Catacombs Salzburg
The catacombs that were carved into the fortress mountain are raised on the edge of the Salzburg St. Peter's Cemetery . They are most likely of late antique-early Christian origin and, despite their name, were not used as burial sites, but rather as early Christian meeting places.
General
The catacombs in the Petersfriedhof in the old town of Salzburg are, next to the cemetery of the Nonnberg Abbey, perhaps the oldest Christian burial site in Salzburg, as well as a cave system carved out of the Mönchsberg conglomerate . The beginnings of St. Peter's Cemetery and the catacombs allegedly go back to the late Roman city of Iuvavum , at least they date from the early Romanesque period. The last renovations were carried out in 1860. Strictly speaking, the caves commonly known as "catacombs" are the hermitage of the St. Peter monastery . The name "catacombs" only came up in the early 19th century, originally they were called "hermitages" or "hermitages", as hermits (hermits) found shelter here in the barren rock. From the outside, the hermitage with its chapels looks very inconspicuous, as only small, easily overlooked openings in the rock are visible first of all, next to the lower part, which was exposed by a rock fall and then walled up. The entrance to the caves is via the Petersfriedhof through the slightly raised communal crypt, which houses the only graves of the catacombs. Here were Mozart's sister Nannerl, his friend, the composer Michael Haydn of Salzburg Cathedral, and the architect and builder Santino Solari buried.
Construction and development of the catacombs
Access to the catacombs is from St. Peter's Cemetery via the communal crypt, which was laid out in 1659 and converted into its current form in 1769. The original purpose of the communal crypt at ground level was the temporary storage of the dead if no grave or crypt was available in the cemetery. If you approach the entrance, you can see several holes in the rock above the cemetery, which are the light openings of the three cave chapels. A marble portal and a baroque nave with a Romanesque choir lead to the Aegydius Chapel, which is not open to the public. A staircase with 48 steps leads from here to the first cave. The step heights and depths of the individual steps are by no means even here, they follow the height of the cave. At the end of the stairs, on the right, towards the northwest, is the Gertrauden Chapel, consecrated in 1178. Following the way to the left leads to a small observation platform from which the pin Church St. Peter, which can Franziskanerkirche , the dome , the late Gothic Margaret chapel, a part of the Kollegienkirche, the Kapuzinerkloster on Kapuzinerberg , the dome of the Kajetanerkirche and the fortress and sees large parts of the historic old town. 36 further steps, which were only carved out of the rock in 1659, lead from the lookout point up to the Maximus chapel. Before the staircase was built, the chapel was only accessible through a narrow rock path. As the last remnant, a small door at the top of the staircase testifies to the previous access.
Maximuskapelle exterior view
Access sketch
Sketch old development
The Gertraudenkapelle
The Gertraudenkapelle was built by Archbishop Cardinal Konrad III. consecrated in 1178 to Thomas Becket , who had been murdered eight years earlier . Under Konrad III. Wittelsbach also consecrated it to Saint Gertraud von Nivelles. Remnants of frescoes show a martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. In the rock face there are six arched niches in neo-early Christian style, which were created in 1865 according to designs by the Salzburg monument conservator Georg Pezolt . In 1862 he added a Romanesque-Gothic altar made of clay slabs based on the model of the early Christian Roman catacombs. A small pent roof is located on the side facing away from the mountain over the cave exposed in the 12th century by a rock fall in the monastery district, as well as a bell tower. The originally natural cave into which the chapel is built is essentially still recognizable from the sagging ceiling in the chapel room and other details. In the center of the room is a Romanesque-Gothic pillar inserted in the 17th century. It was only used for decorative reasons, but appears to be carved out of the rock and appears to be load-bearing. Mass is still celebrated in the Gertrauden Chapel today.
The chapel
Sketch floor plan
Sketch cut
The Maximus Chapel
The Maximus Chapel, also called Maximus Cave, is the highest of the three catacomb chapels. It was first mentioned in a document in 1178 when Archbishop Konrad III. was inaugurated by Wittelsbach. It is dedicated to St. Maximus, who was mistakenly associated with St. Maximianus of Ioviacum . Above the arched tomb, which was used by the hermits as a bed, is a plaque dedicated to the alleged martyrdom of Maximus, which the abbot Kilian did not have until 1521. The wall located in the opening of the cave and built up after a rock fall has three arched windows, in the cave itself there is a niche and a round apse. The tonal altars were created in 1860 based on designs by Georg Pezolt .
The catacomb legends
The catacomb legend of the priest Maximus, which has since been refuted by the abbot of St Peter, Kilian Püttricher (abbot from 1525 to 1535) through an error, is widespread. This is said to have used the catacombs as a hiding place from the barbarians in 477, when the Romans withdrew and gave up the province. Despite warning from Severin von Noricum , he stayed behind in the catacombs with 55 companions and, after being besieged by the Teutons, plunged down from the catacombs with his companions. In the account of the martyrdom of St. Maximus (24th chapter of the biography of St. Severin) is talking about Ioviacum, a Roman fort at that time in Schlögen on the Danube.
Abbot Püttricher, like many early historians, made the mistake of equating the city name "Ioviacum" with Iuvavum (Salzburg) and also confused the person Maximus with the priest Maximianus from Ioviacum. Because of his studies of the biography of Severin and his reports of the martyr Maximianus, he believed that he had found a chapter in Salzburg's early history. In order to set his theory in stone, he had a plaque made for one of the two chapels in the cave system (known today as Maximuskapelle) with the following description of the martyrdom of Maximus in Latin: “In the year 477 as Odoacer , King of the Ruthenians , Geppiden , Goths , Hungarians and Heruli , who raged against the Church of God, the blessed Maximus and fifty companions threw himself from this cave, where they were hid, cruelly because of their faith. And they destroyed the province of Noricum with fire and sword . ”In doing so, he tried to add a chapter of martyrdom to the drama of the history of the emergence of the early Christian community in Salzburg.
literature
- Christian F. Uhlir: Salzburg city mountains. Ed. Winterwork, Borsdorf ad Parthe 2011, ISBN 978-3-86468-033-5 .
- Karner, P. Lambert : Artificial caves from ancient times, Vienna 1903, reprint 2018, ISBN 978-3-96401-000-1 , Salzburg, p. 195.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Cemetery and catacombs in St. Peter's Abbey. The St. Peter's cemetery is one of the most beautiful ... Accessed November 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Salzburg Cityful ( Memento of the original from November 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ St. Peter's Cemetery and St. Peter's Archabbey | Salzburg. Retrieved November 29, 2019 .
- ↑ The Gertraudenkapelle in the catacombs of St. Peter. Retrieved November 29, 2019 .
