Holy Blood (Iphofen)
The pilgrimage church of the Holy Blood in Iphofen in Lower Franconia is in the west of the old town on Julius-Echter-Platz.
history
The founding of the church in 1329 can be proven. A separate priest was responsible for the church, also known as the “Church of the Holy Sepulcher”. Even then there were numerous pilgrimages to the church, which received further donations in 1363. The income of St. Martin's Church, which fell victim to the Peasants' War in 1525, was transferred to the Church of the Holy Blood. Associated with this was the ascent to the parish church , the second in Iphofen.
There were also reports of pilgrimages in the late Middle Ages. In the 16th century, the church was under the influence of the beginning Reformation . In 1588 the pastor of the St. Vitus Church took over the believers in the pilgrimage church. The Counter-Reformation , which was mainly operated by the Würzburg prince-bishops , made the Holy Blood Church independent again in 1629, before it was finally merged with St. Vitus in 1621.
The 18th century saw the church flourish. Several monks from surrounding monasteries had to help the Iphöfer pastor with the care of the pilgrims. The pilgrimage shaped the whole city, the services were held in front of the building due to lack of space.
In the course of secularization in 1803, the Bavarian government wanted to demolish the building. This plan could be prevented. The 20th century saw a sharp decline in the number of pilgrims. Today only groups from Willanzheim , Kolitzheim , Neusetz and Dornheim come to the church. The Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments lists the building of the church under the monument number D-6-75-139-28.
architecture
The architecture of the church is characterized by a renovation under Prince Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn . 1605–1615 the nave was expanded, the ailing choir repaired and the tower raised, so that a typical Julius Echter tower was created. For this purpose, the existing church was largely demolished. In 1653, after the Thirty Years' War , windows and doors were renewed as part of a further renovation. In 1714 the church received the flat ceiling that defines the space.
During a renovation in 1870, the tower was expanded. Seven years later, a lightning bolt set the church on fire, resulting in a reconstruction in the neo-Gothic style . In 1985 the exterior staircase from 1799 was removed during the last repair to date.
Furnishing
Just like the architecture, the interior of the church has changed over the centuries. In the case of the foundation of 1329, the handover of an altar was mentioned . In 1481 another altar and new pews were added. In 1527 a confessional was set up.
In the baroque period, a triumphal arch was placed over the sanctuary . In 1730 the altars of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross Altar were added, in 1734 a new organ was installed, which was renovated for the first time in 1814. The neo-Gothic redesign of the interior of the church began in the 1890s. Sheet metal plates were designed with the legend of the host .
In the 20th century the church got its current appearance. In 1911/1912 the baroque side altars were restored. The right altar shows an image of the crucifixion with John Nepomuk and St. Magdalena at his side, the left carries a painting of the Holy of Holies, flanked by John the Evangelist and John the Baptist .
Pilgrimage
The pilgrimage to the Holy Blood Church dates back to 1298. Different versions of the legend are known. The earliest speaks of Jews who are said to have hidden several hosts under a house. A figure of light showed the congregation the way to dig them up. In another variant, which has been documented since the 17th century, Jewish Iphöfer are said to have desecrated a host with knives; from them the blood of Jesus emerged. The wrongdoers are said to have thrown the host into a cesspool. The disguise of the act had failed, however, because God had lit up the host that had fallen into a spider's web. The hole at the altar is still covered with a metal spider web.
Initially, the worship was related to the miraculous host. From the year 1730, the five-wound worship of Christ increased. For this purpose, a Corporis Christi Brotherhood was brought into being. The legend of the host arose as a justification for the persecution of the Jews during the Rintfleisch pogrom . Today there are no references to the Jews in the church leaders, and all references to the legend have been removed from the interior of the church. A scientific analysis of the origins of the legend is still pending.
See also
literature
- Andreas Brombierstäudl: Iphofen. A small Franconian town through the centuries . Iphofen 1983.
- Josef Endres: Holy Blood in Iphofen. With an edition of the Miracle Book . In: Publications of the Society for Franconian History. Row XIII. Issue 49.Würzburg 2007.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Brombierstäudl, Andreas: Iphofen . P. 89.
- ↑ Endres, Josef: Holy Blood in Iphofen . P. 55.
- ↑ Geodata: Monument number D-6-75-139-28 ( Memento of the original from January 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 22, 2013.
- ^ Castell culture path: Iphofen , accessed on April 22, 2013.
- ↑ Endres, Josef: Holy Blood in Iphofen . P. 100.
- ↑ Israel Schwierz, Stone Testimonies to Jewish Life in Bavaria, Munich 1992, pp. 77f. Different version in Endres, Josef: Hl. Blut in Iphofen . P. 19.
Web links
- Castell culture trail: Iphofen
Coordinates: 49 ° 42 ′ 10.17 " N , 10 ° 15 ′ 30.82" E