Monastery church (Münsterschwarzach, baroque predecessor building)
The baroque monastery church (also called Balthasar Neumann Church ) in Münsterschwarzach was the predecessor of the so-called Albert Boßlet Church of the Benedictine monastery that exists today . It was built from 1727 according to plans by the Würzburg court architect Balthasar Neumann , but was completely demolished in the 19th century.
Building history
Predecessor buildings (until 1696)
A women's monastery already existed in the area of today's Münsterschwarzach in the late 8th century. In 783 the nuns of the monastery built the first Carolingian monastery church, which was subordinated to Saints Dionysius, Martin of Tours and the founder of the order Benedict. A few decades after the consecration, however, the nuns left the premises and settled in Neumünster in Zurich .
In the year 877 monks from the nearby Steigerwald reached the Main and repopulated the empty buildings. Around 880 they began building a new church, as the liturgical requirements had changed in the meantime. Previously, a free-standing campanile next to the church was used as a bell tower, it has now been replaced by a crossing tower. It was not until the 11th century that the new rulers of the abbey, the bishops of Würzburg, forced the monks to build a new church in the Romanesque style .
The new church was consecrated in 1023. Under the abbot Egbert , who was later to be beatified, extensive changes were made until 1066. The result was a three-aisled pillar basilica with a large monk's crypt below the choir. In 1152 there were further innovations: A magnificent sarcophagus for the monastery founders Megingaud and his wife Imma now stood in the center of the nave. It served as a memorial.
After destruction, parts of the church had to be rebuilt in the 14th century. Previously, in 1230, two bell towers had been added to the existing building. The church now presented itself in the Gothic style . At the beginning of the 17th century it was planned to make the monastery church Baroque, but the Thirty Years' War thwarted all new acquisitions. The renovation of the interior only began under Abbot Augustin Voit . At this point in time, a complete rebuilding of the monastery church was not yet planned.
The splendid new interior, which was particularly evident in the richly decorated altars, was promoted from 1696. At the same time, the renovation of the other monastery buildings began. Up to 1703 the guest wing and the main wing were rebuilt by the builder Valentino Pezzani in the immediate vicinity of the church . It can be assumed that at this point in time there was no comprehensive overall plan, so that a complete rebuilding of the monastery church was not planned. → see also: History of the Münsterschwarzach Monastery # Baroque monastery renovation
The building plans (until 1727)
Construction work then ceased under Voit's successor Abbot Bernhard Reyder . The reason for this was the War of the Spanish Succession , which had an indirect impact on the monastery's finances. In addition, the changed taste of the time now required a comprehensive overall plan for a uniform monastery complex. Therefore, around 1712 discussions were held with an "architectus bambergenti", a Bamberg architect who was probably Johann Dientzenhofer .
These first explorations were unsuccessful, however, so that Abbot Januarius Schwab turned to the royal seat of Würzburg in 1718 . Court architect Joseph Greissing then drafted a first basic plan, which also included the construction of a new monastery church. In 1718 the existing winter choir as well as the choir and the choir tower were demolished and the convent was presented with a fait accompli, so to speak.
Joseph Greissing died in 1721. After negotiations with his widow, the work could be continued. The winter choir was rebuilt by 1722. The new site manager was Greissing's former first foreman, Johann Leonhard Stahl. He continued to work on the south wing and rebuilt the convent building by 1726. At the same time, the monastery superiors contacted Johann Georg Seitz from Wiesentheider , but they did not work together.
Now the cooperation with Greissing's student Balthasar Neumann has been pushed . He had already been to Münsterschwarzach for the first time on July 19, 1722, probably to investigate the possibilities of an assignment. In 1727 the young master builder first appeared in the monastery accounts. In the same year the so-called “ Munich model” of the abbey church was created. The 125.0 cm long and 95.0 cm high wooden model, now in the Bavarian National Museum, shows a first draft of the new church.
The construction phase (until 1743)
In the same year, work on the church began with the laying of the foundation stone: On June 17, 1727, a brass certificate was attached to the foundation stone, which was set in ten feet below the Hor tower . The master builder Balthasar Neumann and all 27 fathers and 8 fratres of the Münsterschwarzach monastery are named in the certificate. The construction work is placed under the protection of God. Prince-Bishop Christoph Franz von Hutten was personally present.
Half of the foundation was completed in 1727. A one-story wall was also built on the choir. A year later, in 1728, the last remains of the old Egbert basilica also disappeared. It was torn from east to west. It is unclear whether this was done with explosions , but two payments for powder are likely. For the work on the new church, Balthasar Neumann was assigned two master stone masons.
The completion of the choir up to the eaves is recorded for October 2, 1728 . Neumann affirmed in a letter that this component would be completed within a year. However, completion took until 1730. The reason for this was that Neumann was called upon by the new Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, Friedrich Karl von Schönborn , to build buildings in the bishopric again. The monks of Münsterschwarzach moved to a small chapel for the services during the construction work.
The year 1730 began with the vaulting of the choir. A new planning phase then started. The monks only wanted to add a smaller dome over the crossing for their new church, but the builder, with the support of the new prince-bishop from the Schönborn family , implemented a large crossing dome. First, however, the choir tower was built by 1731, the sandstone for this was broken in the nearby Abtswind .
In 1731, on October 10th and 28th, the new church also received two clocks that were installed in the choir tower. In addition, the onion hoods were built for the facade towers. Nikolaus Kopp from Kitzingen was able to be engaged as a slater; the monks had his material delivered from Kronach in Bamberg. The construction of the dome also proceeded quickly: on May 17, 1733, Cardinal Damian Hugo von Schönborn , who was visiting the construction site, was able to climb into the almost finished component.
The controversial dome was then completed on April 29, 1734. A certificate was enclosed with the tower knob . Before that, in 1733, work had started on the nave. The master mason Johann Stahl from Würzburg supported the site manager Neumann. In the meantime, the monastery had employed its own foreman for the scaffolding. The nave grew rapidly until 1735, so that the church began to be equipped. The facade was also started.
While the sources are largely silent about the year 1736, more information has survived from the year 1737. Glaser from Stadtschwarzach was commissioned to blow the windows for the church and to install them in the shell. In 1739 the sacristy was added to the south side of the choir. The shell was almost completed on June 1, 1740, and a certificate was deposited in a tower knob. On November 12, 1741, the aged abbot Januarius Schwab celebrated his 50-year profession in the unfinished church. He would not live to see the completion as he died in 1742. Christophorus Balbus was his successor .
Completion (1743)
In the second half of 1743 the church was completed. The day of consecration was set to September 8, 1743, the date of the birth of the Virgin Mary , on which the Egbert Church had already been consecrated. The day before, Bishop Friedrich Karl von Schönborn-Buchheim traveled from his castle in Gaibach .
The prince-bishop was greeted with cannon shots as a salute . Several regiments of soldiers paraded in front of the church. At the same time , the church bells rang in all the places where the abbey held the manorial power. On the day of the consecration, the bishop was picked up early in the morning from the guest building of the monastery. In addition to the bishop, the auxiliary bishops of Würzburg and Bamberg were also present at the actual ceremony .
Many guests of honor had also taken their seats in the new church. After eleven o'clock the Consecratio solemnis (Latin consecration mass) took place. Then speeches were given on the long history of the abbey and its inhabitants. On the following day, September 9, 1743, Friedrich-Karl von Schönborn set out for Würzburg again. In the following week the celebrations continued in Münsterschwarzach. Every weekday a different prelate from the surrounding monasteries celebrated a pontifical mass in the new church.
Decline (until around 1841)
The events of the following sixty years are not fully documented in the sources. Only the events surrounding secularization in Bavaria and the decline of the church are mentioned again. On December 8, 1802, the Bavarian diamond coat of arms was nailed to the monastery. The state thus demonstrated its claim to the abbey. The last service took place in the premises on May 7, 1803, as the monastery was closed soon afterwards. Then the auction of the interior fittings began.
Initially, the monks of the monastery still hoped that the church would be converted into a parish church for the surrounding communities. However, on March 13, 1805, the entrepreneur Jakob von Hirsch bought the building and completed the sale of the furnishings. Hirsch also promoted the profanation of the monastery church. On June 21, 1805, the paraments of the church were therefore brought to the Dettelbach monastery.
With the transition to the Grand Duchy of Würzburg in 1806, the future of the church was discussed again. The administration was now of the opinion that the church should be preserved. In 1809 there was therefore another service in the church. The new owner had previously had the altars re-Benedict . The final end of the church was only sealed with a lightning strike in one of the towers in 1810.
Parts of the church were sold for demolition in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1825 the spiers were removed. The progressive decay was also evident in the collapsed vault. In 1837 the northern tower had completely disappeared. Around the year 1841 only heaps of stones are proven. The streets between Stadtschwarzach, Fahr and Düllstadt were graveled with these stones in the period that followed. Today the remains in the ground are classified by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation as a ground monument under the number D-6-6127-0062.
description
The church in Münsterschwarzach was considered to be one of the earliest examples of an interior design in the Œeuvre of the builder Balthasar Neumann that cannot be read from the exterior. On the outside, the church presented itself as a cross-domed basilica , while inside a directed longitudinal building with an adjoining central room was erected. The church had a domed crossing, it is east-facing and ends with a straight choir. The monastery church had a two-tower facade on the west facade.
West facade
The west facade of the church was threefold: The two towers framed the built-in middle section. The facade was two-story and was surmounted by the two free-story tower. The tower was structured by several pilasters and Corinthian full columns. Further dividing elements were two figure niches and arched windows. Johann Wolfgang von der Auwera created the figures of Felizitas and Bonifatius.
Both towers close at the top with constricted onion domes. Long helmet poles lead to a tower ball and a patriarchal cross. Recessed pieces of wall were attached between the two towers. The main portal contained a cartouche with an inscription , above it was a segment arch with the coat of arms of Abbot Januarius Schwab. The facade ended with a balcony parapet, on the representations of saints of Adalbero von Würzburg and St. Juliana.
Set back, again above, another coat of arms was attached. A sword and a crook were depicted, the attachment contained a princely crown . This should symbolize the dioceses of Würzburg and Bamberg. On the top of the gable was a figure of Christ Salvator . Two women were seen lying on the gable ends. They represented the symbolization of “Spes” (left) and “Fides” (right).
Nave and east facade
The church is a transept basilica without ambulatory. It was built on two floors throughout. The basement took up two thirds of the structure while the upper floor comprised a third. A circumferential base divided the church from the outside, with arched windows axially above it. The lower and upper floors were separated from each other by buttresses . The transept took up a yoke , it had its own facade structure and a large crossing dome.
A small tower on a square floor plan was attached to the center of the east facade. The basement of the tower extended to the roof ridge of the church. The tower was divided by a small round window. Like the facade towers, this tower also ended with a constricted onion dome . Through this structure, the type of the choir tower church, widespread since the Romanesque, also flowed into this baroque church.
Interior design
Inside, the nave was divided into a sequence of four equally large yokes. They were separated by pillars connected to the wall, so that four chapel-like rooms were created. The pillars had a multi-profiled base. The basilica had cantilever windows that were placed between the arches of the barrel vault. Two additional rooms in the long choir served as additional chapel rooms.
The transept was formed by two transept arms in the north and south, each with a yoke. It formed the transition between the western lay area and the eastern monk choir. As a support system, the transept had four pairs of columns with little wall connection. The access to the sacristy was to be found in the southeast. The high choir ended with a semicircular apse . Two full columns supported the arch-like apse passage.
Furnishing
The furnishing of the Münsterschwarzach church was considered very important by the contemporaries. Unfortunately, due to the destruction during the period of secularization, hardly any remains of the magnificent pieces have survived. The few remains are scattered everywhere. Two phases of furnishing the Balthasar Neumann Church can be recorded: First, all the chattels of the old church remained in the new building until 1736, before they were replaced piece by piece by 1754.
High altar
The old high altar of the Egbert basilica came to Volkach in 1746 and was installed here in the pilgrimage church of Maria im Weingarten before it was laid in the 19th century. The church in Münsterschwarzach received a new provisional high altar as early as 1737. Abbot Januarius Schwab then pushed for the purchase of an adequate altar and, probably in 1739, commissioned Johann Evangelist Holzer to paint the sheet. The altarpiece probably came into the church in 1741/1742.
The new altar was placed in the choir room. Its appearance can be reconstructed on the basis of planning sketches. It was a six-column structure on a crescent-shaped base. A three-tier cafeteria led over to the tabernacle. Two double columns flanked the altar panel , while the fifth and sixth columns were placed between the double columns and the edges of the picture. The height of the altar is controversial in research.
The center of the altar is the picture of Johann Holzer. It shows the glory of the monastery saint Felizitas . The contract for the picture was signed on November 14th, 1739, but Holzer's early death in 1740 prevented it from being completed by hand. Thereupon Johann Georg Bergmüller took on the picture and completed it by 1742. After the secularization, the sheet was sold for 600 guilders. Today the work is lost.
Only two oil sketches have survived. One can be admired in Augsburg , while the other is exhibited in the Salzburg Baroque Museum. The second is probably just a paraphrase by an unknown artist, while the Augsburg sketch is a handwritten design by Holzer. On the right is Saint Felizitas, at her feet you can find her seven sons on a bank of clouds. Christ comes to meet the saint with outstretched arms, he is accompanied by angels.
Side altar sheets
The side altars of the monastery church were initially not replaced, so that the old altars of the Egbert church were still available for the inauguration of the Balthasar Neumann church. It was not until after 1743 that the new altars and their leaves were purchased. The reredos were replaced piece by piece, so that all altars had been renewed by 1749. In 1810 most of the altars were removed and their leaves sold. Many are missing today .
The church received a total of 12 side altars, the stucco of which was created by Johann Georg Üblhör and Johann Michael Feichtmayr from Augsburg. The exact arrangement of the altars inside the church is not known, but the literature assumes the following arrangement: Eight altars stood in the sides of the nave, while four altars were to be found in the window niches of the transept . Two of these have survived in front of the dome pillars, two more were attached to the end walls.
The list below contains the sheets of which originals, sketches or paraphrases are still available today . They are arranged according to their acquisition by the Münsterschwarzach Monastery and marked with the number on the schematic representation. A special feature is the depiction of the “Adoration of the Magi”, it was painted in 1745 and replaced as early as 1753, so that two versions of the work by different artists exist. The last point summarizes the lost or destroyed paintings.
Sebastian care
The representation of the Sebastianspflege (4) was completed in 1743. In the same year it came into the interior of the church with two more, now lost leaves for 440 guilders and was placed in the third chapel on the right. The Munich court painter Balthasar Augustin Albrecht was identified as the painter . The original work was lost during the secularization, only a pencil drawing by the painter has been preserved in the Munich Graphic Collection . In addition, the Schweinfurt-based Conrad Geiger copied the sheet so that it can be written on today.
In the center of the depiction is the wounded Saint Sebastian . His face is contorted with pain and he was tied to a tree. The arms are tied up, the buttocks are leaning against a boulder. To the left and right of him is the widow Irene and two of her helpers who care for the wounded man. In heaven you can see two angels with palm and martyr's crown . They form the connection to the fresco “The Double Torture of Saint Sebastian”, as one of the angels points towards the ceiling.
Ecce homo
The next sheet handed down by sources is the Ecce Homo representation (3). It was created in 1744 and was also created by Balthasar Augustin Albrecht from Munich. On July 17, 1744 he received and acknowledged a total of 307 guilders for his work . An estimate from 1803 put the sheet at only 200 guilders. The Ecce Homo picture was probably placed opposite the Sebastian nursing home in one of the side chapels on the left.
A legend has been passed down for the picture that was told in Münsterschwarzach and first written down in 1779. A soldier in typical Croatian costume and physiognomy was shown in the painting. During a war, Croatian fighters also marched through Münsterschwarzach and were outraged because they believed they could be recognized as persecutors of Christ. When they tried to destroy the picture, Abbot Christophorus intervened and calmed the Croatians.
The sheet has not survived today, only a preliminary drawing in pencil by Albrecht has been preserved, again in the Munich Graphic Collection. It shows an ancient hypostyle hall that is supposed to represent the palace of Pontius Pilate . Some gawkers are also shown in the background. The center of the picture is the thorn-crowned and scourged Christ; he is brought before the crowd by two henchmen. On the right you can see Pilatus sitting in front of a parapet.
Adoration of the Shepherds
At the beginning of 1744, Abbot Christophorus Balbus had already started to get in touch with the Venetian Giambattista Piazzetta to order another altar piece, the “Adoration of the Shepherds” (7), from him. To do this, he first made use of the intermediary of the composer Giovanni Platti from Padua and sent him an advance of 100 ducats, which he was to give to Piazzetta. The contact through the Italian failed, however, and the Münsterschwarzach abbot was looking for new intermediaries.
In the middle of the year 1745, Christophorus turned to Balthasar Augustin Albrecht, who had already created some sheets for the monastery church himself. This in turn switched on the Bavarian cabinet secretary Joseph Askanius von Triva , who maintained close contacts with Northern Italian artists. In a letter to the monastery on July 11, 1745, Albrecht informed that the Bavarian agent Herr von Drebano was trying to reach Piazzetta's atelier.
On September 15, 1746, an abbot Capello from Italy informed the prior of the monastery, Sebastian Cönen , that he had taken possession of the painting for the altar in the Venetian's studio, Piazzetta für Münsterschwarzach, and that it was sending it to the monastery immediately. The painting arrived in Franconia in 1746 . At 500 guilders, it is by far the most expensive altarpiece in the monastery church. It was placed in the first chapel on the north side.
The popularity of the Italian ensured that many painters paraphrased the picture and adopted elements for their own paintings. Conrad Geiger and Eustachius Gabriel were just two of these painters. In 1803 this picture was also appraised, and an estimate put the price at 200 guilders. The picture came to the Würzburg theologian Franz Oberthür in 1825 , who had it hung in the Würzburg Cathedral . It burned here in 1945 during an air raid on the city.
Adoration of the Magi (1745)
The first version of the theme, the “Adoration of the Magi” (8), went back to the Habsburg-imperial court painter Franz Müller . On September 15, 1745, he acknowledged payment for the sheet, so it had already been placed in the church in Münsterschwarzach. Franz Müller actually worked in the Bohemian areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the picture is the only one that was painted for Franconia.
The work did not stay in the monastery church for long, however, because Abbot Christophorus tried to commission the Italian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo with another altarpiece. When this picture came to the church in 1753, the abbey gave the sheet by Müller to the Eucharius church in the monastery village of Sommerach. In 1757 it was set up here in the high altar and is still inside the church today.
Descent from the Cross
After purchasing the first version of the “Adoration of the Magi”, it took a total of six years for another altarpiece to come to the church in Münsterschwarzach. This time the decision was made for the "Descent from the Cross" (1). The Swabian Johann Zick could be won over for the execution . In a letter dated July 17, 1751 to Abbot Christophorus, the painter assured that the sketch for the painting was already ready. In the first half of the year 1752 the picture came to the church for 210 guilders.
It was placed in the fourth nave chapel on the left. In 1756 the painting inspired Georg Anton Urlaub from Thüngersheim to create his version of the Descent from the Cross for the Engelgarten Carthusian monastery in Würzburg . In 1779 an anonymous artist described the work as “painted in the manner of Rembrandt”. The model for the Schwarzacher Blatt was probably Rembrandt's Descent from the Cross, which hangs in Munich today. Johann Zick's picture was lost after 1803.
Adoration of the Magi (1753)
As early as 1750, the abbot Christophorus Balbus began to inquire about an artist in the residential city of Würzburg. Here the Italian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo worked on the painting of the newly built bishop's residence and created his frescoes in the stairwell and in the imperial hall. The abbot first contacted the plasterer Antonio Bossi , who sent Tiepolo to Münsterschwarzach in a letter dated February 23, 1752.
Together with the request, Bossi had also sent Tiepolo an advance payment of 125 ducats , so that Tiepolo soon examined the situation in Münsterschwarzach. At first he planned to paint a “Resurrection” or “Ascension”, but also gave the abbot the opportunity to make his own suggestions. Christophorus then decided in favor of the “ Adoration of the Magi ” (8), probably in order to be able to remove the poor quality painting by Franz Müller.
The sheet, designed for the fourth right nave chapel, measured approximately 408 by 210 centimeters. Mary is elevated on the steps of a temple, she has the naked baby Jesus in her arms. The three wise men approach the steps and kneel in front of the child. Only Kaspar stands and closes the picture to the left. On the right a page appears with the gifts, behind Mary stands Joseph and waves to the wise men. Three oriental halberds behind Joseph can also be seen.
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo made many preliminary drawings for the sheet, which have survived today. The original picture came to Munich in the course of secularization in 1804 and is now on display in the Alte Pinakothek . The fame of the painter soon made paraphrases appear on the picture. Januarius Zick drew his own version of Adoration as early as 1753, and Conrad Geiger then copied the theme for the Theres Monastery in 1784 .
Stephen stoning
It is thanks to the collaboration with Giovanni Battista Tiepolo that the monks made contact with his son Giandomenico Tiepolo . Christophorus soon tried to get a painting for the baroque church from him. In a letter dated February 1, 1754, the younger Tiepolo accepted and even released the abbot from paying, since a long illness had prevented him from carrying out the work quickly.
In the reply of the abbot on February 14th, the abbot laid down the dimensions and some details of the planned "stone incision" (6). In addition to depicting the spirit of the stoned man , the executioner's anger should be emphasized. Tiepolo still delivered the sheet in 1754. It was described in detail in Meusel's Miscellaneus in 1779 before it was valued and sold at 800 guilders in 1803. It reappeared in 1978 in what was then East Berlin's National Gallery .
In the center of the sheet, which was placed in the third, right-hand nave chapel, St. Stephen can be seen. He kneels and raises his hands pleadingly to the sky. Behind him, a stonemaker henchman lifts a boulder threateningly. The background is lined with more stones. The youthful Saul (later Paul) can be seen on the left; this pictorial element also goes back to the intervention of Abbot Balbus. In the sky above the scene you can see the Trinity, an angel hurries down with a crown and palm tree.
Remaining altar leaves
Along with the “Sebastianspflege”, two more altar leaves by Balthasar Augustin Albrecht were placed inside the monastery church in 1743. These are the representations of the religious saint Benedict of Nursia (12) and his sister, the holy Scholastica of Nursia (11). The authorship of the painter Albrecht is controversial. Together with the care of Sebastian, the artist received 440 guilders for the three paintings. Both are missing today.
The two works for the transept front walls came a year later, in 1744, to Münsterschwarzach. On September 30th of this year, the Augsburg painter Johann Georg Bergmüller sent two sheets to the monastery by mail. These were the depictions of the “Crucifixion of Christ” (9) and the “Annunciation of Mary” (10). Due to a delay, the painter demanded 700 guilders for both paintings. In 1803 they were valued at 400 guilders and have since been considered lost.
Johann Joseph Scheubel the Elder , the court painter to the Bamberg prince-bishops , was the author of the picture acquired in 1746, which showed St. Anne with her husband Joachim and their daughter Maria (5). The installation site is secured on the left in the second chapel in the nave. The artist received 210 guilders for his work. Since secularization, the sheet has been considered lost.
It was not until 1752 that Johann Zick received another commission from Abbot Christophorus: He was supposed to represent St. Franz de Paula (2) for a side altar. The artist received a total of 300 guilders for his work; the work was finally displayed in the fourth nave chapel on the right. Zick incorporated some of the abbot's wishes and personally delivered his painting to Münsterschwarzach on March 25, 1753. The work was already in poor condition in 1803 and can no longer be found today.
Frescoes
The frescoing of the church was not even planned in the construction phase of the building. This is documented as the church was first whitewashed in 1734. On October 9, 1736, the master builder Balthasar Neumann reported in a letter to Prince-Bishop Karl von Schönborn of a change of heart among the monks, and that the church should be decorated with paintings on the ceilings. The Münsterschwarzacher then selected the Kempten court painter Franz Georg Hermann , who brought his first drafts to Franconia. With him the deliberations on the program of the frescoes began.
In addition to Hermann, Abbot Januarius invited Munich's Nikolaus Gottfried Stuber . He was just in Würzburg to paint Neumünster for the prince-bishop . Stuber was repeatedly sponsored by the builder Neumann and visited the monastery in November 1736. Hermann had meanwhile traveled back to Kempten for the winter, but had already received an advance payment of 330 guilders, so that it can be assumed that the monks had chosen him.
On July 29, 1737, however, a contract was surprisingly concluded with Johann Evangelist Holzer from Eichstatt , and Franz Georg Hermann was to paint the large dome fresco with him. In the summer of 1738 this work was well advanced when there was a dispute between Holzer and Hermann. The latter left the monastery and Holzer had to continue working alone. In the same year Holzer was commissioned to fresco the other church ceilings. All of Holzer's frescoes were completed by June 1740 at the latest.
On the other hand, the collaboration of the Augsburg resident Matthäus Günther on the frescoing of the monastery church is uncertain : In travel reports from the 18th century, some frescoes below and above the western gallery are assigned to the artist. Gottlieb Christian Kilian mentions these paintings in 1766, and in 1779 an anonymous artist revisited Günther's works. Günther probably created the small works between July 29 and September 16, 1744.
Glory of the Saints of the Benedictine Order
Two draft drawings of the dome fresco have survived. One of them can be found in the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg , the other is kept in Augsburg. The drawing from Augsburg is, however, artistically superior to the one from Nuremberg. In both drawings you can see that Holzer and Hermann made some changes to the composition of the fresco. The so-called "interpretation" in the Festschrift Magna Gloria from 1743 also attempts a contemporary description of the painting.
The dome fresco shows the glory of the saints of the Benedictine order (4). The focus is on the two saints Benedict of Nursia and his sister Scholastica. The saints of the order are grouped around them , as are several groups of people associated with the Benedictines. However, the mother of Jesus, Mary and the Most Holy Trinity can be recognized in the center. The holy Archangel Michael overthrows an idol from the firmament.
Saint Benedict has some attributes that present him as the founder and most important saint of the Benedictines. On the left is an angel with a book, on the right an angel is holding a morning star in his hand. Again further to the right a raven flies, holding Florentine's poisoned bread. Below you can see four angels with the so-called virtue shield, another putto carries a scourge .
To the right of Benedict, again indicated by their attributes, are the founder's pupils. Among them are the saints Placidus , Gallus , inscribed with a bear, Maurus and Romanus. Other saints cannot be clearly assigned. The founders of the monasteries follow the Rule of Benedict. Here Bernhard von Clairvaux takes center stage, alongside are Johann de la Barrière and Adam de la Trappe. On the cloud summit behind Bernhard, William of Aquitaine is enthroned with two monks at the foot of the massif, where you can find the holy Abbot Stephan, who founded the Grammontenses. In addition, Bruno of Cologne and Pope Celestine V can be found.
Four of the 18 Benedictine popes are said to be visible above the founders . The focus here is Saint Gregory the Great . To his right is Leo IX. , behind him is Agatho with St. Zacharias . In addition, three of the 180 Benedictine cardinals are shown on a cornice, which are not specified.
All around you can see the Apostles of the Faith in Germany, some of which can only be seen as busts or heads. So you can see the three archbishops Bonifatius of Mainz, Anselm of Canterbury and Ildephonos of Toledo. In addition, the regional connection of the monastery in the Würzburg diocese is established through the representation of St. Kilians and the first bishop Burkard. Other bishops are Ulrich von Augsburg and Wolfgang von Regensburg .
The Benedictine Doctors of the Church were shown distributed throughout the fresco: Marianus with three burning fingers, Alcuin , Beda Venerabilis and Hermann the Lame can be seen. Next to the cardinals are the emperors and kings who were related to the order. In the center is Emperor Heinrich II , between Judicael von Armorica and King Karlmann . Of the Bavarian regents are Tassilo III. and Theodo III. shown. Another ruler is Petrus Urseolus , Doge of Venice. Many nameless knights populate the cornice.
The female side of the fresco with St. Scholastica takes up a third of the dome fresco. The scholastica is also surrounded by some angels with attributes. One angel holds a snow-white lily , another has a crook in his hand. Another angel presents a gospel and a dove. Behind Scholastika are the saints Gertrud , Walpurga , Mechthild and Florentia.
On a bank of clouds in front of the cornice you can see the Empress Kunigunde , Saint Agnes and another Empress with Mathilde . Three queens are also shown. On the cornice there are not clearly identifiable gentlemen. Foundresses of medals were painted over the princesses. The Demeta Paläologa is shown in the center, ladies of knight orders form the end of the large dome fresco.
Gusset frescoes
Four spandrel frescoes surround the dome fresco in the northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest (5a, b, c, d). They were added to justify the glory depicted in the main fresco and consist of allegories and emblematic representations. Above all, the Benedictine virtues are dealt with in the frescoes. The originals of all of the paintings have not survived , but there are three oil sketches of the scenes depicted in Innsbruck , and another was handed down as a pencil sketch. All spandrel frescoes correspond with the altar leaves below.
In the northeast, the "consistency in good" was attached. At the top, St. Benedict ascends to heaven, while the virtues of the Rule of Benedict can be seen as personifications at the bottom left . All virtues were depicted as women with oil lamps. The focus is on "obedientia", obedience. In addition, the "Taciturnitas", the silence, as well as the "Hospitalitas" (Latin for care). With a lamb the “humilitas”, the humility , can be recognized, while “ Spes ” (Latin hope) flies with an anchor towards the sky.
The south-eastern spandrel fresco is dedicated to the triumphant religion. At the center is a personification of the “ Religio ” in the form of a white-clad female figure who fends off the personified vice with one hand. She wears a cross on her right shoulder, and her right hand shows a burning heart. On the left is the "lust for the eyes": a naked man is riding a lion, which he threatens with arrows. In the lower part of the picture the desires of the flesh are painted in the form of "arrogance" and " Cupid ".
The so-called "snake cleverness" can be seen in the northwest of the main fresco. The "Providentia", the interpretation , is represented by a woman dressed in antique clothes. On the left she holds a scepter in her hands, while on the right a glowing ball can be seen. On the right is a time god Chronos clad in a loincloth , characterized by the hourglass. A beehive on the left symbolizes “zeal”. A putto with books chases away the personifications of stupidity and misbelief to the left.
The last of the four spandrel frescoes is referred to in the so-called "interpretation" of the year 1743 as the depiction of the "soul eyfer". It is the only picture of which no oil sketch exists. A pencil drawing in the Ferdinandeum Innsbruck probably comes from another artist than Holzer and has already been reinterpreted by him. The fresco probably highlighted the merits of the Benedictine order and defended the conversion of the pagans. The pulpit was attached below the fresco.
Torture of Saint Felizitas and her seven sons
The "torture of St. Felizitas and her seven sons" (2) was the first fresco by Holzer in the nave. It occupied the first two eastern yokes and showed the killing of the sons of the saints venerated in the monastery. The original is lost, only a sketch by Johann Evangelist Holzer has survived in the German Baroque Gallery in Augsburg. However, it is a fragment and the actual appearance of the fresco can therefore no longer be precisely reconstructed.
The frame of the fresco is formed by an ancient landscape of ruins. In the foreground are the headless torsos of three Felizitas sons, as well as a severed head. In the background someone is falling down a slope. Saint Felizitas in the center has fallen on her knees, her hands are folded. An executioner on her left holds out another head. A priest with an idol continues to try to dissuade them from believing in Christ.
The executioner of the saint, depicted as a figure from the back, has already raised his sword threateningly and will behead the martyr in the next moment. The sides of the fresco were also framed: on the right you can see a Roman officer on a horse giving instructions to the executioners. The left side shows a soldier pushing back a few spectators of the torture scene. Two angels with palm and crown descend from heaven.
Double torture of St. Sebastian
From another work by Johann Evangelist Holzers, the "Double Martyrdom of St. Sebastian" (3), no drafts or copies have survived to this day. Only an anonymous description in the so-called Miscellanees from 1779 has survived. The picture probably showed the two tortures of St. Sebastian and corresponds to one of the side altar leaves, the "Sebastianspflege". Possibly the work inspired Johann Zick for a picture in the parish church Amorbach .
According to the anonymous appreciation of the work, the central figure was Saint Sebastian. He was depicted simply dressed in a loincloth and surrounded by servants. On the right, seated on a throne, stood the Roman Emperor Diocletian , who had Sebastian tortured. His right arm is raised to command the servants.
More frescoes
Another fresco by Johann Evangelist Holzer was the "foundation of the monastery by Megingaud and Ima 815" (1). Today only a copy of this topic has been preserved in Innsbruck. It shows a kneeling princess in late medieval costume, who is supposed to represent Imma, behind her is a nun . Imma raised her right hand to Christ who appeared to her left. He is wrapped in a drapery and holds his right hand over his head while the left holds a staff.
Neither sketches nor paraphrases have survived from any of the other frescoes, so that only the program can be reconstructed. The "Transfiguration of Christ on Tabor " (8), also a work by Holzer, was placed above the monk's choir. The picture on the north side of the transept was dedicated to Pope Gregory VII (6) as an outstanding church leader, while the south side showed the mission of Augustine and Mellitus by Pope Gregory I (7).
The two frescoes by Matthäus Günther have also not survived. They probably showed on the one hand the “Second Foundation 1047” (9a) and the sending of the Gorz monks under Abbot Egbert to Münsterschwarzach, and on the other hand they contained the “Confirmation of the monastic rights by Pope Innocent IV. 1252” (9b). The latter was attached above the west gallery. Günther's program is special because of the many historical events.
Pulpits
A first pulpit for the church was probably created in the early thirties of the 18th century. The monks were able to engage the Wiesentheider court carver Johann Georg Neßtfell . However, when the tastes of the monastery superiors changed in 1746, the work was sold to the Würzburg Schottenkloster. Later it came to the Retzbach pilgrimage church , where several changes were made to the pulpit. The piece has been back in Münsterschwarzach since 1976, it was set up in the refectory and is used for table reading.
The Neßfell pulpit has a round floor plan. The bulbous and curved body is richly inlaid. The sound cover with the volute struts ends with a life-size wooden statue of Johannes Baptist, which Jakob von der Auwera probably created. As early as 1746, the church received a new pulpit, this time Johann Wolfgang von der Auwera had to create. The work was lost in 1803 and has been considered lost ever since.
Organs
Discussions about the construction of a new organ began for the first time in 1736 . Johann Philipp Seuffert , the court organ maker from Würzburg, then applied to the Münsterschwarzach Abbot Schwab. In the same year an organ was installed in the winter choir and another organ on the north side of the choir. The artist was unknown. Even after the inauguration, the main organ from 1685 was left in place.
The intonation of the northern choir organ was not handed down until 1744/1745 . At the same time a second choir organ was purchased, this time for the south side. It was built by Johann Georg Bernhard Fischer , who had already submitted a draft to Neumann in 1742, which Neumann had signed. The work was probably originally created by Seuffert. The younger choir organ has been in the Protestant church in Lendershausen since 1809 , all other instruments have been lost since the secularization.
Further equipment
Several other paintings by famous painters found their way into the interior during or after the construction of the church. Johann Zick created two more pictures, one showing the “Flagellation of Christ” and the other showing the “Execution of Christ”. In 1803 Johann Christian von Mannlich acquired the design for his Munich gallery. While the flagellation is lost today, the "Execution of Christ" is kept in the Bavarian State Picture Gallery in Munich.
Johann Evangelist Holzer also created additional furnishings for the monastery church. A depiction of St. John Nepomuk came to the Heiligkreuzkirche Stadtschwarzach in 1804 and is now considered lost. Other paintings were the "Maria with the Christ Child" by an anonymous artist, which was kept in Rubens style, and the depiction of St. Caecilia, which may have been taken over from the Egbert Church. It was recorded in the Dominican Church in Augsburg in the 1930s.
The “Carrying of the Cross” by the Dutchman Pieter de Grebber is also lost today. In 1921 the painting was exhibited in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The purchase of the pews and confessionals, however, dragged on for ten years, in 1746 the "Nebn Chor Stühl" came to the church. The church candlesticks followed in 1753. The confessionals were last purchased in 1755. Some of the old pews can still be seen in the churches of Gerlachshausen and Frickenhausen .
literature
- Fridolin Dreßler: Protests against the destruction of the old abbey church of Münsterschwarzach . In: Theodor Kramer, Theobald Freudenberger, Adelhard Kaspar, Alfred Wendehorst: Studia Suarzacensia. Contributions to the history of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its repopulation . Münsterschwarzach 1963.
- Hermann Fischer: The organs of the old abbey church of Münsterschwarzach . In: Theodor Kramer, Theobald Freudenberger, Adelhard Kaspar, Alfred Wendehorst: Studia Suarzacensia. Contributions to the history of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its repopulation . Münsterschwarzach 1963.
- Salesius Heß : Balthasar Neumann's church building in Münsterschwarzach . In: Abtei Münsterschwarzach (Ed.): Abtei Münsterschwarzach. Works from their history . Münsterschwarzach 1938.
- Joachim Hotz: A plan signed by Balthasar Neumann for a choir organ in the Münsterschwarzach abbey church . In: Theodor Kramer, Theobald Freudenberger, Adelhard Kaspar, Alfred Wendehorst: Studia Suarzacensia. Contributions to the history of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its repopulation . Münsterschwarzach 1963.
- Johannes Mahr: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . Münsterschwarzach 2002.
- Hanswernfried Muth: The artistic equipment of the Neumann Church in Münsterschwarzach . In: Theodor Kramer, Theobald Freudenberger, Adelhard Kaspar, Alfred Wendehorst: Studia Suarzacensia. Contributions to the history of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its repopulation . Münsterschwarzach 1963.
- Erich Schneider : The baroque Benedictine abbey church Münsterschwarzach . Neustadt an der Aisch 1984.
- Eleutherius Stellwag: The end of the old Münsterschwarzach . Münsterschwarzach 1980.
- Alfred Wendehorst: The sinking of the old abbey church Münsterschwarzach 1803–1841 . Münsterschwarzach 1953.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ See: Büll, Franziskus: Die Kirchen Münsterschwarzachs .
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 4.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 8.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 10.
- ↑ Bavarian National Museum, Inv. No. Model 18
- ^ Heß, Salesius: Balthasar Neumanns church building in Münsterschwarzach . P. 15.
- ^ Heß, Salesius: Balthasar Neumanns church building in Münsterschwarzach . P. 16.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church Münsterschwarzach . P. 15.
- ↑ Mahr, Johannes: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . P. 50.
- ↑ On Tuesday it was Abbot Gregor of the monastery Theres, on Wednesday Abbot Romanus of St. Stephan in Würzburg, on Thursday Provost Sigismund von Heidenfeld, on Friday Abbot Christophorus von Münsterschwarzach and on Saturday Abbot Hieronymus von Ebrach. See: Heß, Salesius: Neumanns Kirchenbau in Münsterschwarzach . P. 22.
- ↑ Stellwag, Eleutherius: The end of the old Münsterschwarzach . P. 112.
- ↑ Wendehorst, Alfred: The fall of the old abbey church . P. 10.
- ↑ Geodata: Monument number D-6-6127-0062 , accessed on December 9, 2015.
- ↑ Melber, Patrick: The abbey church at Münsterschwarzach . P. 64.
- ^ Heß, Salesius: Balthasar Neumanns church building in Münsterschwarzach . P. 54.
- ^ Muth, Hanswernfried: The artistic equipment of the Neumann Church . Pp. 224-226.
- ^ Heß, Salesius: Balthasar Neumanns church building in Münsterschwarzach . P. 73 f.
- ^ A b Muth, Hanswernfried: The artistic equipment of the Neumann Church . P. 241.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 187.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 190.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 194.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 195.
- ↑ Melber, Patrick: The abbey church at Münsterschwarzach . P. 99.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 201.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 203.
- ^ While Schneider (p. 186) is based on Albrecht, Muth (p. 240) mentions the Bohemian artist Franz Müller.
- ^ Muth, Hanswernfried: The artistic equipment of the Neumann Church . P. 240.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 198.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 125.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 132.
- ^ Muth, Hanswernfried: The artistic equipment of the Neumann Church . P. 232.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 138.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 139.
- ↑ Melber, Patrick: The abbey church at Münsterschwarzach . P. 82.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 142.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 147.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 150.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 160.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 166.
- ^ Fischer, Hermann: The organs of the old abbey church of Münsterschwarzach . P. 201.
- ^ Hotz, Joachim: A plan signed by Balthasar Neumann for a choir organ in the Münsterschwarzach abbey church . P. 205 ff.
- ^ Schneider, Erich: The baroque Benedictine abbey church in Münsterschwarzach . P. 216.
Coordinates: 49 ° 48 '19.4 " N , 10 ° 13' 52.1" E