Parish church of Gmunden
The Roman Catholic parish church of Gmunden (also: Dreikönigskirche ) is in the town of Gmunden in the Salzkammergut in Upper Austria . Originally the church was consecrated to the Virgin Mary after the baroque reconstruction of the apparition of the Lord ( January 6th ). The parish church belongs to the deanery of Gmunden in the diocese of Linz . The church is a listed building .
location
It stands faces east slightly elevated near the north shore of Lake Traun and is just 200 meters from the left bank of the outflowing from Traun .
history
The church was first mentioned in a document in 1270. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Gmunden had become a transhipment point for salt and thus became wealthy. In Gmunden there was only one chapel, the Anna Chapel, to the northwest of the later town parish church. It later served as a cemetery chapel and was demolished in 1844. The gate that forms the tower gate of the current church remained from her. The three-aisled basilica was built in Gothic style near the outflow of the Traunsee. Remains of Gothic frescoes have been preserved inside from that time.
The church was redesigned during the baroque period . The tower was rebuilt by the builder Johann Michael Prunner . During this time, the tower received the onion roof, making it 51.45 meters high. After the renovation, the church was consecrated again in 1723 by the Passau bishop Joseph Dominikus von Lamberg .
In 1831 the choir was structurally changed; the original shape was reconstructed in 1964. In 1931, Franz Xaver Fuchs painted the chancel with a depiction of the Three Kings. During the Second World War , the original bells were melted down after a metal collection and replaced in 1949 by five bells from the St. Florian bell foundry near Linz.
During the restoration of the church building in 1946/1947, two Gothic frescoes were discovered on the south side, which were dated to around 1525. They show Christophorus under a pointed arch on the right and the Last Judgment under the left arch . The frescoes were
In 1968 the church received underfloor heating and a new stone floor. The church windows were renewed and the church interior was painted. The church received a new roof in 1976; the facade of the church was restored in 1981 and 2001.
From the former cemetery that surrounded the church, some gravestones are still preserved on the south side.
Furnishing
The most important work of art is the Three Kings Altar , a work by the Bavarian-Austrian Baroque sculptor Thomas Schwanthaler with side figures by Michael Zürn the Elder. J. The Dreikönigsgruppe is the model for many nativity scenes created in the Salzkammergut .
The baroque high altar, which Thomas Schwanthaler created in 1678 and set up by his son Bonaventura Schwanthaler , shows in the center the adoration of the baby Jesus by the three wise men in roughly life-size sculptures. The star of Bethlehem hovers above it in the excerpt. The side figures of the high altar represent Zacharias and Elisabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. They come from Michael Zürn the Younger (1626–1691) from Braunau am Inn.
The church also has a number of other altars. The artists of the Catherine altar, the Nicholas altar and the poor soul altar with a stone relief from 1683 are not known. The Anna altar in the left aisle is the work of Michael Zürn the Elder. J. A crucifixion group is a late Gothic work. Bonaventura Schwanthaler created the man of pain "Christ in prison". The Fatima Madonna from the workshop of Klothilde Rauchs (1903–1997) in Altmünster and the protective cloak Madonna made of ceramics, which Emilie Schleiss-Simandl made in 1947, date from the 20th century .
literature
- Johann Schicklberger: The parish church of Gmunden. In: Stadtpfarrkirche - Gmunden - Traunsteinkreuz. Gmunden n.d., pp. 4-25.
- Gmunden, Parish Church of the Virgin Mary and Epiphany. Pp. 92-94. In: The art monuments of Austria. Dehio Upper Austria. By Erwin Hainisch , reworked by Kurt Woisetschläger , prefaces to the 3rd edition (1958) and 4th edition (1960) by Walter Frodl , sixth edition, Verlag Anton Schroll & Co., Vienna 1977.
Web links
- The parish church on the website of the Diocese of Linz (with photos)
Coordinates: 47 ° 55 '11 " N , 13 ° 47' 58" E