Maria in the vineyard

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The pilgrimage church in the vineyards

The Catholic pilgrimage church Maria im Weingarten is located above the Franconian wine town of Volkach on the Mainschleife in the Lower Franconian district of Kitzingen . The late Gothic church is located in the middle of the vineyards of the Main Franconian wine-growing region on the Volkacher Kirchberg . It still houses an important work of art by the carver Tilman Riemenschneider .

history

Night pilgrimage church in winter

As the oldest parish in the region on the Mainschleife, the pilgrimage church Maria im Weingarten has a rich history. Threatened by wars and destruction over the centuries, it was best known for the spectacular art theft in the sixties.

The original parish church (until the 15th century)

The origins are not known, but it is believed that the church on the mountain was the original parish church of the settlements on the Mainschleife in the 10th and 11th centuries . This is evidenced by finds from a Carolingian-Ottonian church below the present one. The places Volkach, Obervolkach, Eichfeld , Astheim , Gaibach, Krautheim, as well as Stammheim and Fahr belonged to the Kirchberg parish. At that time there was another church at the site of today's church. It was consecrated to St. Bartholomew and was first mentioned in 1245 as the church “de monte kyrhberc prope volka” (Latin from the mountain Kirchberg near Volkach).

The 14th century brought a decisive change when a beguinage was built on the mountain near the city . The collegiate women came from the closed beguinage at St.Johanniskirche Großbirkach near Ebrach and reached Volkach in 1332. Until 1442 they looked after the sick and poor on the mountain. During this time the new church of St. Bartholomew and St. Georg was built in the city, which soon took over the parish duties of the Kirchberg. In addition, a picture of the Pietà made around 1370 created a pilgrimage that had the Volkacher Kirchberg as its destination.

The pilgrimage church (until the 19th century)

Maria im Weingarten with Volkach in the background ( color infrared photography )

The pilgrimage also supported a Marian Brotherhood, which had been founded around the Würzburg Prince-Bishop Gottfried Schenk von Limpurg and which, alongside him, consisted of nobles such as the Counts of Castell , the lords of Seinsheim and the customs officers of Hallburg , and Volkach citizens. They abolished the Beguinage in 1442 and forced the church to be rebuilt soon. In 1447 the building was subordinated to St. Mary . Kilian Reuter from Würzburg was won as the master builder and completed the choir by 1451. Auxiliary Bishop Wichman von Bersabee took over the consecration.

The building of the nave followed until 1457 . Again the executing master was called Kilian Reuter. He planned the building as a three-aisled hall church . However, when a flat ceiling was moved in and painted by Master Ulrich in 1499, a single-nave hall was built. At the turn of the 16th century, the pilgrimage church lost its importance to Maria im Sand in Dettelbach. Fewer and fewer pilgrims visited the church.

Those responsible tried to attract more pilgrims again in 1521 with the Madonna in the Rosary by Tilman Riemenschneider , but this failed for the time being. Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn then had the church repainted in 1610 and visited the church. In 1628 there were even plans to establish a monastery on the Kirchberg, but the outbreak of the Thirty Years War put an end to these efforts. However, the horrors of the following war years revived the pilgrimage to the Kirchberg.

After the war, six monks again looked after the pilgrims. They came from the order of the Franciscans , the Reuerer and the Capuchin . At the same time, in 1664, the baroque redesign of the pilgrimage church began. The end of these renovations was the baroque altar in 1724, which was purchased for 120  florins from the Münsterschwarzach abbey church . In 1880 the church was changed when a neo-Gothic interior was added. This was only removed again in 1954/1955 during a renovation.

The art monument church (until today)

On the night of August 6th to 7th, 1962, the Madonna in the Rosary and two other valuable pieces of furniture were stolen from the church. A request for help from the Volkach dignitaries was answered by the editor-in-chief of Stern , Henri Nannen . He offered a ransom of 100,000 DM and promised the thieves not to involve the police. This promise got him mixed reactions in the press. The weekly newspaper Die Zeit asked “Sanctify the devotion to art, a word of honor to crooks”, while the artist Oskar Kokoschka advocated the action.

The star's appeal on August 21, 1962 ("Give the Madonna back to the Volkachern") was followed by a response from the thieves. After depositing 50,000 DM on a country road near Großgründlach , the most valuable pieces were found. The remaining parts of the stolen goods reappeared in front of the Frankfurt Cathedral on August 22nd, 1962 . The works of art were restored and transferred to Volkach in 1963. The subsequent police investigation was crowned with success when the thieves were arrested in 1968.

The pilgrimage church was extensively restored in 1976/77. In 2002, Cathedral Chapter Jürgen Lenssen led a renovation of the church, during which both the interior and the facade were restored. The last renovation of the pilgrimage church Maria im Weingarten took place in 2010. The Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation classifies the church building as a monument under the number D-6-75-174-73. The church is part of the Franconian Marienweg .

architecture

The richly decorated south portal of the pilgrimage church

The church is east-facing and presents itself as a single-nave hall church from the late Gothic period. A high gable roof dominates the nave, while the choir is bounded by a much lower hipped roof . A baroque roof turret from 1750 is attached to the roof of the choir.

Choir

The choir is structured by the six windows and the seven buttresses . He has a five-eighth key . The pillars reveal a rich ornamentation. Figure consoles and canopies indicate a planned figure program, which was never implemented. The windows are bordered by lancet-like pointed arches and are decorated with tracery . Each window is individually decorated so that you can distinguish between circles, fish bubble ornaments , as well as three- and four-pass windows . Inside the choir has net vaults.

The oldest part of the pilgrimage church is a Romanesque , square tower stump that was planned in the 13th or 14th century, but was never implemented. It is located in the south of the choir and is now used as a sacristy . A stair tower adjoins it in the east. It is round and crowned by a crouched dome . The tower can be reached via a staircase that is attached to the outside of the choir.

Longhouse

The nave is divided by two windows on each side. As well as on the choir, buttresses were attached which, with their consoles and canopies, indicate an ensemble of figures that was never executed. In the north, the church is very simple. Here one window was placed centrally in the middle of the building, while the other is shifted far to the east. Four buttresses interrupt the side. Two more stick out across the sides.

One of the two portals can be seen in the west of the complex. It is centrally located and is only framed by two buttresses. The entrance is crowned by pinnacles and originally had a statue showing Christ as World Savior . The south portal is the main entrance to the church. A portal vestibule and the gable crown with a finial indicate this. A small window with tracery towers over the portal, which is centrally located in the south of the complex.

The doors are decorated with fittings from the late Gothic period with linden leaf ornamentation. You own door knockers . The eight horseshoes that are embedded in the south portal point to the tradition of horse riding, in which the diseases of ungulates should be cured.

Furnishing

The furnishings of the Middle Ages have largely been preserved in the pilgrimage church. In addition to the famous portraits of the Pietà and the Rosary Madonna by Tilman Riemenschneider, the church was also used as a burial place. Epitaphs and grave monuments testify to this.

Pietà

The miraculous image of Our Lady in mourning

The group of figures of the Pietà , the painful Mother of God, was the primary destination for pilgrims in the past. The wooden sculpture is located above the left side altar and can be assigned to the late Gothic. A more recent frame has been placed around the figure. The miraculous image was created around the year 1370. The group was renovated in 1955, whereby the original coloring of the image, namely the blue dress and the white coat, was restored.

One recognizes the suffering mother Mary, who holds her dead son in her lap. The wounds of Christ can be recognized. The realistic depiction of the death of Jesus is contrasted by the adolescent Mary. Their representation is to be assigned to the type of the so-called "beautiful Vesper picture". She raises her hands in front of her chest, the rich folds of her dress oozing out from under the deceased.

Anna herself the third

A " Anna selbdritt " group stands above the right side altar . It too was surrounded by a newer enclosure. The wooden sculpture was created around 1500 and was created from a stone template from Tilman Riemenschneider's workshop, which is now in the Mainfränkisches Museum in Würzburg. After the work was stolen in 1962, the group of figures was extensively renovated.

Saint Anne is shown . She wears a late medieval robe, a hood adorns her head. She is surrounded by the figures of Mary and the baby Jesus. Mary is on the right, while the naked baby Jesus is on the left on St. Anne's lap. Mary is represented as a child. She is sitting and has a book open in front of her. She is dressed in a long dress.

Riemenschneider Madonna

The most important treasure of the church is the floating Madonna in the Rosary (also "Riemenschneider Madonna" or "Rosary Madonna") by Tilman Riemenschneider , which was created between 1521 and 1524 .

history

Riemenschneider Madonna

The carving hanging below the choir arch was Riemenschneider's last painting of the Virgin before he was prevented from further work by the peasant uprisings and his own involvement in it. The image of Mary quickly became the second destination of pilgrims in the church and was also responsible for the establishment of a rosary brotherhood in 1642.

The character has seen some changes over time. The figure was painted during the baroque period. This is proven by a copper engraving made in 1849 . In 1874 this overpainting was renewed, later a crown was added. It was not until a comprehensive renovation in 1954 that the Rosary Madonna was restored to its original, simple, wooden frame. In addition to the coloring , the place where the figure was attached also changed. Initially floating in the choir, it was moved to the north wall of the nave in the 19th century before being hung over one of the side altars in 1954. After the robbery in 1962, the Madonna was restored to its original location above the choir.

The drapery is simpler than in other works by Riemenschneider. Art historians therefore assume that some parts were made by journeymen in the workshop. Only the dainty, right hand can be clearly assigned to the master. The model for Volkacher's work is a former Madonna by Riemenschneider, which is now in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection in Washington, DC. In individual scenes, Riemenschneider was inspired by the works of Martin Schongauer and the master ES . The model was in particular the English greeting from Veit Stoss in the Lorenz Church in Nuremberg, which was carried out a few years earlier .

description

The center of the figure is the approximately 1.80 m tall Madonna with the child in her arms. She stands on a cloud console and has a crescent moon at her feet . Three pairs of angels fly around the Rosary Madonna. It is supported by a halo umflammt. Another wreath, which is supposed to represent stylized roses, surrounds the figure. Five medallions interrupt it and divide it into ten flowers each. On the reverse, the reliefs show the five wounds of Christ , while the figure itself is carved with cloud-like curls.

Mary carries the naked baby Jesus with her left hand . She doesn't look at it, just tilts her head slightly in its direction. Your coat is finished below the hips. The right hand presses it lightly against the hip. The folds of her robe consist of large folds, and her right leg protrudes slightly from them. The hair is covered with a veil . The child is shown in profile. It rests on its mother's chest with its right hand. The left hand holds a pear.

The reliefs show the stations of Mary's life. Above you can see the “ Annunciation ”. A large prayer desk and the mighty canopy refer to the scene on the Creglinger Altar . The “Einkehr bei Elisabeth ” follows in a clockwise direction . Maria and the pregnant Elisabeth shake hands, Zacharias enters on the right. “The birth of Christ” then appears below, which is designed like an engraving by Schongauer. A ribbed vault surrounds the scene, while the ox and donkey are standing in the stable on the right and the shepherds entering can be seen on the left.

Another relief shows the " Adoration of the Magi ". On the right is the holy family; Mary , with the child on her lap, sits and is towered over by the standing Joseph. The kings, on the left, prepare the presents. Schongauer's role models are also cited here. The “ Death of Mary ” concludes the relief. The apostles huddled around the bed of the dying. One of them, probably Johannes, hands the candle to Maria. All reliefs are surrounded by rich fruit and animal ornaments.

Epitaphs

There are two types of memorial plaques in the church. On the one hand, those that were carved in stone and those that are carved out of wood. These two types were also spatially separated. While the wooden epitaphs hang on the north wall of the little church, the stone slabs fill the south wall. All of them were created in honor of highly respected citizens of Volkach or the customs officers of the neighboring Hallburg.

Stone epitaphs

The epitaph of Jörg Spilmann from 1551

The oldest stone epitaph in the mountain church dates back to 1505. It belongs to Hans Zollner von Halberg, whose coat of arms is depicted on the stone. The memorial stone for Kaspar von Schaumberg († 1536), a Volkach bailiff and his wife Margareta (born von Wallenfels, † 1540) shows the two deceased. While Kaspar kneels in full armor in front of the crucifix, his wife is dressed in the women's costume of the 16th century. A baluster frame delimits the stone. A stonemason's mark names the master HR

Jörg Spilmann's stone rises to the right of the others. He had been appointed Vogt in Prosselsheim and died in 1551. He, too, kneels armed before the crucified. The details suggest Peter Dell the Younger as the master of the work. The youngest stone slab also follows the right side. It shows Hans Paulus Zollner von Halberg († 1620). He is shown standing on his plaque. His helmet visor is open. A sword hangs on his left side, and under him lies a lion.

Wooden epitaphs

The wooden epitaphs on the north wall also date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The most artistic was created by master Heinrich Bruckner and is dedicated to Georg Sigmund Zollner von Halberg . He and his seven children are also immortalized in the middle of the plate. They pray with the nobleman's two wives. A red cross over the person praying indicates who has already passed away.

In addition to Georg Sigmund, you can also see Maria his first wife (née von Brandenstein ) and Ursula his second. A picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is placed above the scene of those praying . The two figures on the sides indicate with their attributes of faith and hope. They rest on consoles supported by cornices. Two lion heads frame the prayers below. A detailed inscription closes the wooden plate at the bottom.

The shape of the wooden epitaph for Katharina Stich († 1619) is based closely on that for Georg Sigmund. The coronation of Mary can be seen in a central image. God the father with tiara and Christ hand the crown to Mary. A dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit , hovers above them , while a concert of angels is given below them. Again the deceased pray below the picture. Instead of the statues, two wooden figures cut out like silouettes frame the epitaph. They show Saints Catherine and Laurentius .

Another wooden epitaph is dedicated to Margaretha and Christoph Böhm. They died in 1652 and 1699. A baroque architectural frame surrounds the memorial plaque. A central image shows Mary as the Queen of the Rosary. She gives the rosary to St. Dominic on the left . The baby Jesus presents a belt to St. Francis on the right . An inscription mentions the donor of the plaque. It is Christoph Böhm's second wife Susanna.

Crucifixion group

Opposite the south portal, on the north wall of the church, rises a crucifixion group from 1555. It is 3.40 m high and its design already shows the beginning of the Renaissance . A signature on the base of the cross ("T + K") refers to the master Thomas Kistner from Würzburg. Originally the work was in front of the church and towered over the cemetery there. The assistant figures Maria and Johannes come from an older group of figures, they were created at the beginning of the 16th century.

Christ on the cross has a face contorted with pain. The figure corresponds to the three-nail type . There is an inscription on the cross. It reads: "hodie Mihi, Cras Tibi" (lat. Today me, tomorrow you). The base is decorated with naturalistic stone. Figures of snakes, turtles and lizards are attached to it. At the feet of the crucified one recognizes a skull. Maria and Johannes stand on brackets that have been attached to the wall.

Stained glass

A total of seven remains of the original Gothic stained glass were placed in the windows of the church . They were created in the years 1470–1480. In 1929 the remaining paintings were added. They show the miracles of Jesus . All of the paintings are now in the windows of the nave. Four of the works of art were attached to the first window on the north side, while the south side has two stained glass on the front window and one stained glass on the back.

On the north side, on the right, you can see the Mother of God with the child in her arms, a crown is worn over her head by floating angels. To her left a knight kneels in plate armor , hands clasped in prayer. It is probably Michael von Schwarzenberg, who died in 1499. A heraldic shield, that of Schwarzenberg's home , is located under the person praying. Gothic canopies frame the scenes. Angels hold up banners below the figures.

The south side shows a crucifixion group in front. Mary and John surround the crucified Christ, John looks up, Mary looks down in mourning. Furthermore, a Radiant Madonna is depicted on the stained glass. Mary with the child stands on a crescent moon with a face. The glasses are white and blue. At the back of the church, Saint Sebastian can be seen on the glass. The glass painting came to the church in 1955 through a foundation.

organ

View of the organ

The organ was created as part of the baroque redesign of the church in 1794. Organ builder was Franz Michael Seuffert , who comes from the famous family of organ and piano builders. In 1999 and 2000 the instrument was overhauled by Orgelbau Vleugels from Hardheim. The old prospectus was reconstructed, the baroque timbre of the organ was restored. The slider drawer instrument has 10 registers on a manual (CD-d 3 : Gedact 8 ', Salicional 8', Principal 4 ', Flauta Traver 4', Quint 3 ', Octav 2', Mixtur 1 1 ⁄ 2  ') and a pedal (CD-d 1 : Subbass 16 ', Octavbas 8', Trombone 8 '). The playing and stop actions are mechanical.

Further equipment

The crucifix in the nave

In addition to the works of art mentioned above, there are other furnishings in the pilgrimage church.

Choir

The church choir underwent the greatest changes in 2002. A simple celebration altar was created under the direction of Jürgen Lenssen . Likewise, an ambo and the choir stalls were only brought into the church after the renovation. An altarpiece on the east side of the choir shows the risen and transfigured Christ. The sacrament house on the north side of the choir, on the other hand, comes from the time the church was built. Pinnacles tower over the Gothic work of art. An angel with holds an inscription at the bottom of a banner. It reads: Ecce panis angelorum ( lat. "See the angel bread").

Longhouse

The oldest work of art in the nave is the large crucifix that rises above the epitaph on the right wall of the nave. It was built in 1490 and was originally located above the choir arch . The symbols of the four evangelists are painted in gold on the ends of the arms of the cross. Jesus is depicted suffering. A few years later, the large fresco of St. Christopher was created , which is located on the south side of the nave.

On the left side altar you can see the so-called Not-Gottes-relief . It is made of alabaster and shows the Most Holy Trinity ; it dates from the 17th century. In contrast, there is a painting of St. Lawrence on the gallery parapet from the 18th century. Two more pictures are located below the gallery. On the one hand the Sorrowful Mother of God Mary, on the other hand the vision of Francis is represented. A 19th century statue shows St. Lawrence. The prayer chairs, which were made around 1700, complete the furnishings of the church.

Surroundings

The church is embedded in the landscape of the Mainschleife, seen from the west

The entire complex is protected by a wall that surrounds the former cemetery . Here are the remains of stone figures from a Mount of Olives scene , which was previously attached to the church building. It dates from the 16th century. In the west and south of the complex there are buildings from 1732. A round arched portal allows entry behind the wall. A baroque statue of St. John Nepomuk sits enthroned above the portal .

A way of the cross from the city used to lead to the pilgrimage church ; Three wayside shrines from 1521 have survived from this older Way of the Cross. Today visitors can reach the church from a parking lot below the hill on a shorter, younger Way of the Cross with portraits of stations from the 19th century. A statue of the Mater Dolorosa interrupts the stations. The path leads through the vineyards ( Weingarten ) and goes into a wine trail.

See also

literature

  • Hans Bauer: District of Kitzingen. An art and culture guide . Market wide 1993.
  • Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments. Bavaria I: Franconia . Munich and Berlin 1999.
  • Gerhard Egert: The Rape of the Rosary Madonna by Tilman Riemenschneider from the pilgrimage church Maria im Weingarten on the Kirchberg near Volkach 1962 . Volkach 2004.
  • Gerhard Egert: The evercows of the pilgrimage church St. Maria zu Volkach . In: Ute Feuerbach (Ed.): Volkach 906-2006 . Volkach 2006.
  • Gerhard Egert: Henri Nannen and the Volkacher art theft 1962 . In: Ute Feuerbach (Ed.): Our Main Loop. 1993-2007 . Volkach 2008.
  • Gerhard Egert: "We roll to the mother of pain" . In: Ute Feuerbach (Ed.): Volkach 906-2006 . Volkach 2006.
  • Church administration Volkach (ed.): Kirchberg Volkach. Maria in the vineyard . Volkach 2004.
  • Hanswernfried Muth: Tilman Riemenschneider's Madonna in the Rosary in the pilgrimage church "Maria auf dem Kirchberg" near Volkach . In: Wilhelm Engel, Max Hermann von Freeden, Theodor Kramer, Fritz Mertens: Mainfränkisches Jahrbuch für Geschichte und Kunst 6 . Volkach 1954.
  • Hanswernfried Muth: Volkach am Main. Catholic parish church St. Bartholomäus, Maria im Weingarten . Regensburg 2005.
  • Erika Stadler: The Beguines on the Kirchberg in Volkach . In: Ute Feuerbach (Ed.): Volkach 906-2006 . Volkach 2006.
  • Karl Treutwein : From Abtswind to Zeilitzheim. History, sights, traditions . Volkach 1987.
  • Georg Wehner: The pilgrimage church of St. Maria in the vineyard on the Kirchberg near Volkach . Volkach 1968.

Web links

Commons : Maria im Weingarten (Volkach)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Feuerbach, Ute: Maria in the vineyard . P. 237.
  2. ↑ Stadler, Erika: The Beguines on the Kirchberg in Volkach . P. 245.
  3. ^ Wehner, Georg: St. Maria in the vineyard . P. 5.
  4. ↑ Egert, Gerhard: "We wallen to the mother of pain" . P. 256.
  5. ^ Egert, Gerhard: Henri Nannen and the Volkacher Kunstraub 1962 . P. 171.
  6. ↑ See: Egert, Gerhard: The Robbery of the Rosary Madonna .
  7. ↑ Geodata: ( page no longer available , search in web archives: monument number D-6-75-174-73 ), accessed on October 1, 2013.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / geodaten.bayern.de
  8. ^ Treutwein, Karl: From Abtswind to Zeilitzheim . P. 254.
  9. ^ Wehner, Georg: St. Maria in the vineyard . P. 6.
  10. ^ Muth, Hanswernfried: Volkach am Main . P. 6.
  11. ↑ a b Volkach Church Administration (ed.): Kirchberg Volkach. Maria in the vineyard . P. 4.
  12. ^ Wehner, Georg: St. Maria in the vineyard . P. 12 f.
  13. ↑ See: von Freeden, Max Hermann: Eine hl. Anna of the Riemenschneider School .
  14. ^ Wehner, Georg: St. Maria in the vineyard . P. 13.
  15. ^ Bauer, Hans: District of Kitzingen . P. 16.
  16. ^ Egert, Gerhard: Henri Nannen and the Volkacher Kunstraub 1962 . P. 176.
  17. ^ Muth, Hanswernfried: Volkach am Main . P. 12.
  18. ^ Muth, Hanswernfried: Tilman Riemenschneider's Madonna . P. 166.
  19. ^ Wehner, Georg: St. Maria in the vineyard . P. 17.
  20. ^ Dehio, Georg: Handbook of German art monuments . P. 1074.
  21. ^ Muth, Hanswernfried: Volkach am Main . P. 14.
  22. ^ Wehner, Georg: St. Maria in the vineyard . P. 19.
  23. ^ Muth, Hanswernfried: Volkach am Main . P. 15.
  24. ↑ Information about the organ (as of December 27, 2018)
  25. ^ Treutwein, Karl: From Abtswind to Zeilitzheim . P. 256.
  26. ↑ Volkach Church Administration (ed.): Kirchberg Volkach. Maria in the vineyard . P. 2.

Coordinates: 49 ° 52 '28.7 "  N , 10 ° 12' 50.7"  E