Assumption of Mary (Frauenau)
Assumption of Mary is the Catholic parish church of Frauenau in the district of Regen (Bavarian Forest).
history
Blessed Hermann (von Niederaltaich) lived from 1324 until his death in 1326 as a hermit in a cell in what was then the jungle. His successor Hartwig von Degenberg built a chapel for a miraculous figure "Our Lady" (Maria). The area "Our dear women Au" belonged to the Niederaltaich monastery on the Danube. From the 14th century to the end of the 18th century the miraculous image of the “Our Lady of Sorrows” ( Pietà ) was the goal of a pilgrimage. As early as 1352, Frauenau was raised to a parish and a Gothic church was built in 1396. The builder was Hans Krumenauer (father of Stephan Krumenauer), who was also responsible for the construction of the Passau Cathedralwas involved. From 1759 to 1767 the church was rebuilt in the Rococo style . The church was solemnly consecrated on August 15, 1767 and placed under the protection of the Virgin Mary. Until secularization (1803) the parish of Frauenau was looked after by the Niederaltaich monastery and the Rinchnach provost. In 1927 the church was expanded to the west.
description
The outwardly simple church stands in the center of the village and is surrounded by a cemetery. The part of the building west of the side entrances was not added until 1926/27. The west tower was removed and a new tower with a similar appearance was built on the south side of the church. The interior of the church is dominated by the rococo stucco by Melchior Modler (1732–1768) from Kößlarn ( among other things, the stucco work in the Passau residence comes from his father Johann Baptist Modler ) and by the frescoes by Asam student Franz Anton Rauscher (1731– 1777) from Aicha on the Danube . Frescoes and stucco harmonize very well and give the impression that they come from a single source. The interior of the church does not seem overcrowded: Harmony and lightness determine the atmosphere of the room. The choir fresco above the high altar shows the arrival of pilgrims at the place of grace. Biblical figures referring to Christ are depicted in the pointed arches and vaults: King David, Melchizedech, John the Baptist, Aaron as well as Joachim and Anna. Simeon and Hanna can be seen above the side altars. The coats of arms of Niederaltaich (left) and Abbot Ignatius (right) together with the Roman year 1759 are attached to the choir arch in stucco.
The main ceiling painting shows the Assumption of Mary , the patronage of the church. The other frescoes in the nave also refer to Mary, they show allegorical representations of the Mother of God from the Lauretanian litany. The center of the church is still the miraculous image (Mary with her dead son on her lap) from 1480 in the center of the high altar. On the side of the baroque altar are two figures from Niederaltaich Monastery: Thiemo von Salzburg (left) and Godehard von Hildesheim (right). The painting in the excerpt shows the meeting of Maria Magdalena with the risen one. The pulpit and the two side altars were made by the sculptor Benjamin Schreiter from Hengersberg in 1764. Carl Gasteiger from Tann painted all of the altarpieces. The altar panel of the left side altar shows the death of St. Benedict (Niederaltaich was a Benedictine monastery ). To the side are the sculptures of Saint Gunther (Roder of the "Northern Forest") and Blessed Hermann (hermit and "founder" of Frauenau). In the extract the picture of St. Anna. The right side altar shows the death of St. Joseph and to the side the figures of the apostles Simon (left) and Judas Thaddäus (right). The excerpt shows the image of the Archangel Michael. Of the four figures on the side altars, only Judas Thaddäus is iconographically marked (with a club). Apparently the attributes of the other saints have been lost over time.
Extension and renovation in the 20th / 21st century
The extension from 1926/27 (from the side entrances backwards) was stylistically adapted to the old building in 1953/54. The stucco work based on the model of Modler was done by Wilhelm and Rosl Maile from Munich. The frescoes are by Franz Spann from Passau. In the spandrels they show representations from the Lauretanian litany (as in the old building). The large ceiling painting shows Mary in the crowd of saints over Adam and Eve in paradise, which is here in a stylized Bavarian forest landscape. Under the gallery there is a small baroque altar that comes from Traunstein and was installed here during the renovation in 1970/73. It shows the three kings, as well as Cosmas and Damian to the side. In the Marienkapelle there is a late Gothic Madonna from around 1500. Next to it are pillar fragments from the Gothic previous church.
Due to its furnishings, the parish church of Frauenau is one of the most successful rococo sacred spaces in Eastern Bavaria. Only one votive picture has survived from the once important pilgrimage.
Exterior renovation 2015–2017
The renovation work on 20/21. Century as well as wind and weather caused great damage and defects in the parish church. Therefore, on December 17, 2015, the cross was removed from the tower of the Rococo church for safety reasons. In order to avoid a complete deterioration of the parish church, an extensive external renovation was necessary, which is currently (September 2017) in the completion. In order to finance the renovation and to maintain the parish church, the parish of Frauenau will increasingly depend on donations.
literature
- Roman Eder: Frauenau, chronicle of a Bavarian forest village. Volume II. 1999.
- Church leader Frauenau. Kath. Pfarramt Frauenau, 1993.
- 650 years of the Frauenau parish. Catholic Parish Church Foundation Frauenau, 2003.
- Herbert Schindler : Great Bavarian Art History. 1997.
- The Regen district. District Rain, 1982.
- Raimund Kreutzer : To our dear women Aue. BBZ No. 186 p. 24, 2017.
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 59 ′ 21.9 ″ N , 13 ° 17 ′ 59.3 ″ E