Heilbronn Madonna
The Heilbronner Madonna is a wooden Madonna figure from the 15th century, which has been venerated in the baptistery of the Teutonic Order Minster in Heilbronn since 1978 .
The origin, the exact time of creation and the creator of the carved figure are unknown. From an art-historical point of view, its creation is dated to around 1450. The figure is 74 cm high and approximately 26 cm wide and deep. The back of the figure is deeply indented. Maria is shown standing in the manner of Maria Eleusa, wearing a red undergarment and a blue cloak with a green lining. She wears a veil and a crown. The baby Jesus, which she carries on her left arm, is dressed in a red robe similar to a tunic and puts his right arm around the mother's neck. The right hand of Mary and the left hand of the baby Jesus are missing.
The figure was originally created for an altar shrine. Later it may have been adapted for a house niche, where it was sawn off at the bottom by about 20 cm, so that it looks a bit disproportionate today. Later, the figure was probably outdoors for a long time and was painted over several times.
The Heilbronn Madonna was found after the Second World War in the ruins of the city that was destroyed in the air raid on Heilbronn in December 1944. She first came to the Heilbronn adult education center in the rebuilt Deutschhof , in the expectation that the previous owner would get in touch. After almost 30 years, the figure was restored in Bad Mergentheim in 1977/78 and given to the Catholic parish in Heilbronn on loan from the city of Heilbronn in 1978. Since then it has stood in the old tower choir of the Teutonic Order Minster, which was used as a baptistery.
literature
- A. Vogt: Our Heilbronn Madonna . In: Marienverehrung - a piece of Teutonic Order history . Parish office of St. Peter and Paul, Heilbronn 1978
- Hartmut Gräf: Unterländer Altars 1350–1540. An inventory . City Museums Heilbronn, Heilbronn 1983 ( Heilbronn Museum Booklet . No. 2)