Evangelical Church Fraurombach
The Evangelical Church of Fraurombach , a building with a Romanesque nave and late Gothic choir, is of national importance thanks to its wall paintings with depictions of the life of Heraclius.
The village of Fraurombach is now part of the small town of Schlitz in East Hesse. It was first mentioned in the Vita Sturmii , a biography of St. Sturmius , in connection with the founding of the monastery in Fulda in 743.
church
The church was built in the second half of the 12th century. After initially having the status of a mere chapel, it was raised to an independent parish church with a patronage of Our Lady in 1345.
Since 2008, the Protestant parish Fraurombach has been connected with the Protestant parish Hartershausen, which consists of Hartershausen, Hemmen, Pfordt and Üllershausen.
The Romanesque nave forms the oldest part of the church. In the late Gothic period (probably around 1522, inscription on the altar) a rectangular choir was attached and a Gothic pointed arch was drawn in as a triumphal arch . Further measures, carried out later, give the church its present form with the groin-vaulted sacristy (16th century), gallery and half-timbered upper floor (around 1500). There is a late Gothic font in the choir. The organ was built around 1800 by Johann-Markus Oestreich or his son Johann Adam Oestreich with ten registers , the work was changed in 1868 by Adam Eifert . In 2012/13, an extensive organ renovation took place, which was carried out on behalf of the parish by organ builder Andreas Schmidt from Linsengericht .
Paintings
Discovery and Conservation
In 1901/02, remains of wall paintings were discovered and uncovered under the plaster that had been applied in earlier centuries. The image cycle that has become visible in this way, structured in three registers, is located on the triumphal arch wall and on two to three meters each of the adjoining northern and southern nave walls.
Some representations of the picture cycle have only survived in fragments. Irradiation of light and the effects of the weather on the building have led to a progressive deterioration of the paintings. Since they were uncovered in 1902, they have been secured and restored several times in the last century. Most recently, in August 2006, a measure was taken to remedy deficiencies. In the process, however, new cavities and cracks were discovered, which make new restoration work necessary. Since the end of 2004 an association has been trying to preserve the paintings.
Origin and technology
The origin of the wall paintings can be dated around 1330 for stylistic reasons. In the technology used, forms of secco are combined with those of the more modern and more permanent, but at that time not fully established in Central Europe, fresco painting .
content
The wall paintings are a late medieval cycle of images depicting the legend of St. Heraclius ( Herakleios ).
In contrast to other illustrations on the subject, the Fraurombach wall paintings are not limited to reproducing the theologically relevant aspects of the Heraclius legend, but also depict the (fairytale transfigured) childhood and youth history of the Byzantine emperor Herakleios (ruled 610 to 641) which grew up in numerous legends in the Middle Ages. The content of the picture cycle is based on the Middle High German verse epic Eraclius by Master Otte , written at the beginning of the 13th century . Meister Otte is the only author who, in addition to the passages forming the actual Heraclius legend, about the finding and recapture of the Holy Cross for Christendom in the fight against the Persians, also describes the childhood and youth story of St. Heraclius. The model of the legend was the life of the Eastern Roman emperor Herakleios (r. 610 to 641). It has only very marginally to do with historical reality.
The historical background of the legend and at the same time the reason for its creation was the victory that Herakleios won in 628 after a long war over the Persian Sassanids . These had taken Jerusalem in 614 and stolen the Holy Cross; after the peace agreement, the emperor staged the return of the relic with great pomp. In the Eastern churches this event is commemorated by a holiday until today. In the Middle Ages, Herakleios was popular as the victor over the "pagans", even if the real details of his biography were replaced early by unhistorical legends, at least in the Latin West.
According to these, after the death of his father, the child Heraclius is sold to the stewardess of the Byzantine emperor Phocas on the Roman slave market . Because of the boy's miraculous gifts, namely knowing the secret nature of the stones, horses and women, the high price of 1,000 gold pieces is achieved. Heraclius has to prove his skills at the emperor's court. After passing the examination of the first two gifts, Heraclius is accepted as advisor to the emperor at court. Since Heraclius is also recognized as a connoisseur of feminine qualities, some time later he chooses Athanais, a simple girl, as the wife of the emperor. When the emperor goes to war, against Heraclius' express advice, he has Athanais locked up and guarded by servants so that they cannot be unfaithful during his absence. However, during this time Athanais falls in love with the young Parides and is lovesick in bed. With the help of a healing woman, a ruse of adultery is forged. During a public ride, Athanais feigns a fall from his horse and is taken to the allies' hut, where Parides is waiting for them. This part of the story is also transferred to the wall painting.
After Phocas' victorious return, Heraclius immediately recognizes the adultery of the Athanais. After extensive deliberations, the couple is not killed, but the marriage with Phocas is divorced, and Athanais can henceforth live together with Parides.
After Phocas is killed in an uprising (in historical reality it was Heraclius who overthrew his predecessor), Heraclius becomes emperor and fights against the Persians. He slays the son of the Persian king Cosdras (historical model for this figure is Chosrau II ). After his victory, he confronts Cosdras in his throne room: he had the vault of heaven imitated and placed the holy cross next to his throne to be worshiped as a god. Since Cosdras does not want to be baptized, he is beheaded. When Heraclius wants to bring the Holy Cross back to Jerusalem, he is turned away by an angel at the city gate: Christ had carried the cross in poverty and humility. Heraclius then dismounts his horse, takes off his imperial clothing, crown and weapons and can now bring the Holy Cross on foot through the open city gate.
literature
- Rudolf Kautzsch : The Heraklius pictures to Frau-Rombach in Upper Hesse. In: Studies from Art and History. Festschrift for Friedrich Schneider. Freiburg 1906, pp. 509-553.
- Winfried Frey : The Eraclius of Otte. Phaidon, Kettwig 1990, ISBN 3-88851-090-2 .
- Margit Krenn: The wall paintings in the Evangelical Church of Fraurombach. In: beech leaves. Supplement to the Fuldaer Zeitung für Heimatfreunde, Volume 78, No. 24 (October 25, 2005), pp. 93–96.
- Folkhard Cremer: Hessen 1st administrative districts Gießen and Kassel. Dehio - Handbook of German Art Monuments . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-422-03092-3 , pp. 244–245.
- Margit Krenn: The wall paintings in Fraurombach. Imhof, Petersberg 2009, ISBN 978-3-86568-080-8 .
Web links
- Website of the Förderverein Fraurombacher Wandmalereien eV
- Organ portrait with sound samples on Youtube
Individual evidence
- ^ The Johann-Markus-Oestreich-Organ (I / 10, 1799) in the Evangelical Church of Fraurombach. Restoration documentation, created by Orgelbau Andreas Schmidt, 2014 ( PDF ).
Coordinates: 50 ° 40 ′ 29.3 " N , 9 ° 36 ′ 41.1" E