Gertraudenkapelle (Salzburg)
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The Gertraudenkapelle is one of the four chapels in the catacombs above the Petersfriedhof in the city of Salzburg .
history
The chapel was restored under Abbot Heinrich II in 1178 and on March 17, 1178 by Archbishop Cardinal Konrad III. consecrated to Thomas Becket , who was murdered eight years earlier and with whom he was also a personal friend. Later, von Wittelsbach consecrated it to St. Gertraud von Nivelles , who also gave the chapel its name. Before that, the chapel was called the Thomas Chapel ; it is also said to be dedicated to St. Patrick of Ireland . Remnants of frescoes inside, especially above the main portal, show the martyrdom of Thomas Becket. Although the frieze -like frescoes are now only preserved in a very reduced condition, the Becket depiction on them is to be counted among the earliest of its kind and accordingly an important evidence for the Salzburg painting of the late Romanesque .
The wall painting, which was once in better condition, lost many details due to a formerly amateur exposure, as the upper layers of paint in particular were also removed during exposure. This made the image even paler and the high humidity in the cave also created a gray-whitish coating of microorganisms, which further reduced the legibility of the painting. It was only in the modern era that restorers succeeded in increasing the density of information by removing the bacterial veil, cleaning and partial exposure. It was also concluded that areas such as nimbs , capitals , chalices , candelabras , etc. were highlighted by plastic plaster coatings with gilding, which can only be recognized today by the pointed tips. Subsequently, the chapel was retouched in gray tones by the restorers, old seals replaced and targeted lighting installed to depict the martyrdom of Thomas Becket, the defining element of the chapel. Further remains of painting (Romanesque bust frieze , marbling in the window reveals , Gothic stencil painting ) can be seen both inside and outside the Gertrauden Chapel . Among them is a Romanesque crucifixion fresco on the outer wall of the chapel, but only remnants of it, which is also estimated to date from 1178. This also shows the assistant figures Maria and Johannes and was completely restored in 2001. Additional exposures were also carried out, which also brought good results. In order to reduce the effects of the weather, the formerly existing windows were reinstalled in the arched openings of the anteroom in 2000 .
On the side facing away from the mountain, the chapel has a small pent roof and an accompanying bell tower above the cave exposed in the 12th century by a rock fall in the monastery district . Inside there are six arched niches in the neo-early Christian style in the rock wall, which were only created in 1865 based on designs by the first Salzburg monument conservator, Georg Pezolt . Three years earlier, in 1862, he added a Romanesque-Gothic altar made of clay slabs based on the model of the early Christian Roman catacombs. The originally natural cave into which the chapel was built can still largely be recognized from the sagging ceiling in the chapel room and other details. Almost in the center of the room is a Romanesque-Gothic pillar inserted in the 17th century. The pillar, which was only used for decorative reasons at the time, looks like it has been cut out of the rock and appears to be load-bearing. The chapel is considered to be the oldest Becket patronage in southern Germany. Masses are still held regularly in the Gertraudenkapelle today.
Gertraudenkapelle in 2006
Seating niches in the chapel (2011)
Sketch of the floor plan
Sketch in section
