Filial church St. Georg am Danielsberg

The church

The Catholic branch church of St. George on Danielsberg is located on the summit of the 966 meter high Danielsberg in the municipality of Reißeck in Austria. Construction began in 1127; the initially Romanesque-Gothic church was later converted to baroque style.

history

Colored ink drawing around 1800. Church with onion dome.

Around the year 313 the first Christian chapel consecrated to Saint Daniel was probably built, which probably emerged from an older wayside shrine .

The cult activities of the Romans and Christians ended with the immigration of the Slavs around 600. From 773 a count of the Bavarians ruled, and Bishop Modestus of Carinthia , who had previously been sent by Bishop Virgilius of Salzburg , named the mountain after the found chapel Danielsberg, who from then on it became a starting point for a wide region.

The first church (under the patronage of St. George ) was built in 1127. It was the first church to be built on the mountain top. It burned down once in the next three centuries and a second time in 1510.

The part built in 1127 is now the eastern part, the western part was built in 1515. At the beginning the church had two storeys, but later the height of the wall was reduced and the storey removed. The Romanesque windows were replaced by late Gothic pointed arch windows. Today the old windows on the outside are indicated just below the roof. A wooden roof turret was erected in the middle above the chancel . The inauguration took place on June 14, 1516, at the same time as the Kolbnitz parish church. The new name was "Restored branch church of Pusarnitz , dedicated to Saints Michael , Daniel and Georg". Both inaugurations were carried out by Bishop Berthold Pürstinger von Chiemsee.

In 1633 a gallery was built in the back of the church , in 1677 the initially open roof structure was closed with a coffered ceiling . Around 1790 the anniversary of the church, which was in July, was moved to the Sunday after St. George (April 23), as Emperor Joseph II forbade all pilgrimages except on patronage day. To date, around 1000 people come from a radius of 15 km every year. 1989–1992 extensive restoration work was carried out on the church. In 1990, the concrete slabs of the church floor were replaced with terracotta bricks. Stone Age tools were found, the age of which is estimated to be around 6000 years. After the church was the contact point for mountain farmers in the region for a long time ( Tauerngold ), it is now a popular place for weddings .

The tower

The tower was added in 1750 and replaced the roof turret. At first it had an onion , and since 1873 it has been today's spire. There are two bells in the tower, the first from 1932 and dedicated to Saint Joseph , the second from 1992 to Saint Mary . In the course of the renovation in 1989, the tower was re-covered with larch shingles.

Interior of the church

The interior of the church facing forward

The interior of the church facing the rear

Apse with fresco

The apse was present in the church from the beginning. The fresco depicting the Last Judgment was created between 1480 and 1520 by an unknown artist, the faces were later reworked. After the picture was badly damaged by water ingress, it was no longer observed and further destroyed by construction work. A restoration did not take place until 1972, but this only led to moderate success.

The altars

The main altar was bricked up in 1633. On the antependium from 1750, three panels can be seen. The middle one shows the Good Shepherd and was probably painted by an artist named “Kreidl”, who worked several times in the area. The right panel shows Saint Chrysantus, the left one Saint George. The altarpiece comes from the same period and shows Saint George fighting a dragon.

The left and right side altars were built from wood around 1700. The large picture on the left altar shows Daniel in the lions' den while an angel brings the prophet Habakkuk , who brings food for Daniel. A head picture shows Saint Chrysanthus , a martyr from Narbonne , around 285 AD . A stone slab with an inscription from Celtic times is walled in at the bottom. The main picture of the right side altar shows the Holy Family , the head picture Pope Silvester I. At the bottom a marble block is walled in, on whose relief two Roman soldiers can be seen.

The left side altar

The main altar

The right side altar

The antependium of the main altar

Benches

Some pews from 1515 have been preserved in the church. Originally the benches were significantly higher and when sitting, the feet were placed on the kneeling bench. Later, new seat boards were added, which turned the old ones into a kind of backrest. Most of the benches, however, are newer and date from around 1630 or 1750.

Offering box

The offering box that is still in use today probably also dates from 1515. It was made from a single block of wood, is framed with iron bands and set in concrete in the ground. The donations serve to maintain the church.

The Last Judgement

In the back of the church there is a painting of the Last Judgment on the east wall. It was painted by a layperson in the second half of the 17th century.

Lamentation of Christ

On the south wall there is a massive wooden plaque from around 1670. The main picture shows how the dead Jesus is weeping. The head picture shows the Holy Bishop Ulrich von Augsburg . The older panel compared to the other elements probably served as a model for the side altars.

Statues on the south side

On the south side there are two statues from around 1700. One shows the apostle Andrew , the first disciple of Jesus, the other Saint Jerome , father of the church and translator of the Bible into Latin ( Vulgate ).

Large Georg table

The large Georg table on the east wall is 4.35 × 3.50 meters, the most striking and at the same time the most famous work of art in the church. It was painted by Balthasar Khlenck in 1708 and shows the stages of George's martyrdom in 24 pictures, during which he survived a number of cruel attempts at execution unscathed.

Merciful Jesus

On the east wall, between the large Georg table and the hallmark of the twelve holy apostles, there is a replica of the Merciful Jesus , painted after the visions of Saint Maria Faustyna Kowalska .

The certification of the holy twelve apostles

A picture on the east wall of the church from the beginning of the 18th century shows the apostles who, starting from Jerusalem, spread out across the world to preach the word of Jesus.