Parish church Spital am Semmering
The parish church Spital am Semmering is a Roman Catholic parish church in the center of Spital am Semmering in the district of Bruck-Mürzzuschlag in the state of Styria . It is dedicated to the feast of the Assumption of Mary and, together with the parishes of Mürzzuschlag and Hönigsberg, forms one of the four parish associations in the Mürz Valley dean's office .
History and architecture
It was built in 1160 and consecrated in 1163 by Archbishop Eberhard von Salzburg . Today's church construction developed in three major construction periods: in the Romanesque, a "transitional style" from Romanesque and early Gothic, and the late Gothic. In the Romanesque era, the front part of the nave, which is still in existence today, was built, the area between the popular altar and the lattice in front of the high altar. The nave itself was initially equipped with a flat ceiling decorated with wood carvings. Today's sacristy was separated by a wall and was part of the hospital. In 1260 it was expanded to the east. The original chancel, the original apse , was demolished and moved further east. The newly created apse has two bays with a 5/8 end . It is very similar to the apse of the Minorite Church in Bruck an der Mur. In this extension u. a. an early Gothic pot niche ( piscina ) built in to store wine and water. It is considered to be the oldest surviving specimen in Styria. The three-seater sessio with cloverleaf arches on horn consoles was subsequently created . The sacristy was connected to the rest of the church, the wooden ceiling of the nave was replaced by a ribbed vault with carefully crafted end stones. At the same time, the massive, five-story bell tower was erected. The round-arched ashlar masonry exposed in 2003 at the staircase and the round windows on the outside are remnants of the Romanesque predecessor tower. The east portal at the top of the tower was given a three-pass tympanum . A special feature for Upper Styria are two stone portrait heads in the main nave of the two builders, which are incorporated into the vault. The windows of the church, designed in the high Gothic style, were probably made between 1270 and 1290 in a glass painter's workshop in Bruck an der Mur. They have been kept in the Joanneum in Graz and in the Hessisches Landesmuseum / Darmstadt since 1903 . In 1510–1516, the church was significantly expanded on behalf of the Neuberg abbot by extending the main nave and building the south aisle (phase III). In the north, the structure of the hospital from the 13th and 14th centuries was included in the redesign. A side chapel was created from the former main entrance area in the north, in which the Florianialtar found its place in 1620. Over the side aisles and the west yoke, galleries were built that were connected with a choir. The preacher's pulpit on the people's altar was built around 1720. In 1755 Abbot Georg II. Hauzenberger von Neuberg had the parish church renovated. 1903–1906 the church was again extensively renovated. A 4 m × 3 m fresco of Our Lady of a - presumably - Northern Italian artist from the 14th century was discovered in the north portal but was whitewashed again. On the left side of the early baroque high altar by Hans Müllner (1616) a "Blood of Christ" depiction dating from around 1480 was uncovered. The roof shape was changed and a neo-Gothic extension was added to the west portal at the suggestion of Ludwig Zatzka . This changed the previous appearance of the church significantly. The choir vault also had to be rebuilt as it was damaged in some places. Further renovation measures followed between 1957 and 1967. In 1989 the very dilapidated west portal was renovated. The last exterior renovation took place between 2002 and 2003.
Web links
literature
- Bernhard A. Reismann: History of the community Spital am Semmering. Spital am Semmering 1997, various p.
- Bernhard A. Reismann: History of the community Spital am Semmering, a cultural landscape and its people , Volumes I and II, Community Spital / Semmering 2010, various p.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bernhard Reismann: 1997, pp. 396-402, 2010, II, pp. 71-81
Coordinates: 47 ° 36 ′ 54 ″ N , 15 ° 45 ′ 18.1 ″ E