Divided church on Kreuzbichl
The Divided Church at Kreuzbichl (also: Kreuzbichlkapelle ) is a Roman Catholic church near Gmünd in the Carinthian Oberland , through which a busy road leads. The chancel is on one side of the street and a two-storey gallery on the other side of the street where church visitors can sit and listen to the sermon from the chancel. This curiosity is unique in the world.
Building description
The two-part church is located in the Liesertal northeast of Gmünd on the former Roman road that led over the Katschberg and the Tauern to Salzburg . Both parts of the building are plastered in pink, the walls and corners are white. The church has a small bell tower, the bell of which is also rung at masses.
To the east of the street is the rectangular chapel building, a late Baroque, Gothic core with a Gothic ribbed vault, hipped roof and bell tower. The sanctuary is about two meters above street level, is opened on the street side by a large round arch and secured from the street by a wrought iron grille. A staircase leads to the side of the chapel. A scene of the Descent from the Cross, originally painted by Josef Messner on the chapel wall in 1861 , was repainted in 1925 and renovated in 1944. Other wall paintings in the vestibule date from 1754 and were renewed in 1991/92.
Opposite the “half” chapel is a building with prayer chairs and a gallery with seats. This component, which was built later, is also open to the street and secured by a grid. While access was initially only possible via a ladder, a side staircase was also added later.
history
The church probably goes back to a Marterl called "Kreuz am Bichl" ( Bichl , Bühel = small hill) from the 15th century, which in 1588 became a chapel . Therefore this chapel was now called "Kreuzbichlkapelle".
The room of the faithful was built later, probably to protect travelers during their devotions in front of the chapel. At the same time the church was probably renovated and given a Latin inscription, which reads in German "We were justified by his blood", and the letters highlighted in red give the year 1784.
Further assumptions about the reason for the expansion are that delinquents condemned to death stopped at the chapel on the way to the Gmünder execution site, the Galgenbichl about a kilometer further , to which the carnival woman also walked her last walk, to offer her prayers. It is also assumed that merchants found a place here for their thanksgiving prayers for the successful crossing of the mountains and the absence of attacks by highwaymen and robber barons. Perhaps the gallery was also built for the numerous participants in the processions.
Todays use
Masses almost only take place during processions during the praying days.
The Katschbergstraße (B99) today bypasses the church, but the road through the church still exists as a local, predominantly agricultural driveway.
literature
- DEHIO Carinthia (p. 205f.). Anton Schroll & Co., Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-7031-0712-X
- Matthias Maierbrugger: From the Glockner to the Lavant (p. 64f). European publisher, Vienna 1968
- ders .: Holidays in the Lieser and Maltatal (p. 49ff). Verlag Johannes Heyn, Klagenfurt 1982, ISBN 3-85366-394-X
Web link
Coordinates: 46 ° 54 ′ 35.7 " N , 13 ° 32 ′ 46.1" E