Minorite Church (Tulln)
The Minorite Church in the Lower Austrian town of Tulln an der Donau is a former monastery church and dedicated to St. Consecrated to Johannes Nepomuk .
Building history
The beginnings of the church go back to the time of the Minorite Monastery in Tulln , which began in 1225, while the founder of the order, Francis of Assisi , was still alive . The original church building with Romanesque and Gothic influences, however, was demolished in 1735 after the construction of today's church began immediately south of it, which was completed within the short time between 1732 and 1739. The consecration took place on June 13, 1739 by the Passau auxiliary bishop Anton Josef Graf von Lamberg .
The tower, rebuilt in 1819, was originally quite low, which is why it was significantly raised in 1889 and was given a baroque helmet based on the model of the church of Pöchlarn .
architecture
The hall church is characterized on the one hand by its late Baroque uniformity and at the same time gains special charm through the contrast between the white nave and the presbytery, which is characterized by red, brown and green stucco lustro.
Ceiling frescoes
The ceiling frescoes form a cycle, which is dedicated to the church patron, St. Johannes Nepomuk (1350-1393) is dedicated. Johannes Nepomuk was canonized in 1729 and thus received special attention at the time of the church's establishment.
The picture 'John as confessor of the Queen of Bohemia' can be found under the organ gallery in front of the confessionals, 'John before King Wenceslas IV. ' Can be seen above the gallery in the area of the organ. Moving towards the apse, the Platzel vaults provide space for 'John as a preacher', 'The pilgrimage of the saint to Altbunzlau', and finally 'The fall of the bridge of the saint' with an angel, who tries to support John, literally out of the frame of the fresco is pushed, whereby his foot is actually made plastic in stucco. This fall of the bridge also forms the background of his canonization, because according to legend he accepted this martyr's death because he was not prepared to reveal the confessional secret of the Queen of Bohemia to King Wenceslaus IV.
The Tulln minority Innozenz Moscherosch (1697–1772) is assumed to be the creator of the frescoes. Works that come with high certainty from this master are a Johannes Nepomuk picture in the Tulln parish church and the 'Stigmatization of St. Francis of Assisi 'in the Minorite Church in Vienna .
presbytery
The fresco cycle finds its conclusion and climax in the high altar picture, which, surrounded by a black and gold stucco frame , is integrated into the architecture of the apse as a fresco . The picture, also attributed to Moscherosch, again shows St. Johannes Nepomuk, who is accepted into heaven through the agency of the Virgin Mary, not without imploring protection for the city of Tulln, recognizable in the lower left area of the picture. Horrified, the devil flees to hell.
The vault fresco of the apse is occupied by the Holy Trinity, whereby it is noteworthy that Christ is not represented as a person, but by the words 'Verbum'.
The high altar itself is characterized by a sarcophagus table made of green stucco marble. The tabernacle has a structure that is modeled on the miraculous image of the basilica of Mariazell .
On both sides of the high altar there are life-size statues made of white alabaster , on the left John the Baptist with the slogan 'Ecce Agnus Dei ', on the right the Evangelist John with the words 'Caro Factum Est' on his book. The busts of the apostles Peter (left) and Paul (right) are placed under the windows . The statues of St. Leopold (left) and St. Wenceslas (who is not identical to Wenceslaus IV) with the coat of arms showing the Bohemian lion (right) form the end of the presbytery against the nave. Like the Baptist and the Evangelist, they should go back to the Tulln sculptor Sebastian Gurner.
Longhouse
The nave has four bays, with the Platzel vaults being divided by double belts, which in turn rest on double pilasters . The delicate stucco work and the stucco field framing of the ceiling frescoes correspond to the style of the first third of the 18th century. The niches of the yokes house two altars on either side. The altar in front on the left bears the dedication 'Ordinis Minorum Fundator' and is dedicated to St. Consecrated to Francis of Assisi . The picture is a representation of Franciscus Seraphicus and probably comes from the original church. The side figures correspond to St. Mauritius and the apostle Jude Thaddeus . The tabernacle relief shows St. Franz teaching a sheep to worship God. Opposite is the altar of St. Anthony of Padua , 'Rerum Perditarum Inventor'. At his side are the figures of St. Erasmus and St. Blasius , the tabernacle relief with the heretic's donkey bending his knees before the holy of holies. 'Filii Dei Nutritor' is the dedication of the altar at the back left, whose altarpiece is dedicated to St. Joseph , surrounded by the figures of the Mother of God, Joachim and Anna . The dying Franz Xavier forms the relief of the tabernacle. The altar 'Aedium Conservator' contains the image of St. Florian , whereby the burning monastery with the city of Tulln can be seen in the lower left of the painting. Statues of St. Sebastian and St. Rochus stand by, on the tabernacle St. Rosalia.
Finally, the pulpit returns to the basic theme of St. John Nepomuk returns and shows the rescue of the dead martyr from the Vltava against the background of the Charles Bridge and the old town of Prague .
Wooden sculptures of St. Francis of Padua (left) and St. Leonhard mark the transition to the area under the organ gallery, which still has the figure of St. Josef von Kupertin houses.
Loreto Chapel
To the north is the entrance to the Loreto Chapel , which is probably older than the rest of the church. It is a replica of the Casa Santa in Loreto and, as such, is designed as an unplastered brick vault. Above the altar, the 'Black Madonna of Loreto' is arranged behind a baroque wooden grille, surrounded by angels and illuminated by the light from the side windows.
Lower church and hermitage
The lower church largely takes up the space of the nave. The walls are divided into burial niches that were only used in the period from 1750 to 1780. Under the presbytery there is an altar with the reclining John Nepomuk, mourned by the Queen of Bohemia. A view over the altar into the upper church gives the soul of the dead the way to his glory, the high altar picture.
Under the Loreto chapel is the hermitage, four rooms, the walls of which are partially plastered with coarse slag and decorated with shells. There is no precise record of its use.
literature
- Otto Biack: History of the city of Tulln. 2nd Edition. Self-published by the municipality of Tulln, Tulln 1982
- Roderich Geyer: Church buildings of the parish St. Stephan in Tulln. Publishing house St. Peter, Salzburg 2000
- Walpurga Oppeker: St. Johannes Nepomuk Church of the Minorites in Tulln. Festschrift on the occasion of the handover of the restored Minorite Church and organ consecration. Tulln 1994 (further editions 1997ff).
- Walpurga Oppeker: A hermitage in the Tullner Minoritenkirche. In: Hippolytus. New episode, issue 21, 1997, p. 25 ff.
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 19 ′ 57 ″ N , 16 ° 2 ′ 58 ″ E