Parish church Alpnach
The parish church of Alpnach with the patronage of St. Maria Magdalena is a Roman Catholic church in Alpnach in Switzerland .
history
In 1776 the first plans for a contemporary new building for the parish church were made. But construction was postponed for decades due to the French Revolution and the political and economic problems that followed.
The current church was built from 1812 to 1820 under the direction of the architect and builder Jost Kopp von Beromünster (1759-1830). The driving force behind the new building was Pastor Peter Ignaz von Flüe (1762–1834). The construction soon came to a standstill due to a lack of money. In 1817 Landammann Nikolaus Imfeld reached out to Abbot Karl Stalder von Engelberg with a cry for help . He received the necessary money for the Alpnacher from the interest commission in Zurich and in return used important goods in the Grafenort and in the Obermatt as pledge. This made it possible to continue building the parish church. The total cost of the new building, excluding material and labor, was 170,000 guilders . The church was occupied on January 1st, 1820 and on November 1st, 1821 it was consecrated in honor of St. Mary Magdalene .
In 1864 the church received a completely new organ with 30 registers. As a result of a lightning strike, the 100 meter high tower burned down to the belfry in 1887. In 1889 a new helmet was placed on the tower. The parish church underwent an interior renovation in 1872. The ceiling frames were painted with pictures by Josef Troxler. These refer to the sacred altar sacrament, since the parish church of Mary Magdalene was the mother church of the formerly important altar sacrament brotherhood. The painting of the stucco fillings caused a change in the color climate in the church.
In 1924 the outside of the parish church was extensively renovated. In 1932 an electric bell was installed and in 1937 the church tower got a new clockwork . In 1945 the parish church was fitted with a new organ by the Kuhn company from Männedorf based on plans by the local architect Arnold Durrer. In 1956 the station pictures from the old church were reinserted.
Due to earthquake damage, renovation work was carried out on the tower, on the facade and inside the church from 1964 to 1965. 1984–1985 the parish church underwent a total renovation. Paintings from 1872 were removed. In 1985 the restored church was consecrated with a blessing and an altar consecration by Bishop Johannes Vonderach from Chur. 1986–1987 the church received new ceiling paintings by the painter Karl Manninger.
Art style
In terms of art history, the building is important as a classical building. Contrary to the architecture of the late baroque , the church has clear room proportions, linear accents and a sober room structure. Differences to the late baroque can also be found in the design of the aisles. Above the aisles there is an entablature and a cornice to emphasize the longitudinal axis. Broad bezels , which cut into the caps of the barrel vault, replace the thermal bath windows typical of the Baroque era.
Dimensions
The Alpnach parish church is 50.4 m long and 19.3 m wide. It has a 91.17 m high tower. The church has the shape of a Latin cross, which is formed by the main nave with the choir and the two transepts . It has a three-part vestibule.
Furnishing
On the main facade, the parish church has three monumental statues of the princes of the apostles Peter and Paul and the archangel Michael in the middle. These are made of sandstone and by Franz Abart (1769–1863) from Kerns. Six bells hang in the church tower. Above the vestibule there is a gallery with the organ and the singing room.
Inside the church there are five classicistic stucco or artificial marble altars and two little sideboard altars. The altars and the pulpit were built by Joseph Moosbrugger from the Bregenzerwald. The construction of the high altar was finished in 1824 and the side altars were built in 1834/1835.
The high altar picture with the fruit piece was painted by Joseph Anton Mesmer (1747–1827) from Saulgau in Swabia in 1823. The main picture shows Mary Magdalene under the cross. The fruit piece is an allegorical representation of the church as the bride of Christ. The side altar pictures were painted by Melchior Paul von Deschwanden (1811–1881) from Stans. The main pictures on the Mother of God altar, Valentine s altar and the four pieces of fruit are works by the youth from 1834. The rear side altar pictures were created during the renovation in 1872. The ceiling paintings and the picture of St. Michael on the east facade are works by Karl Manninger. They replace the Troxler paintings from 1872. They partly take over their subject matter with reference to the altar sacrament. The ceiling paintings emphasize the beginning and the end of God's redemptive work on people. The large main picture and the choir picture were painted in 1986 and the Lord's Supper and the Multiplication in 1987. The 14 station pictures come from the old church and were painted in 1746 by Josef Remigi Budmiger from Kriens.
The two alabaster statues on the high altar show St. Joseph and St. John the Baptist . They were created by the sculptor Balz Durrer (1762–1841) from Kerns / Lucerne. The baptismal font and the statue of Mary from 1836 on the altar of Our Lady are also by him. This statue of the Virgin Mary was redesigned in 1855. The angel statues at the high altar were made by Louis Niederberger from Kerns in 1892. The tabernacle comes from Arnold Stockmann and was installed in 1943.
The relics of the catacomb saint Valentin were brought from Rome to Alpnach by a group of pilgrims in 1675. They were redrafted in 1835 in the women's monastery in the Au near Einsiedeln. The colored windows in the two side chapels are foundations from 1900 and were built into the windows next to the high altar until 1985. They were moved to the side chapels in order to restore the sober classicist color climate. The Kuhn organ has 37 registers on three manuals and a pedal .
Ceiling painting
The ceiling painting was painted by Karl Manninger .
At the top of the ceiling painting from left to right you can see St. Wendelin, St. Anthony the Hermit, St. Barbara, St. Catherine and St. Margaret. On the lower cloud stand the Virgin Mary with a rosary in hand and to the left and right of her St. Joseph and St. Anna. Next to the holy mother Anna is St. John the Baptist and below is St. John the Evangelist. The man on the left with the child on his shoulder is St. Christopher and next to him, from left to right, is St. Nicholas of Myra, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Francis of Assisi and the St. Apostles Paul and Peter. St Mary Magdalene sits alone downstairs. On the lower right of the cloud are St. Valentine, St. Augustine, St. Aloisius von Gonzaga, St. Theodul, St. Sebastian and also with a rosary in his hand, St. Brother Klaus. The angel below is St. Michael, the Archangel.
Bells and their ringing
The six bells come from different times and yet have a harmonious harmony based on the key A-flat of the big bell.
The largest bell, an As bell, is the Maria Magdalena bell. It was cast in the Rüetschi foundry in Aarau in 1889. Images of Jesus Christ on the cross and Maria Magdalena under the cross, of the Most Holy Trinity, of St. Brother Klaus and St. Valentine are cast in. Its Latin inscriptions are translated into German: «Praised be the holy and undivided Trinity! Peace to the living, rest to the dead, honor to the saints. St. Mary, St. Valentin, blessed Niklaus von Flüe, pray for us! "
The second bell in C was cast by M. Moritz Schwartz in Lucerne in 1590. It shows pictures of the 12 apostles, Christ on the cross, St. Wolfgang, St. Theodul, St. Brother Klaus, St. Agatha and the Mother of God. Its inscription reads: «God have mercy on us and bless us, let his face shine on us and have mercy on us. Us dem Für fllos I - M. Moritz Schwartz zu Luzern gos me 1590. »
The third bell in It is the St. Anna bell. Like the second bell in c, it was cast by M. Moritz Schwartz in Lucerne in 1591. It shows pictures of Christ on the cross, St. Peter, St. Theodul and St. Anna himself third. Its inscription reads: «St. Anna, pray for us! Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on yourselves. "
The fourth bell in F is the death-sign bell. She is the veteran in the church tower. It was cast in 1458 and decorated with images of Mary, the Archangel Michael and St. Anthony. Its inscription reads: "O King of Glory, Christ, come to us with your peace."
The fifth bell in As is the Barbara and Katharina bell. It is particularly known as the weather blessing bell. Like the largest bell, it was cast in the Rüetschi foundry in Aarau in 1890. The pictures depict St. Barbara, St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Joseph. Their inscription reads: "Help the mortal, decrepit person, Barbara."
The smallest bell in C is the Marienglocke. It was also cast in the Rüetschi foundry in 1890. It bears pictures of the Mother of God, St. George with the dragon and St. Joseph. Its inscription reads: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. The word became flesh and dwelt among us."
The final ringing, also called «Chlänkä», indicates that someone from the parish has died. It has the meaning of «It shouldn't sound beautiful». The final ringing is rung with the fourth bell, the death knell. For the weather blessing in the time of St. Mark's Day, April 25, until the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14 at 6:00 p.m., the second largest bell will be rung. On New Year's Eve and New Year, the old year is rung out with all the bells and the new year is ushered in. During the Kartage, rattles replace the ringing of bells.
literature
- Otto Camenzind: Alpnach, on the past and present of our community. Published by the Alpnach community of residents and citizens. Printed by FAMO Druck, Alpnach.
- Rev. Hans Gasser: 150th anniversary of the Alpnach parish church. Printed by FAMO Druck, Alpnach.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Organ portrait on the website of the builder company, accessed on October 16, 2018.
- ↑ Catholic Church Alpnach-Dorf OW. Organ directory Switzerland-Lichetenstein , accessed on October 16, 2018.
- ↑ Ringing the bells as an audio file ( memento of the original from March 4, 2016 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. on the website of the parish of Alpnach
Coordinates: 46 ° 56 ′ 27.6 " N , 8 ° 16 ′ 18" E ; CH1903: 663,426 / 199215