Gölkkapelle
The Gölkkapelle is a Marian place of worship, mess and grave chapel a little above the municipality of Krieglach in the state of Styria , Austria . It bears the title “ Styrian landmark ”.
location
The chapel stands on the slopes of the 1176 m high Gölkberg (from Slav. Golik = Kahler Berg), which rises in the south over the Mürz valley . From the chapel you have a good view of the surrounding valley.
development
The chapel on Gölkberg was built from 1805 to 1806 as thanks for the withdrawal of Napoleon's French occupation troops . It was inaugurated on Assumption Day (August 15, 1806). The bricklayer's cross or Gölkkreuz previously located at this point probably marked a gathering point for the Krieglach population, who fled to the Wildfrauenluke or the Stangelalm in times of danger. The master baker Andreas Spielmanberger from Krieglach and his wife Anna paid for the construction costs. The builder was Michael Kerschenbauer. The image of Mary on the altar was donated by Anna Spielmanberger's grandmother, Anna Gößner.
The chapel was expanded in 1835 to include a small wooden extension with a bell tower due to the steadily growing stream of pilgrims. In 1842 the prince-bishop's ordinariate in Graz was able to obtain a measurement license for four days a year. In 1844 donations were used to purchase two new bells. Because of the floods in 1846, the chapel was temporarily used as a prayer room for the Krieglach parish, as the parish church of St. Jakob was badly damaged. The now very dilapidated chapel, which was also too close to a ravine, was demolished in 1870.
It was completely rebuilt in neo-Romanesque style and inaugurated in November 1871 with great sympathy from the population. At the same time, the measurement license was extended to 16 days a year.
In 1881 the building was massively redesigned. The neo-Romanesque style was retained. The hammer gentleman Viktor Freiherr von Seßler-Herzinger particularly generously sponsored the Gölkkapelle. After the early death of his wife Helene, he had the place of worship rebuilt or expanded into a grave chapel with a family crypt for his wife and parents in 1882 according to plans by the Graz architect August Gunold . The space required for this was created by removing the mountainside behind. As a thank you for the extensive construction work, Seßler-Herzinger was awarded the title “Patron of the Gölkkapelle”. At the beginning of May 1885 the chapel was damaged by an earthquake.
In 1948 the Gölkkapelle became the property of the church. Between 1950 and 1958 the chapel was extensively restored. In the late 1960s and 1970s, urgently needed maintenance work was carried out again. In 1991 the roof structure was renewed. In 2013 the avenue in front of the chapel, which consisted of linden trees up to 100 years old, was felled for safety reasons due to tree damage. It was reforested in spring 2014.
chapel
The building, which is cruciform in plan, is closed off by an apse in the west and east . The eastern apse houses the oratory , the western the sacristy . The bell tower stands in the north above the entrance portal designed in the form of a Romanesque tympanum. In the south (slope side) is the choir or the presbytery with an external marble staircase that leads down to the family crypt. The latter is surrounded by an artfully crafted wrought iron grille. A wrought iron cross is placed in the middle of the family crypt. The interior and choir are covered by cross vaults, separated by straps and round arches. The choir is also separated from the nave by a lockable iron grille.
The neo-Romanesque altar is based on an altar in one of the parish churches of Straubing (Bavaria). It was created in 1871 by the wood carving master Jakob Gschiel from Graz . Its central components are a crucifix and a copper engraving depicting the Mother of God in prayer. To the left and right of the tabernacle are the statues of St. Urban as a memory for Urban Zwickel, a benefactor of the chapel, and St. Helena for Helene Seßler-Herzinger, who is buried here.
The eight hand-painted glass windows come from the workshop of the Innsbruck master A. Neuhauser. To the right and left of the choir are the statues of St. Joseph with baby Jesus and St. Katharina set up. The numerous votive pictures placed inside the church were donated as thanks for healing from illness, rescue from need and the consequences of accidents.
Entrance portal on the bell tower
Relief above the entrance portal
View into the choir of the chapel
St. Catherine
St. Joseph with baby Jesus
Commemorative inscription on the occasion of the renovation in 1882
Glass window on the west wall
Enclosed stairs to the family crypt
Entrance portal of the family crypt
Hints
The sacred building, which the Styrian homeland poet Peter Rosegger likes to refer to as the 'Waldkirchlein', is located directly on Pilgerweg 706B, which leads to Mariazell . The Peter Rosegger Memorial Trail (its starting point is in the Roseggerpark Krieglach) also leads past the Gölkkapelle. Cross the main square to the junction on Friedhofweg, where after a few meters you meet Gölkweg. Following this one goes in the direction of Hochgölk through an underpass on the expressway S6 and soon arrives at the Gölkkapelle, which lies south, slightly above the expressway. Visits for groups are possible at any time by prior arrangement by telephone. The crypt of the Seßler-Herzinger family is not accessible to visitors. Masses are read on the first Saturdays from May to October from 5:00 p.m.
literature
- Guide The Gölkkapelle near Krieglach , published by the Friends of the Gölkkapelle / Krieglach parish.
- Franz Mittermüller, Max Reisinger (ed.): Pilgrimage in the Mürz valley. Essays on the exhibition of the same name in Siglhof, 1996, Kulturreferat der Marktgemeinde Langenwang, Langenwang 1996.
Web links
Remarks
- ^ Franz Mittermüller, Max Reisinger (ed.): Pilgrimage in the Mürz Valley. Essays on the exhibition of the same name in Siglhof, 1996, Kulturreferat der Marktgemeinde Langenwang, Langenwang 1996, in it: Franz Mittermüller: From the wooden cross to the place of worship: The Gölkkapelle , pp. 75–80.
Coordinates: 47 ° 32 ′ 0.6 ″ N , 15 ° 33 ′ 27.2 ″ E