Deutschhauskirche (Bozen)
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The Deutschhauskirche St. Georg in the Landkommende Weggenstein zu Bozen is a Roman Catholic religious church in the South Tyrolean capital Bozen . It is located at Weggensteinstrasse 10 in the Zentrum-Bozner Boden-Rentsch district .
history
The Teutonic Order came to Bolzano in 1202 (12 years after its foundation in the Holy Land), where - on the initiative of the couple Gerold and Mechthild - a hospital and a church consecrated to John the Baptist were built near the Eisack at the foot of the Virglberg. Since the site was repeatedly endangered by flooding over the years, the order acquired the low- aristocratic Weggenstein residential tower in the Bolzano district of Dorf in 1392 , which is attested as early as 1369 with Wittego de Wekkenstain . In 1400 the order definitely moved its seat to the new location, which in the meantime had been raised to a land commander within the Deutschordensballei An der Etsch and in the mountains . At the same time, Swabian builders under the Land Commander Walrab von Scharffenberg had the late Gothic church of St. Georg in Weggenstein built next to the land commander. The now resident-like developed Landkommende Weggenstein received its characteristic north-facing tower ( Knöringen Tower ) in 1508 under Heinrich von Knöringen . In the 18th century, Johann Heinrich Hermann von Kageneck (1668–1743) had the first floor of the residence furnished with richly decorated representation rooms in the late Baroque style and built a benefactor's house for men in need. Around 1900 a renovation took place in which the rooms were subdivided for residential purposes and the stucco ceilings were covered. In 1932, the Collegium Marianum was established as a school and student residence. American bombing raids during World War II damaged the church and parts of the commander in 1944, especially the Knöringenturm. On the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the Teutonic Order, the baroque status of the ensemble was restored and a chapel was consecrated in the rebuilt Knöringenturm in 1991.
Church description
The Gothic church is a single-nave aisle church that was built in an east-west direction parallel to a gabled house at right angles to the street. It has three vaulted bays and is 15-16 meters long. A vestibule has been added to the west and a facade tower is half embedded in the nave. The tower has a pyramid-shaped helmet end. Buttresses run around the outer walls. The high grave of Landkomtur Gottfried von Niederhaus (1438) is located on the south wall.
Inside, the nave with its smooth walls merges seamlessly into the presbytery , which has a simple polygonal three-sided end. Finely profiled ribs, which rest on delicate consoles, support the vault. The keystones of the ribs are decorated with reliefs depicting Christ Pantocrator , the head of St. John, a rose symbolizing Mary and the coat of arms of the Teutonic Order. On the south wall (3) and in the choir (1) there are four three-part, tracery-decorated pointed arch windows . The ogival arched and richly profiled main portal of the church is on the south side, two further portals lead into the western vestibule. The organ loft in the west and the commander's lodge in the north, which connects the church with the Kommende and the former hospice, were only created around 1790.
Furnishing
The high altar was created around 1790 by Andrea Filippini from Trento and is made of white marble with colored inlays; the cross of the Teutonic Order can be seen at the cafeteria . The high altar picture with the depiction of St. George slaying the dragon was painted by Martin Knoller in Milan in 1799 . A more than 2 meter high tabernacle structure has a door made of gilded silver with the crucifixion of Christ by the Augsburg artist Matthias Gelb from 1612. A globe with a cross crowns the altar above a ciborium in the form of a small marble canopy . The folk altar from 2004 was made by Adolf Vallazza.
The massive communion bench and pulpit on the north side of the church were also created by Andrea Filippini . The latter has a simple round shape, structured by pilasters and crowned with a sound cover and ruffled canopy. The Stations of the Cross and the Virgin Mary to the left of the altar were painted by Ignaz Stolz in 1908.
Its special character as a Teutonic Order church is given to the church interior by the numerous lance flags and the 31 round swear or death shields with painted coats of arms and inscriptions on the walls. They are reminiscent of the solemn religious vows of the 40 or so provincial committees who previously resided here. In the church and in the vestibule there are several grave slabs of land committees from the 16th to 18th centuries. Century.
Remarks
- ↑ Cf. Justinian Ladurner : Documentary contributions to the history of the Teutonic Order in Tyrol . Innsbruck 1861, p. 9ff.
- ^ Hannes Obermair : Bozen Süd - Bolzano Nord. Written form and documentary tradition of the city of Bozen up to 1500 . tape 1 . City of Bozen, Bozen 2005, ISBN 88-901870-0-X , p. 370 No. 761 .
literature
- Heinz Noflatscher: The German Order in Tyrol. The Ballei on the Adige and in the mountains , Bozen-Marburg, 1991. ISBN 88-7014-592-1
- Franz-Heinz Hye : The land commander Weggenstein. Basics of their building history , in: «Arx», XIII, 1991, pp. 41–42.
Web links
- Entry in the monument browser on the website of the South Tyrolean Monuments Office
Coordinates: 46 ° 30 '8.9 " N , 11 ° 21' 24.1" E