Michaelsberg (Cleebronn)
| Michaelsberg | ||
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 View from the east |
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| height | 394.7 m above sea level NHN | |
| location | Baden-Württemberg | |
| Coordinates | 49 ° 2 '20 " N , 9 ° 2' 50" E | |
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| Type | Kegelberg | |
The Michaelsberg near Cleebronn is 394.7 m above sea level. NHN a prominent elevation on the southern edge of the Zabergäus . Remnants of buildings from Roman times have already been found here. In addition to the predominantly Romanesque St. Michael's Church, there are also the buildings of a Baroque Capuchin monastery , which today serve as a Catholic youth conference center. Traces of the medieval Obermagenheim Castle can be found on the western edge of the mountain.
The mountain is a cone mountain with a plateau approximately 350 m long and a maximum of 60 m wide. It owes the title "Guardian of Zabergäus" to its exposed location. It is located around one kilometer southeast of the municipality of Cleebronn. In the immediate vicinity there is to the north - in the direction of the Zabergäus - the Magenheim Castle and south - on the edge of the Stromberg - the adventure park Tripsdrill and the wildlife paradise Tripsdrill . When the weather is good, you can see the Königstuhl , the Katzenbuckel , the Löwenstein Mountains and the Swabian Alb .
history
Pre-Christian time
The first proven traces of settlement on the Michaelsberg date from the early Celtic period. In 1979, during excavations, fragments from this era were found. However, proof of a fortification was not possible.
The use of the mountain is also known from Roman times: During various excavations, wall remains of hand blocks, the joints of which were painted red, were found. First archaeological interpretations from the 1930s that this was a Gallo-Roman sanctuary could not be confirmed, so that the exact meaning of the complex has not yet been clarified. It is very likely that the building was connected to a Roman manor that was located at the foot of the mountain, the remains of which were destroyed when the vineyards were cleared in 1979. Coincidental finds from Roman times are white terracotta figures as cult objects and various Roman silver coins that show the minting of Emperor Gratian .
Early Christian usage
The Michaelsberg was mentioned for the first time in a document and in a Christian context in Franconian times, when in 793 in the Lorsch Codex a nun named Hilteburc bequeathed the mountain, which was then called "Runingenburc", to the Lorsch Monastery in an extensive donation along with some other lands. It can be assumed with great certainty that the mountain was already a cult site of a Christian district in Alemannic times. Evidence of such scattered Christianity could be found in the area, for example in Heilbronn am Rosenberg, through grave goods from the late 5th or early 6th century. The consecration in favor of the Archangel Michael provides a concrete indication of an Alemannic own church : Many other early Christian foundations go back to a Michael cult, e.g. B. the church of St. Michael in Binswangen , the predecessor of the Heilbronn Kilianskirche consecrated to Michael or the Michaelsberg near Böttingen .
The first artifacts from the Middle Ages were found in the form of ceramic remains, which could be dated to the early 8th century. The predecessor of today's church, which was the object of the donation, could also come from the Carolingian era. Its location could roughly be traced through excavations: The church at that time was located below the current building and was significantly smaller. Her tower with a square foundation was on the west side. During further excavations, an enclosure wall to the north came to light, which may also belong to this first structure.
middle Ages
The complex was supplemented in high medieval times by the Obermagenheim Castle of the Lords of Magenheim , which was razed in the 16th century during the peasant wars . The last remaining foundation walls were exposed in 1899 during the construction of a powder tower that had since been blown up . Some finds that are interesting from an archaeological point of view were stored in the Stuttgart lapidarium , which was destroyed in the Second World War.
In the 13th century there was a frequent change of rulership on Michaelsberg: In 1232 it came to the Archbishopric Mainz , the church now served the Mainz part of Cleebronn. In 1279 Konrad von Magenheim took over the patronage rights from Archbishop Werner of Mainz in order to hand over the facility to the diocese of Speyer in 1292 . Even at this time, the older name of the mountain as "Ruhelberg" (1351) and "Reyelberg" (1480) was found in documents.
In 1494 there was another change of ownership: the ore monastery Mainz sold the Michaelsberg together with shares in Kurmainzisch-Cleebronn, Bönnigheim and Erligheim to the Lords of Woellwarth . Since the family changed to the Protestant faith quite early as part of the Reformation , there were initially no more Catholic services since the beginning of the 16th century. In 1572 Bernhard the Younger bought the church from the Liebenstein family . About Liebenstein Michael Berg in 1572 came to around 350 years ago as a fief back into the hands of the archbishopric of Mainz until 1666 the Boennigheim-New Cleebronner territory, including the Church as a pledge of Württemberg passed. It is possible that the church has not been used as such since the Reformation, but this is certain for 1666: for this year it is documented that the building was used as a barn and was already badly damaged, in part by vandalism .
From 1727: time under the Counts of Stadion
After a first attempt in 1724, the Catholic Count Johann Philipp von Stadion succeeded in transferring it to him as a Mainz fiefdom from Württemberg in 1727. Basically, he was concerned about the “very poor state of the Catholic religion in the pledged places”. The aim of the new liege lord was to stop the decline of the church and to make it a center of the Catholic faith in Zabergäu. With the ongoing reconstruction of the church and the resumption of Catholic services, Württemberg viewed events in its enclave with increasing suspicion and protested. It saw in the practice of the Catholic faith on the Michaelsberg a violation of the normal year of the Peace of Westphalia . In order to prove the violation, Württemberg would have had to prove that in 1624, Protestant church services from Württemberg were held in St. Michael's Church, which did not succeed. In the course of a long-standing dispute, there were repeated conflicts between Württemberg and Catholic believers. In 1729, for example, the residents of Stockheim were blocked from access to the mountain by guards from Württemberg. In 1730, the Brackenheimer Vogt issued the order to arrest the Catholic priests who were there with a frugal team who were on standby during a Catholic procession to St. Michael's Church over Württemberg. It was not until the "Heilbronner Compensation" of September 11, 1736 between Kurmainz and Württemberg finally established that Württemberg was not permitted to prevent the population from practicing religion.
To secure the Catholic island of faith, Graf von Stadion considered establishing a Christian order on the Michaelsberg. Through contacts with the Neckarsulm Capuchin monastery , this order could be won for the Michaelsberg, and a request was made in Mainz for the establishment of a hospice "for the Capuchins in the Franconian province". On October 26, 1738, a Neckarsulm priest held the Catholic service here for the first time. The hospice was built in 1739 and 1740, financed by Graf von Stadion with support from Mainz. The stones from the Obermagenheim castle ruins were reused for this purpose. For the ongoing financing of the facility, an equal distribution of costs between the stadium and Mainz was agreed.
From 1785: Time under Württemberg
After a takeover by the Teutonic Order was under discussion, in 1785 Württemberg acquired control of Bönnigheim and thus also of the Michaelsberg, the maintenance of the hospice was now guaranteed by Mainz. The first church in Altwuerttemberg with a Catholic mass was located on the mountain . The Württemberg nobility viewed the hospice with suspicion, but the facility was not subject to any restrictions, even if the occupation steadily declined. In 1802 renovation work was carried out on the church and hospice, and most of the equipment could be taken over in the following year after the Catholic Bönnigheim castle chapel was closed. The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss initially led to the end of the Kurmainzer maintenance payments. From 1808 the pension chamber of the Principality of Aschaffenburg took over the annual salary of 600 guilders , after the Bavarian takeover of Aschaffenburg in 1814 the Bavarian state . From 1821, Württemberg finally paid for the maintenance. In 1823 the last two fathers died, which ended the tradition of the hospice.
The Michaelsberg acquired a new meaning from September 12, 1826, when it was designated as a parish curate with 42 localities, in 1860 it became a parish curate . Towards the end of the 19th century, the mountain was also developed from a touristic point of view: in 1879 an association was founded to purchase a telescope , which at times had 200 members. On the east side of the hilltop, he erected a stone pillar on which the tube could be mounted. A plaque attached to the pillar showed the landmarks visible in the distance .
After the Second World War
Due to the influx of expellees after the end of the Second World War, the proportion of Catholic believers in Zabergäu increased significantly after 1945, which is why the parish was moved from its remote location to the city of Brackenheim in 1955. On October 17, 1959, the facility on Michaelsberg was consecrated as a Catholic youth and conference center for the Rottenburg diocese . As part of the rededication, the entire facility, in particular the church, was extensively renovated and partially redesigned.
Michaelskirche
The church on Michaelsberg today presents itself as a predominantly Romanesque building, which was supplemented by Gothic , Baroque and modern elements. The relatively small building offers space for around 100 worshipers inside. Excavations below the church provided a few findings about the earlier church mentioned in a document in 793, which was probably a Carolingian building. It was much smaller in size, the square tower was opposite to today's half-timbered tower on the west side.
Particularly noteworthy elements of St. Michael's Church in its current state are the choir with its simple diamond-coated ribbed vault , which is painted with early Gothic wall paintings depicting the four evangelists in the respective vault segments , and the separation and covering of the chancel with a ribbed vault , which is similar to a rood screen Romanesque capitals . The depiction of the head of Christ with aura and a cross, which is located on the east side of the church, dates from the early 11th century . This stone may be a keystone from the earlier building.
Vestibule
The visitor enters the church via an anteroom that was added in Gothic times. The door portal was redesigned in 1959, it is adorned with a door knob in the shape of a fish. Also from 1959 are the windows by Wilhelm Geyer , which show Christian symbols of the youth in accordance with the new use of the Michaelsberg. The altar on the south side of the vestibule probably dates from the Carolingian period.
There are also grave slabs from the early Middle Ages in the anteroom and a sarcophagus found during excavations next to the church , in which Konrad von Magenheim (mentioned in 1279) is probably buried. As part of the work of 1959, another sarcophagus was examined, which is now also here: it contained earth and rubble and was presumably opened before. Presumably, the bones from this coffin were buried in a grave that was found below the right nave. A skeleton from the 8th century was found in this grave - possibly the bones of the nun and donor of Mount Hildeburc.
ship
The simple nave is spanned by a coffered ceiling. Graf von Stadion redesigned the nave around 1739 with baroque elements: the frescoes and enlarged windows date from this time. The altarpiece by Jörg Müller shows the Archangel Michael and comes from the Augsburg School. The wall to the anteroom is adorned with a large painted wooden coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Mainz. The organ to the left of the entrance was made in 1993 by the Rottenburg company Rebmann.
Sanctuary
A special feature of the church on Michaelsberg is the sanctuary, which is separated from the main nave. It was probably built in the 14th century when the altars , which used to be in pairs, were to be protected by a vault. Since the space between the altars corresponded roughly to the width of a required vault segment, it made sense to include the space in front of the passage to the choir as a connecting element, so that a distinctive separation similar to a rood screen was created with the supporting columns . The painting of the vault could be dated to the 16th to 18th centuries. The keystones of the vault represent the Trinity : from left to right they show the Son as the Lamb of God , the Father and the Holy Spirit as a dove .
The detailed capitals of the supporting columns are particularly artistic. On the southern side, facing the light, is the "Eagle Capital". The eagles symbolize the spirit, the heads in between stand for sublimity, bliss and fertility. The northern capital, lying in the dark, is adorned with two dragons with entwined necks as a symbol of the devil . A deer and a dog with two heads are in between, representing death .
As part of the renovation work in 1959, the church received a new altar and new furnishings in the form of a tabernacle , cross and candlestick . The two baroque side altars were moved to the Church of the Assumption of Mary in Talheim .
Choir
The choir, which served as the sacristy between the reopening of the church in the 18th century and the restoration work in 1959 , is the oldest and most notable part of the church besides the chancel . The small room is covered by a diamond-coated ribbed vault, the four fields of which are each painted with early Gothic depictions of the four evangelists from the 13th or 14th century. It is believed that the choir was initially built with an open south wall in the 12th century and that today's arch to the west was only broken out later.
The oldest remains of paint on the vault date from the 12th century, remains from the 13th century have been found on the pillars. During the last restoration work, the restorers found a total of 20–30 different layers of paint that had been applied to one another over the centuries.
As part of the work carried out in 1959, a walled-up window was found and uncovered at the end of the choir room. Geyer painted this with a representation of Christ as a lamb and the Archangel Michael. Since the renovation work in 2006, the choir has had the baroque font that was previously set up in the anteroom .
tower
The half-timbered tower, which adjoins the choir to the south, houses the three bells Catharina , Susanna and Michael in its stalls . Catharina comes from the 14th century and shows Jesus Christ four times, Susanna was re-cast in Heilbronn in 1771 from a bell that was destroyed in 1321. Both bells were rung in earlier centuries to warn the population of impending storms . In the vernacular there was therefore the saying "Katharein and Susein drive the weather from the Rhine ". Michael, the third and smallest bell, was cast in 1959.
Susanna
Catharina
Michael
Renovation measures 2004–2006
After the redesign and renovation in 1959, the church last had to be extensively renovated in 2004, after measurements showed that the outer walls had moved 21 cm apart over the decades and therefore there was a risk of collapse. During the work, the roof structure and the vault were secured, the heating and electrics replaced, the three bells renovated and the wall paintings cleaned. Five tons of rubble from the vaults above the choir and canopy were removed. In addition, moisture penetrated into the beams and vaults through a leaky roof over the course of the year. A construction made of wood and steel has secured the vault in the choir since the renovation.
The cost of the work amounted to € 350,000. On June 18, 2006, the church was handed over again - a year and a half later than originally planned.
Legend of Michaelsberg
Michaelsberg is also the subject of a legend that Justinus Kerner recorded in his book The Picture Book from My Boyhood :
- “It is said that on this mountain St. Boniface had a duel with the devil in which the angel Michael came to his aid; the angel let a feather fall from his wing, the saint then donated a church here and consecrated it in honor of Michael. The pen, which was kept in the church for a long time, is said to have moved away from there at the time of the Reformation; It was said that an old town clerk from Stuttgart, who had changed over from the Catholic to the Lutheran Church, had secretly attracted her. In vain did the monks of the mountain ask Duke Ulrich to punish the town clerk and return his holy pen; they received no satisfaction. Because of this, the archangel Michael was furious and poured out the punishment of prolific typing over Württemberg. "
The poem "Archangel Michaels Feder" by Eduard Mörike also uses the Michaelsberg legend.
Flora of the Michaelsberg
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In 1976, the historic vineyard landscape on Michaelsberg was largely destroyed by a vineyard consolidation. Otto Linck (1892–1985), who lived and worked for six decades as a forester, nature conservationist, local historian, scientist and poet in Güglingen im Zabergäu, campaigned for at least a small part of the valuable steppe heather flora to be preserved. Small areas of grassland remained on the top of the slope and on the southeast slope. Today there are still plant species on Michaelsberg such as the sprouting rock carnation ( Petrorhagia prolifera ), the great cartilaginous lettuce ( Chondrilla juncea ) and the Silesian dandelion ( Taraxacum parnassicum ).
Todays use
On October 17, 1959, the Michaelsberg youth and conference center of the Association of Catholic Youth (BDKJ) of the Rottenburg-Stuttgart diocese was set up in the former monastery buildings . Today it operates as a church-owned conference center in the diocese . In addition to Catholic and ecumenical youth work, the facility is also available to other youth facilities and school classes for school camps. From 1980 to 1982 the house was significantly expanded for four million DM : the hospice building was supplemented by an extension, which now houses the main entrance, and an additional residential building was built that borders the inner courtyard from the west and has 53 beds .
literature
- Wolfram Angerbauer , Rüdiger Krause , Herbert Schmucker, Elisabeth Zipperlen: Michaelsberg . 1983 (Festschrift for the 1200th anniversary of the first documentary mention).
- R. Krause: Cultural monuments in Baden-Württemberg. Little guides, sheet 64 . 1991 (leaflet available in the church).
- Hermann Rupp: The Michaelsberg and the Michaelskirche . 2007 (official church leader).
- Xaver Steidle: St. Michael, Cleebronn. Church of the month of July . Website of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, 2006 ( drs.de - accessed on July 16, 2006).
- Wolfram Angerbauer: 700 years of Cleebronn 1279–1979. History of a community . Cleebronn municipal administration, Cleebronn 1979
- Otto Linck: End of the "historic vineyard landscape" of the Neckarland and the reorganization of the vineyards on the Michaelsberg. Magazine of the Zabergäuverein issue 2/3. 1977
Web links
- Website of the youth and conference center Michaelsberg
- Capuchin hospice on Michaelsberg near Cleebronn in the database of monasteries in Baden-Württemberg of the Baden-Württemberg State Archives
Individual evidence
- ↑ State Institute for the Environment Baden-Württemberg (LUBW) ( information )
- ↑ Uwe Scharfenecker: The Catholic Church in the Unterland. Historical review. Catholic Dean's Office Heilbronn-Neckarsulm, 2006 (leaflet available in the church)
- ↑ Stefanie Pfäffle: Now the church is safe again. In: Heilbronner Voice from June 17, 2006
- ↑ Alfred Drossel: Church on the "Guardian of Zabergäus" has now been renovated. In: Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung from June 12, 2006
- ↑ Otto Linck: End of the "historical vineyard landscape" of the Neckarland and the vineyard consolidation on the Michaelsberg. Magazine of the Zabergäuverein, issue 2/3, 1977.