Dominican Church (Bad Wimpfen)
The Dominican Church is a historic church building in Bad Wimpfen in the Heilbronn district in northern Baden-Württemberg . The church was started as a monastery church of the Dominican monastery in the 13th century and rebuilt to its present form in the 18th century. The former monastery with an ornate cloister is now a school building; the church is used as the Catholic parish church of the Holy Cross . A cross relic has been venerated in the church since the 13th century , presumably brought to Wimpfen by Albertus Magnus .
history
In the 13th century a monastery of the Dominican Order was built on a hill southwest of the Palatinate Wimpfen or the Wimpfener Bergstadt . The order had received the building land from a foundation of Engelhard von Weinsberg . The monastery chronicle of Joachim Brodt from 1721 mentions 1264 as the year the foundation stone was laid, while an older copy book mentions 1273 as the year construction began. According to Brodt, the church was built on the site of the former high court and the high altar was consecrated to the Holy Cross in 1269. The consecration is said to have been carried out by the Regensburg Bishop Albertus Magnus , who probably also had an influence on the structural design of the monastery complex. The church and monastery complex were gradually expanded to form a complex encircling a cloister . The church building had its current floor plan with the completion of the choir in the early 14th century.
The monastery received numerous donations and donations from the bourgeoisie and the nobility. It developed into one of the most important Dominican monasteries in general, was the meeting place of the Provincial Order Chapter from the middle of the 15th to the late 16th century, hosted Emperors Charles V and Ferdinand I , gave important scientific and artistic impulses and decreed has an important library. Michael Vehe , Johannes Fabri and Konrad Wimpina are among the well-known Wimpfen Dominican conventuals of the 16th century . Vehe and Fabri were resolute opponents of the Reformation , which Erhard Schnepf promoted early on in Wimpfen . Although a majority of the citizenry soon belonged to the Reformed faith, the Wimpfen city church remained with the Catholic community, while the Dominican Church served as a simultaneous church for the old-believing Dominicans and the Lutheran community from 1571 , before the Lutherans received the city church in 1588.
During the Thirty Years' War the monastery was an arsenal of the troops led by Johann T'Serclaes von Tilly in the vicinity of the Battle of Wimpfen in 1622. In 1632, Swedish troops occupied the monastery, drove out the monks and looted the church treasures. After the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634, the monastery was returned to the Dominicans, who from 1655 also took care of the pastoral care of the Wimpfen Catholics.
The nave was rebuilt from 1713 to 1715 and increased in the process. Until the second half of the 18th century, the church was provided with the baroque furnishings that have largely been preserved to this day. In the course of the renovations in 1717, a lead capsule from the 13th century with a cross relic was found in the old high altar, to which a pilgrimage developed. This cruise pilgrimage took place for the first time in 1719 on the feast of the discovery of the cross (May 3rd), for which the Worms auxiliary bishop Johann Baptist Gegg appeared for the consecration and opening of the pilgrimage. The small metal cross, in which a splinter of the cross of Jesus Christ was set, is adorned with four precious stones.
During the Baroque period and even afterwards, little consideration was given to the older church decorations that had been handed down. Old wall paintings were painted over or plastered over, the old choir closure was completely obscured by the new high altar, and old grave monuments were partially covered by new fittings. In 1802, the important early Gothic stained glass windows with sequences of images from the life of Dominic and concordance depictions were replaced by simple stained glass windows. The historical glass paintings, on the other hand, came to the knight's hall of the Count's art collection in Erbach.
When Wimpfen passed to Baden in 1803, the monastery became sovereign property, but initially still existed. After Wimpfen came to Hessen shortly afterwards, the monastery was closed in 1818. The monastery church became the property of the local Catholic community, the convent building was acquired by the city of Wimpfen in 1838 and schools were established there.
description
architecture
The monastery church is a hall church with a 14 meter wide nave , to which the east-facing, narrow four-bay Gothic choir with a 5/8 end and tracery windows connects. The portal is on the north side, as the nave faces west d. H. the traditional portal side faces a rising area of the area where the city wall used to run near the church. The choir windows were originally higher, but their lower part was bricked up in the 18th century. The nave, on the other hand, was lower and was raised by a window zone in 1713. The large window in the western gable wall adapts to the former ceiling line with its arched upper end. In the middle of the nave, a stone slab covers the access to an 18th century crypt, which served as a burial place from 1735 to 1807.
Today's main entrance in the north wall was subsequently broken in during the renovation in the 18th century, at another point on the north wall the pointed arch of an earlier portal can still be seen in the masonry. Today's portal is flanked by columns and is supported by figures of the Madonna, St. Dominic and Catherine of Siena crowned, it bears the year 1718. The keystone of the portal shows a heraldic hook with a star, pilgrim staff and lily stem, which is understood either as a convent symbol or as a personal mark of the prior and builder.
Behind the baroque high altar is the new sacristy in the choir and a choir gallery above it, while the massive old sacristy, which dates back to the early days of the church, connects to the south of the choir. The church does not have a tower, but only a roof turret, which was added in its current baroque form in 1715 after the church was rebuilt in 1713.
The monastery buildings attached to the south form a cloister . The Hohenstaufen Gymnasium Bad Wimpfen is housed in the monastery buildings as well as in the subsequent new buildings on the site of the former rectory .
Furnishing
Altars and pulpit
The main altar in the choir dates from 1737. The baroque altar fills the entire light space of the choir and divides a sacristy behind the altar , to which two doors in the altar lead. The cafeteria of the altar is on a three-level substructure. The center of the altar is formed by the tabernacle flanked by columns and foliage and crowned by small putti and a redeemer figure. The colossal main altar painting above it by Johannes Gisser from 1736 shows the Descent from the Cross and the monastery donor Engelhard von Weinsberg. The picture is flanked by columns and the larger than life gilded figures of the Dominican bishops Antoninus of Florence and Albertus Magnus , enthroned above, supported by larger putti, God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the elevator picture. The altar is crowned by gilded scrollwork and other putti, which stand out against the dark marbling of the altar architecture. The color version comes from a painter Kummer from Eybach from 1746.
The side altars on the sides of the triumphal arch to the choir were erected in 1745 and 1746. The altarpiece of the rosary altar in the north corner shows Mary giving the rosary to Dominic and Catherine of Siena , above it Saint Rosa of Lima . The flanking figures are Peter of Verona and Hyacinth . The Dominic altar in the southern corner shows Mary, who, accompanied by Katharina and Barbara, hands a friar a Dominic picture. Above it is the marriage of Catherine of Siena. The side figures are Ludwig Bertrand with a crucifix going over to the firearm and an unspecified saint or monk.
The southern side altar is stylistically the same as the high altar. The north side altar has a similar architecture, but different stylistic features.
The side altars on the nave walls are kept in a simpler design language. In the middle pictures they show a Holy Family and the martyrdom of St. Barbara, in the essays Saint Thomas and Sebastian. The side altar on the north wall is flanked by two figures of the Martyrs Dominic and Peter. On the canteens of the high altar and the side altars there were once pyramidal showcases with relics.
The baroque pulpit on the south wall of the church is about the same age as the altars and has a matching dark marbling of the architecture with lavishly gilded and colored decorations made of figures and foliage. The ornate sound cover is crowned by a figure of the Dominican Vincentius Ferrerius . The pulpit can be entered from the upper floor of the cloister. Further items of equipment from the 18th century are the eternal lamp donated in 1755 in front of the high altar, the choir stalls and various inventory.
Important figures
On the north side altar there is a colored, fully plastic carving of the seated Madonna and Child. The figure is 58 cm high, the figure composition follows an engraving by Martin Schongauer (Minott 38). The execution of the folds refers to influences from the Upper Rhine. The figure was probably created around 1525 and was once in the Cornelienkirche . A historical painting shows Tilly praying in front of the figure in the Cornelienkirche before the Battle of Wimpfen in 1622.
In a niche in the south wall there is a colored clay sculpture depicting Mary with the body of Christ on her lap. The Pietà is dated to 1416 by an inscription on the reverse. Face, hair and materiality of the figure show stylistic similarities with the Neckarmühlbacher apostles group, so that the same master can be considered for both works. As one of the few dated figures of this type, the Pietà is important for the chronological classification of comparable works.
A colored group of crucifixions made of linden wood is also attached to the south wall. In addition to the crucifix and figures of Mary and John, the two figures of St. Dominic and St. Peter Martyrs on the north wall also belong to this group. The standing figures, each around 155 cm high, were once attributed to the sculptor Dannecker, who died in the monastery around 1470, but recently to Michel Erhart from around 1450–85. The crucifix, which is almost twice as large, is probably an assistant job. By the time the Dominican church was rebuilt in baroque style, these figures could have filled the shrine of a high altar in the choir. Before the crucifixion group was attached to the south wall and the other two saints to the side of the north side altar, they were together on the wall of the triumphal arch.
Pietà
Crucifixion group
Tombs
On the southern side wall of the nave is the Gothic tomb of a Herr von Weinsberg. It shows the deceased in life-size in armor, above the Weinsberg coat of arms with a tournament helmet, the crest of which shows a crowned bust of a woman between two fish that replace the otherwise common buffalo horns. A dog can be seen at the feet of the deceased as a sign of loyalty. The tomb is flanked by pinnacles and crowned by a gable set with bosses and a finial. From a stylistic point of view, the tomb was probably built in the 15th century at the earliest. It is unclear whether it is a tomb or epitaph of the founder of the monastery, Engelhard von Weinsberg, created long after his death, or that of a younger representative of this family.
Opposite on the north wall is the tomb of Anna von Ehrenberg, born in 1472, who died in 1472. from Schlatt. The deceased is depicted in life size as a high relief, which gains spatial depth towards the top. In the lower area, the tomb is surrounded by Gothic inscription that denotes the deceased. The head area, on the other hand, is flanked by niches with late Gothic canopies, in which on the left the thorn-crowned Christ shows the stigmata, on the right the devotional Our Lady can be seen. The coats of arms of von Schlatt (pig) and von Ehrenberg (bird's wing) are hung in the three-dimensional foliage above the head of the deceased; at their feet are the coats of arms of Haspinger (three keys) and that of Thalheim (iron hats).
Tomb of Herr von Weinsberg
Tomb of Anna von Ehrenberg
Choir stalls
The choir stalls were made in 1773/74 by Christian Felderer from Gemünd, who belonged to the monastery as Frater Andreas, was also a cook and died in 1778. He and his assistants Wendelin Unterfinger and Joseph Bockmeyer also made the organ case, the communion barriers, the confessionals and the parish chairs in the nave. Felderer's choir stalls are characterized by rich floral ornaments. In addition to Felderer's Rococo stalls, remains of older Gothic choir stalls have been preserved in the choir, which were created in 1462 by Frater Friedrich Taucher. These older chairs are characterized by Gothic fish-bubble tracery and chair knobs with various coats of arms, including again Weinsberg, Ehrenberg and Schlatt.
Murals
On the south wall of the church interior remains of the Gothic painting with the donor's coat of arms are preserved, which once extended over the entire wall. When the gallery of the church was drawn in in 1718, the donors' coats of arms, which were still visible at the time, were transferred to the parapet of the gallery. The coats of arms come mainly from the families Weinsberg , Gemmingen , Neipperg , Sickingen , Fechenbach , Ehrenberg , Schlatt , Helmstatt and Thalheim .
In some places in the nave and especially in the choir, parts of the historical painting have also been exposed again.
Veronica's handkerchief in the choir
Wall painting in the choir
Wall painting on the north wall of the nave
organ
The organ of the Dominican Church was built in the years 1749–1752 by Johann Adam Ehrlich from Wachbach near Bad Mergentheim. The instrument has 34 stops on two manuals and a pedal. The organ brochure by Christian Felderer shows a figure and ornamental decoration of a Mother of God surrounded by music-making putti and gilded foliage.
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- Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P
Individual evidence
- ↑ A comprehensive description of the foundations in Wagner 1873, pp. 92-105 ( digitized version ).
- ↑ Hermann Schmitt : "Johann Baptist Gegg von Eichstätt, Auxiliary Bishop of Worms" , Archive for Middle Rhine Church History , annual volume 1963, pp. 95-146
- ↑ Mainz Diocese News No. 17, April 30, 2009: Cruise pilgrimage in Bad Wimpfen (May 3)
- ↑ Hartmut Gräf: Unterländer Altars 1350–1540. An inventory . Städtische Museen Heilbronn, Heilbronn 1983 ( Heilbronner Museumsheft No. 2), p. 106, No. B 4.
- ↑ Hartmut Gräf: Unterländer Altars 1350–1540. An inventory . Städtische Museen Heilbronn, Heilbronn 1983 ( Heilbronner Museumsheft No. 2), p. 103, No. B 2.
- ↑ Schäfer 1898, p. 106.
- ↑ Gräf 1983, pp. 104/105.
- ↑ Hartmut Gräf: Unterländer Altars 1350–1540. An inventory . Städtische Museen Heilbronn, Heilbronn 1983 ( Heilbronner Museumsheft No. 2), p. 104/105, No. B 3.
- ↑ More information on the organ in the Dominican Church
literature
- Georg Wagner: The former spiritual pens in the Grand Duchy of Hesse , Darmstadt 1873, pp. 92-105.
- Georg Schäfer: Art monuments in the Grand Duchy of Hesse: inventory and descriptive representation of works of architecture, sculpture, painting and the arts and crafts up to the end of the 18th century. Century: Province of Starkenburg: Former Wimpfen district , Darmstadt 1898, pp. 89–129.
- Rudolf Kautzsch : The art monuments in Wimpfen am Neckar . 4th edition. Alt Wimpfen Association, Wimpfen 1925
- Fritz Arens , Reinhold Bührlen: Wimpfen - history and art monuments. Association Alt Wimpfen, Bad Wimpfen 1991
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 13 ′ 42.7 ″ N , 9 ° 9 ′ 39.5 ″ E