Annunciation (Mindelheim)

Annunciation from the south-east with the Franz Xaver Chapel in front

Annunciation from the west with the Schnäbelinstorturm

Annunciation is a former monastery church in the Upper Swabian district town of Mindelheim . The building was the Augustinian monastery church from the 13th to the 16th century, the church of a Jesuit college from the 17th to the 18th century, after its dissolution it was the monastery church of the Maltese for a short time, and has been a subsidiary church of the Roman Catholic parish of St. Stephan of Mindelheim. The building got its present form in the 18th century.

The Annunciation is known for its baroque nativity scene, which is decorated with life-size figures and is set up in the choir every year at Christmas time.

location

The church stands at the western end of the old town in front of the lower gate on Maximilianstrasse, where the entrance is also located. The west facade borders on the former city wall. The Franz Xaver Chapel built on the south side protrudes into the sidewalk. The Mindel runs under the sacristy and the choir .

history

The Mindel below the sacristy

Time of the Wilhelmites and Augustinians

Schwigger II. Von Mindelberg founded a monastery of the Wilhelmites in Bedernau in 1250 , who adopted the rule of Augustinian hermits in 1260 . On May 17, 1263, the Augsburg bishop Hartmann von Dillingen allowed the brothers to settle in Mindelheim. In the same year they bought several houses on the western edge of the small town and built a monastery and a church. The consecration of the first church took place on May 11, 1264. As early as 1286 a fire destroyed the monastery and church. Henry III. von Mindelberg and his two sons donated an altar for the reconstruction and ten pounds of Augsburg Heller annually for ten years . Until the 15th century, the church was a burial place for the Lords of Mindelheim. Around 1460 the order adopted the Augustine rule. In the middle of the 15th century, major construction work took place on the church and monastery. Jauchert farmland was sold for the construction of the vaulted choir . The choir, larger, more elegant and more solid than the former nave, is said to come from Konrad Murer . At that time there were eleven altars in the church. In 1482, the Augsburg auxiliary bishop Ulrich came to Mindelheim to consecrate altars. Of the late Gothic furnishings, only a carved cheek cheek in the Mindelheim Museum of Local History has been preserved in fragments. The bones of four gentlemen from Mindelheim were lifted from the choir entrance in 1515. What happened to them is not recorded. In the same year, Emperor Maximilian I donated a two ells high silver statue of Saint George to the church , which was melted down in 1622.

Dissolution and possession by the Jesuits

According to the Historia Collegii , the history of the college, Martin Luther is said to have visited the monastery in 1518 and preached in a chapel of the church, which was named after him until the early 17th century. In 1522 the monks began converting to Lutheranism and leaving the monastery. With the end of the monastery in 1526, the church lost the status of a monastery church. As early as 1589, the ruler Christoph Fugger planned to settle Jesuits in the vacant buildings . On June 30, 1618, Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria gave them the former Augustinian monastery. The buildings had become dilapidated due to the long vacancy. On April 29, 1625, a commission from Munich inspected the complex and determined that there was an urgent need for action , especially for the nave of the church. The electoral court chamber of Bavaria took over the majority of the costs for the construction work on the church and college, which the Jesuit brother Johannes Holl directed. On July 3, 1625, seven altars, tombstones and benches were removed from the interior of the old church. The demolition of the nave began six days later. The western wall of the church, the walls came, was canceled along with the city wall portion. The south wall remained standing for the time being. City caretaker Sebastian von Sauerzapf, city pastor Sebald Wachfelder and mayor Hans Knaus laid the foundation stones for the ten- foot longer nave on August 24, 1625 .

Remains of the stucco and the painting from the 17th century with water damage from the 20th / 21st century. century

By the end of the year it was possible to complete the west and north walls of the nave. The six windows of the choir were enlarged and the vaults and walls were stuccoed. In the next year the south wall was also demolished and rebuilt. The erection of the nave roof structure was completed in July 1626. Only three temporary arrangements were obtained as altars . Auxiliary Bishop Georg Rösch von Eichstätt consecrated the two side altars on October 10, 1626. The very next day the church and the high altar were consecrated by the Augsburg bishop Heinrich V. von Knöringen with the assistance of the auxiliary bishop Rösch and the prince abbot of the Kempten monastery. During the Thirty Years War, prayers and penances took place on September 17, 1631. These were supposed to help hold back the Swedes who marched on Mindelheim. After the Thirty Years' War the temporary altars were replaced by new ones. In 1649 a 40- foot high main altar by an unknown master was erected, which Jakob Staiger from Ottobeuren probably took and provided with an altar sheet in 1659. A year later, the Kempten prince abbot donated a guardian angel altar. The Joseph Brotherhood, founded in 1634, had the Joseph Altar built in 1661, for which the city magistrate provided the funds. The Augsburg auxiliary bishop Kaspar Zeiler consecrated the altars on June 29, 1661. None of these three altars have survived. Only the altar sheet of the Joseph altar, painted by Christoph Storer, has stood the test of time and adorns today's side altar. City pastor Johann Sutor gave the church a pulpit in 1661. In 1663 a new organ from an organ builder from Halle was installed and a cenotaph was built behind the high altar. Two confessionals near the pulpit were added in 1669.

The extension of the Franz Xaver Chapel on the southern choir wall, donated by Duke Maximilian Philipp of Bavaria and his wife Mauritia Febronia , dates from the years 1690 to 1694. The Augsburg Prince-Bishop Alexander Sigismund Count Palatine of Neuburg consecrated on Xaveritag, December 3, 1704, the chapel. The portals on both sides of the choir date from 1690, a donated antependium and two silver busts for the high altar from 1694. In 1706 a bell cage was installed on the roof of the choir.

Remodeling 1721/22 until today

View into the choir room

The Jesuit priest, master builder and architect Joseph Guldimann S. J. , who lived in the Mindelheim College from 1720 to 1722, had the church completely rebuilt in 1721/22. First he took care of the removal of damaged components such as the roof, nave ceiling and gallery including spiral staircase. The nave got side walls about 2.5 meters higher; Wall pillars were drawn in, the windows were raised and new windows were let in on the west side. After the vestibule and stair towers were built in the west, the nave was given a brick vault with stucco decoration and a new roof in 1722. Two new galleries were built on the west side, which were given railings until 1723. A new pulpit and organ were installed. The floor was covered with Solnhofer tiles. In 1726 ten confessionals were made and set up, a year later the stucco was painted and the pulpit, organ and lattice grids were built . The high altar tabernacle procured in 1728 is no longer available, because from 1734 to 1737 the altars from the 17th century were removed and new ones built. The pillars and walls, painted in 1736 for 150 guilders , were given a new color scheme by Italian painters in 1768 and repainted in later restorations. When the Franz Xaver Chapel was redesigned in 1743, Matthias Willerotter created stucco and altar. After the Jesuit College was abolished in 1773, the Bavarian State took possession of the church and college. In 1776 the Carmelites and a year later the Dominicans applied to the elector for the former Jesuit college and thus also for the church , but both in vain. The church served as a branch church of the parish church of St. Stephen until 1781 . Then the Order of Malta took over the church, but gave it back to the city parish in 1808. On April 25 and 26, 1849, the elections for the six electors to the Frankfurt National Assembly took place in the church. During a comprehensive restoration from 1904 to 1907, Jakob Brandl decorated the choir ceiling with stucco reliefs. Due to the use of a water-absorbing plaster for the walls during a further restoration in the 1970s, the interior is in poor condition. The planned repairs had to be postponed indefinitely, as the diocese cannot provide funding.

Building description

Floor plan, lower left the Schnäbelinstor

Longitudinal section of the church

The east- facing, towerless, single-nave church has a nave with a retracted, superior choir. The Franz Xaver Chapel is located on the south side at the height of the first two choir bays, to the north of the choir there is an extension with a passage room, from which the sacristy can be reached to the east and the pulpit and gallery staircase to the west. Behind this passage room is the staircase to the oratory, the Ignatius chapel and the library belonging to the monastery and located above the Ignatius chapel.

Exterior

The choir has three yokes and a five-eighth closure . Its top window is walled up. The light framing around the windows with alternating segment and triangular gables dates from 1625. A new iron bell cage clad in wood is placed on the ridge of the choir roof as a roof turret. The west side of the ridge meets the east wall of the nave, which towers above the choir roof. Buttresses with two water hammer run up to about two meters below the eaves . The upper part of the water hammer has beveled corners and merges back into the rectangle under the desk cover. Above this there are baroque pilaster strips with a painted architrave band and a cornice up to the eaves .

The nave is a plastered, elongated hall building. The college is built on its north side and has the same eaves height as the church. The sloping buttress at the end of the choir is included in this construction. The built pillar emerges as a buttress in the sacristy. The low, one-story Franz Xaver Chapel is attached to the south of the choir. The southern nave wall is divided in the three eastern axes by Tuscan pilasters and a three-part cranked entablature. Rectangular panels are located in the outer axes below the windows. The middle rectangular panels are higher and reach up to the window cornice. Inside is the rectangular door with a frescoed roof from the second quarter of the 18th century. Putti hold a Jesus monogram at the top. At the side there are horns of plenty with hanging flower pendants. The windows are surrounded by plaster frames. The central axis closes off a flat triangular gable, the side axes have segment gables. The tower of the lower gate adjoins the south side of the nave.

The outside of the sacristy is a simple rectangular building with a gable roof and bridges the Mindel. This is where the monastery entrance is located on the east side of this building; it is embellished with pilasters and a round-arched attachment. There are alternately arranged stuccoed segment and triangular gables above the windows. The roof is a. On the western end of the gable roof, which is rounded in the east, sits a pointed gable roof rider with three bells.

Interior

The choir room is 9.6 meters wide and 20 meters long. The gothic stitch cap vault is decorated in neo-baroque style, the ribs have been removed. The division is made by slightly ogival belts, the shield arches are parabolic. The wall is divided by a wide base zone running below the window. In front of it are flat wall templates and in front of them on volute consoles are pairs of Corinthian pilasters with joint three-part entablature. There is only one pilaster next to the choir arch . The end of the choir has high arched windows, with the window forming a niche in the apex. On the north side there are three arched windows on the first floor that belong to the Ignatius Chapel. Above that are three more arched windows facing the library, the middle one being a blind window. The three windows on the south side begin above the roof of the attached Franz Xaver Chapel and are also rounded. All windows have clear hexagonal glasses. Oil paintings decorated with stucco frames are embedded in the wall below the south-facing windows. There are richly decorated stucco portals to the Franz Xaver Chapel and the passage room, which leads to the sacristy and the Ignatius Chapel above it, directly on the choir arch. The choir arch is reentered and closed in a semicircle. There are pairs of pilasters on the reveal; Cranked entablature is attached at the height of the transom.

The southern nave

The nave of the church is about 27 meters long, 16.6 meters wide and 15 meters high. The barrel vault at a height of twelve meters is slightly higher than that in the choir. A two-story gallery is built in to the west . In the nave, a gallery extends about halfway up to the side chapels. The hall is divided into four bays and has a needle cap barrel vault divided by belts. The side chapels with a diameter of 2.3 meters at the eastern end of the nave are vaulted with narrow transverse barrels. The ends of the pillars are adorned on three sides by strongly tapered Corinthian pilasters. A three-part, cranked entablature is attached above. On the east wall, on the sides of the choir arch, there are pieces of cornice at the base of the vault. The pillars are broken through by arched passages above the gallery in the narrow section between the pilaster and the outer wall. The gallery on the first floor is richly curved over the three western bays. Because there is no gallery in the eastern yoke, the side chapels have a cross-like floor plan. The gallery cantilevers in the middle two bays, the railing of which is made of red marbled wood and wrought iron spiral grids with gilded leaves. On the west facade, a second gallery at the height of the pillar cornice serves as an organ gallery. In the three eastern bays above the gallery there are large round-arched windows reaching into the shield arches. The entrance door is on the south side, in the second yoke from the east. The large rectangular portal with an inserted door that can only be opened up to two-thirds height is the only direct access to the church. The two flat, curved wings are fielded with a baluster-shaped flap bar and fittings. The portal was renewed in neo-baroque form until it fell .

On the west side, under the gallery, there is a rectangular central door to the one-story vestibule, which is fitted with a flat roof and attached to the facade. It has three transverse oval windows on the west wall; on the narrow sides there are entrances to the galleries flanking the vestibule.

The passage in front of the west of the nave on the ground floor leads to the two galleries.

Furnishing

Most of the furnishings in the church date from the 18th century. The ceilings are not frescoed, but provided with figural stucco reliefs, although those in the choir were not created until the beginning of the 20th century. Only a small remnant of the former painting and stucco from the 17th or 18th century has been preserved in a blind window behind the high altar. There is an oval glory of rays on a blue background. The floor of the church is covered with Solnhofer tiles in a rose-pointed pattern from 1723.

Stucco reliefs

All figural stucco reliefs in the apices of the vaulted yokes show Marian motifs. They are designed for the view from the high altar.

Choir room

The eastern stucco relief

The neo-baroque stucco reliefs on the ceiling of the choir room were made by Jakob Bradl from Munich in 1907 . In the apex of the three yokes there are square fields with broken, curly frames. The eastern ceiling relief shows the lamentation of Jesus by his mother under the empty cross, the middle Mary as the rosary queen . The western yoke represents the coronation of Mary. The top reliefs are each flanked by two oval medallions in the stitch caps. While the two medallions in the middle yoke show the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the other yokes depict church fathers with their attributes, on the north side St. Jerome with the lion and Augustine with a flaming heart, in the south St. Gregory the Great with tiara and dove and St. Ambrosius with a beehive.

Longhouse

The stucco reliefs on the nave ceiling from 1722 may come from Michael Stiller from Ettringen. The four main reliefs in the top of the vault are located in tetrapassed curved fields. As in the choir, the main relief in each yoke is accompanied by two oval medallions with half-figures of saints in the stitched caps. The motifs are arranged chronologically from west to east. It starts with a representation of Maria Immaculata . Mary's marriage to Joseph follows. The Visitation of Mary is depicted in the third yoke, the Assumption of Mary into heaven is thematized in the last nave yoke. The medallions in the western yoke above the organ gallery are dedicated to music and show King David at the harp to the north and Saint Cecilia playing the organ on the opposite side . In the following medallions to the east, saints of the Jesuit order are depicted, on the north side the hll. Aloysius, probably Franz Borgia and Ignatius von Loyola, in the south the hll. Franz Xaver, a Jesuit with a burning heart and Stanislaus Kostka .

Altars

There are three altars in the church: the high altar at the eastern end of the chancel and two side altars on both sides of the choir arch. The northern altar is a guardian angel altar, the southern one is dedicated to St. Joseph.

High altar

The high altar in the choir room

The high altar , created in 1737, takes up the entire east side of the chancel. The assignment to a master is not archived. The literature usually names one of the Bergmüller family of artists from Türkheim . The wood is marbled in olive green to red tones, the decor is usually gilded. The stipes are block-shaped, the antependium has a wood painting decorated with a gold-plated acanthus frame carving. The obverse shows Christ in the wine press . He is in the center of the picture in a wine press. In a stooped position, he carries a cross on his back. Soldiers stab his side from behind and the blood pouring out is caught by angels. Left and right, the scene turns into a landscape painting, showing the grape harvest on the left and the jaws of hell on the right. The invisible back of the antependium is painted with the flagellation of Christ . To the left of Christ are Mary and John the Evangelist , to the right is an Ecce Homo scene . However, this picture is not visible.

The mighty tabernacle structure on the altar table made of brass with silver-plated decoration was created in 1787 by the Mindelheim Gürtler Plazidus Sauter for the Mindelheim main church St. Stephan. The draft is in the Augsburg State Archives . During the renovation and reconstruction of St. Stephan in 1865, the tabernacle was transferred to the branch church. The structure is cylindrical. In a niche, a crucifix is flanked by Ionic columns and concave side axes. The side axes delimit volutes and kneeling angels. The entablature zone is cranked and hung with garlands. In the frieze are triglyphs . Garlands also hang at the top of the volute. The inscription on a sign at the beginning point reads: ECCE AGNUS DEI (“See the Lamb of God”). The Lamb of God on the book with seven seals closes the top of the volute.

The tabernacle of the high altar

The large, curly final altarpiece shows the Annunciation of the Lord . It was painted in 1736 by Franz Anton Germiller from Mindelheim and shows the Virgin Mary kneeling in front of an open book on a prayer chair at the bottom left . Her right hand points to the word Ecce . Her head, surrounded by twelve stars, is turned to the left. Her gaze goes up to the Archangel Gabriel with wide wings, who is holding a lily in his left hand , the right one is raised as if in an oath. The upper part of the picture is filled with God the Father and the Holy Spirit as a dove sending a ray of light onto Mary. A plaque decorated with flowers and fruits above the picture bears the words AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA (“Hail Mary, full of grace”). On both sides of the picture are arranged pillars and in front of them three Corinthian columns, placed diagonally inwards on the inside and outwards diagonally on the outside. They are connected to each other by pillar surfaces and the common cranked entablature. The central pillars are taller than the outer ones. They stand on cylindrical pedestals in front, which are decorated with decor on the shaft and frontal entablature pieces. They tower over the side columns and are rolled up at the front. Next to the pillars are consoles with neo-baroque figures by the artist H. Kosenbach from Munich. The figure on the left represents St. Ignatius , the one on the right St. Francis Xavier . The altar extension is flanked by obliquely inwardly directed volutes with pieces of entablature rolled up at the front. In the middle there is an inscription cartouche in a cloud and ray glory. It reads ALTARE PRIVILEGIATUM . Of the eleven putti on the extract, seven hold a flower garland on the crown.

Side altars

The southern side altar

It is very likely that the master of the high altar also created the two almost identical side altars in 1734/35. This assumption is based on a comparative examination of the altars, there is no archival evidence for this. They stand on the sides of the choir arch on the east side of the nave. The stipes are each designed in a block shape. A painting from the late 19th century surrounded by acanthus carvings serves as an antependium. In the predella there is a wide glazed shrine clamped between the column bases, in front of it a silver-plated altar crucifix and a small coat of arms on the flanking columns. Up until the renovation in the 1970s, there was a small vertical oval picture on canvas above the shrines, with Aloisius von Gonzaga on the north and Stanislaus Kostka on the south. The large altarpieces are curved. On the left and on the right there are two pillars positioned in an oblique axis to one another. The altars have cranked entablature pieces and on the outside frontally attached band and latticework. The excerpts are flanked by putti with volutes decorated with inscriptions. There are flower vases above the outer pillars. In the middle of the excerpt, a large, splendid glory of rays with clouds and angel heads is grouped around a central inscription. The altars are separated from the rest of the church by waist-high parapets.

Guardian Angel Altar

The north altar is a guardian angel altar . His antependium shows Mary's dormition . The Blessed Mother lies upright on the bed, surrounded by ten apostles. The reliquary contains a wooden figure of Our Lady dressed in brocade. In addition, there are two skull relics of the martyrs Innocentius and Victor on brass plinths, set in monastery work . The cartouches on the outer columns contain a painting on the left with the Annunciation and the inscription CONGREGATIONIS , on the right the coat of arms of Mindelheim, a bell and the inscription CIVICAE as a sign that it is the altar of the Congregation. On the large altarpiece, painted by Franz Anton Germiller in 1735 , the guardian angel accompanies a small child dressed in white who is holding a lily in his left hand. The upper part is painted with putti, of which the two wear a wreath of flowers in the middle. At the very top is a seeing triangle surrounded by a nimbus ; the sign of the Holy Trinity . The plaque above the high altar picture bears the sentence ALTARE PRIVILEGIATVM PROFERIA II . According to Psalm 90 EU, the central inscription of the excerpt reads : ANGELIS SVIS the one to the left is CVSTODIANT TE and the one to the right MANDAVIT ("He has commanded his angels to keep you on all your paths."

Joseph Altar

The southern side altar is dedicated to St. Joseph . It shows the death of Joseph on the antependium. Next to the reclining saint, Mary with a halo and a youth are standing on the left, and a priest with a halo on the right. The reliquary contains the relic of the martyr Vincentius, which was set in monastery work. The small heraldic cartouches show the saints attributes laurel wreath, palm and olive branch on the left, sword and torch on the right. The large altarpiece, created in 1660 by Johann Christoph Storer from Constance , shows the Holy Family . St. Joseph in the foreground is holding the baby Jesus in his arms, he is carrying a lily in his left hand. Maria is sitting in front of him on the left. In the upper part, God the Father, flanked by two angels, looks down on Joseph. Below him is a dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit that sends rays of light to Joseph. ALTARE PRIVILEGIATUM PROFERIA IV is written in the cartouche above the picture . The extract bears the inscription ITE AD IOSEPH in the middle , IN VITA on the left and IN MORTE ("Come to Joseph, in life as in death").

pulpit

Ignatius in the pulpit

The pulpit on the eastern pillar of the north side of the nave was made of wood in 1722 and set in 1727. The large part is marbled in red and green. The decor, especially the banding, is gold-plated and silver-plated. The cylindrical body has a richly cranked parapet. The tail console below bears the four symbols of the evangelists . In the western part of the console there is a winged person with a gilded robe and silver and gilded wings, the symbol of the evangelist Matthew. Next to it are the gilded symbols of the other evangelists, the lion, the bull and the eagle. The parapet on the east side forms a balcony-like outer wall that extends to the east pillar. It is structured by strong baluster pillars with flower hangings. The statues in the niches are believed to have St. Francis on the left , the prophet Elijah in the middle and St. Representing John the Baptist . On the back wall of the pulpit is a cartridge in a golden frame. EXIVIT SONUS EORVM , from Ps 19.5  EU , stands on a dark background , “But your message goes out into the whole world”.

The sound cover in the form of a cranked cornice on which a volute pyramid stands, is supported by two putti. The pyramid is decorated with putti at the bottom, which symbolize the four continents and are mainly distinguished by their headgear. To the west, Africa is represented by a black putto with a quiver and a feather crown. In his left hand, he is holding an arrowhead. Next to him, a putto with a lance and the helmet of the conquistadors on his head symbolizes America. This is followed by a putto for Europe, which presents the ruling crown belonging to him on a display cushion. The putto for Asia is dressed in a turban with a crescent moon. He is holding a lance in his right hand. The coronation of the pulpit is a statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola on a globe. He wears a gold-plated chasuble over a silver-plated alb . An angel to his right points in an open book to the Jesuit motto OMNIA AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM (“Everything for the greater glory of God”).

Choir stalls

Northern choir stalls

The choir stalls were created around 1626 and are attributed to the carpenter and builder Johannes Holl. As a simplified copy of the choir stalls from 1596 in the Jesuit Church of St. Michael in Munich, it is one of the latter's closest successors and, together with them, forms a clearly defined special group of late Renaissance choir stalls. The role model function of St. Michael may also be based on the fact that the Mindelheim Church and the other Jesuit churches of the Upper German Order Province even had choir stalls. Because the Jesuits did not have a common choir prayer, did not celebrate a daily convent office and were usually not united at Sunday mass either, it was actually superfluous and only existed in exceptional cases outside the Upper German province.

The choir stalls are unmounted with clear, strict shapes. Ten stalls are set up on each side. On the fifth axis from the east, the front parapet is interrupted for access. The front parapet is structured by pilasters with volute capitals and rectangular fields. The chairs are separated from one another by armrests in front of balustrades placed on volutes. The seats can be folded back. The high back wall is structured by Corinthian pilasters with fields lined with leaves. In between there are slender blind arcades with a cornice and a crown stone. The conclusion is formed by a three-part entablature with a bulged frieze from around 1720/30.

Oil paintings

On the choir pilasters hang six large paintings with saints, whose names are each given in an essay. In addition, the saints can be recognized by their attributes or characteristic scenes from their lives. The pictures, which Joseph Anton Dobler from Mindelheim created around 1737, are provided with curly frames and tilted forward. With coats of arms or with symbolic references, a reference to a domain is made in each picture. A banner with a Latin word in imperative form reproduces various requests to the saints.

north			south
St. Anna City of Mindelheim (coat of arms) LIBERA (free)			St. Elisabet Electorate of Bavaria (coat of arms) CONFIRMA (firm)
St. James the Younger Emperor and Empire (double-headed imperial eagle) PACIFICA (make peace)			St. John the Baptist Pope and Church (tiara and Peter's key in front of a globe) AMPLIFICA (expand)
St. Joachim Jesuit College Mindelheim (building view ) ROBORA (strength)			St. Zacharias Schwaben (coat of arms with the three Staufer lions) CONSERVA (preserve)

Cribs

Jesuit crib in the choir room

The nativity scene in the Jesuit church dates back to 1618, when a nativity scene with figures about one meter high was first set up in the Jesuit church. It was expanded and renewed again and again in the following decades. How many figures the crib originally comprised is unknown. Today around 80 figures are still in the possession of the community and are set up in the choir every year at Christmas time. In the scene, shepherds, citizens of Mindelheim and farmers approach from the right and the three wise men with a large retinue and war elephants approach the stable in the middle from the left. The Queen of Sheba also rides on a white horse to the stable of Bethlehem. Originally, the individual figures should not have been set up in a common scene. It could have been the angel's preaching to Mary, the search for a hostel and the preaching to the shepherds. Only the scenes of the adoration of the shepherds, the three wise men at the manger and the wedding at Cana with a large table and dishes are certain. The background is from the 1960s and is not true to the original.

The so-called nativity scene from the monastery forest shows the scene of the wedding at Cana and is now in a cupboard in the vestibule anteroom. It comes from the former monastery in Klosterwald .

Furnishing

There are numerous other items of equipment in the church. The holy water font on the choir arch by the limestone sacristy door bears the carved inscription 17 IHS 40 . The holy water copper kettles on the south entrance door of the church are adorned with rocailles and were created in the middle of the 18th century, as was the offering box at the south entrance, a wooden baluster foot with volute. The perpetual traffic light in the middle of the choir, created in the middle of the 18th century, is made of silver with partly openwork rocaille ornamentation.

sacristy

The cupboards on the south wall of the sacristy

In the sacristy there is a large cabinet arranged in nine axes, which takes up the entire south side and is inlaid like a marquetry. A connecting panel is attached around the separating column in the middle. A small prayer chair with tail feet and rocailles carving dates from the middle of the 18th century. The chests of drawers are separated by Tuscan pilasters. The top cupboards spring back and have spring-loaded doors and cranked beams with a bulged frieze. In the eastern half, drilled, slightly protruding fields are adorned with simple, grotesque ornaments between the attachment doors. There are field pilaster strips between the fields of the western half. The paneled central pillar bears a picture of the Mocking of Christ, a badly damaged wooden painting by an unknown painter from the end of the 16th century. Several inscriptions, some of them badly damaged, can be seen on the cabinet doors. A small ivory crucifix made in the first half of the 18th century can be seen on the central door of the eastern section.

Another cupboard from 1722 on the north wall of the sacristy has paneled doors and a bulging entablature frieze. A damaged, semicircular painting on wood from the late 16th century on the east end of the north wall shows the Lord's Supper scene with the initials HK. A simple chest of drawers with six low drawers comes from the first half of the 18th century. A sedile from the middle of the 18th century with tail feet and rocailles is covered with red damask. A lecture cross and a small crucifix between the windows date from the second half of the 18th century. A crucifix and a Mater Dolorosa on a tail base were made between 1720 and 1730. A crucifix with a skull and a snake on the foot also comes from the second half, another with a silver-plated bronze body from the first quarter, the Savior of the Resurrection from the mid-18th century. A mounted lecture cross with a new bronze body, clover leaf ends and carved evangelist symbols was created around 1500. J. Ph. Brunnenmair ascribes a painting in a rectangular laurel frame with a half-length figure to the Immaculata Joseph Ruffini from Meran . Other paintings by an unknown painter from the middle of the 18th century depict St. Francis Xavier and probably St. John Nepomuk .

Vestibule of the sacristy

The anteroom between the sacristy and the choir is also furnished with works of art. On the east wall is a crucifix from the beginning of the 18th century, including a Mater Dolorosa from the middle of the 18th century. To the left of the cross stands St. Joachim, to the right St. Anna with the Child Mary. They were created towards the end of the 17th century. Two round arched wooden pictures from the first half of the 18th century show the Mater Dolorosa on the left and a man in pain on the right . In front of it is a new silver-plated folk altar. The Klosterwald nativity scene with the wedding of Kanaa is kept in a cupboard on the north side next to the door to the staircase, which is only open during Advent.

Chapels

Franz Xaver Chapel

Franz Xaver Chapel

The chapel on the south side of the choir from 1690 was dedicated to St. Consecrated to Franz Xaver . The east-facing rectangular building with two bays has a pitched roof covered with sheet metal. The yokes separate flat wall pillars with strong double pilasters. These are cranked, the framework is divided into three parts. The corners have half pillars with a pilaster; in the north-west corner there is only one piece of cornice, as an arched niche framed by bundles is the only access to the chapel through the choir. The semicircular barrel has wide stitch caps, ground in the apex, which are guided over a flat shield arch. Only in the southern wall are two transverse rectangular windows with recessed round arched vertical sides. The altar area in the east of the chapel is separated from the rest of the chapel by a wrought-iron grille made in 1751 by an unknown artist. It consists of vertical rods with gilded leaf tips, flowers and cross-shaped leaf rosettes. The gable-shaped central tower bears a monogram of St. Franz Xaver.

The altar by Matthias Willerotter from Mindelheim on the east side dates from 1743. It consists of reddish, yellow and blue-gray stucco marble. The stipes are bordered by volutes , the antependium is provided with bands and the Christ monogram IHS. The actual altar construction is on the Mensa set before a gilded tabernakelartiger reliquary with silver plated rocaille. The reliquary has three axes, each with two glazed chambers that are arranged one above the other. In the middle is an arm relic of St. Francis Xavier, above a monstrance with a depiction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus , under which a silver-plated pelican , also a symbol of Christ, sits. The altarpiece was created by an unknown painter around 1743. It shows the dying St. Francis Xavier, leaning with his back against a rock. In his hands he clutches a crucifix, which he looks down at. Angels float above the saint in the cloudy sky. A golden medallion with a carved crustacean protruding from the water and carrying a cross serves as an extract from the altar under cranked beams . The motif is based on a legend according to which a cancer was one of St. Franz Xavier brought back the cross lost in the sea.

The predominantly white, red and green stucco was created in 1743 by Matthias Willerotter from Mindelheim . It already belongs to the early rococo phase . It consists of symmetrical cartouches, bands, latticework, flower chains and twigs. In the middle there is a curved profile frame with a painting field. Large cartridges with fully plastic flower vases and an angel's head are located on the middle of the long sides. The four stitch caps of the chapel ceiling bear stucco reliefs of the four continents. At the top of each is a cloud with the Christ monogram IHS , in front of which a putto, who embodies the globe, is kneeling. To the north of the altar on the east side is a putto for Europe, who is holding a pilgrim's staff, a pontifical staff and a crook in his right hand . His left hand points to the Christ monogram IHS. A crown with a scepter lies to the left of the putto on a display cushion. The cartouche with Asia is located south of the altar. The kneeling putto humbly holds his hands crossed in front of his chest. In front of him is a two-story pagoda between palm trees . The northwestern stitch cap shows Africa. An elephant's head protrudes in front of a dark-skinned putto with crossed arms, behind him two pyramid-shaped huts can be seen under a palm tree . Opposite this figure is the fourth continent, America, in the southwestern stitch cap. A putto with a feather skirt and feather crown carries a bow in his left hand, the right hand points to the Christ monogram. There are three tipis behind him, and a buffalo head can be seen behind a palm tree in front of him.

Christ and St. Franz Xaver, northern painting

The three oil paintings in the chapel were donated by Duchess Mauritia Febronia . The central ceiling painting by an unknown artist was painted in 1691. It shows St. Franz Xavier at the baptism of pagans. The saint is depicted in a choir robe with a stole. His right hand holds a shell with the baptismal water for the heathen kneeling before him. Another clergyman is kneeling to Francisco's left holding a baptismal bowl. The pagans depicted are of different skin colors. The other two wall paintings were probably created by the same artist in 1694. The picture on the west wall shows St. Franz Xaver preaching. Here he is depicted as the central figure, above the pagans sitting and kneeling at his feet. He wears a priestly robe, his right hand holds a crucifix. There, too, pagans of various skin colors are depicted.

The north wall shows a scene that is not often found in this representation. Christ and St. Franz Xaver can be seen in the rectangular painting with bulges on the sides. Christ is represented as a good shepherd . He walks quickly in the rocky landscape and looks towards St. Franz Xaver around. He carries an Indian on his shoulders and follows Christ. At the top corners of the picture are putti holding two banners with the words SEQVERE ME (“Follow me”) and ECCE EGO: MITTE ME (“Here I am, send me”). Serpentines can be seen between the people, leading up a mountain and above a dove with a halo as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The stalls, which were made around 1743, have flat oak cheeks adorned with broad, rocailles-like notched bands and acanthus. A knee bench from the third quarter of the 18th century resembles the two longer ones in the church. The confessional standing on the west wall with a volute gable above the central axis from the middle of the 18th century was built around 1726. One of the few sculptural figures in the church, the crescent moon Madonna , stands on a plinth on the north wall and was carved around 1670. It could come from Thomas Baumhauer or Martin Döttel from Mindelheim.

Ignatius Chapel

Altar of the Ignatius Chapel

The Ignatius Chapel on the first floor above the sacristy is only accessible via the monastery wing. On the eastern wall there are two rectangular windows in arched niches, in the west the access door is also embedded in an arched niche. The Ignatius altar covers the middle of the three windows in the south wall to the choir. The lightly painted wooden coffered ceiling was installed around 1629. It has a sloping throat and is divided into two large squares in the shape of a cross and a central curved oval field. In the dividing middle frieze there is a Jesus monogram within the oval field. In the cove , oval cassettes have different formats. The ceiling painting in the grisaille style consists of leaf frame frames, Hermes pilasters, angel heads and scrollwork. The floor of unknown age has a rose lace pattern.

The wooden altar from 1756 stands in the middle of the south wall. The wood is marbled pink and blue-gray. The Rocailles decor is gold-plated, the stipes are bulged. The tabernacle is convex and framed by scrolls. An engraved chalice with a host can be seen on the tail door. The curly altarpiece shows St. Ignatius of Loyola . He kneels in a white religious robe with a red chasuble adorned with flowers. At his feet is a white angel with an open book with the inscription OMNIA AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM (“Everything for the higher glory of God”), the motto of the Jesuits. The saint's gaze goes to heaven, where the eye of God can be seen. There are two putti on the cranked, slightly curved cornice. The extension is made in the form of a curved flat gable. A remnant of the cloud can still be seen there today. The rest of the Radiance with Clouds is in the library today.

organ

Today's organ prospectus

Organ from 1722

Nothing is known about the first organ by a Hall organ builder from 1663. Sources are only available from the new organ from 1722, from which the organ from 1663 was removed. The first colored version of the prospectus , which is still in the church today, was given in 1727. There are no archival references to the organ builder. However, comparisons with organs in the vicinity in Tussenhausen, Kirchhaslach and Steingaden allow the conclusion that the organ builder from Tussenhausen could be Augustin Simnacher . The original disposition of the organ can now be determined on the basis of traditional data. It must have been as follows:

Repair 1832

In 1832 Meinrad Dreher and his son Joseph Anton Dreher from Illereichen repaired the organ. They expanded the pedals from two to four registers, made a new wind chest for the pedal and placed it in front of the central window between the main housings of the prospectus. This gave the pedal more tone. The first three basses were on the new wind chest, the fifth bass was the only one left on the old one. The pitches, which had the lower tuning common in Central Swabia since the 18th century , the so-called mediam tone , were raised during this repair. The repair cost 150 guilders, for the master carpenter Ruppert Weißenhorn from Mindelheim for the new pedal tray 18.98 guilders. After the expansion, the organ had 18 stops. In the statistical description of the city and the urban district of Mindelheim in 1859 by Trieb and Seybold, the instrument was described as a very old organ in a ruinous condition .

The pedals had the following disposition:

New building in 1896

Due to the poor condition of the organ, it was decided in 1896 to buy a new instrument. The company GF Steinmeyer & Co. from Oettingen built as Opus 577 , the new comprehensive 24 register organ at a price of 11,475.30 Goldmark . Only parts of the prospectus of the old organ were taken over, even the prospectus pipes were made new. The organ was installed in the middle of the second gallery on the west side of the church. A total of four drawers measuring 190 × 64 centimeters each were installed. The shops were set up on C and Cis sides on two floors one above the other. The historical organ cases were used for the 8 ′ or higher registers, the smaller registers were placed at floor level. The prospect pipes were not used except for the ten largest and were only attached for decoration. Behind the main work at the height of the prospectus, the registers of the II. Manual were placed on a drawer measuring 347 × 82 centimeters. The upper, middle church window was partially blocked. Because of this, the window on the west side of the church had to be changed and a connection between the historic main housing and a new prospect field had to be created. Two pedal shops were set up behind the main plant and auxiliary plant at floor level. These stores were 225 × 72 centimeters in size. The pedal drawers were set up in C and C sharp (16 'height). The organ system reached from the west wall of the church to the gallery parapet.

The gaming table was set up on the first gallery. This was connected to the organ on the second gallery by a pneumatic tube. This solution was chosen so that in addition to the organ player there was also room for choristers. Neither of them would have found a place on the second gallery. Since the organist could no longer hear the organ directly, this solution was extremely unfavorable. The longer response time of the pneumatic action also had a negative effect on playability. For these reasons, the choir was rarely accompanied by the organ; demanding performances on the organ were hardly possible. During the restoration of the church in 1907, partial attempts were made to restore the organ to its old optical condition.

The organ from 1896 had the following disposition:

Rebuilt in 1907

The organ builder Julius Schwarzbauer from Mindelheim rebuilt the Steinmeyer organ in 1907. The main and subsidiary works were placed on the gallery behind cabinet-like wooden panels on the left and right. The pedal mechanism was attached behind the main housing and the auxiliary mechanism was converted into a swell mechanism using a shutter box. Schwarzbauer largely reversed the changes made to the historic organ case by Steinmeyer. He pushed the case back against the west wall of the church and placed the part-works drawers near the floor of the organ gallery. This new construction caused further problems, however, as the sub-plant shops were not designed for this. Maintenance on the valves was almost impossible due to the difficult access to them. The console was moved to the center of the organ gallery. This reduced its distance to the manual works to ten meters. But this width also caused considerable delays in addressing the notes. Even if one takes into account the period of origin, the rebuilt work, in which the disposition remained unchanged, lacked the characteristics of a solid organ. The positive case, which had been empty since 1896, remained unused during this conversion. The baroque parts of the prospectus only served as decoration.

Organ from 1987

Side view of today's organ

The console of today's organ

The inside of today's organ

After the church was renovated from 1976 to 1981, the decision was made to renew the organ in 1987. An agreement was reached with the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation in Munich, the organ expert of the Diocese of Augsburg and the community of Mindelheim to purchase a new organ instead of repairing or converting the old one. The organ workshop Rudolf Kubak from Augsburg received the order for the new instrument. The historical organ cases had to be changed and integrated into the new organ, taking into account the construction principles of the earlier organ building workshops and meeting the requirement of organ monument maintenance to preserve the historical cases with the prospect pipes and some of the old Steinmeyer pipes from 1896. So-called combined drawers in C and C sharp graduation for the main work and the pedal were built into the two main cases. Manual II was designed as a parapet positive. The wind chests were designed as sliding chests and can be recognized by the division of the brochure. In the old Swabian tradition, the gaming table was built free-standing with a view of the high altar. The playing and stop action are purely mechanical. The old organ cases were missing the backs of the cases and the roofs, which are important for the sound. These were probably removed during the previous new builds and renovations. The wooden structures were also heavily infested with woodworms. An electrically operated organ fan was installed for the wind supply, which blows compressed air into the bellows through a wooden duct. Three multi-fold magazines keep fresh organ wind ready for the individual parts of the organ. The mood is moderately mid-tone . In the shops, actions, cases and pipes, wood and alloys were used according to the practice of Swabian and Upper Swabian baroque masters. However, they are also sufficient today.

In keeping with the southern German tradition, the main work has a full principal choir. To the manner of a Southern German Hornle to play, the third 1 was ³ / ₅ 'of the Principal family supplied, thereby allowing coloring all sound levels. The sonic backbone of the organ is the main work with its principal registers. For reasons of space, it did not have a 16 'register. This was primarily achieved through the baroque predecessor organs in Upper Swabia and their builders. The organ builders Holzhay, Freiwiß, Simnacher and others also often did without these 16 'stops. The positive can be described as a small work compared to the main work. It takes on the function of an accompanying and continuo instrument and has the characteristic so-called Swabian flutes , the coloring aliquots , the tightly graduated Salicet register and the Cromorne reed part. The sonic independence from the main work is guaranteed by the principal 4 'base and the 4-fold mixture.

The principal of the pedal work was coordinated with the main work and the space was optimally used by two mechanical transmission devices. You didn't have to do without the necessary sound options. The reeds and the cantus firmus give the pedal gravity. The instrument has 27 registers and two deductions (1745 pipes) on two manual works and a pedal. The wind pressure of the main work and pedal is 70 mm water column, the wind pressure of the positive is 60 mm water column. The disposition is:

I Hauptwerk C – g 3 01. Principal 8th' 02. Gamba 8th' 03. Bourdon 8th' 04th Octav 4 ′ 05. Pointed flute 4 ′ 06th Quint 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 07th Super octave 2 ′ 08th. third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ 09. Mixture IV-V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 10. Cornet (from g 0 ) 00 8th' 11. Trumpet 8th' Zimbelstern

II Positive C-g 3 12. Salicet 8th' 13. Copel 8th' 14th Principal 8th' 15th Fluet 4 ′ 16. Nassard (previously no. 17) 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 17th Sesqiualtera II (from c 1 ) 00 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 18th Flageolet 2 ′ 19th Quint 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 20th Octav (in advance No. 20) 2 ′ 21st Sharp III – IV 1' 22nd Cromorne 8th' Tremulant

Pedal C – f 1 23. Sub-bass 16 ′ 24. Octave bass 08th' 25th Borudon bass 08th' 26th Chorale bass 04 ′ 27. Rauschpfeife II 00 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 28. Bombard 16 ′ 29 Trumpet 08th'

• Coupling: II / I, I / P, II / P

Bells

The ridge on the roof of the choir

There are three bells hanging in the ridge above the choir. The oldest is ascribed to an unknown Nuremberg master and is dated to the first quarter of the 15th century. It has a diameter of 59 centimeters and is 49.5 centimeters high. The inscription is partly difficult to read, the individual words are separated by anchor crosses and bell symbols. The inscription reads: he vnd gvt vilt dir Iaiden nev die sel von dem body ... yt . The front of the crown bow is designed as a plait, the crown sitting on it was destroyed. The attribution was based on the same characters on a bell in Heidenheim near Gunzenhausen from 1422. The Mindelheim bell is the last link in a group of Nuremberg bells that has existed since 1398.

The second bell is attributed to Gregor Löffler and Sons from Innsbruck. The bell, cast in 1555, has a diameter of 75.5 centimeters and is 62 centimeters high. The shoulder inscription is attached between cord straps. A lying vine leaf can be seen in front of the Roman number MCCCCCXXXXXV, flanked by a crucifixion group relief and a representation of Mary. The brass knuckle has three webs, the crown stirrup has a rectangular cross-section with set edges. These are smooth, the upper arm horizontal, the lower one drawn in. The fact that the bell was cast by the Löffler brothers from Innsbruck can be seen from the comparison of the writing and the reliefs, which are similar to those on the bell in today's Sonthofen district of Margarethen from 1560.

The third bell is labeled Hanns Georg Riederer, Mindelheim, 1688. The smallest bell with a diameter of 55 centimeters and a height of 48 centimeters has a shoulder inscription between two double bars. It is AVS DEM FEIR FLOS ICH HANNS GEORG RIEDERER IN MINDLHAIM GOS ME 1688 . Below is a frieze made of a hanging vegetable ornament motif. The flank is adorned with a Mother of God, the crown stirrup bears a lion's head on the front.

literature

• Alois Epple: Church cribs in the Oberallgäu . In: Bavarian sheets for folklore. Communications and materials . Vol. 10, 1983, ISSN  0720-8006 , p. 218-226 .
• Lenz Kriss-Rettenbeck : The crib in research and science . In: Bavarian sheets for folklore. Communications and materials . Vol. 5, 1978, p. 47-54 .
• Heinrich Habel: Mindelheim district. (Brief inventory) (=  Bavarian art monuments . Volume 31 ). Deutscher Kunstverlag, 1971, ISSN  0522-5264 , p. 247-266 .
• Erich Lidel: The Swabian Crib (=  contributions to regional studies of Swabia . Volume 5 ). Anton H. Konrad, 1978, ISBN 3-87437-148-4 , ISSN  0175-5463 .
• Richard Paletta: The organ of the Jesuit Church Mindelheim . Catholic parish church St. Stephan Mindelheim, Mindelheim 1987, OCLC 318612319 .
• Sabine Poeschel: Studies on the Iconography of the Continents in Art from the 16th to 18th Centuries Century (=  contributions to art history . Volume 3 ). Scaneg, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-9800671-3-0 , p. 99-107, 146-201 (at the same time: Münster, Universität, Dissertation, 1984).
• Sybe Wartena: The South German choir stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism . Munich 2008, p. 168–182 ( edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de [PDF; 5.9 MB ; accessed on March 26, 2011] Munich, Ludwig Maximilians University, dissertation, 2005).
• Friedrich Zoepfl, Erwin Holzbaur: The churches of Mindelheim (=  Small Art Guide . Volume 511 ). 4th, revised edition. Schnell & Steiner, 1995, ZDB -ID 51387-8 , p. 12-18 .

Web links

Commons : Annunciation  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Technical information from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Habel: Mindelheim district. 1971, p. 248.
2. ^ Friedrich Zoepfl: History of the city of Mindelheim in Swabia. Schnell and Steiner, Munich 1948, DNB 455832293 , p. 63.
3. ^ Zoepfl: History of the city of Mindelheim in Swabia. 1948, p. 77.
4. ^ Zoepfl: History of the city of Mindelheim in Swabia. 1948, p. 86.
5. ^ Zoepfl: History of the city of Mindelheim in Swabia. 1948, p. 255.
6. ^ Zoepfl: History of the city of Mindelheim in Swabia. 1948, p. 109.
7. ^ Habel: Mindelheim district. 1971, p. 253.
8. ↑ ^{a b} Habel: Mindelheim district. 1971, p. 254
9. ↑ ^{a b} Habel: Mindelheim district. 1971, p. 255.
10. ↑ Wartena: The South German Choir Stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism. 2005, p. 181.
11. ↑ Wartena: The South German Choir Stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism. 2005, p. 177.
12. ↑ Wartena: The South German Choir Stalls from the Renaissance to Classicism. 2005, p. 168.
13. ↑ A love from childhood. In: Memminger Zeitung . P. 13.
14. ^ Christian Schedler, The Mindelheimer Jesuitenkrippe 2010
15. ↑ Description of the coat of arms of the parish of St. Xaver in Leoben. ( Memento from October 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) on: stadtpfarre-leoben.at
16. ^ Habel: Mindelheim district. 1971, p. 258.
17. ^ Georg Brenninger, Gerhard Rieger: Orgeln in Schwaben . Bruckmann, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-7654-2001-8 , pp. 91 .
18. ^ Paletta: The organ of the Jesuit Church Mindelheim. 1987, p. 9.
19. ^ Paletta: The organ of the Jesuit Church Mindelheim. 1987, p. 18.
20. ^ Paletta: The organ of the Jesuit Church Mindelheim. 1987, p. 22.
21. ↑ ^{a b c} Franz Dambeck, Günther Grundmann: German Bell Atlas . Deutscher Kunstverlag Munich Berlin, 1967, numbers 1217–1219.

Coordinates: 48 ° 2 ′ 45.4 "  N , 10 ° 29 ′ 7.7"  E

This article was added to the list of excellent articles on January 8, 2013 in this version .