Holy Mountain (Bärnbach)

The Church of St. Joachim and Anna with the Holy Sepulcher Chapel

The Holy Mountain is a 539 meter high elevation in the Köflach-Voitsberger basin , at the confluence of Gradnerbach and Kainach in the municipality of Bärnbach in Styria . On it is a monastery with a church, a Holy Sepulcher chapel and a calvary . The church and the Holy Sepulcher Chapel date from the second half of the 17th century, while the Calvary was built between 1730 and 1740. The Carmelite Convent was built in 1975. Currently (as of October 2014) eight nuns live there .

A Way of the Cross leads from Bärnbach to the church and the Carmel Holy Cross , a monastery of the Discalced Carmelites on the summit plateau of the Holy Mountain.

history

The holy mountain was already settled in prehistoric times. Finds from the Urnfield period , Hallstatt period and Roman period - even then it was called mons sacer - suggest this.

The church and the Holy Sepulcher Chapel were donated on April 20, 1660 by Countess Elionora Eusebia von Wagensperg. The church was consecrated to St. Mary in 1666 . Until 1952 it was a branch church of Piber and is now a branch of the parish Bärnbach . Between 1730 and 1740 the calvary complex was completed. In 1956 the group of the cross and in the years 1957 to 1971 and 1976 the church building were restored. The Kalvarienberg chapels were restored in 1970.

The construction of the Carmelite monastery and the construction of the monastery building began on March 23, 1975 on the initiative of the Bärnbach pastor Friedrich Zeck and the then bishop of the diocese of Graz-Seckau , Johann Weber . The completed monastery was founded on September 12, 1976 consecrated and respect of six sisters of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.

description

Filial church of St. Joachim and Anna

View of the high altar and the two side altars

The branch church , which faces south, is consecrated to Saints Joachim and Anna and was built from 1660 onwards and consecrated in 1666. The tower with onion helmet is located above the choir . There are two niches on the northern outer facade. The church and the free-standing Holy Sepulcher Chapel are surrounded by a churchyard wall with niches that was built together with the church. In front of the churchyard gate in the north there is a stone group of figures of Jesus and the Samaritan woman from the end of the 17th century, which are attributed to Johann Jakob Schoy .

The nave has a square floor plan. Between the nave and the choir, which is spanned by an eight-part groin vault , is a constricted front arch . The protruding gallery and a wrought iron grille date from 1976. The ridge-vaulted sacristy connects to the west of the choir.

The high altar with rococo ornament, restored in 1892, was erected around 1770 and taken by Franz Wolfart in 1771. The altar panel from the beginning of the 18th century shows the offering of Mary in the temple by the hll. Joachim and Anna. Some angels of the high altar were stolen in 1973. The side altars, decorated with cartilage ornamentation, date from the construction period. On the left side altar there is a picture of a Pietà and on the right a picture of the carrying of the cross. The side cheeks of the side altars have image fields. The positive organ , restored in 1971 and repaired in 1781 and 1849, dates from the beginning of the 18th century. The Stations of the Cross follow the baroque tradition. In the sacristy you can find the remains of two baroque frescoes , which show a Pietà and a man of Sorrows , as well as a small baroque cupboard with painted instruments of suffering .

Holy Sepulcher Chapel

The free-standing Holy Sepulcher Chapel with a roof turret was built in 1776 according to a chronogram . It is located next to the church, inside the churchyard wall. The frescoes inside were partially painted over.

Monastery building

The monastery building on the Holy Mountain

The monastery building is located north of the church and is connected to it via a corridor. It was built in 1975/76 according to plans by Fridrun Hussa. In the monastery consulting room you can see some finds from the urnfield era such as pots, bowls, loom weights and spindle whorls that were excavated during the construction of the monastery.

Calvary

The crucifixion group on Calvary

The Calvary is on the top of the Holy Mountain. The four brick passion chapels are spread around the hilltop and are dedicated to the secrets of the Sorrowful Rosary . They were built around 1730–40 and have different floor plans. The wrought iron bars at the entrances date from the construction period. Inside the chapels there are two painted passion scenes from the period around 1780, which were later ignored. The stone groups of Christ on the Mount of Olives and the flagellation on the base are by Philipp Jakob Straub . The statutes of the crowning of thorns and Christ who fell under the cross are probably also from Straub. Other sculptures in the chapels date from 1957.

On the top of the hilltop there is a group of crosses, consisting of the three stone figures of hll. Maria , Johannes and Maria Magdalena . These figures date from around 1730 and are attributed to Johann Jakob Schoy . The original, baroque wooden crucifix is now in the parish church of Bärnbach .

Wayside shrine at the driveway

The statues in the wayside shrine at the driveway

At the driveway to the monastery there is a double-niche wayside shrine with a walled-in Roman inscription stone from the 2nd century. In the niches are wooden sculptures of the weeping women at the grave, made at the end of the 17th century.

swell

• Federal Monuments Office (ed.): Dehio Steiermark (excluding Graz) . 2nd Edition. Berger, Horn / Vienna 2006, ISBN 3-85028-439-5 , p. 175-176 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} History of the holy mountain in Bärnbach. karmel-baernbach.graz-seckau.at, accessed on October 10, 2014 .  
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Bundesdenkmalamt (Ed.): Dehio Steiermark (excluding Graz) . 2nd Edition. Berger, Horn / Vienna 2006, ISBN 3-85028-439-5 , p. 175-176 .
3. ↑ Our community. karmel-baernbach.graz-seckau.at, accessed on October 10, 2014 .  
4. ^ History of our monastery. karmel-baernbach.graz-seckau.at, accessed on October 10, 2014 .  

Web links

Commons : Heiliger Berg Karmel, Bärnbach  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Holy Cross Carmel Bärnbach. karmel-baernbach.graz-seckau.at, accessed on October 10, 2014 . 

Coordinates: 47 ° 3 '53.1 "  N , 15 ° 7' 25.3"  E