Calvary Hill (Banská Štiavnica)

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General view, below the Slovak, above the German Church

The Calvary in Banská Štiavnica , German: Schemnitz, is in Banská Štiavnica , a town in Slovakia . The Calvary was built between 1744 and 1751. The baroque ensemble, laid out as a pilgrimage on a mountain, consists of 25 stations, including 24 chapels , 2 churches , the Holy Stairs and the group of statues of Our Lady of Sorrows under the cross . Together with the historic old town and technical mining facilities in the area, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Slovakia.

history

View from the summit over station 18 to the city

The baroque complex was built after an idea and on the initiative of the Jesuit priest Franz Perger on the extinct volcanic cone Scharffenberg (Ostrý vrch) near and above the town. Schemnitz prospered in the 18th century from mining and was thus able to support the construction financially. Wealthy citizens, nobles and officials of the imperial mining administration donated money, and Hauer did practical manual work in the construction. The chapels of the complex show the donors' coats of arms on their fronts, e.g. B. from Emperor Franz I Stephan of Lorraine , who visited the mountain on the Trinity Festival in 1751. On September 14, 1744 the foundation stone was laid and construction of the upper church began. A fund (Kalvarienfond / Kalvársky fond) was set up for administration and care.

The Calvary was a popular place of pilgrimage for the next 200 years. He lost this position in 1951, as the communist government nationalized the Calvary Fund that year and completely banned pilgrimages, which had been restricted since 1948. The plant began to deteriorate. Vandalism and art theft contributed to further decline even after the collapse of the communist dictatorship in 1990. It was not until 2007, when it was included in the list of the 100 most endangered monuments in the world by the World Monuments Fund , that the rescue, reconstruction and renovation, which is still ongoing (as of 2019), began. Today (2019) the Kalvarienberg is a popular tourist destination. Pilgrimages , Christian fairs and cultural events take place there regularly .

Brief chronology

  • 1744, September 14th: laying of the foundation stone for the upper church.
  • 1751, September 14th: Inauguration of the entire complex, establishment of the Calvary Fund.
  • 1894: Some chapels are renovated by the architect Wilhelm Grossmann and the carver Josef Krause .
  • 1945: Severe damage when the city was captured by Soviet troops.
  • 1948: Restrictions on pilgrimages by the state authorities.
  • 1951: Nationalization of the Calvary Fund and prohibition of pilgrimages.
  • 1978–1981: Reconstruction work under the direction of Dean Karol Beňovic .
  • 1989–2007 and beyond: After the fall of the Iron Curtain, art theft, theft of copper roofs and vandalism ensued.
  • 1993: Together with the historic city center, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List .
  • 2007, June: Inclusion in the list of the 10 most endangered monuments in the world by the World Monuments Fund.
  • 2007, September: Securing of the preserved baroque statues and reliefs in the Museum of the Old Castle (Starý zámok) and opening of the exhibition Calvary in the Asylum
  • 2008: Relaunch of the Kalvarienfonds in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Slovakia and the World Monuments Fund (WMF).
  • 2008–2016: Construction of an open-air stage above the "Lower Church", electrification of the entire area, static protection of the Upper Church, renewal of the group of statues of Our Lady of Sorrows under the Cross, reconstruction of the outer areas and the paths, construction of the information center, publication of the Der Führer Pilgrimage on the Calvary .

Composition of the plant

The axis from below (Mother of Sorrows under the Cross) to above (German Church)

The individual stations (chapels) are arranged symmetrically and can be reached on moderately ascending or descending paths. They show the life and sufferings of Jesus Christ and the sufferings of his mother Mary . The chapels and the churches are decorated with colorful wooden reliefs from the workshop of Dionysius Stanetti (1710–1767) and frescoes by the Austrian baroque painter Anton Schmidt , which are protected behind bars and depict the events scenic. Labeled boards give brief explanations in German and Slovak so that the content of the representations is easy to understand.

The stations (see below) are numbered 1 to 25, 1 to 17 uphill from west to east on the north side of the mountain, then 18 to 25 downhill on the south side. The numbering follows the legend of the Calvary Fund.

The stations can be assigned to four areas:

1. Area: The preparation stations at the foot of the mountain (Station 1–3),
2. Area: The axis of the mountain with four main stations (A – D) from bottom to top:
(A) Slavic Lower Church (Station 4–6),
(B) Holy Stairs with the Chapel of the Holy Trinity (Station 8) halfway up the mountain,
(C) Ecce Homo and Kerker (Station 13) directly below the summit,
(D) Deutsche Oberkirche (Stations 16 and 17) on the Summit,
3rd area: Passion scenes of Jesus (station 7, 9, 10-12, 14, 15, 25) on the left, northern side,
4th area: The pain of Mary (station 18-24) on the right, southern side, mirror image of the 3rd area.

The stations

Scene 'Ecce Homo', including the dungeon, station 13
Jesus meets his mother, station 21
  1. Chapel Jesus says goodbye to his mother
  2. Chapel Jesus is tempted by the devil
  3. Chapel Jesus washes the apostles' feet
  4. Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus installed in the Slovak Lower Church (A). Here is an exhibition on the history and renovation of the Calvary.
  5. Chapel The Lord's Supper in the lower church
  6. Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows in the lower church
  7. Chapel of Jesus' prayer on the Mount of Olives
  8. Chapel of the Holy Trinity next to the Holy Stairs (B)
  9. Chapel Jesus is betrayed by Judas
  10. Chapel of Jesus in front of Caiaphas
  11. Chapel of Jesus before Herod
  12. Chapel Flagellation of Jesus
  13. Ecce Homo Chapel and the Dungeon (C)
  14. Chapel Jesus carries the cross
  15. Chapel Jesus is nailed to the cross
  16. Chapel Crucifixion built into the German Upper Church (D)
  17. Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher built behind the upper church, the only station on the east side of the mountain.
  18. Chapel Circumcision of Jesus
  19. Chapel Escape to Egypt
  20. Chapel The twelve year old Jesus in the temple
  21. Chapel Jesus meets his mother
  22. Chapel of Mary under the Cross
  23. Chapel of Jesus in his mother's lap (Pieta)
  24. Chapel of the Entombment of Jesus
  25. Group of statues of Our Lady of Sorrows under the cross , on the left behind the lower church.

See also

literature

Slovak
  • Hidvéghy, A .: Štiavnická Kalvária. Ako povstala, ako dnes vyzerá a ako sa na nej koná pobožnosť. Preložil FR Osvald. Banská Štiavnica 1901.
  • Radváni, H. a kol .: Banskoštiavnická Kalvária 1751–1991. Rímsko – katolícky farský úrad Banská Štiavnica 1991.
German
  • Visitor guide: Kalvarienberg, Banská Štiavnica, published by the Kalvarienfond 2016.

Individual evidence

Visitor guide 2016
  1. ↑ For more information see the World Monuments Fund page . Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ Exhibition: Reliéfy a plastiky for barokovej banskoštiavnickej Kalvárie at the Museum of the Old Palace . See also the website of the Calvary Fund . Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  3. ↑ Compare the information from the Calvary Fund .

Web links

Commons : Calvary (Banská Štiavnica)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 27 ′ 40 ″  N , 18 ° 54 ′ 50 ″  E