Visitation of the Virgin Mary (Gottmannshofen)
The Catholic parish and pilgrimage church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Gottmannshofen , a district of Wertingen in the district of Dillingen an der Donau in the Bavarian administrative district of Swabia , is a Baroque building from the 17th century. In 1762/63 the church was decorated with frescoes and stucco in the Rococo style .
location
The church is elevated on the southern edge of the village in a walled cemetery .
history
The establishment of the parish of Gottmannshofen is traced back to the 5th century, to the time of the Frankish royal rule . The parish was first mentioned in a document in 1272. In 1673/74 the pastor Andreas Bunk rebuilt the old church. The Gothic nave was enlarged and the Nagelfluh ashlars of the Romanesque predecessor building were reused. A new choir was built and the tower was raised.
On July 10, 1674, the new church was consecrated by the Augsburg auxiliary bishop Kaspar Zeiler . The interior was not created until 90 years later. Johann Baptist Enderle carried out the ceiling frescoes in the choir and nave and on the organ gallery . Franz Xaver Feuchtmayer created the stucco. Balthasar Amann from Wertingen made the high altar and the two side altars, his son Elias Amann carved the pulpit .
Pilgrimage
Since July 2, 1345, the Visitation of the Virgin Mary has been the patronage of the Church. It is not known when the first pilgrimages began. The aim of the pilgrimage is a miraculous image from around 1480, a late Gothic carving by an unknown artist. It is located in the center of the high altar. Mary is seated on a throne in the midst of a halo. She is surrounded by angel heads, the baby Jesus is sitting on her lap , both of them have crowns on their heads.
On September 13, 1947, Pastor Johann Käßmair introduced the Fátima pilgrimage . Since then, a Fátima Madonna has been venerated next to the figure of grace.
architecture
The square tower rises in the choir corner, which is provided with twin windows on the upper floor , which, like the arched windows of the octagonal structure, serve as sound arcades . The tower is covered with an onion dome.
The four-axis nave is followed by a retracted choir with a sacristy attached to the side.
The nave is covered with a shallow barrel , into which the stitch caps cut over the large arched windows. The walls are structured by hardly protruding pilasters , the capitals of which are decorated with volutes and foliage.
Stucco and ceiling paintings
The stucco in delicate green and pink tones with partial gilding by the Wessobrunn artist Franz Xaver Feuchtmayer the Elder (also spelled Feichtmayr) has the typical Rococo decor of cartouches and shell jewelry. The theme of the ceiling frescoes by Johann Baptist Enderle is Our Lady.
The choir fresco refers to the patronage of the church and depicts the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. The encounter between Mary and Elisabeth takes place in an exotic landscape in front of antique architecture.
There is a clock above the choir arch. The stucco cartouches on the side contain the coats of arms of the Electorate of Bavaria and the Barons of Pappenheim .
The fresco in the nave depicts Mary as the queen of heaven with a scepter and crown, with the baby Jesus on her lap. At her feet, under a monumental triumphal arch, crouch beggars and cripples, over whom Maria spreads her protective cloak. The cartouches on the triumphal arch contain inscriptions with the three invocations from the Lauretanian litany : "You salvation for the sick", "You comforter of the afflicted", "You refuge for sinners". The ceiling fresco bears the signature: "Enderle pinxit" (Enderle painted it). On the four smaller grisaille frescoes , allegorical female figures represent the four elements. They are provided with Latin inscriptions: “Sine te frigesco” (fire / without you I freeze to death), “Sine te labesco” (air / without you I suffocate), “Sine te tabesco ”(earth / without you I will starve to death),“ Sine te marcesco ”(water / without you I will die of thirst).
The fresco above the organ gallery is also dedicated to Mary, Queen of Heaven. The frescoes on the lower organ gallery depict scenes from the life of Mary (an angel announces to Joachim the birth of Mary, the birth of Mary, Mary is cared for by wet nurses). The five frescoes in the upper organ loft depict angels making music, St. Cecilia playing the organ, King David accompanying her on the harp, and St. Francis with the lute.
Chronogram
Between the ceiling fresco of the nave and the fresco above the organ gallery is a chronogram with the inscription: “In haC pLaCVIt MIhI et tIbI DIsponere GratIas” (you and I enjoyed distributing graces here). The capital letters correspond to Roman numerals and give the year 1763 (MDCCLVIIIIIIII), the year in which the frescoes by Johann Baptist Enderle were created.
Another chronogram can be found on the organ loft (“Da gratIaM CanVer Vnis Inno aC LeonI”), which also gives the year 1763.
Holy Spirit Hole
The circular opening in the ceiling of the nave in front of the choir arch is called the Holy Spirit Hole . At Pentecost , a white dove was used to fly into the church through this opening from the attic as a symbol of the Holy Spirit .
Furnishing
- The high altar in the late Baroque style was created by Balthasar Amann in 1732/33. In the center is the miraculous image of Our Lady from around 1480, including a crucifix with John , Mary and Mary Magdalene from around 1750 in the exposure niche. The side, almost life-size sculptures of St. Francis de Sales (left) and St. Johannes Nepomuk (right) come from Stephan Luidl's workshop . The figures standing above the side passages, St. Sebastian on the left and St. Rochus on the right , were created by an unknown master in 1730. The altar excerpt , an oil painting on canvas, depicts the Assumption of Mary .
- The side altars come from the same workshop as the main altar. On the altar tables are carved, gilded reliquary pyramids from 1750/60. The oil paintings (by unknown artists, around 1770) depict St. Francis Xavier (left altar) and St. Aloisius von Gonzaga (right altar). The main painting on the left side altar (Joseph's altar) depicts the death of Joseph (around 1760), the Extract picture (by Joseh Karpf, 1733) of the good thief . On the altar panel of the right side altar, consecrated to St. Anne , the instruction of Mary is depicted (around 1800).
- The pulpit was created by Elias Amann in 1737. The four putti sitting on the edges of the sound cover symbolize the four continents of Asia, Europe, America and Africa. Like the figure of Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World) on the crown of the sound cover, they come from the Dillingen sculptor Joseph Mayr.
- The most valuable sculpture is a late Gothic wooden relief from the 15th century that depicts the death of Mary . The Twelve Apostles surround Mary's deathbed, one holds the candle, others read from the Holy Scriptures, another holds out both hands to her.
- The crucifixion group with Mary and John in the nave dates from around 1730.
Grave slabs
Until the end of the 17th century, the church served as the burial place of the Barons von Pappenheim, which is also indicated by the coat of arms above the choir arch. Their grave slabs are built into the side walls of the nave. Until 1910 they were embedded in the floor of the church and are therefore very heavily ceded.
organ
Today's two-manual organ was installed in 1979 by GF Steinmeyer & Co. from Oettingen . The neo-baroque organ front from 1905 has largely been preserved.
literature
- Hermann Willer: The Visitation of the Virgin, Gottmannshofen . Ed .: Church administration Gottmannshofen, Wertingen o. J.
- Georg Wörishofer, Alfred Sigg, Reinhard H. Seitz: Cities, Markets and Communities . In: The district of Dillingen ad Donau in the past and present . Ed. from the district of Dillingen an der Donau, 3rd revised edition, Dillingen an der Donau 2005, pp. 406–407.
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 48 ° 33'22.3 " N , 10 ° 41'47.8" E