola to the south side or one removed the stable opposite him on the north side. From the west, up to the couple Dominikus von Caleruega and Johannes von Matha, all dorsals are symmetrical, Franz von Paola has no corresponding counterpart, but the dorsals of Philip Benitius and Petrus Nolascus belong together, and all the following are also around from the point of view of symmetry moved one place.

north			Central aisle	south
Missing	image	personality		personality	image	Missing
				Philipp Neri 16th century. Founder of the Oratorians
		Teresa of Ávila 16th century Carmelite reformer		Ignatius of Loyola 15./16. C. Founder of the Jesuits
		John of God (?) 15./16. Century model for the Brothers of Mercy		Kajetan von Thiene 15./16. Century. Co-founder of the Theatiner
cartridge		Francis of Assisi (?) 12./13. Century. Founder of the Order of Friars Minor		Birgitta of Sweden (?) 14th century founder of the Birgittines		cartridge
		Petrus de Murrone 13th century founder of the Celestine hermits		Petrus Nolascus 12./13. Century. Co-founder of the Mercedarians
figure		Philip Benitius 13th century Prior General of the Servites		Franz von Paola (?) 15./16. Century founder of the Paulaner (Minimen)		cartridge
		Dominic of Caleruega 12./13. C. Founder of the Dominicans		Johannes von Matha 12./13. Century. Co-founder of the Trinitarians
		Guido of Montpellier 12./13. C. Founder of the Order of the Holy Ghost		Stephan von Muret (?) 11./12. Century. Founder of the Grammontensians
		Norbert von Xanten 11./12. Century. Founder of the Premonstratensian		Wilhelm von Malavalle 12th century. Model for the Wilhelmites
		Robert von Molesme (?) 11./12. Century. Co-founder of the Cistercians		Bruno of Cologne 11./12. Century. Founder of the Carthusians
		Romuald of Camaldoli (?) 10./11. Century. Founder of the Camaldolese		Odo von Cluny 9./10. C. Benedictine (Reformer)
		Benedict of Nursia 5./6. C. Founder of the Benedictine		Augustine (?) 4th / 5th Century author of the Rule of Augustine
		Jerome 4./5. Century Hermit and Doctor of the Church		Basil the Great 4th century. Father of Eastern monasticism
West (north half)			Central aisle	West (south half)
Missing	image	personality		personality	image	Missing
		Anthony the Great 3rd / 4th Century. Father of western monasticism		Paul of Thebes 3rd / 4th centuries Century. First hermit and role model for the Paulines		figure
figure		John the Baptist 1st century. Model for the hermits of St. John		Elijah 9th century BC Venerated by the Carmelites as "founder"
		Maria		Christ

Entablature

The entablature decorated with ornaments and figures is placed on the dorsal walls and the lower high cheeks. Its weight is mainly borne by tie rods that are attached to the wall of the priestly choir. The lower part of the entablature consists of three steps. Above it is a frieze zone, followed by a cornice. In the frieze, three forms of ornament alternate, a drapery type with a cloth ruffled on two sides by a knot, a cartridge type with acanthus leaves and a variation of an acanthus ornament. Garlands of fruit, flowers and tendrils are stretched under the beams between the high cheeks.

Bartholomew with peeled skin in his arm

Half of the sculptures of the twelve apostles are placed on small pedestals on the north and half of the south side of the cornice . Instead of Judas Iscariot, his chosen successor Matthias is one of them. They can be recognized by their attributes, some of which were lost and renewed. The areas between the apostles about one meter high are filled with carved angels, some of which hold musical instruments, and tendrils. On the south side, the line-up begins in the west with Peter holding two keys as an attribute in his right hand. His brother Andreas stands next to him, leaning his back against a large cross of branches, the St. Andrew's Cross named after him. With the chalice in his left hand, the youthful-looking Johannes follows. The next figure shows Bartholomew, who is carrying a knife in his right hand, while the already peeled skin with his face is placed over his left arm. Between Johannes and Bartholomäus angels hold the Jesus monogram IHS, framed by three putti heads, in which the letter H is anchored with three nails in a heart with a wound on the side and raised with a cross. Because of the walking stick in his right hand, the next apostle can only be James the Younger, who puts his right foot on a stump of a pillar. Last in this row is Judas Thaddäus, who is leaning on his club with his left hand.

Melchizedek with the loaves

In the west of the north side, Matthew is at the beginning of the row of apostles. A sword is added as an attribute. The clothing and equipment of a pilgrim with a staff, bag, pilgrim hat and a shell belong to James the Elder. Third, Philip is seen with the staff of the cross in his left hand, followed by Thomas with a long lance. Between them, two angels present a Marian monogram , which is crowned by a putti's head with wings. Next to Thomas is Simon with a saw in his right hand that reaches from his pedestal to shoulder height. Matthias concludes with an ax in his raised left hand.

Andrew and Philip are the only apostles for whom a graphic model is known. They are copper engravings from the Apostle Credo cycle by Hieronymus Wierix (1553–1619) that were reversed.

The sculptures on the west side depict personalities from the Old Testament, two on either side of the entrance portal. From north to south it is Melchizedech , Aaron , Moses and King David . Melchizedek holds bread in his right hand. The wine jug in his left has been lost. According to Gen 14:18, as priest and king of Salem, he gave Abraham bread and wine. Aaron wears a high priestly robe and holds a censer in his hands. His brother Moses presents the tablets of the law with his left hand and King David can be recognized as a psalmist on his harp. What all figures have in common is a moving posture, combined with lively gestures and a lightness in appearance. Many figures have a foot raised by stepping on stones, steps, or a broken piece of column.

Entrance portal

Entrance portal at the Kreuzganglettner

The dominant figure on the west side is that of the Archangel Michael above the entrance portal. It comes from a different carver than the other cornice figures, looks more cumbersome and more traditional. The archangel stands on a raised pedestal and towers over the other statues despite the lowering of the portal during the Baroque era. With his right hand he points to the shield in his left with the words QUIS UT DEUS (Who is like God?), The Latin form of the name Michael. It means that God alone is rulership. On the pedestal, on a heart-shaped surface, is God's proper name in Hebrew letters, the tetragram , surrounded by the heads of the four living beings who stand around God's throne according to the revelation of John. They resemble a lion, a bull, a human and an eagle and extol the holiness of God. Her praise is written on the banners held by two angels: Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth . Deviating from ( Rev 4,8  EU ), the last word is not “omnipotens” but “Sabaoth” and thus refers to the mass chant of the Catholic liturgy. The four seasons are shown on the frieze zone of the portal, which was originally on the same level as the stalls. In the middle an atlant carries the pedestal of the Archangel Michael. To the left of him, flowers and ears of corn, symbols for spring and summer, spring from two horns of plenty, to the right grapes refer to autumn and a monk, who warms his hands over a fire, to winter. With the number 1691 between the seasons, the date of the completion of the choir stalls is artfully ornate. The door, which is decorated with angel heads, is flanked by two cherubim . In contrast to the elevated stalls, the entrance portal stands directly on the stone floor.

Art-historical classification

Wilhelm von Mallavalle in Buxheim

The horseshoe shape of the choir stalls was created by the Carthusian monks together with the development of the cloister in the first half of the 13th century. As the only order in the German-speaking area, they retained the connection between choir stalls and rood screens until the Baroque era. Without exception, the stables were built in the cell type, with Hochwangen taking care of the separation of the monks in order to avoid distraction. In the case of chairs with raised cheeks, the dorsal design can only be seen from the front. In the angled view, the purely ornamentally designed raised cheeks optically move together and hide the rear wall. As in all Kartausen, the stalls are built in a single row, the entrance portal in the west is architecturally connected to the stalls.

There are no precise models for the Buxheim choir stalls and its iconographic program. Nevertheless, two chairs are worth mentioning that influenced its design. One is the choir stalls of the Danzig Charterhouse Marienparadies, made under the direction of Prior Johannes Bilstein, who contributed his experience of building the Danzig stalls in Buxheim. There are similarities between the two chairs in the high cheeks, in the decorative architecture of the dorsal fields and the opulence of ornaments and angel heads. Second, the choir stalls of the monastery church in Weißenau come into consideration, which anticipated the most important part of the iconographic program, the representation of the founders of the order.

Wilhelm von Mallavalle in red on the red

Together with the stucco work from Johann Schmuzer's workshop in Wessobrunn, the stalls in Buxheim are one of the earliest examples of the development of independent acanthus ornamentation in southern Germany. With the works that were created after him, it belongs to the figuratively decorated group of Swabian acanthus choir stalls. These include, above all, the high-quality choir stalls in the monastery churches of Rot an der Rot and Schussenried and the stalls in the chapter hall in Obermarchtal , in which carvers were involved who had already worked in Buxheim under the leadership of Ignaz Waibl. The Akanthuschor chairs replaced the Swabian sculptor chairs, which used cartilage as an ornament . The choir stalls of the Ittingen Charterhouse were also made by local masters based on the Buxheim model. Ittingen prior Christophorus Schmid was inspired by Buxheim for his choir stalls when he visited the Lower German province of the Carthusians from 1686 to 1693 as a convisitor with Johannes Bilstein and was often a guest in Buxheim. Characteristic of the Buxheimer Gestühl and its successors is not only the ornament, but also the rare program of the founders of the most important religious orders, which outside of this group only exists in Weißenau.

Brothers choir stalls

Under Prior Petrus Leickart , the brothers' choir stalls were made in 1720. It consisted of a total of 32 chairs that were set up in a U-shape in the brothers' choir. Ten chairs each were placed on the north and south sides, twelve in front of the gallery, with an entrance in the middle left open. It can no longer be clarified today whether the northern and southern sections under the gallery were walled up for this reason. In the account books of 1720, the painter Gabriel Weiß is mentioned in connection with the stalls. However, it is questionable whether he was responsible for the entire manufacture of the chairs.

The brothers' choir stalls were not mentioned again until the auction in 1883. The following is noted in the catalog: “302. a choir chair with six seats in soft wood, above the seats a boiserie with seven caryatid-like figures, the parapet with two parts and three caryatids on the right and left, on the ends angel heads with arabesques; 303. a choir stool ditto, counterpart to the previous one, of the same beauty and different quality as that one; 304. a choir stool in soft wood with 10 seats, on the back a boiserie with cranked cornices; above that the seats above and below separated by protruding richly carved openwork sections; Above the cornice there is a splendidly perforated ornament attachment, which, however, is partly damaged but can easily be restored. The parapet with the desk at the front with six large caryatids, separated by six splendidly cut caryatids, richly framed panels, at each end of the desk two similar niches, the side cheeks and ends of the four desks adorned with leafy heads with busts of angels; 305. a choir stool, same as the previous one, but with the top that has been preserved. Two magnificent works of their kind and if not as choir stalls, but very easily usable as boiserie in a salon. ”It is not known who acquired the brothers choir stalls at this auction.

literature

• Sybe Wartena: The South German choir stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism . Dissertation at the Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich 2008, p. 404-414 ( uni-muenchen.de [PDF; 5.9 MB ; accessed on May 14, 2010]).
• Wolfgang Braunfels (Ed.): Lexicon of Christian Iconography . tape 1-8 (1968-1976) . Herder Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau a. a., ISBN 3-451-22568-9 .
• Michael Petzet (ed.): The Buxheimer choir stalls. Contributions to the building and art history of the former Reich Charterhouse in Buxheim and the restoration of the choir stalls (=  Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation . Workbook 66). Lipp, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-87490-569-1 .
• Edmund Melzl: Yearbook of the Bavarian Monument Preservation . Special print. tape 56/57 (2002/2003) . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich, p. 71-78 .
• Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments. Bavaria III: Swabia . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-422-03008-5 , p. 223-226 .
• Michael Müller (Ed.): The odyssey of the Buxheim choir stalls has ended happily. The magnificent choir stalls have returned . Self-published, Buxheim 1980.
• Michael Müller: Kartausenführer: Buxheim. Carthusian church with choir stalls, parish church, Anna chapel, monks cell, cloister and museum . Self-published, Buxheim 1982.

Web links

Commons : Buxheimer Chorgestühl  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website of the German Kartausenmuseum. Retrieved January 29, 2019 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Edmund Melzl: The choir stalls of the former Reich Charterhouse Buxheim. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 205.
2. ^ Friedrich Stöhlker: The Buxheim Charterhouse - a contribution to the history of the Carthusian Order in Germany. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 42.
3. ↑ Marion Harder-Merkelbach: Kartausenchorgestühle in German-speaking countries from the Middle Ages to the late Baroque. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. Pp. 150-151.
4. ↑ ^{a b} S. Wartena: The South German choir stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism. 2008, p. 410.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Edmund Melzl: Ignaz Waibl. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 160.
6. ↑ Yearbook of Bavarian Monument Preservation, p. 73.
7. ↑ Yearbook of Bavarian Monument Preservation, p. 72.
8. ↑ ^{a b} Stephan Zobel: On the construction and restoration of the Buxheimer choir stalls. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 241.
9. ^ Edmund Melzl: The choir stalls of the former Reich Charterhouse Buxheim. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 206.
10. ^ Edmund Melzl: The choir stalls of the former Reich Charterhouse Buxheim. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. Pp. 206-207.
11. ^ ^{A b} Edmund Melzl: The choir stalls of the former Reich Charterhouse in Buxheim. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 207.
12. ^ Georg Simnacher: The rescue and happy return of the Buxheimer choir stalls for the Swabian district. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 131.
13. ^ Edmund Melzl: The choir stalls of the former Reich Charterhouse Buxheim. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. Pp. 210-211.
14. ↑ ^{a b} Georg Simnacher: The rescue and happy return of the Buxheim choir stalls for the Swabian district. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 132.
15. ^ Georg Simnacher: The rescue and happy return of the Buxheimer choir stalls for the Swabian district. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 133.
16. ↑ ^{a b} Georg Simnacher: The rescue and happy return of the Buxheim choir stalls for the Swabian district. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 134.
17. ^ Stephan Zobel: On the construction and restoration of the Buxheimer choir stalls. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 221.
18. ↑ ^{a b} Stephan Zobel: On the construction and restoration of the Buxheimer choir stalls. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 225.
19. ^ Stephan Zobel: On the construction and restoration of the Buxheimer choir stalls. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 233.
20. ↑ Dehio, Bayern III: Schwaben, p. 223.
21. ↑ Official website of the German Kartausenmuseum on the choir stalls. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 6, 2010 ; Retrieved March 10, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
22. ↑ Mold threatens valuable choir stalls in the Buxheim Charterhouse on all-in.de. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved November 30, 2011 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
23. ↑ S. Wartena: The Sueddeutsche choir stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism. 2008, p. 414.
24. ↑ Engelbert Praxenthaler: Sculpture work and working techniques on the Buxheimer choir stalls, restoration report. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 261.
25. ^ ^{A b} Friedrich Kobler: Comments on the style and iconography of the Buxheimer choir stalls. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 295.
26. ^ Friedrich Kobler: Comments on the style and iconography of the Buxheimer choir stalls. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 299.
27. ^ Friedrich Kobler: Comments on the style and iconography of the Buxheimer choir stalls. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 296.
28. ^ Stephan Zobel: On the construction and restoration of the Buxheimer choir stalls. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. Pp. 235-236.
29. ^ Friedrich Kobler: Comments on the style and iconography of the Buxheimer choir stalls. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. P. 293.
30. ↑ S. Wartena: The Sueddeutsche choir stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism. 2008, p. 34.
31. ↑ S. Wartena: The Sueddeutsche choir stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism. 2008, p. 407.
32. ↑ S. Wartena: The Sueddeutsche choir stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism. 2008, p. 403.
33. ^ Edmund Melzl: The choir stalls of the former Reich Charterhouse Buxheim. In: The Buxheimer choir stalls. Pp. 217-218.

This article was added to the list of excellent articles on November 6, 2010 in this version .