Castle Chapel St. Georg (Droß)

Droß Castle Chapel

The St. Georg Castle Chapel is a former castle chapel in the Lower Austrian municipality of Droß . The small, originally presumably free-standing building from the first half of the 12th century, which was first documented in 1135 and rebuilt around 1300, was given a hexagonal roof turret in the 15th century , crowned by a pyramid-shaped, stone helmet roof. The chapel was used until 1953 as a Catholic parish church and today as a mortuary uses of the site. It is dedicated to St. George , the patron saint of the knightly orders .

architecture

The nave-like nave , built from smooth ashlar stones, is Romanesque . This was originally followed by a semicircular Romanesque apse , the outline of which was made recognizable in the floor. This was replaced around 1300 by a two- yoke early Gothic choir with groined vaults and a straight end. Pointed-arch windows and two slits of light broken through the east wall of the choir illuminate the interior.

In the 18th century the chapel underwent further changes in the course of the Baroque style. The flat ceiling of the nave with its curly stucco decoration dates from this time. A master gallery previously located on the west wall, which was accessible from the first floor of the castle via a corridor, also fell victim to the renovation. The latter, in turn, was removed in the middle of the 20th century. Only the walled-up opening of the high entrance still bears witness to this.

Frescoes

Particularly noteworthy are the Secco paintings, which come from three different time periods and were only rediscovered at the end of the 1950s. These exceeded the restorers' wildest expectations. The oldest were built at the same time as the choir and cover all the walls of the same. They show scenes from the Passion of Christ , from the life of the Virgin Mary and the legend of St. Catherine, as well as the Last Judgment, accompanied by rich ornaments . The depictions of Saint John, Saint Catherine and Saint Matthias in the reveals of the window openings, which were broken into the south wall around this time, date from around 1420 .

Furniture

The church has a massive granite baptismal font, which is estimated to date from the beginning of the 14th century.

Web links

Commons : Schlosskapelle Droß  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• The castle chapel St. Georges on the castle page
• The St. Georges castle chapel, masonry dating on the castle page
• Kulturatlas-LOWER AUSTRIA / Reference to the panel paintings of the chapel

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} according to other sources in the first half of the 14th century

Coordinates: 48 ° 27 ′ 49.8 "  N , 15 ° 34 ′ 20.5"  E