Gurk Cathedral
The Gurk Cathedral is in Gurk in Carinthia . The building is a pillar basilica built between 1140 and 1200 in the High Romanesque style , which, thanks to the minor structural changes, is one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Europe. The elongated basilica has a double-towered west facade, a gallery , a crypt and three apses . The crypt with 100 columns is the oldest part of the church. In the year of her consecration in 1174, the grave of St. Hemma of Gurk was moved there.
Today's parish and former cathedral church Mariae Himmelfahrt is located on the eastern edge of the village of Gurk on a low terrace not far from the river Gurk . The imposing 60-meter-high twin towers of the cathedral can be seen from afar in the little-developed central Gurktal .
Structurally, the Gurk Abbey is attached to the cathedral, which housed the cathedral chapter until 1792 and then, with interruptions, various orders.
Building history
In pre-Christian times there was a temple of the Celtic horse goddess Epona on the site of the cathedral . A stone block with the carved name was inserted into the south-western pillar of the central nave of the cathedral. A Roman cult building is presumed to have existed in Roman times. During excavations in 1926, a fragment of an altar was found.
In 898 the Franconian Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia gave goods in the Gurk and Metnitz valleys to the Swabian noble Zwentibold , an ancestor of Hemma von Gurk , including a farm in Gurk. Hemma inherited these properties in the first half of the 11th century. She had the Johanneskirche built in Gurk, for which she obtained parish rights from Salzburg Archbishop Baldwin in 1043 . In the same year she founded a nunnery with its own St. Mary's Church. The women's monastery in Gurk was dissolved as early as 1070 after Archbishop Gebhard had received permission from Pope Alexander II to found a diocese in Carinthia . The property connected with the monastery came into the possession of Salzburg and in 1072 the archbishop founded the suffragan diocese of Gurk , a diocese without its own diocese and without a cathedral chapter . Günther von Krappfeld was ordained as the first bishop .
A documentary mention of Gurk as a parish comes from the year 1162. The parish church was the Johanneskirche built by Hemma. It consisted of a hall-like nave, a choir square and a round apse and had a small roof turret. It was surrounded by a cemetery with Karner , which was demolished in 1842. The church was demolished in 1892.
Construction of the cathedral began around 1140 under Bishop Roman I (1131–1167). Whether the former monastery church stood at this point has not been conclusively clarified; it was probably west of the new building. Even before the completion of the church, the transfer of the grave of St. Hemma to an existing crypt for the year 1174 is documented. The high altar of the episcopal church was consecrated in 1200. The cathedral and the monastery building were completed before 1220.
Several fires damaged the church in the 13th century. After restoration work and renovations, the cathedral was consecrated again in 1287. Around 1446 a ribbed vault was inserted in the transept, and a ribbed vault in the choir around 1500. Another fire destroyed the wooden ceiling of the nave in 1525. A wooden shingle roof was installed in its place in 1563. In 1591 the ribbed vault in the central nave was completed.
Under Provost Vizdom (1617–1632) the Romanesque monastery building was demolished, the chapter house built and the provost courtyard redesigned in Baroque style. He also had the baroque altars built in the cathedral. The cathedral received the characteristic baroque spiers in 1678. Provost Otto Kochler planned a profound redesign of the cathedral. He had the hemmagrab in the crypt redesigned and the cross altar and pulpit built. In 1744, however, the provost was deposed because of the high debts his commissions had caused. From then on he worked as a carpenter in the design of the church.
In 1788 the cathedral chapter moved to Klagenfurt , the cathedral church became a parish church and co-cathedral. In a fire in 1808, the roofs and parts of the bishop's chapel were destroyed. In 1850 the Prussian conservator Ferdinand von Quast "discovered" the cathedral and saved it from being forgotten through his publications. Extensive renovation work was carried out from 1924 to 1933. The cathedral survived the Second World War without damage. Only six bells had to be delivered for the metal collections. In the 1950s, the baroque interior, which was heavily infested with anobia, was renovated . In 1960 the cathedral was covered with stone slabs, further restorations were carried out in 1988 and 1992, and the historical architectural polychromy was also restored.
Building description
The cathedral church is a three-aisled, five-and-a-half -bay pillar basilica with a raised, two-bay choir, one-bay transept and three equally aligned apses . The western part of the building is characterized by the two towers, between which the bishop's chapel is set up in the gallery above the inner and outer vestibule. The crypt is located below the choir and transept. The monastery buildings (chapter wing and provost courtyard) adjoin the church building to the north.
Exterior construction
Towers
The mighty towers of the tower complex in the west of the stone block building are 60 meters high. They have narrow Romanesque arched windows, some of which are walled up, and large baroque sound windows on the penultimate upper floor. The onion helmets with lanterns are strongly drawn in. They were built in 1678 and newly covered in 1988. A tower clock is attached to the northern tower. The dials with the coat of arms of the cathedral monastery and the cathedral provost Ferdinand von Litzlhofen (1789–1818) were painted after the fire in 1808.
Main portal
The main entrance to the west between the two towers was originally open. The vestibule of the cathedral was closed to the outside in 1337/38 by a Gothic infill wall. An ogival gate wall extends over the entire height of the vestibule. A slender window on both sides is also provided with tracery tracks. Since 1931, the remains of the Romanesque arches (columns, bases and capitals) have been uncovered on the sides of the portal. The figuratively designed glass in the central window above the gate and in the side windows partly dates from the time the portal was built. In the middle window - from top to bottom - God the Father, sun and moon, the symbols of the Evangelists, Mary with the child and the Man of Sorrows can be seen. In the side windows there are pictures of twelve saints. In 1988 a new gate made of bronze, stainless steel and pearwood by Tomas Hoke was added. The new gate fits into the Gothic facade structure. The vertical framework of the tracery continues in the stainless steel profiles of the portal. The four-part gate can be opened fully or partially with two leaves.
The two arched windows and the circular window of the bishop's chapel above the vestibule can be seen from the outside above the main portal .
The main portal
Glass window of the main portal
Long sides
The outer walls of the aisles spring back slightly behind the towers. The larger, differently tinted stone blocks clearly show two construction phases (building caesura 1179/80 and change of plan), as well as the high-set windows: after two windows on the western side, a vertical construction seam can be seen, the other windows are larger and follow at greater distances from each other.
The central nave has a gable roof, the two side aisles have pent roofs. Like the transept and apses, they are covered with black stone slabs.
The south aisle wall has a profiled base and an arched frieze under the roof. The south portal comes from the first construction phase (1140/50), but is designed with triple stepped cheeks, flat bases and simple transom profiles in a style that is ancient even for this time. The tympanum shows the half-length figure of the blessing Christ with an open book: “Ego sum hostium” (I am the door. John 10,9). The translation of the tympanum reads: “To him who enters correctly through me, I give him the pasture of life; but he steps in correctly, whose hand is gracious and whose heart is gentle. ”On the underside, the inscription with reversed letters runs from right to left. The side aisle is closed at the top by a round arch frieze. Most of the frieze of the main nave has not been preserved.
The outer wall of the transept does not protrude over the aisle wall, as the transept was probably only planned later. The round arch frieze of the side aisle continues at the same height on the transept, where it is additionally decorated with palmettes and wickerwork. The two arched windows below are also the same as those in the aisle. There are two tall, slender arched windows above the frieze. The facade is structured by three high round bars with cube capitals and Attic bases. The middle one has a ring at the top. The impression is impaired by windows that are broken later. Another round arch frieze forms the upper edge of the gable.
The north side is kept much simpler, as the cloister and the cathedral monastery building were originally attached there and were demolished in 1637. The former portal to the cloister is walled up. A small porch (1775) near the tower previously served as a chapter gate, today the Hemmar relics are exhibited there. The aisle wall contains remains of a wall painting from the first half of the 13th century that once adorned the cloister. Several fragments of Roman reliefs and inscriptions have been preserved in the masonry. The north side, like the towers, is plastered from the height of the main nave roof and colored in the color of the limestone. The rest of the building shows the unplastered, marble-like, slightly reddish limestone due to its iron content.
East Side
The three apses on the east side adjoin the transept wall in one front. There is an arched window above each of the side apses, the side above the main apse contains two small round windows.
The apses are structured by a profiled base zone, pilaster strips with half-columns with rich capitals and two-tier blind arcades. In each apse there is an arched window, the main apse is larger, as wide as a blind arch, and stepped six times. Above this window there is one of only two figural architectural sculptures on the outside of the cathedral: The high Romanesque (around 1175) relief shows a lion fighting a basilisk , a symbol of the fight of good against evil. The main apse has an arched frieze at the top, above it a decorative ribbon and a checkerboard pattern. The side apses are only half as wide as the main apse, much lower and less rich.
Facade of transept south side
Southern side apse
Interior
Outside porch
The main portal leads to the outer vestibule, a large, almost square room with a barrel vault. It is almost completely covered with wall paintings from around 1340. The side walls each show four rows of pictures with Bible scenes in the form of a poor Bible . However, the bottom rows are partially destroyed. The north wall shows scenes from the Old Testament, the south and part of the west wall show scenes from the New Testament in 26 pictures. The vault is designed as a starry sky, in the middle there is a Lamb of God .
The west portal is a funnel portal (around 1200). At five and a half meters wide and seven meters high, it takes up almost the entire east wall of the vestibule. Due to its protected location, it is one of the best preserved Romanesque portals in Austria. The portal has seven steps, the garments and archivolts are decorated with simple ornaments. The tympanum is smooth, it probably used to contain a fresco, the portal wall was originally colored (the last remains of paint were removed in 1912). Medallions with half-length portraits of Christ and the Apostles (around 1340) are embedded above the portal arch.
On the door of the west portal, the remains of wooden reliefs from the early 13th century have been preserved. It is a carved, colored tendril. The left wing of the door shows Christ, surrounded by the four evangelists, as well as angels, prophets or apostles. At the top there are three (of originally seven) doves, symbols for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The right wing of the door shows scenes from the life of Jesus, which are juxtaposed with typologically corresponding scenes from the Old Testament.
Inner porch
A special feature of the Gurk Cathedral is the inner porch from the early 13th century. It connects to the west portal and protrudes three meters into the central nave. It is separated from the aisles by cheek walls. The vestibule serves as a support for the bishop's chapel above it, which is longer than the outer vestibule. Half-columns with different types of capitals are presented to the pillars. Arcade-like semi-arches rise above the pillars, giving the vestibule the effect of a triumphal arch.
Longhouse
The nave is five and a half bays. The central nave has slender, square pillars under arched arcades. The central nave windows reveal where the Romanesque flat ceiling once began. The windows have painted frames with coats of arms. The central nave was vaulted as the last part of the cathedral. The barrel vault was created in 1591 by master builder Leonhard Uttner from Passau and stonemason Philipp Wernerscon from Klagenfurt. Stitch caps and net ribs in their gothic shapes adapt to the older vaults of the cathedral. The vault paintings and the tail grotesques come from Master Kräußl from St. Veit / Glan, as well as the coat of arms (Provost Grimming, inscribed 1591) and a man in a circle (Kräußl) above the organ gallery. The Heiliggeistloch is surrounded by frescoes with floating angels and angel heads.
The side aisles were provided with a ribbed vault in 1525. In the south aisle on the front wall is the access to the bishop's chapel, above two front windows illuminate the stairs, to the left of it is the access to the tower. In the north end wall is the access to the north tower.
Choir
The choir has two bays and, like the adjoining transept, is 1.75 meters higher than the nave because of the crypt underneath. The church is divided into a lower church and an upper church. On the outside of the aisles, stairs lead to the choir and then to the inside of the crypt. The pillars of the choir form a square, the corner pillars are reinforced by rectangular templates. The star rib vault of the choir square with the coat of arms of Provost Wilhelm Welzer von Eberstein was created by Master Hans in 1500. Eight painted stone reliefs show the busts of female saints (Maria, Dorothea, Margaretha, Barbara, Katharina, Ursula, Agnes and Apollonia), which are gussets decorated with tendril paintings. The aisles were vaulted between 1526 and 1549, the southern one with hexagonal stars, the northern one with net ribs, each with three terracotta reliefs of saints.
Transept
The transept is single-bay and the same width as the nave and choir. The crossing is almost square, the pillars are placed on half-columns with different types of capitals: the western ones show geometric palmette ornaments (before 1200), the eastern naturalistic tendrils, animals and heads (early 13th century). The vault from 1450 over the crossing in the form of a large eight-pointed star on consoles is the oldest in the church. The tendril painting of the vault from the 16th century is attributed to Anton Blumenthal.
On the northern wall is the sacristy portal (around 1450) with a profiled wall and keel arch with crabs and finial as well as semi-columns presented to the side. To the right above the portal is a small arched window, to the left of it an oratorio in black and gold, which was built in 1678 under Provost Gösel von Thurn by Sießenbacher and Seitlinger. It is a three-part, box-shaped stem with slug panes. Above that, the attachment points of the former transept gallery can be seen on the wall. To the right of the portal is a marble epitaph for Bishop Polycarp Count Khuenburg († 1675) and a huge fresco shows St. Christopher.
The south wall has the four arched windows already described above , as well as frescoes (around 1390) that were only uncovered in 1918 and 1924. They show, among other things, the fall of Saulus, the enthroned judge of the world Jesus and the “old man's fresco” with the 24 elders from the Revelation of John . The donor couple kneels at the feet of Jesus with their seven children.
The east wall with the apses was decorated with frescoes by Anton Blumenthal in 1598, but most of them are covered by the baroque high altar. In addition, they were heavily painted over in 1926/1927 in the course of a restoration by Professor Viertelberger. On the left side, the Caritas and the cardinal virtues justice and prudence are shown, above the Church Fathers Ambrosius and Augustine. In the girdle arch there are half-figures of saints, in the apse the representation of the miracle of the Mass, in the vault the stoning of St. Stephen, on the pillar south of the altar St. Hemma.
In the main apse, the frescoes show the birth and death of Mary in an old German room as well as the Annunciation to Mary and her Assumption against the backdrop of Gurk, Lieding and Strasbourg .
On the right-hand side, the frescoes show the handing over of the keys to Saint Peter, the church fathers Gregory and Hieronymus , in the window reveal Saint Bernard and Dominic as well as the cardinal virtues of moderation and strength. In the apse scenes from the life and martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul can be seen, while the vault depicts the murder of the innocent children.
Facility
High altar
The high altar was created by the Saxon sculptor Michael Hönel 1625–1632 and mostly painted in gold by Johann Seitlinger in 1654. With a height of 16 meters and a width of almost nine meters, it completely fills the main apse. It contains 72 full figures and 82 angel heads. The altar table dates back to the Roman altar and has with Kosmatendekor ornate paneling dating from around 1200, a rare outside Italy to sighted decor. The sides of the early baroque structure by Hönel have three floors. The larger-than-life figures of the four evangelists Matthäus , Markus , Lukas and Johannes (from left to right) stand next to the cafeteria on the bottom floor . The face of Luke has very individual features and could be a self-portrait of the artist. On the next floor the four church fathers Ambrosius , Gregory , Augustine and Hieronymus stand above the evangelists from left to right . Behind them stand in niches between screw columns on the left Emperor Heinrich II , on the right Count Wilhelm von Gurk. On the third floor there is St. George on the outside left, St. Florian on the right, inside between screw columns on the left St. Thomas Becket , on the right Pope St. Leo the Great . On the entablature are the statues of Saints Catherine of Siena and Alexandria, Barbara and Monika, at the top of the essay the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and the figures of hope, faith, fortitude and temperance. The middle structure begins with the mighty tabernacle in the cafeteria with a crucifixion group as an essay. Above is the carved group with the apostles. From this group the Blessed Mother climbs up to heaven, surrounded by a rosary. Guided by angels, she floats up to the Holy Trinity. Other angels play music and carry sentences from the Lauretanian litany on banners . Saints Kunigunde and Hemma kneel to the side behind the cathedrals of Bamberg and Gurk, which they donated .
During the pre-Easter Lent period, an approximately 80 m² Lent cloth hangs in front of the high altar . It is the oldest and largest in Austria and was created in 1458 by Konrad von Friesach on behalf of Provost Johann Hinderkircher. On a total of 99 fields, the left half shows scenes from the Old Testament , the right half from the New Testament .
In front of the high altar there is a low red marble lattice that was made in 1730.
Side altars
The two side altars in the side apses are also by Michael Hönel, the altar leaves by the Gurk painter Johann Seitlinger (1638). They are designed the same. The left, the Stephanus altar, shows the stoning of St. Stephen in the altar sheet. The predelle picture shows Emmaus and St. Lawrence. Next to the altarpiece are large statues of Saints Martin and Nikolaus , in the essay Vinzentius and Laurentius, in the middle angels with torches, five-wound image and double coats of arms from the Provost Vizdom. The southern side altar shows the crucifixion of St. Peter in the altar sheet, in the background the decapitation of St. Paul. The predella shows Peter on the sea and the conversion of St. Paul in front of Damascus. The statues represent the Salzburg patrons Rupert and Virgil . Peter and Paul are leaning on the coronation of the altar and in the middle two angels hold the cloth of Veronica , underneath again the coat of arms.
Cross altar
The cross altar is at the end of the nave in front of the stairway to the nave. Georg Raphael Donner created the larger than life Pietà in 1740 as his last work. It shows the Lamentation of Mary with assisting angels and was cast from 18 tons of Carinthian lead. A wooden cross rises behind it. Stylistically, the work stands between baroque and classicism. The tabernacle was only added in 1766 by Donner's pupil Balthasar Moll in the early Rococo. A relief is attached to the cafeteria depicting Christ lying in the grave. The composition of the altar is such that it does not obstruct the view of the high altar. A cathedra (bishop's throne) made of white Italian marble by Wolfgang Stracke has stood next to the cross altar since 1995.
People's Altar
In front of the cross altar is the people's altar, created by Tomas Hoke on the occasion of the Hemma anniversary in 1988. It's a cube with steel corners. The fabric cover with the wave motif thematically picks up on the rivers of paradise in the bishop's chapel.
Pillar altars
The two pillar altars (1670) to the right and left of the cross altar are by Sißenbacher, the pictures by Seitlinger. The superstructures are set in black and gold. The left altar shows the Mother of God in the main picture and an angel with a banner in the top picture. The statues represent Saints Patrizius and Thomas Becket, venerated by the Augustinian Canons. The right altar shows Saint Augustine (1767) in the main picture, the top picture again angels with banners, on the cafeteria the statue of grace of Our Lady. The side statues are Saints Oswald and Sigismund.
pulpit
The pulpit was designed in 1740/1741 by the Viennese theater architects Giuseppe and Antonio Bibiena. J. Kaspar Eckhardt and Leopold Wasserbauer carried out the work. The pulpit shows the program of the Counter-Reformation: the Holy Spirit hovers above the pulpit. The allegories of Church, Faith and Hope sit on the sound cover, one putto wears the tiara, while a second with a cross lance meets Satan and snakes spouting heretic books. A man dressed old-fashioned as a preacher in black with a white ruff falls backwards into the depths. The parapet of the pulpit bears six lead reliefs by Georg Raphael Donner : Reward for the good, Sermon on the Mount, John in the desert, legislation on Mount Sinai, Ascension of Elijah, conversion of Paul before Damascus and punishment of evil. A lead relief of the Good Shepherd is attached to the pulpit pillar.
The left side altar
The right side altar
The cross altar with Pietá by Raphael Donner
the pulpit
Organ loft
The organ gallery was built around 1730 and the apse of the bishop's chapel fell victim to it. The organ (1780/1781), described by Siegfried Hartwagner as worthless, comes from a Ljubljana organ builder, the classicist case was built in 1779 by Franz Eißl and Martin Herberger.
Others
Behind the northern choir stalls there is a double confessional inlaid in the aisle.
On the side walls in the choir there are colored wooden reliefs with scenes from the Hemma legend.
Double confessional with inlay
Scene from the Hemma legend, colored wooden relief
St. Hemma receives the news of the death of her husband, colored wooden relief
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Bells
A big bell hangs in the two towers, which is considered to be among the best of the post-war period. The sound of the tall striker , which hangs separately in the south tower, is outstanding . Wooden bell chairs, wooden yokes and the small sound openings contribute to the good acoustics. The bells 1–5 are equipped with clapper catchers .
| No. | Surname | Casting year | Foundry, casting location |
Mass (kg) |
Diameter (mm) |
Strike tone ( HT - 1 / / 8 ) |
| 1 | Striker (Maria) | 1958 | Grassmayr bell foundry , Innsbruck | 2,727 | 1,630 | h 0 −2 |
| 2 | Hemma | 1,513 | 1,360 | d 1 −2 | ||
| 3 | Peter and Paul | 1,138 | 1,240 | e 1 −2 | ||
| 4th | Augustine | 643 | 1,020 | g 1 −2 | ||
| 5 | Joseph | 300 | 820 | h 1 −2 | ||
| 6th | Magdalena | 173 | 680 | d 2 −2 |
Episcopal Chapel
The bishop's chapel in the west gallery above the inner and outer porch between the two towers was built under Bishop Walther (1200–1213). It is a rectangular room that is divided into two cross-vaulted yokes by a belt arch . After a fire, the chapel was restored by 1264 and decorated with frescoes in the so-called zigzag style , a transition style from Romanesque to Gothic.
The portal-like triumphal arch in the middle of the east wall originally led into the apse, which was removed when the organ was installed in 1779. The two trifors with bud capitals on double columns on the right and left opened into the nave until 1779.
The frescoes in the eastern part are dedicated to the glory of Mary. The east wall shows Mary on the stepped throne of Solomon and is flanked by virtues. The pictures in the side walls show the Annunciation of the Birth of Mary and the Annunciation to Mary. Four scenes of paradise are depicted in the vault, one of which was destroyed in a fire in 1808. The western part is dedicated to the glory of Christ. On the window wall you can see the transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor, on the side walls in the south the procession of the three kings, in the north the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. In the vault the heavenly Jerusalem is depicted, in the crown the Lamb of God.
The west wall has two arched windows and one round window. The latter contains a glass painting of the Descent from the Cross, made around 1260 to 1270 , the oldest surviving example of the jagged style in Austrian glass painting.
Fall of Man
Transfiguration of Christ
crypt
The crypt under the choir and transept was the first part of the cathedral completed in 1174 and was probably dedicated to the veneration of Hemma from the beginning. According to Hartwagner, it is “the greatest crypt in the German-speaking area”. The crypt measures around 20 × 20 meters and protrudes around 1.75 meters from the ground. It is entered via two flights of stairs from the upper church. The hundred-column crypt consists of 96 slender columns and two double columns in front of the apse (the side apses are missing in the crypt). The column bases are adorned with corner bulbs, leaves and figural corner ornaments, the capitals are simple, unadorned cube capitals. There are also six rectangular pillars. A steep, high groin vault rises above the pillars.
On the south-east pillar is the grave of St. Hemma, who has been buried in the crypt since 1174. The original unadorned stone coffin initially stood elsewhere on six supporting columns, three of which have been preserved. The pillars show strange faces: two women and a man. Women crawled under the sarcophagus to ask children's blessings. In 1721, Provost Kochler von Jochenstein had the coffin clad with red marble to put an end to this custom. He also had the Italian Antonio Corradini make a marble relief with Hemma's death and two marble figures on the side, the allegories of faith and hope. The figure of Faith with its veiled face is remarkable. In 1925 part of the red marble cladding was removed so that the Romanesque column heads are visible again. The walls above the grave are decorated with delicate tendril stucco. The grave is surrounded by a wrought iron grille. In the corner is the legendary Hemma stone made of chlorite slate stone. Votive panels hang on the walls - mostly painted on sheet metal.
The south-facing altar has been consecrated to St. Thomas Becket since 1167, the north-facing one to St. John the Evangelist since 1189. Both were only moved to their current position under Provost Kochler. Both table altars stand on four marble columns with cube capitals. The Altar of Our Lady is in the northeast corner and was built in 1766. He carries a statue of Maria lactans from around 1200 , which, according to legend, was in the possession of St. Hemma or was donated by her. The statue was carved over in 1784. Another altar is dedicated to St. John Nepomuk. From the planned altar in the apse, only the marble canteen was made.
Column head of the Hemma grave in the crypt
Votive picture in the crypt
Hemmgrab in the crypt
Stiftsanlagen
To the north, the chapter wing adjoins the transept. It was built in 1637/38 by Peter Franz Carlone using components from the medieval chapter house. It is an unadorned building with fifteen axles. The portal is simple and bears the coat of arms of the provost Vizdom. During the restoration in 1979/80 a sundial from 1528 was uncovered.
The Propsthof adjoins the chapter wing to the west. It is a square, four-wing, three-storey building with a rectangular, six or eight-axis inner courtyard. Erected from 1468 to 1490, it was redesigned by Corleone from 1637 and adapted to the chapter wing. The inner courtyard arcades were also laid out at that time. In the east wing there is the Gothic Trinity Chapel, the ribbed vault of which has 14 painted wooden reliefs.
The monastery portal (gatehouse) was built by Jörg Zechner in 1680/82. It is a cube-shaped building with a mighty portal. The inscription above the portal is dedicated to Provost Wolfgang Andreas Gösel von Thurn (1674–1688). On the side of the arch are framed pilasters . On the courtyard side, a covered staircase leads to a loggia-like floor .
The fortifications, which were built between 1447 and 1520 with a moat and circular wall, have only been partially preserved, such as part of the walls (not at their original height) and two round towers on the southwest and southeast corner. They have conical roofs and loopholes. Between the two towers in the south wall of the cemetery is the Agony of Christ Chapel, today's funeral hall. It is the former Karner , first mentioned in 1275. It has an octagonal floor plan, the attached tambour is also octagonal.
Cathedral chapters and religious orders
In 1043 Hemma founded a noble women's monastery in Gurk, which was settled from the Benedictine monastery Nonnberg in Salzburg. The church and monastery were consecrated by Archbishop Baldwin under Abbess Ita . Archbishop Gebhard abolished the monastery in 1070/72 under the second abbess, Himzila . The allegedly poor lifestyle of the nuns was given as the reason. The probable reason, however, was the rich endowment with which the Archbishop endowed the Gurk diocese he founded in 1072.
Cathedral chapter
Although the Gurk diocese was founded in 1072, it did not receive a cathedral chapter until 1123. Bishop Hiltebold von Gurk gave the clergy at the Gurk Church the rules of St. Augustine . A year later, he equipped the cathedral chapter with property from the endowment of the diocese, which it was largely able to receive, with the exception of the losses in Lower Styria. By accepting nobles alone, the cathedral chapter had some political weight, especially since the Gurk bishops often did not reside in their diocese and were represented by the cathedral provost as archdeacon of the diocese. This power was also evident in 1498 when Pope Alexander VI bestowed the pontificals on the Provost of the Cathedral . Since then (until 1787) the provost also held the title of Abbas Lateranensis . In 1787 the cathedral chapter moved with the bishop to Klagenfurt, where it still exists.
1792 until today
Between 1792 and at least 1797 Gurk was a refuge for Salesian women who had fled Lyon before the French Revolution . In 1809/10 the Ursulines from Klagenfurt stayed there when the Napoleonic Wars also reached Carinthia.
In 1890 Benedictine nuns from Nonnberg settled in Gurk and founded the St. Hemma priory. The nuns opened an elementary school for girls in 1894, which was granted public rights in 1900, but was closed again in 1915. Instead, they took over a private community school for boys between the ages of eleven and 16. As early as 1898, with the help of a sponsor, the nuns were able to purchase the monastery buildings with meadows, fields and forest from the cathedral chapter. However, economic problems led to the decision to give up the priory in 1921. In 1922 the buildings were sold to the Redemptorists, in 1924 the last of the once 28 nuns left Gurk.
In 1923 the Redemptorists took over the monastery building and cathedral and carried out extensive restoration work over the next few years. They also moved their theological school from Mautern (Styria) there. The most important priest was Josef Löw, who made great contributions to the canonization of Hemma von Gurk (1938).
In 1932 the Salvatorians took over the monastery and parish. Salvatorians have also lived in Gurk since the St. Hemma guest house opened in 1988. At the end of August 2008 the Salvatorians left Gurk. Since then, pastoral care has been taken over by diocese priests from the Gurk-Klagenfurt diocese. In addition, two Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood from the Wernberg Monastery are active in Gurk .
Todays use
The former cathedral is now used as the parish church of Gurk. The parish office is located in the chapter wing of the former monastery complex. From 1999 to 2014, the Propsthof housed a branch of the Ursula-Gymnasium Klagenfurt as well as apartments. The Gurk Treasury , the Diocesan Museum , has been located here since April 2014 .
Gurk is a much visited place of pilgrimage because of the Hemmagrab .
literature
- Dehio - The art monuments of Austria: Carinthia . Verlag Anton Schroll, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-7031-0712-X , p. 254-267 .
- Wilhelm Deuer, Wim van der Kallen: The cathedral to Gurk . Domkustodie Salvatorianerkolleg, Gurk 1995, ISBN 3-901557-00-8 .
- Wilhelm Deuer, Johannes Grabmayer: Transromanica - On the trail of the Romanesque in Carinthia . In: Kulturwanderungen . Verlag Johannes Heyn, Klagenfurt 2008, ISBN 978-3-7084-0302-1 , p. 149-157 .
- Siegfried Hartwagner: The Gurk Cathedral . Carinthia Klagenfurt-Wien-Frankfurt / Main, Klagenfurt 1963.
- Siegfried Hartwagner: Carinthia: The district of St. Veit an der Glan . In: Austrian Art Monograph Volume VIII . St. Peter, Salzburg 1994, p. 80-95 .
- Walburga Litschauer: Gurk. In: Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon . Online edition, Vienna 2002 ff., ISBN 3-7001-3077-5 ; Print edition: Volume 2, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 2003, ISBN 3-7001-3044-9 .
- Waldemar Posch: Cathedral to Gurk (guide) . 10th edition. Domkustodie, Gurk 1991.
- Waldemar Posch, Josef Wilfing, Gregor Peda: Gurk Cathedral. The frescoes of the bishop's chapel in the west gallery . Kunstverlag Peda, Passau 2001, ISBN 3-89643-146-3 .
- Othmar Stary, Wim van der Kallen: as Lent cloth in the cathedral of Gurk; Images from the history of God with man . Universitäts-Verlag Carinthia, Klagenfurt 1994, ISBN 3-85378-420-8 .
Gregor Schellander: The murals of the cathedral in Gurk in Carinthia in the messages of the kaiserl. royal Central Commission for the Research and Conservation of Architectural Monuments Volume 2, 1857, (category with associated images on Commons )
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Siegfried Hartwagner: p. 81.
- ↑ Dehio Kärnten , 3rd edition 2001, p. 255
- ↑ Wilhelm Deuer, Wim van der Kallen: The cathedral to Gurk . Domkustodie Salvatorianerkolleg, Gurk 1995, ISBN 3-901557-00-8 , p. 14 .
- ↑ Wilhelm Deuer, Wim van der Kallen: The cathedral to Gurk . Domkustodie Salvatorianerkolleg, Gurk 1995, ISBN 3-901557-00-8 , p. 37 .
- ↑ a b Wilhelm Deuer: The Gurk Cathedral - a cultural monument of European standing . In: The golden book of Gurk . Gurk 1998, p. 41–55 (here p. 52) .
- ^ Siegfried Hartwagner: p. 90.
- ^ Jörg Wernisch: Bell customer of Austria . Journal-Verlag, Lienz 2006, p. 488 .
- ^ Siegfried Hartwagner: p. 88.
- ^ The section follows: Franz Kickmaier: The religious orders in Gurk . In: The golden book of Gurk . Gurk 1998.
- ↑ Waltraud Krassnig: Notes on the history of the Benedictine monastery “St. Hemma ”in Gurk . Klagenfurt 1988, ISBN 3-85378-315-5 , p. 70 f .
- ↑ Gurk: Bishop Schwarz thanked the Salvatorians for their work, which "will continue to ring in the hearts of people" ( Memento of September 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Gurk Abbey: Wernberg sisters come to Gurk ( Memento from July 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Closure of the ORG St. Hemma in Gurk. Retrieved January 22, 2018 .
Coordinates: 46 ° 52 ′ 30 ″ N , 14 ° 17 ′ 37 ″ E