Knight's Chapel in Hassfurt

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East view of the Hassfurt Knight's Chapel with choir and coat of arms frieze
West view of the Hassfurt Knight's Chapel, taken from the Upper Tower (Bamberger Tor)
Heideloff's expansion project

The Knight's Chapel in Haßfurt ( Marienkapelle ) is one of the most important late Gothic buildings in Lower Franconia . The choir of the sacred building is surrounded by a triple coat of arms frieze with a total of 248 medieval heraldic shields. The neo-Gothic renovation started in the 19th century was only partially completed. The church is located outside the old city ​​walls in the eastern suburb and is surrounded by the cemetery . The Knight's Chapel is the oldest pilgrimage church in the Würzburg diocese .

history

The chapel originally served as the town's parish church . When a new main church was built on the market square in the middle of the 14th century , the Marienkapelle was still used as a baptistery and place of pilgrimage . It was a predecessor of today's church.

1390 is laid the foundation of the late Gothic chorus to the nave was 1431 under the Würzburg he Prince Bishop Johann II. Von Brunn started (inscription on a panel on the south side). The vaulting of the choir took place after 1438, but the finished building could not be consecrated until 1465.

The assumption of the laying of the foundation stone around 1390 is based on a very vague source by Heideloff from 1783, which is based on the statement of a pastor Bucher. The fact that the local parish church was built almost at the same time (proven construction also began in 1390) suggests that construction began later, which can be traced back to the dendrochronological studies on the choir roof and the coats of arms of the choir vault. The choir roof was dendrochronologically dated to the years 1454/1455. After dendrochronological analysis, the construction of the nave could be completed in 1433/1434. This fact shows the interesting aspect that contrary to popular belief, the nave was built in front of the choir.

In 1406 a priestly brotherhood was founded in Hassfurt, which numerous members of the surrounding nobility joined. This brotherhood certainly supported the construction with some donations, but there is no documentary evidence for this. However, the unique, triple coat of arms frieze on the exterior of the choir indicates a considerable influence of the nobility on the construction process and the furnishings. Many knight days, festivals and aristocratic processions took place in Haßfurt. The nearby Haßberge were home to many, sometimes very wealthy, noble families.

The church was the first Marian pilgrimage site of the diocese of Würzburg. Numerous “miracles” have come down to us, especially from the 16th century. The formerly numerous votive offerings were later removed from the church. The original miraculous image (around 1400) was replaced by a new one around 1600. The two images of grace were inserted into a Marian column on the altar island during the renovation from 2006 to 2010. The pilgrimage ended in the 18th century.

Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn had the nave raised and vaulted in 1603/05. Echter preferred medieval designs, a separate, post-Gothic style emerged, the “Echter Gothic”.

In 1853 an " Association for the Restoration of the Knight's Chapel " was founded. In 1856 Carl Alexander Heideloff began restoring the choir. The planned expansion of the nave to a three-aisled hall and the erection of two magnificent choir side towers, however, met with fierce opposition and were ultimately prevented by the architect's death in 1865.

description

The chapel consists of the single-nave, post-Gothic vaulted nave and the high, late-Gothic choir. The exterior of the church has been influenced by the neo-Gothic style since the restoration by Heideloff . The choir was connected to the wider nave by short, sloping walls. In the north the stump of a planned tower is still attached to the nave, behind which a small stair tower allows access to the top floor.

The church is surrounded by the cemetery, the tomb of the builder Carl Alexander (von) Heideloff can be found behind the choir.

Next to the choir is the late Gothic hospital chapel, the nave of which was demolished in the 16th century. The former, two-story cemetery chapel is located near the unfinished tower on the north side of the church.

West facade of the Hassfurt Knight's Chapel

West facade

The west facade is also heavily shaped in the neo-Gothic style. The late Gothic tympanum of the main portal with the multi-figure representation of the procession of the Magi has been preserved . Two damaged epitaphs from the middle of the 16th century are also noteworthy . The knights kneel with their wives in front of the cross.

Longhouse

The longhouse

The contrast between the richly structured choir building and the simple, artistically rather undemanding nave is striking. The sober interior was reserved for the common people and citizens, which is why the miraculous image was exhibited here. The noble choir building apparently belonged entirely to the nobility, who had set an "eternal" monument for themselves with a total of 276 coats of arms.

The chapel has four entrances, in addition to the tympanum relief of the main portal, the rear portal on the south side is particularly noteworthy. Here the relief depicts the crucifixion of Christ, underneath the donor couple was immortalized.

The vault thrust is derived from the outside by undivided buttresses, which are placed over a corner on the west wall and probably cover older, Gothic struts.

Choir

The choir
Detail of the choir
Some "Stifterwappen" in the choir
Choir around 1455 with figural capital ( sheet mask )
Epitaph for Hans and Brigitta von Schaumberg

The design of the choir can be traced back to Hans von Schaffhausen , whose stonemason mark can be found on the chapel and the towers of the parish church. The original condition before the neo-Gothic addition is well documented in a drawing by Georg Lösti in the inventory volume . The three-bay, three-sided closed building is structured on the outside by ten slender buttresses . The triple coat of arms frieze stretches around the choir above the pointed arched windows decorated with tracery. The buttresses are richly decorated by superimposed, pinnacle-crowned sculpture niches.

Heideloff supplemented this historical inventory with the tracery gallery above the coat of arms frieze. Standing angel figures hold additional (empty) coats of arms above the buttresses, the roof area is surrounded by high pinnacles. Around 1890, the baroque bell tower was replaced by today's pointed-helmeted roof turret .

The coat of arms frieze still shows a total of 248 heraldic shields, mainly of Franconian and Swabian families. A long row of smaller shields lies over tracery made from three passes. The tracery frieze is completed at the bottom by, in some cases grotesque, console figures with additional coats of arms . The west side of this unique heraldic “picture book” is now covered by the nave roof.

inner space

The single nave nave is separated from the chancel by an unusual three-part choir arch . The simple cross vaults of the parish room were created under Julius Echter (1603/05). The approximately 17 m high choir, on the other hand, has late Gothic vaults , the doubling of the ribs (parallel ribs) is remarkable here. The vaults rest on grotesque consoles , there are dragons and monkeys, as well as a female bust. The 25 keystones have rich heraldic decorations, the rich tracery of the slender choir windows has been largely renewed.

In the west, the nave is closed off by a three-bay, arched, late Gothic organ gallery, in front of which a narrow vestibule was laid out. The vault of the tiny room bears the larger than life sculpture of an almost naked man who is supposed to symbolize the four virtues of temperance, justice, wisdom and strength.

Furnishing

In the course of the restoration in the 19th century, the chapel was given a "stylish" neo-Gothic design. The high altar from 1878/82 ( Josef Metzger , based on designs by Heideloff ) is still preserved today .

14 tombs and epitaphs from the 15th to 18th centuries have been preserved on the side walls. The most important are side by side on the south wall of the nave. In 1501 the knight Hans von Schaumburg and his wife Brigitta , née von Hessberg, died . The deceased are shown life-size, the knight in full armor with a lance and sword, the head is protected by a sallet with a beard. The tombstone of M argaretha von Stein (d. 1531) is attributed to Tilman Riemenschneider, also known as Jörg's son Georg Riemenschneider .

In the course of the renovation from 2006 to 2010, a two-tiered altar island with the celebration altar was installed under the three-part choir arch, on top of which there is a gold-plated Marian column with the wooden Pieta (around 1500) on the side facing the nave and the stone on the back Pieta (around 1400).

The celebration altar was consecrated on September 12, 2010 by Friedhelm Hofmann, the Würzburg bishop.

Marian column with painful Pietà, at the altar consecration 2010

The central window of the long choir is a foundation from 1948.

The late Gothic three kings altar on the north wall of the nave did not come into the chapel until 1960 from the parish church. The sculptures are, however, a modern addition ( Fried Heuler ).

A restored renaissance altar relief was placed in a modern altar case on the south wall.

organ

The church houses an organ built in 1890 by Balthasar Schlimbach from Würzburg with the following disposition :

I. Manual C-f 3
Quintatön 16 ′
Principal 8th'
Covered 8th'
flute 8th'
Gamba 8th'
Octave 4 ′
Reed flute 4 ′
Cornett IV 2 23
Trumpet 8th'
II. Manual C – f 3
Bourdon 16 ′
Principal 8th'
Covered 8th'
Salicional 8th'
Harmonica 8th'
Octave 4 ′
Flute dolce 4 ′
Pedal C – f 1
Sub-bass 16 ′
Violon 16 ′
Violoncello 8th'
tuba 16 ′

The instrument has a mechanical cone shutter action .

literature

  • Karl Alexander von Heideloff: German prince and knight album of the Marian knight band in Hassfurt . Stuttgart 1868
  • Catholic churches in Hassfurt (= Schnell. Art Guide . No. 417). Regensburg, various ed.
  • The art monuments of the Kingdom of Bavaria . Volume III, 4, District Office Hassfurt. Munich 1912.
  • Hermann Fischer, Theodor Wohnhaas: Historical organs in Lower Franconia . Schnell and Steiner, Munich / Zurich 1981.

Web links

Commons : Ritterkapelle Haßfurt  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 1 ′ 54.6 ″  N , 10 ° 30 ′ 42.1 ″  E