Loreto Chapel (Altomünster)
The Catholic Loreto Chapel in Altomünster in the Dachau district in Bavaria is a chapel building that was built in 1737 and - together with the old abandoned cemetery surrounding it - is recorded in the Altomünster list of monuments.
history
When the first cemetery in Altomünster at the monastery church became too small, another cemetery was created in the center of the village in 1735. Two years later, in 1737, a chapel was built in this cemetery at the request of Abbess Candida II Schmied. It was consecrated to Our Lady and named after the "House of Mary" in the Italian pilgrimage site of Loreto. The chapel was also the spiritual center of the Marian Brotherhood in Altomünster.
When the monastery was secularized in 1803/04, the monks and nuns buried in the monastery area were transferred to this cemetery, which was closed in 1872.
The chapel was redesigned in 1921 as a war memorial chapel for the fallen of the First World War . At the inauguration ceremony of the renovated chapel on August 28, 1921, the beatified Father Rupert Mayer from Munich gave the festive sermon. A vestibule was also built to protect the portal.
A monumental warrior cross with a belfry was later erected on the western wall of the cemetery. The oldest bell in Altomünster hangs there. It was donated in 1587 together with four other bells by Duke Wilhelm V for the Altomünster monastery church and cast by Dionysius Frey in Munich.
Since 1945 the Loreto Chapel has also been commemorating the fallen and missing of the Second World War .
The chapel is surrounded by 82 wrought iron grave crosses (17th to 19th centuries) and twelve stone grave monuments from the 19th century. In their entirety they form a listed ensemble of wrought iron cemetery design.
The Loreto Chapel was renovated in 1977 and again from 1990 to 2001.
Furnishing
The interior of the chapel has a flat ceiling with some stucco elements . On the front wall above the altar there is a large crucifix, flanked by marble plaques with the names of those who fell and went missing in both world wars from Altomünster. The baroque style crucifix is said to date from the end of the 17th century. In the corners there are mourning figures made of stone that were previously attached to graves. On the right wall there is a statue of the Madonna on a pedestal.
A traditionally made offering box is attached to the rearmost benches. It is a block of wood (= stick) secured with decorated iron bands and massive padlocks, which is hollowed out inside. The old door lock is still preserved at the entrance portal.
The old bell in the cemetery
The oldest bell in Altomünster hangs in the free-standing belfry. It was donated in 1587 together with four other bells by Duke Wilhelm V for the Altomünster monastery church and cast by Dionysius Frey in Munich. The remaining four bells from 1587 were either stolen or cast into new bells. Only this bell survived, which hung in the tower of the monastery church until 1929, then was bought by Albert Schleich and donated to the war memorial at the Loreto Chapel in Altomünster. When all the other bells from Altomünster had to be delivered during the Second World War, this Frey bell was hung again in the church tower of the monastery church for a few years, where it made the clock strike together with a railroad track. After the war, the bell was returned to the war memorial.
Notable epitaphs of the cemetery
Noteworthy are the grave slabs and stone monuments embedded on the outside, which either recall former pastors in Altomünster or important citizens.
Epitaph for Franz Joseph Jörger
He had moved from Baden and was the only one who had a perfect command of the French language. When the French invaded Bavaria several times around 1800 and wreaked havoc, Franz J. Jörger was able to save the place and the Altomünster monastery from plundering through clever negotiations with the French commander. The text on the epitaph reads:
Monument to the respected Mr. Franz Joseph Jörger, former bourgeois trader there, who was born in Rastadt in Baden and died on December 29, 1831 at the age of 69 after receiving all holy sacraments. Even now, the citizens of the local market are grateful to the deceased for his services at the time of the French Revolutionary War from 1796 to 1815. This was followed by his dear wife Elisabetha Jörger, née Sailer von Mittenwald, who passed away on March 11, 1856 with the consolations of our holy religion at the age of 70, as did two grandchildren, Johann Bap. Jörger, b. March 6, 1829, d. February 3, 1835 and Franziska Jörger, b. June 16 and d. June 19, 1831. RIP Out of filial love and gratitude, this memorial is dedicated to their three sons, who are still alive, and his successor, M. Duschl.
Text of the epitaph for Mathias Duschl Resting place of the honorable Mr. Mathias Duschl, who was a bourgeois merchant from Altomünster, who fell asleep in God blissfully. The same was born in Pfarrkirchen on January 10, 1801 and died after receiving the holy sacraments in Altomünster on April 25, 1865. As a noble philanthropist and restless businessman, as benefactor of the poor and afflicted, as supporter of those in need of advice and help, as well as no less as an innocent house and family man, he was respected by everyone who knew him. Rest his ashes! His wife Franziska Duschl, c. Jörger, b. Schmid born July 2, 1797 in Alberzell, d. October 7, 1883
Mathias Duschl was the son-in-law of the aforementioned Franz Joseph Jörger.
literature
- Wilhelm Liebhart : Altomünster, monastery, market and community. Altomünster 1999
- Klaus Peter Zeyer: The bells of the parish and monastery church St. Alto. Kulturspiegel Altoland, No. 41, September 2013
Individual evidence
Web links
- Loretto Chapel in Altomünster - (Hans Schertl)
Coordinates: 48 ° 23 '12.3 " N , 11 ° 15' 23.4" E