Michaelerkirche (Vienna)

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Coordinates: 48 ° 12 ′ 28.8 ″  N , 16 ° 22 ′ 1.3 ″  E

The Michaelerkirche in Vienna

The St. Michael's Church (Parish Church of St. Michael) is a Roman Catholic parish church on Michaelerplatz in the first  Viennese district , Inner City . It was from 1219 to 1221 by the Babenberg Duke Leopold VI. and was one of three parishes in Vienna in the 13th century , next to St. Stephan and the Schottenstift , and is one of the oldest churches in Vienna. The Michaelerkirche is one of the few Romanesque buildings in Vienna. Some elements were subsequently built over in the Baroque or Classicist style . The church is dedicated to the Archangel Michael and has been looked after by the Salvatorians since 1923 .

The church is best known for the Michael crypt, in which some corpses were mummified instead of rotting due to special climatic properties.

history

Michaelerkirche in the Middle Ages

There is no evidence of a previous church where the Michaelerkirche stands today. It is assumed, however, that there was a previous church in the 11th century (after Oettinger and Kieslinger ). The masonry of the current church comes from the time of the pagan towers of St. Stephen's Cathedral . During excavations around the church, however, the remains of a Roman villa from the 2nd century AD were found. Today's Michaelerkirche, built around 1220, was affected by fires in 1275, 1319 and 1327.

The parish was, according to another document from Leopold VI. Founded in 1221. However, this document is a forgery from the 14th century, as we now know for sure. The original architectural style of the Michaelerkirche was late Romanesque with early Gothic elements.

Walled up Romanesque entrance

The first secured written mention of the church comes from the year 1267 by a pastor named "Gerhard von Siebenbürgen". He mentions the Michaelerkirche as a branch church in connection with St. Stephan. The Michaelerkirche was originally a so-called city parish. This means that it was not subject to any ecclesiastical order and that the church was maintained by the owners of the property, namely the city , and was paid just like the priest in charge . The Michaelerkirche was - next to the Augustinerkirche  - for a long time the second court parish church of the Habsburg emperors and only lost this status in 1784 (see also kuk Hof- und Burgpfarre ).

Column decorations

The construction was planned from the beginning as a three-aisled church in the late Romanesque style. Michaelerkirche was built around the extension of the city walls, i.e. after 1200, around the second quarter of the 13th century. In the central nave of the church you will find extensive style elements that confirm the start of construction for this time. It has capitals (vine leaf capital ), some of which are late Romanesque, and which can be dated to around 1220 , on the columns . This is followed by columns with chalice capitals and columns of even later date with leaf capitals. A special feature was the first Romanesque choir, at that time the choir square was made of brick and the outside was not plastered, but rather plastered. The white grooves simulated a larger brick format than actually used. In the 15th century the Romanesque choir was replaced by the current choir. The nave was built in the second half of the 13th century and has been preserved in its former form to this day. The central nave vault, which was built after the great fire in 1276, can be dated precisely. In 1350 the cruciform chapel was built in the left choir, which is still preserved today. In 1416 the main choir was extended by Duke Albrecht V. Essentially, however, the choirs were built after a city fire in 1327, and changes were made later.

Renovations in the 15th and 16th centuries

At the end of the 15th century, the small Romanesque window niches were replaced by large Gothic windows. From the year 1525 there is still a restored bell that survived the wars. It was cast by the Viennese bell founder Laszlo Raczko . Like the tower, it was damaged in one of the numerous earthquakes and recovered from the destroyed tower crown after the Neulengbach earthquake in 1590 . The staircase of the three stacked spiral staircases in the new tower came from the imperial quarry on Leithaberg .

Like almost all churches from this time, the Michaelerkirche also had a cemetery. This was closed in 1508 under Emperor Maximilian I. However, until the 18th century, new grave slabs and memorial stones were repeatedly placed inside the church. According to evidence, the Herberstein family had the first crypt built in 1560 . While the tombs were always reserved for the rich, the less well-off and poor were buried in a cemetery in today's 7th district of Vienna.

The time of the Barnabites (1626-1923)

Portal porch with angel lintel
Main entrance of the Michaelerkirche; Design by Ernest Koch (1792)

In 1626, in the middle of the Thirty Years War , the church was handed over to the Italian order of the Barnabites for care. Major renovations took place under the Barnabites. In a dispute in 1644 between the Kaiserstein Brucher Steinmetz master Ambrosius Petruzzy and Anthony Purisol the Vienna confirmed Bauhütte the master Ambrosius Petruzzy his stonemason hut at St. Michael. It was work in the Vesper picture chapel.

Large parts of the church were first redesigned in Baroque style and later adapted to classicism (such as the high altar). The porch porch was designed and built in 1724. It is by Lorenzo Mattielli and represents the fall of an angel . The current west facade in classicistic style was built in 1792 according to designs by Ernest Koch and the baroque high altar in 1782 according to designs by Jean Baptiste d'Avrange , stone carvings were carried out by Stefan Gabriel Steinböck . The monumental alabaster relief Engelsturz on the back wall was created by Karl Georg Merville .

Since 1660, the Barnabites had their own cemetery in what is now the 6th district of Vienna, where the poor and less well-off found their final resting place. The Barnabites not only brought the Baroque with them, they also tended the catacombs. The bone layers are all from the time of the Barnabites. When the order left Vienna in 1920, the administration of the church was transferred to the order of the Salvatorians .

The time of the Salvatorians (since 1923)

After the Barnabites had left the parish, it was closed on January 1st, 1926 and the parish was divided among the neighboring parishes. The parish was not rebuilt until 1939 and in 1979 it took over parts of the abandoned parish of St. Peter. The Salvatorians are trying to maintain and renovate the historic church. After centuries of change and renovation, the church is now being maintained and renovated mainly through donations, the City of Vienna and the Federal Monument Protection Agency. At the moment, all attention is focused on the catacombs , in which the centuries-old coffins threaten to disintegrate within a few years due to pest infestation ( weevils (Curculionidae)) and a humid climate. The high humidity also affects the mummies in particular. For this reason, an air conditioning system was installed in the crypt, which slowly lowers the humidity and temperature. The aim is to cool the tomb at 60–65% relative humidity to 10 ° C, as the weevil then falls into winter rigor and cannot cause any further damage.

Worth seeing and special in the Michaelerkirche

Entrance area of ​​the tower chapel with fresco from around 1350

The (partially built over) triumphal arch (sanctuary) between the transept and the choir, on which Armageddon is depicted with Jesus and his disciples, dates from the middle of the 14th century .

In the tower chapel with a cross vault from the 13th century there are wall paintings from around 1300 and around 1325. The entrance to the tower chapel is decorated with a gable decoration that is dated 1643. To the right of the portal is a wall painting depicting St. Michael represents the balance of souls between Mary and the child as advocate and Satan as accuser and was created around 1350.

The Kreuzkapelle (formerly: Nikolauskapelle), a side chapel in the right side choir, has been preserved unchanged in the southern side choir since around 1350. Another chapel was built around 1630 as a burial place for the Counts Cavriani , all the others are Gothic in origin and were later changed to Baroque style.

There are over 100 tombs or epitaphs in the church , as it was the most important burial church in Vienna alongside St. Stephen's Cathedral . To the right of the Alexander Sauli Chapel is the oldest tombstone found so far with an incised full coat of arms (Gotfrid, † 1341).

Chancel and high altar

The sanctuary

The Baroque reconstruction of the Gothic choir 1781/1782 was made to a design by d'Avrange Jean Baptiste . The four evangelist statues of the high altar are by Johann Martin Fischer and the statues of Saint Rochus (right) and Saint Sebastian (left) as well as the two putti and the four angels by Philipp Jakob Prokop . Above the tabernacle is the miraculous image of Maria Candia, an Italo-Byzantine work of art from the 16th century, which was transferred here from the Nikolauskirche in Candia (today Heraklion ). The angel's fall stucco relief from the choir vault down to the altar on the choir apex wall (choir closure) was created by the sculptor Karl Georg Merville , as was the cloudy sky. The bronze ornaments on the tabernacle, the cafeteria and the pillars were made by Benedikt Henrici , who also created the gilded relief with the Lamb of God on the high altar. The types of marble used were those with pale colors, except for the tabernacle and the altar cladding, where the white Carrara marble was used. Stefan Gabriel Steinböck was commissioned to do this stonemasonry .

Mozart Requiem

At the exequies for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on December 10, 1791, parts of his requiem were performed for the first time in the Michaelerkirche , probably the first or the first two movements, because Mozart had only been able to finish these. This memorial service was donated by Emanuel Schikaneder and cost 26  guilders and 35  kreuzers (according to today's purchasing power between 15,000 and 20,000 €), which was a really proud price. For comparison: a beautiful wooden coffin cost between 3 guilders (softwood) and 17 guilders (walnut).

organ

The organ

The organ of the Michaelerkirche was built by Johann David Sieber and was first heard on January 24th, 1714 in the presence of Emperor Charles the Vl. In order not to obstruct the incidence of light through the west window, the main work and pedal , separated into C and C sharp drawers, are located in two organ cases on the north and south wall of the gallery, which was extended and to the front according to a design by Antonio Beduzzi in 1713 Music gallery had been rebuilt. The rear part of the gallery rests on a late Gothic vault, the front on a wooden beam ceiling. The extension of the gallery was planned for the instrument; the technical connections between the console, the positive balustrade, the two side organ cases and the bellows run in its double floor . While playing, the organist looks in the direction of the west window; in his back, built into the parapet, there is the Rückpositiv , in front of him, integrated into the console , is the continuo piece.

The instrument was modified by Gottfried Sonnholz as early as 1742 and then several times during the 19th and 20th centuries. Among other things, the Rückpositiv was removed from the parapet and some historical registers and the bellows were lost. During the First World War, all prospect pipes had to be handed in for armament purposes. On April 24, 1972, the order to restore the organ was awarded to master organ builder Arnulf Klebel. When this failed and many historical organ parts were lost, the contract had to be withdrawn in 1977. The organ parts that Klebel had brought to an unknown location in Vienna could only be seized in 1980 and returned to St. Michael's Church, a situation that is probably unique in the history of organ building in Austria . The processes in this context extended over approximately five years. In 1986 the organ was finally restored to its original condition from 1714 by the organ builder Jürgen Ahrend . The instrument has 40  registers on three manuals and a pedal with mechanical sliding drawers . 32 of the historical registers have been preserved.

Disposition

I back positive C- ( short octave ) –c 3
1. Copula 8th'
2. Principal 4 ′
3. Whistle 4 ′
4th Nassat 3 ′
5. Octav 2 ′
6th Quint 1 1 ⁄ 2  ′
7th Sedecima 1'
8th. Mixture V
9. bassoon 8th'
II main work CDEFGA – c 3
10. Drone 16 ′
11. Principal 8th'
12. Bifflutes 8th'
13. Piffares 8th'
14th Quinta Dena 8th'
15th Gamba 8th'
16. Salecinal 8th'
17th Octava 4 ′
18th Fugara 4 ′
19th Night horn 4 ′
20th Quinta 3 ′
21st Octav 2 ′
22nd Foldt flute 2 ′
23. Quint 1 1 ⁄ 2  ′
24. Sedecima 1'
25th Sesquialtera II
26th Mixtura VI
27. Zimbl IV
III Continuo CDEFGA – c 3
28. Copula 8th'
29 Flutes 4 ′
30th Octav 2 ′
31. Mixture III
CDEFGA – a 0 pedal
32. Principal 16 ′
33. Sub bass 16 ′
34. Drone 16 ′
35. Octava 8th'
36. Tubal 8th'
37. Octav 4 ′
38. Cornett VI
39. Bombed 16 ′
40. Trumpets 8th'

The Michaeler Crypt

Epitaphs for Count Paul Sixt III. von Trautson (left) and Prince Johann Leopold Donat von Trautson (right) in the choir of the Michaelerkirche. Both were buried in metal sarcophagi in the Michaeler Crypt.

The Michaeler Crypt is located directly under the church and even partially extends beyond it. Burials within the church have been documented from 1350 onwards. Around 4,000 people were buried in the vaults under the Michaelerkirche. Four church servants were employed to stack and store the bones in the crypt .

At first only rich citizens and nobles were buried in the Michaeler Crypt. For the less wealthy dead from the parish of St. Michael, there was first the cemetery around the church (first documented mention in 1310) and later cemeteries outside the city walls. The crypt in its present form was built between 1560 and 1731 and was used as a burial place for the parish of St. Michael for all social classes ("parish crypt") until 1784. It was finally closed due to the Josefin reforms and replaced by cemeteries outside the city walls (see also Sankt Marxer Friedhof ). In addition, wealthy citizens and aristocrats had the opportunity to buy their own tombs in the Michaelerkirche, in which they were exclusively buried with their relatives. These family graves were very expensive and financed the maintenance of the parish crypt.

In the Michaelerkirche the tombs of the nobles were accessible via marble slabs in the floor of the church. The marble slabs show the coats of arms of the families whose entrance to the crypt they formed. At the funeral, the coffins were let down into the crypt from above instead of being carried down a side passage, as is customary elsewhere. In many families, such as the Trautson , it was customary for only those family members who had received a raised status for their gender to receive magnificent tombs in the Michaelerkirche. Pietro Metastasio , who wrote libretti (his libretto Il sogno di Scipione was used by Mozart) and as a poet at the court of Charles VI. and Maria Theresias was active, is the most famous deceased in the Michaeler Crypt. The Michaeler Crypt is famous for its mummies , which were probably created by the climate in the crypt. Due to pest infestation ( weevils ), the Michaeler Crypt has been continuously renovated since 2006.

The brotherhood and aristocratic crypts of the Michael crypt

Cover plate of the Werdenberg crypt
Cover plate of the Pergen-Suttinger crypt

Trivia

In the years 1955, 1956 and 1957 the Michaelerkirche was the setting for the films of the Sissi trilogy several times . Since St. Stephen's Cathedral fell victim to a devastating fire in 1945, the reconstruction lasted until 1952 and the Archdiocese of Vienna would not have granted a filming permit for the cathedral, this church was avoided. In addition, the connection to the Michaelertrakt of the Hofburg was obvious, and it was cheaper to shoot here.

literature

Web links

Commons : Michaelerkirche (Vienna)  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michaelerkirche Wien , Kirchenführer (published by the Catholic Parish Office St. Michael) 2008, p. 2.
  2. ^ Medieval archeology in Austria (contributions from the conference in Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol, October 2 to 6, 2012) → Bricks as archaeological artifacts → Medieval bricks in Northern Austria
  3. ↑ a b c Church leader: Michaelerkirche Vienna ; Verlag St. Peter ( Online )
  4. ↑ Reinhard Böllmann: The organ of the Vienna Michaelerkirche. Description and forensics . In: Erwin Ortner , Wolfgang Sauseng , Andreas Peterl (Eds.): Viennese Contributions to Organ and Church Music, Institute for Organ, Organ Research and Church Music University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna . Volume 3, Vienna 2015, pp. 30–193, here p. 86.
  5. ↑ More information on the design of the organ
  6. ↑ Wolfgang Sauseng in an interview: [...] In the chapter room of the monastery, where the rehearsals were taking place, organ debris was lying around, and the gaming table was also there. At every rehearsal, the choir members took some of these organ parts with them, as souvenirs, as toys for the children, for handicrafts. [...]; Manuel Schuen: Interviews on the restoration of the Sieber organ - memories and stories from protagonists . In: Erwin Ortner Wolfgang Sauseng, Andreas Peterl (eds.): Viennese contributions to the organ and church music, Institute for organ, organ research and church music University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna . Volume 3, Vienna 2015, pp. 216–232, here p. 217.
  7. ^ Wolfgang Kreuzhuber: The arduous way to restore the Sieber organ in the Michaelerkirche As 1972-1987 . In: Erwin Ortner Wolfgang Sauseng, Andreas Peterl (eds.): Viennese contributions to the organ and church music, Institute for organ, organ research and church music University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna . Volume 3. Vienna 2015, pp. 14–29, here p. 24.
  8. ↑ P. Wolfgang Worsch in an interview: [...] I was very lucky that Vienna's most famous lawyer, Dr. Peter Stern , (son of the lawyer Michael Stern ), represented me […] maybe in 1982, a settlement finally came about. [...]; Manuel Schuen: Interviews on the restoration of the Sieber organ - memories and stories from protagonists . In: Erwin Ortner Wolfgang Sauseng, Andreas Peterl (eds.): Viennese contributions to the organ and church music, Institute for organ, organ research and church music University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna . Volume 3, Vienna 2015, pp. 216–232, here p. 218.
  9. ↑ Information and pictures about the organ of the Michaelerkirche ( Memento from July 14th 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  10. ↑ See the description in Alexander Glück / Marcello LaSperanza / Peter Ryborz: "Unter Wien: On the trail of the third man through canals, tombs and casemates", Christoph Links Verlag 2001, p. 57 ff online (accessed on October 31, 2012)
  11. ↑ z. B. August Freiherr von Meyerberg, see Friedrich von Adelung
  12. ↑ Buccellini in Italian-speaking Wikipedia
  13. ↑ This is the family of Werdenberg zu Namiest , the descendants of Johann Baptist Verda von Verdenberg .
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on February 27, 2006 .