Parish Church of St. Michael (Wegenstetten)
The parish church of St. Michael is the Roman Catholic parish church of Wegenstetten in the canton of Aargau . The baroque church consecrated to the Archangel Michael was built in 1741 according to a design by Johann Caspar Bagnato , the church tower dates from the late 15th century.
history
Excavations between 1947 and 1949 brought to light the remains of a previous church that could have been built in the 10th century. The late Gothic church tower, which still exists today, was the youngest element of this building and was attached to its western front; it is dated to the year 1487. The parish, first mentioned in 1246, was a foundation of the Säckingen monastery and from the beginning also included the eastern part of Hellikon . In 1788, the western part of Hellikon, which had previously belonged to the parish of Zuzgen , also came to the parish of Wegenstetten.
Due to a lack of space and dilapidation, the monastery decided to rebuild the church and in 1741 signed a contract with the well-known architect Johann Caspar Bagnato . It was agreed to leave the church tower standing. Due to a lack of funds, the equipment of the church was massively delayed. It was not until 20 years later that it received new altars; In addition, the tower was raised so far that the bell chamber towered over the ridge of the nave. In 1843 the church received a Callinet organ, which was installed on the previously enlarged gallery .
When the Christ Catholics split off during the Kulturkampf in 1878 and claimed a considerable part of the parish property for themselves, hardly any investments were made in maintaining the church and the building began to go into disrepair. An agreement could not be reached until 1944, when the Christian Catholics waived their right of co-ownership in exchange for compensation. This was followed by a comprehensive renovation from 1947 to 1949, during which the bell was replaced by a new one from the Aarau foundry H. Rüetschi . As part of the overall renovation between 1984 and 1988, Karl Manninger painted the ceiling panels that had remained empty, and he also created a new high altar sheet.
Building
The church stands on a terrace on the eastern edge of the village and is surrounded by a cemetery. The church tower is integrated into the west side of the building and only protrudes slightly from the facade. In front of the tower is a vestibule open on three sides with pillar arches. This leads to the main entrance, a pointed arch portal in the tower shaft. The rectangular nave and the adjoining choir, which is designed as an elliptical central building , are the same width. Round-arched lights framed in red structure the side walls, the bright red painting of the cornices and pilaster strips was only carried out in the middle of the 19th century and was reconstructed in 1985. A saddle roof unites the nave and choir, the tower has four red, gray and gold clock faces and another saddle roof.
Inside revive Regency - stucco , possibly from the vicinity of Francesco Pozzi come, the ceiling surfaces. They show scenes from the Old and New Testament, the common leitmotif of which is the apparition of angels. The main sheet of the high altar shows the church patron as a dragon slayer. The pulpit , tinted in light green , has been accessible via a passage from the sacristy since the 19th century ; it is structured by falling volutes and is set with golden rocailles and dog-roses.
literature
- Edith Hunziker, Peter Hoegger: The art monuments of the canton of Aargau . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History . Volume IX, Rheinfelden District, 2011, ISBN 978-3-906131-94-8 , pp. 431-436 .
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 29 '55.6 " N , 7 ° 56' 7.7" E ; CH1903: 637437 / 261010