Notker Becker

Notker Becker OSB (born March 23, 1883 in Mülheim an der Ruhr as Heinrich Becker ; † April 28, 1978 in Maria Laach ) was a sacred artist and Benedictine .

Live and act

Heinrich Becker was born in Mülheim / Ruhr in 1883 and grew up in Cologne , where he also completed an apprenticeship in a locomotive factory. In 1903 he entered the Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach as a lay brother and was given the religious name Notker .

Artistically and technically gifted, he worked as an assistant to the architect Father Ludger Rincklake and the painter Father Andreas Göser (1863–1925) in the construction of the monastery churches in Gerleve and Eibingen . He was particularly involved in the huge apse mosaics that Father Andreas Göser created in Maria Laach.

Notker Becker soon began to work on his own, especially with paintings and glass windows. His pictures were influenced by the Beuron art school , but were all accented independently. He created the representation of Christ in Maria Laach's auditorium and painted the sacristy of the abbey church there (1911–1920). A large window in the north transept has also been preserved from him. This made him famous, he received large foreign orders for the painting of churches, for example in the Benedictine monastery Ottmarsheim , in the Benedictine monastery Peppingen , in Mersch and Dudelange / Luxembourg, with the English Misses in Mainz , in the Bartholomäuskirche Oppenheim and in the Schottenstift Vienna. The religious also made landscape etchings, portraits, votive tablets and liturgical accessories.

Brother Notker Becker died in 1978 at the age of 95 in Maria Laach Monastery. He is described as a lovable personality and is considered the most famous Laacher artist.

In 1969, Chad issued postage stamps depicting the Benedictine Apostles ( Michel No. 223-234). Notker Becker's frescoes from the church in Dudelange (Dudelange) / Luxembourg serve as the cover for a CD by organist Daniel Roth .

literature

• Paul von Naredi-Rainer: Notker Becker OSB (1883-1978): Monk and Artist , Maria Laach Abbey, 1983, how to find the book
• Drutmar Cremer: God to Honor - On the history of the art workshops, the art publisher, the book and art dealer Ars liturgica, Maria Laach Abbey , in: Heimatjahrbuch des Kreis Ahrweiler 2006 ; Online edition of the article
• Catholic parish church St. Bartholomäus, Oppenheim am Rhein , Schnell Art Guide No. 2183, Verlag Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg, 2004, ISBN 3-7954-5933-8 , page 8

Web links

• Biographical page on Brother Notker Becker
• Website with church windows by Notker Becker
• Website about the Becker frescoes in the church of Dudelange (Dudelange)
• Website with photos of the paintings and stained glass windows of Notker Becker in the church of Dudelange (Dudelange)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Beuron Monastery: Heritage and Order: Benedictine Monthly , Volume 74, Page 104, 1998; to Father Andreas Göser Scan from the source, to Father Andreas Göser
2. ↑ PDF document on the history of Mersch, with enlarged photos of Becker's paintings in the church there ( Memento of the original from October 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ Color photo of the choir paintings in the Church of St. Martin Dudelange
4. ^ Photo of the organ loft in Dudelange, with decorative and ornamental paintings by Notker Becker
5. ↑ Website with an image of the Notker Becker stamps  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ Illustration of the CD cover with the Becker frescoes
7. ↑ Description of the CD ( Memento of the original dated August 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.