Parish Church of Ernen

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Parish Church of St. George. Bellwald in the background

The parish church of Ernen is dedicated to St. George . The current building was between 1510 and 1518. However, there was a previous building that can be traced back to the 11th century. The church is listed, in the middle protection status (B object).

history

The previous building was first attested in 1214 in a document in which a priest is mentioned for the church. The patronage of St. George has been documented since 1311. Archaeological excavations were carried out between 1964 and 1968, under the direction of Hans Rudolf Sennhauser von Zurzach. In this case, sparse but very significant fragments of a three-aisled basilica of the early Romanesque Lombard type were found in the nave. This is most likely from the 11th century and is similar to the church of Ardon. The basilica had a protruding aspis with two side apses. There were two pillars, which must have been spanned by arcades, as well as a three-axis inner narthex , which presumably carried a gallery. More recent finds suggest that the basilica was converted into a church without pillars and narthex. A tower protruding from the right apse was also added later. From this it is known that the bell chamber was rebuilt in 1503, nevertheless the tower was replaced and between 1510 and 1511 rebuilt from scratch at a different location (the old location was on the pedestal in the southwest corner of today's ship). The new tower also marks the start of the new church. The choir now encloses the entire area of ​​the former basilica. The new choir was added to the east. Ulrich Ruffner from Raron has been handed down as a master builder, and his master's mark can be found, among other things, together with the year 1518 on a rib console on the left choir cheek. On January 15, 1525, the church was consecrated by the auxiliary bishop Petrus Farfeni , titular bishop of Beyruth (Berytensis).

Interior

The nave was redesigned in a neo-Gothic style between 1862 and 1865 under Pastor Ignaz Mengis. The plans for this come from Antonio Croci from Mendrissio and were carried out by the builder Silvestre Ramoni from Brig. This change was reversed on the occasion of the interior and exterior restoration of the church between 1964 and 1968 by the architect Amédée Cachin von Brig under the direction of Alfred A. Schmied from the Swiss Federal Monuments Office. In order to be able to restore the state before the renovation in 1865, in addition to the traces found, the chronicle of Joseph Schmid († 1923) was used.

High altar

The previous altar from 1525 was criticized on the occasion of a visitation in 1754, so that an episcopal order was issued that the altar should be replaced within three years. On August 24th, a contract for the new production was signed with Aton Sigristen and Placy Schmidt from Disentis and Johan Caspar Leser from St. Gallen, living in Sion. The first altarpiece was created by Joseph-Domenico Rabiato in 1764. The altar was consecrated on August 10, 1765. The second altar panel was created in the middle of the 19th century. After the restoration of the high altar in 1967/68, the first altar sheet was reinstalled.

literature

  • Walter Ruppen: The Art Monuments of the Canton of Valais, Volume 2, Untergoms. (Art Monuments of Switzerland, Volume 67). Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1979, ISBN 3-7643-1080-4 , pp. 14–51.
  • Walter Ruppen: Parish Church of St. Georg Ernen. (Swiss Art Guide, No. 182). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1991, ISBN 978-3-85782-182-0 .

Web links

Commons : Parish Church Ernen  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ B – Objects VS 2018 . Canton du Valais Inventaire PBC, Objets B, État: 1.1.2018 (pas de changements pour 2018) / Kanton Wallis KGS inventory, B objects, status: 1.1.2018 (no changes compared to the previous year). In: babs.admin.ch / kulturgueterschutz.ch. Federal Office for Civil Protection FOCP - Department of Cultural Property Protection, January 1, 2018, accessed on December 31, 2017 (PDF; 357 kB, 11 pages, updated annually, no changes for 2018).
  2. ↑ According to Art Monuments of the Canton of Valais, Volume 2, page 25, only the surname as Rabiato pinxit is detectable in the picture, the Joseph-Domenico is only an assumption from this point of view, but is borne by the specialists

Coordinates: 46 ° 23 '55.3 "  N , 8 ° 8' 38.2"  E ; CH1903:  654 243  /  138,836