St. Anna Chapel (Schwendi)

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St. Anna Chapel in Schwendi

The St. Anna Chapel in Schwendi in the Biberach district in Upper Swabia is a Gothic chapel with an important winged altar from the " Ulm School " from around 1500.

Building history

Romanesque window on the south wall of the chapel
Grimace behind the choir arch
View of the winged altar in the open state

The St. Anna Chapel was the parish church of Schwendi until the Church of St. Stephanus was built in 1561 . Originally the chapel was consecrated to St. Stephen , later also to the Virgin Mary and finally only her mother St. Anna . Large parts of the masonry are made of coarse natural stone and date from the time it was built, which is dated to the 12th or 13th century. A slotted window with a round arch on the south wall that was exposed in 1962 is reminiscent of the Romanesque architecture of that time. Today the nave of the chapel is 10 meters long and 4.55 meters wide, the ceiling is 5.40 meters high. Max Hammer assumes that the church was originally only 7 meters long.

In 1460 the church had become too small, so that money was repeatedly collected between 1467 and 1481 for a renovation. The eastern part of the church was demolished and a new choir ( chancel ) was added. Presumably the nave should also be expanded, but that never happened. In 1561 the Schwendier parish church St. Stephanus was consecrated, the old church from then on only used as a chapel. The church tower was demolished in the 18th century and nothing is known about its appearance. In 1836 the chapel was given a gable tower ( roof turret ) instead .

The St. Anna Chapel was last renovated in 1962/63, 1980 and 1993. Today's appearance is largely due to the renovation in the 1960s. At that time the sacristy and a new gallery were built and the plaster ceiling was replaced by a ceiling made of spruce wood. Today's pews also date from this period .

The vaulted ceiling

In the late 15th century, the choir of the chapel was given a mesh vault with ribs, keystones and heraldic consoles. Dating is possible because the painters left the year "1484" twice. The vaults are primarily decorated with floral motifs, Hammer counts a total of 65 pieces. In the middle, where the ribs converge, the Lamb of God can be seen on a blue shield. The incorporated coats of arms indicate the founder families .

The winged altar

The retable (winged altar) is a valuable example of Gothic art from the "Ulm School" around 1500. According to a dendrochronological investigation, the date of origin cannot have been before 1496. The altar was donated by the local lord Wilhelm (the Middle) von Schwendi († 1522) and his wife Barbara von Schwendi, née Krafft von Dellmensingen († 1538). The sculptures come from the workshop of the Ulm sculptor Niklaus Weckmann , which a comparison with other works from Weckmann's workshop proves. Today the paintings are attributed to the " Pfullendorfer Meister " who is not known by name and no longer (as was done by Hammer ) to the workshop of Bartholomäus Zeitblom . This shows the great color of the pictures and the voluminous design of the individual figures with their lavishly draped robes. The winged altar is in good condition, but the wing paintings have been heavily faded from sunlight and have also been "intervening, partially disfiguring, restored" by Max Hammer , as the Württemberg State Museum criticized. The Schwendier retable was on display for several months in 1993 in the exhibition “Masterworks in Mass” in Stuttgart .

Today the winged altar can always be seen in the open state. In the past it was usually closed during working days . Only on Sundays and public holidays (as well as between the conversion and communion ) the church visitors could admire it when it was open - and thus in particular splendor. The altar consists of the following elements:

  • The front of the predella (lower part) shows the four evangelists with their symbols . From left: Luke (bull), Matthew (human), Johannes (eagle) and Markus (lion).
  • In the open shrine (middle part), crowned Mary with the baby Jesus is enthroned in the middle , St. Laurentius is on the left, St. Vitus on the right . The attributes of the saints refer to their martyrdom: Laurentius was tortured to death on a gridiron, Vitus in a kettle.
  • On the left of the opened wings of the altar St. Barbara can be seen with a chalice and on the right St. Catherine with a sword and part of a wheel. According to legend, Katharina was supposed to be tortured on wheels, but an angel came and destroyed the instruments of torture. Eventually she was executed with the sword.
  • On the left of the closed wings , John the Baptist is depicted in a red robe, he points to the sacrificial lamb sitting on his book. On the right is Saint Roch , who has bared his right leg - a kneeling angel points to a pus wound. Rochus was venerated as the plague saint.
  • When closed, the statues of the donors can be seen on the left and right - on the left Wilhelm von Schwendi with the Schwendier family coat of arms, on the right his wife Barbara von Schwendi, née Krafft von Dellmensingen, with the coat of arms of her family. The two are shown kneeling and praying the rosary , they wear the church attire clothing customary at the time for the Swabian nobility . The inactive leaves are copies of the originals that have been in the possession of the Krafft zu Dellmensingen family for centuries. Max Hammer copied it in 1963 and added it to the winged altar.
  • On the back of the retable , the remains of a depiction of the Last Judgment can be seen in the upper part , on the back of the predella the veil of Veronica held by angels is painted. Hammer explains the choice of motif with the fact that at the time the retable was written, pastors were making confession behind the altar . Confessors should be reminded that a sinful life leads to ruin and that Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world. Hammer also relates that there was a wide hole in Christ's face of suffering until the renovation in 1920. Superstitious Schwendier promised relief from toothache from the splinters of wood .

Further equipment

  • Crucifixion group on the choir arch (Mary, Jesus on the cross, John) from the 15th century, once stood on the winged altar
  • Two limestone grimaces behind the chancel arch date from the Romanesque time of the church
  • Figure of Anna selbdritt (representation of Saint Anna with her daughter Maria and the baby Jesus), in Gothic style, created around 1500. The figure, which may have given the church its current name of St. Anna Chapel, was given its own altar in 1729 which no longer exists today.
  • 14 Stations of the Cross -Stationsbilder , baroque style, originated in the 17th century
  • Image of the Virgin Mary from around 1590

literature

  • J. König: Schwendi parish church. Biberach district. Rottenburg diocese. Patron St. Stephan (December 26th) and Alexius (July 17th). = The churches in Schwendi, Württ. Schnell & Steiner, Munich 1940 ( Art Guide S 471/72 series Southern Germany ), (2nd completely revised edition: Otto Beck: Catholic parish church St. Stephan in Schwendi. = Schwendi, Oberschwaben. Schnell & Steiner , Munich et al. 1985 ( art guide 471)).
  • Max Hammer : Schwendi. Home register of a community in Upper Swabia. Konrad, Weißenhorn 1969.
  • Gerhard Weilandt: Directory of the sculptures from the Weckmann workshop and its surroundings. In: Gerhard Weilandt, Stefan Roller (Red.): Masterpieces en masse. The sculpture workshop of Niklaus Weckmann and painting in Ulm around 1500. Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-929055-25-2 , pp. 484–490 (exhibition catalog, Stuttgart, Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Altes Schloss, May 11th - 1st August 1993).
  • Daniela Countess von Pfeil: The master of the Pfullendorfer retable and his workshop. In: Gerhard Weilandt, Stefan Roller (Red.): Masterpieces en masse. The sculpture workshop of Niklaus Weckmann and painting in Ulm around 1500. Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-929055-25-2 , pp. 185–198 (exhibition catalog, Stuttgart, Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Altes Schloss, May 11th - 1st August 1993).

Web links

Commons : St. Anne's Chapel  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Beck (1985), p. 3
  2. ↑ Hammer (1969), p. 160
  3. ↑ Hammer (1969), p. 156
  4. ↑ Hammer (1969), p. 161
  5. ↑ Hammer (1969), p. 166
  6. ↑ a b Hammer (1969), p. 165
  7. ↑ a b Hammer (1969), p. 164
  8. ↑ a b Weilandt (1993), p. 456
  9. ↑ a b Hammer (1969), p. 162
  10. ↑ Weilandt, p. 456
  11. ↑ Weilandt (1993), pp. 455f. and Countess von Pfeil (1993), p. 187
  12. ↑ Hammer (1969), p. 163
  13. ↑ Weilandt (1993), p. 455
  14. ↑ The presentation is based on Hammer (1969), p. 162ff.
  15. ↑ a b Beck (1985), p. 23

Coordinates: 48 ° 10 ′ 29.7 ″  N , 9 ° 58 ′ 34.1 ″  E