St. Afra (Betzigau)

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Church of St. Afra in Betzigau

St. Afra is the Catholic parish church in Betzigau im Allgäu ( Bavaria ). The church building, built in the 15th century and later redesigned, is a monument with the file number D-7-80-114-2 and bears the patronage of the martyr Afra von Augsburg , whose patronage festival is celebrated on August 7th.

history

View from the northeast

A previous building of today's church is notarized in 1439 (letter of foundation from a Hanns Wiedemann from Leiterberg). The church tower, whose walls, up to two meters thick, are made of rolling stones, presumably comes from this building . It has not been determined whether other components are included in the current construction. In 1498, Prince Abbot Johann von Riedheim from Kempten had the church expanded into a late Gothic branch church. As a branch church, it is affiliated with the parish of St. Mang in Kempten until it was supplied by the Franciscans of the St. Bernardine Monastery in Lenzfried in 1466 . In 1527 St. Afra was raised to an independent parish church. A renovation is documented around 1690, another renovation measure is documented under Prince Abbot Honorius Roth von Schreckenstein around 1777. Here the church was baroque .

Patronage

The previous church from 1439 was consecrated to Saints Maria, Pankratius , Urban and Margareta . The interest and foundation letters before 1676 name a “parish church”, a foundation letter from Hanns Wagner in 1676 names “St. Afra ", in 1683 the brotherhood directory " St. Afra "and" St. Ulrich "called. From 1791 to 1800 “St. Ulrich "and" St. Anna ", from 1801" St. Afra ", until 1932 again" St. Ulrich "and" St. Afra ", since 1932 only" St. Afra "called.

location

The roughly easted (~ 120 ° (east-south-east)) church stands in the middle of the village and is surrounded by the cemetery. Directly on the cemetery wall (north-east side) there is an atonement cross and a mighty linden tree. On the opposite side of the street is the war memorial behind which the Betzigauer Bach flows. At the north-east corner of the cemetery wall is a tall, heavily weathered sandstone cross.

Building description

View into the nave and choir from the gallery

The choir with two window axes is drawn in opposite the nave and has a 5/8 end. From the late Gothic ribbed vault that was once there , only the arched ribs of the stitch caps are preserved. The sacristy (about eight meters long and six meters wide) was added to the front of the choir as an extension in 1798 . The outer facade of the choir is structured by stepped buttresses . There are five pointed arched windows between these, with the eastern window walled up. Two ogival doors on the north side lead into the old sacristy and the church tower. The choir is about eleven by nine meters. The flat-roofed nave with four arched window axes connects through a pointed arched choir arch. Of the four window axes, all four are equipped with windows on the south side and three on the north side. A window would be there, where the entrance to the church is via the sign and the sandstone arch. The nave is about 22 meters long and 13 meters wide.

The gallery on the west wall was renewed in 1920, it is supported by four painted columns, the gallery parapet is vaulted in the middle. There are oval windows under the gallery in the south and north walls of the nave. The gallery is about seven meters deep.

The sign with groin vault on the north side forms the entrance to the church. The actual access from the sign to the inside of the church is through a pointed arched sandstone portal with a triple profile. The sandstone coat of arms of Prince Abbot Johann von Riedheim's walled-in above the entrance portal is marked  1498 .

In the northern choir corner is the massive bell tower made of rolling stone masonry, in the basement of which there is a barrel vault . On the upper floor of the church tower, which is covered with a gable roof, there are Romanesque coupled sound openings. The clock faces of the church tower are surrounded by a fresco that was renewed in 1955. The fresco on the north side of the church tower shows the coat of arms of Prince Abbot Honorius Roth von Schreckenstein. The tower is approximately 33 meters high and approximately seven meters square. To the east, the old sacristy adjoins the tower, which is covered with a pent roof.

  • Portal and door from the sign to the nave

  • Gallery

  • sign

Furnishing

Stucco and fresco

Visitation of Mary, 16th century

At the apex of the choir arch, the coat of arms of Prince Abbot Honorius Roth von Schreckenstein is applied in rich stucco . It was laid out during the renovation of the building in 1777.

During the renovation in 1921, paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries were exposed on the walls of the nave. The pictures on the north wall were whitewashed again. In a first statement, the one picture (dated around 1520) is recognized as a flagellation of talkativeness , but later interpreted as the visitation of Mary . It shows Maria and Elisabeth overheard by a Satan (indistinctly above the two female figures). The second picture shows Saint Martin cutting his cloak with the sword. In the inscription (painted base) it is noted that this picture was donated by Johan Holtzey in 1625.

  • Coat of arms of Honorius von Schreckenstein on the choir arch

  • Saint Martin

Altars

High altar

The side altars were probably built in 1676. They had to be restored in 1790 because of the bad times . At this time the high altar is consecrated to Jesus , the right side altar to Mary and the left side altar to Afra . They were renovated again in 1857, remodeled in 1882 and renovated in 1857, 1922 and 1958. In 1964 the image of Afra was removed from the left side altar (since then in the rectory) and replaced by the carved, framed figure (sculptor: W. Konrad) of Joseph with the baby Jesus.

In September 1922 the high altar was renewed. Only the original altar table remains. In the following decades the high altar was changed and supplemented several times.

In 1967 the people's altar was erected. It resembles the table on the high altar.

Ceiling painting

The ceiling fresco and the four medallions in the nave are attributed to Johann Michael Koneberg (1732-1802). The pictures were created during the design in 1777. They were covered with other paintings in 1880 and exposed again in 1921. The medallions in the corners of the nave ceiling are set with stucco. They stand for conversion, martyrdom and the glorification of St. Afra. The picture on the choir ceiling shows the Last Supper. It is attributed to Hans Kögl and was created in 1921. It replaced a previous image (also the Last Supper) that was created in 1877 by the brothers Josef and Ludwig Fischer.

  • Ceiling painting long house

  • Choir ceiling painting

Gallery parapet

Abraham and Melchizedek

The gallery was enlarged in 1921 and stucco and paintings in the form of three medallions were attached to the new parapet. The stucco is done by Wirth from Augsburg, the paintings by Hans Kögl. In the left medallion Abraham and Melchisdek are depicted , in the middle the prophet Elijah and on the right the feeding of the Israelites .

characters

Heart of jesus

A wooden figure depicting the Archangel Michael is attached to the south wall of the choir. The figure was donated by Michael Wagner in 1695. She was removed from the church in 1880 and returned in 1956. To the right of it, a Sacred Heart figure is attached to a base . The figure has raised its right hand in blessing. The archangel Raphael is depicted on the north wall of the choir . This wooden figure was created by the carver J. Konrad in 1958. To the left of the Archangel Raphael is the figure of Saint Sebastian .

Bells

There are five bells in the bell chamber. They were cast by C. Hamm in Regensburg in 1950.

  • St. Afra (Holy Afra, our patroness, pray for us) - Mood: h - 2,350 kg
  • St. Michael (Lead the souls to the Holy Land) - Mood: d '- 1,400 kg
  • St. Maria (Hail Mary, full of graces, the Lord is with you) - Mood: e '- 900 kg
  • St. Ulrich (Save us from lightning and storms, Lord Jesus Christ) Mood: f sharp '- 600 kg
  • St. Josef (Saint Joseph, family helper, pray for us) - Mood a '- 400 kg

organ

Organ prospect recorded from the nave

It is no longer possible to determine when the first organ was installed. The first known organ was installed in 1708 and renovated in 1779. In 1822 a new movement was installed, which will probably be replaced (no documents available). The present organ was installed by the Hindelang brothers from Ebenhofen in 1907. For this purpose, the existing, historical housing is enlarged. During the First World War (1917), the parish had to deliver the pewter pipes. As a replacement, pipes made of aluminum are installed. In 1974 the organ was revised by Zeilhuber from Altstädten . The action is converted from a pneumatic drive to an electric drive, and a free-standing console is set up. The organ has 650  pipes , organized in 14  registers , distributed over two  manuals and the pedal with a range from C 1 to f 5 .

Others

Next to the Joseph altar, in front of the choir, is the baptismal font .

The pulpit has a rear access via the choir and the tower. The wooden pulpit was probably (documents missing) in the Baroque style around 1777 built and new 1865 Focus . On the base and basket of the pulpit, three putti embody the three divine virtues of faith (cross), hope (anchor) and love (flaming heart). Two other putti with grapes and ears of corn indicate bread and wine. There are three reliefs with the four evangelists on the basket . The rear wall (door) of the pulpit is decorated with an oval. On the lid are four trumpet angels and in the middle the coat of arms of the Kempten prince monastery , in which Hildegard is immortalized as a patroness. The gilded eye of God rises above the lid, surrounded by putti, clouds and a halo.

  • Baptismal font

  • pulpit

  • Cheek of the bench

literature

  • Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments - Bavaria III - Swabia . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-422-03116-6 , pp. 195 f .
  • Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998.
  • Michael Petzet : City and District of Kempten. (= Bavarian art monuments. Vol. 5), 1st edition. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1959, DNB 453751636 , p. 77f.

Web links

Commons : St. Afra  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Diocese of Augsburg
  2. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 10 .
  3. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 17 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 47 .
  5. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 14 .
  6. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 18 .
  7. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 30 .
  8. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 54 .
  9. ↑ a b Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 29 .
  10. ↑ a b Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 99 .
  11. ↑ a b Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 103 .
  12. ↑ a b c Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 63 .
  13. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 67 .
  14. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 55 .
  15. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 88 .
  16. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 93 .
  17. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 94 .
  18. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 150 .
  19. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 151 .
  20. ↑ a b Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 96 .
  21. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 97 .
  22. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 98 .
  23. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 71 .
  24. ↑ a b Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 72 .
  25. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 73 .
  26. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 111 .
  27. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 104 .
  28. ^ Andreas Bader: 500 years of St. Afra Church in Betzigau . Catholic Church Foundation St. Afra, Betzigau 1998, p. 83 .

Coordinates: 47 ° 44 ′ 7.5 ″  N , 10 ° 22 ′ 45.7 ″  E