St. Cyriak (Sulzburg)

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Matthäus Merian: "Sultzburg", city view and floor plan, Frankfurt 1643

The early Romanesque church of St. Cyriak in Sulzburg, built around the year 990, is one of the oldest churches in Germany with over 1000 years. It was initially a collegiate church and its own church, and from 1008 until the Reformation it was the monastery church of the Benedictine nuns in Sulzburg and is now the parish church of the Evangelical Community in Sulzburg.

History and description of the building

Aerial view of the church area with the cemetery
St. Cyriak in Sulzburg, consecrated in 993
St. Cyriak, east view
West tower of St. Cyriak (1103)

The church is mentioned in a document for the first time in 993. The later emperor Otto III. On June 22nd, 993, he made a certificate by which he transferred the entire royal estate in the valley of "Sulziberg" to the Breisgau Count Birchtilo as a royal donation at his request . The donation served to cover the construction and maintenance costs for the monasterium (church and monastery building) in Sulzburg, which Count Birchtilo donated as his burial place , which he built around 990 and consecrated to the Roman martyr St. Cyriak († around 303) in 993 let. Birchtilo had already provided his foundation with his own property in Breisgau.

After Birchtilo's death († 1005), his son Becelin (in agreement with his brother Gebezo) handed over the church and house monastery with all associated properties to the Bishop's Church in Basel in the hands of the Basel Bishop Adalbero . The transfer, carried out at the request of King Heinrich II , was carried out by a solemn act in the presence of the Counts of Breisgau, Thurgau and Baar as well as a Count from Burgundy.

In the period that followed, the original canon monastery was converted into a Benedictine convent and the church was rebuilt; the Benedictine nuns received two galleries on the walls of the nave, which were accessible from the dormitory .

Inside: view to the east
Inside: view to the west
Increased choir part (around 1010)
Crypt (around 1010)

The foundation building, begun around the year 990 and consecrated in 993, was a three-aisled pillar basilica with five unadorned arcades , a semicircular main apse in the east and another apse in the west, which was intended as a burial place for the founder from the beginning . Incidentally, a church with an east and west choir corresponded to the equality of pope and empire in the kingdom of God, customary among the Ottonian emperors . Count Birchtilo, who died on February 27, 1005, was buried in the west apse. As can be seen from the document of the Codex basiliensis , Birchtilo built the church to rest in it “until Judgment Day”.

The foundation building had no transept and initially also no crypt. The church was lit through regularly lined up arched windows in the upper storey and smaller windows in the side aisles as well as a particularly large arched window in the east apse, which must have had a dominant visual effect.

The foundation building is characterized by clear proportions and monumental simplicity as well as by the contrast between east and west buildings as essential features of the Ottonian era. The interior is determined by large forms without architectural details and by smooth wall surfaces. “The construction time couldn't have dragged on very long. The execution of the plan is not very precise. Inclined angles, irregular room widths and heights, irregularly tapering walls, crooked wall surfaces and the uneven floor speak for a quick construction. The negligent execution characterizes the building, giving it something rustic, but also a peculiarly lively movement. In contrast, the wall technology itself is excellent. "

A comparison of St. Cyriak with St. Georg (Reichenau-Oberzell) reveals some similarities that should not be assessed as purely coincidental: St. Georg is also a three-aisled basilica with an east apse (around 900), which was built between 925 and 945 has also received a west apse, probably because the relic of the church patron St. George , which had previously been kept in the crypt under the east apse , wanted to be relocated to the more easily accessible above-ground west building. This relic, which came from the reliquary of the Roman basilica San Giorgio in Velabro , was given by Pope Formosus to the Reichenau abbot Hatto III in 896. (in one person Hatto I as Imperial Chancellor and Archbishop of Mainz) given on the occasion of his visit to Rome "for his new monastery built in Alemannia". For Abbot Hatto, this event was the reason for the construction of the St. Georg collegiate church on the Lake Constance island of Reichenau and also the beginning of the cult of St. George in the German-speaking area. In this context, it is reasonable to assume that parts of the relics of the martyr Cyriacus, which were transferred from Rome to the Cyriakus monastery in Worms-Neuhausen in 847 , subsequently also reached Sulzburg and that this was the reason for the choice of what had been unusual until then Patronage in Sulzburg.

In addition to the opposite of the east and west building, the length of the nave with five arcades each, the well-proportioned architectural forms and the simplicity with no decorative forms are comparable in both churches, although St. George was completed around 945 and St. Cyriak around 993 . In both churches the high choir in the east was raised by two meters in order to be able to build a crypt underneath; In both cases, two stairways lead to the crypt and steep stairs to the high choir on the nave walls. Finally, a surrounding meander frieze can be seen on the walls of the upper aisle in both churches .

Between 1008 and 1010 the east choir for the nuns was extended to the west by two arcades with their own access and at the same time raised by about two meters in order to be able to build a crypt underneath. The crypt has a barrel vault with a monolithic round support; the barrels of the vault intersect at right angles before they are smoothed to the curve of the apse; it is about “artistic entanglement of the vaults” (Tschira p. 13).

The central nave was intended for the secular congregation, which was separated from the nuns in the choir by the installation of a choir screen , but remained open in the middle to allow the view of the altar, before a separate altar was set up for the congregation in front of the choir screen. The community also received its own baptismal complex in the first yoke on the left and the cemetery to the west.

In 1103 the west tower with a gable roof typical of the region was built on the spot where the west apse had previously stood; it is considered to be the oldest preserved church tower in southwest Germany. Parts of the beam construction have even been dendrochronologically dated to the year 996. In the tower there was a mansion's box with its own staircase.

From 1108 to 1141 the convent was subordinate to the spiritual supervision of the abbot of St. Blasien as a priory . In 1157 the Bishop of Basel appointed the Lords of Üsenberg (from Üsenberg Castle near Breisach) as guardians of the monastery and the mining industry, which has been documented in the Sulzburg Valley since the 10th century. In this context, it is important that Emperor Konrad II. The Bishop of Basel already in 1028 the mining rights had given the silver mining in Sulzburger valley.

After Sulzburg had received city ​​rights from the Üsenbergers in 1283 , a city wall was built, leaving the monastery district outside. The population of the new city increased rapidly. The capacity of the church was soon no longer sufficient for the increased population. Therefore, the two western pillars of the arcades were removed and the other arcades were spanned with square arches in order to include the side aisles in the interior of the lay church. In the side aisles, which were reserved for lay people , there was an altar in honor of St. Catherine of Alexandria in the south aisle and an altar of St. Stephen (in the north aisle).

In 1309 a vestibule was built in front of the tower with a Michael's chapel on the upper floor. This chapel was accessible from the master's box. In the years after 1500, four Gothic tracery windows were installed on the south side of the central nave . The wooden ceiling dates from 1510, according to an inscription that also names the prior Georg Locher at the time .

Margrave Ernst von Baden moved his residence to Sulzburg in 1515 and built a castle on the southern moat, of which the walled park with the round tower is still preserved today. Between 1523 and 1548 he had the monastery temporarily closed. With the Reformation, which Margrave Charles II introduced in 1556, the convent was finally dissolved; the monastery church of St. Cyriak came to the Protestant township with all rights of a parish church. St. Cyriak was now a sermon church, which was converted into a baroque hall church in 1742.

In 1827 the vestibule with the Michael's chapel was demolished again. After the completion of the new town church in 1839, the town of Sulzburg bought the monastery area with the church. In 1959 the church was donated to the Evangelical Church Community.

In the 19th century, the St. Cyriakus Church was about to be demolished; it was derelict and had served as a magazine in wartime. When the historical importance of this Ottonian church building, which was again used as a parish church, was recognized in the 1950s , a lengthy renovation process with excavations and reconstruction measures began (from 1961); the entire building was restored and the former aisles were restored on the old foundations. The work could only be finally completed in 2009 with the result that St. Cyriak was placed under special monument protection as a material entity in February 2009 and entered in the monument book as a cultural monument of special importance . In the same year St. Cyriak was included in the highest category of protected national monuments in Germany.

At the moment there are still pending: drainage and final restoration of the crypt and securing and restoration of the meander frieze below the ceiling of the central nave.

Furnishing

  • Gothic tracery window on the south side (around 1500)

  • Preliminary drawing "Foolish Virgins" above the stairs to the crypt

  • Frescoes "Fourteen Helpers" on the north wall

  • Preliminary drawing "Four Evangelists" on the south wall

  • Fresco of a bishop on the south wall

The interior of the church is simple and without any special ornamentation. There are also no stone carvings from the founding period; all work pieces come from later eras. The 25 different stonemason's marks that were uncovered on the occasion of the restoration work on the large arches are not signs that a stonemason has attached to mark his workpiece, but rather so-called offset signs to identify two adjacent arches, as it was in the 13th century Century was common.

The smooth walls were originally decorated with paintings, some remains of which have been exposed in the east apse, nave and crypt. The meander frieze below the wooden ceiling must already have existed in the foundation construction; it is the most significant remnant of the original wall painting.

The remains of paintings uncovered in the church and crypt come from different eras. Three layers of paint were found in the crypt: green leaf tendrils from the Baroque period , figurative paintings from the 16th century and, underneath, ornamental and figurative paint remains from the time the crypt was built (around 1010). On the southern wall of the nave you can see the remains of a preliminary drawing by the evangelists Mark (with a lion), Luke (in front of an easel) and John (with a chalice), while Matthew's only symbol is the angel; also the picture of a bishop with miter and staff.

On the north side, parts of a fresco from the early 16th century can still be seen, showing the 14 helpers in need, including St. Cyriak. A preliminary drawing of the foolish virgins with their empty oil jugs has been preserved on the left staircase leading to the crypt; accordingly, the wise virgins were depicted above the right staircase, both scenes intended as a descent to the crypt and as an ascent to the high choir.

  • Coats of arms stone of a miner on the south wall outside (1587)

  • Grave slabs in the north aisle (No. 1–3, early 17th century)

  • Tombstone Johannes Dreuspring, 1726 (No. 16)

Christ Salvator (around 1309)

In the side aisles, which were restored in 1963, old gravestones were set into the wall; almost all of them belonged to graves outside the church and were probably placed in the vestibule and on the outer walls. There are u. Grave plates from the years (from left back clockwise): 1607 (No. 1: Sophia and Alexandria Besolt), 1600 (No. 2: Matthäus Wertz), 1606 (No. 3: Elisabeth Zangmeister), 1586 (No. 6: Pater Julius), 1610 (No. 7: Hans Wolff Teuffel von Burckensee), 1618 (No. 8: Nicolaus Axt), 1726 (No. 16: Johannes Dreuspring), 1740 and 1742 (No. 17: Johann Christoph Gottfried and Christoph Gyser), 1612 (No. 19: Pastor of Thiengen).

In the entrance area below the tower, at the point where the western apse (with the presumed tomb of the founder) stood, there is another grave slab on the floor with the inscription: EGO BIRTHILO MONASTERIUM HONORE SANCTI CYRIACI MARTIRIS LOCO QUI DICITUR SULTZBERG CONSTRUXI (Loosely translated: “I, Birhtilo, built this church and monastery in honor of the Holy Martyr Cyriacus at this place called Sulzburg”). In the middle of the tombstone is the model of the church in its original state, including a count's sword with the dates 993 and 1963. The tombstone based on the design by Karl List is intended to commemorate the renovation year 1963 and the year the church was consecrated in 993. During the archaeological excavations, an old grave was found at this point, which has been assumed to be the grave of the founder Birthilo. The coat of arms of an unknown Sulzburg miner from 1587 is attached to the south-western outer wall; the coat of arms shows three hammers in the sloping beam.

On the south wall of the central nave is a figure of St. Catherine of Alexandria, who was also venerated on the side altar in the south aisle in the 13th century and who - like the church patron - belongs to the fourteen helpers in need. The saint is represented with a book in her left hand and a sword (as the sign of her martyrdom) in her right; she is princely dressed and wears a crown. Emperor Maxentius, under whom she suffered martyrdom around 310, crouches at her feet. The linden wood sculpture is said to have originated in Spain in the 15th century and came to church in 1963. The writing on the base is written in old Spanish.

The relief of Christ Salvator with the kneeling donor figures Burkhard III. von Üsenberg and his wife (around 1309) on the outer tower wall above the main portal was originally on the west gable of the Michael's Chapel on the upper floor of the vestibule that was demolished in 1827.

organ

The organ was built in 1983 by the organ building company Peter Vier (Friesenheim). The instrument has 16 stops on two manual works and a pedal, plus three prints. The playing and stop actions are mechanical. The registers of the main work and the pedal are on a shared twin drawer and can be pulled through alternating loops. They are also in a swell box behind the breastwork.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Bourdon 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Reed flute 8th'
4th octave 4 ′
5. recorder 4 ′
6th octave 2 ′
7th Mixture IV 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
8th. Fifth (in advance No. 7) 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
9. Cornett V (from b 0 ) 8th'
10. Trumpet 8th'
II breastwork C – g 3
11. Bourdon 8th'
12. Praestant 4 ′
13. Reed flute 4 ′
14th Sesquialter II
15th Nassars (previously No. 13) 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
16. Duplicate 2 ′
17th Zimbel III 1'
18th Sifflet (in advance no.15 ) 1'
19th Krummhorn 8th'
Tremulant
Pedals C – f 1
20th Subbass (= No. 1) 16 ′
21st Octave bass (= No. 2) 8th'
22nd Gedackt bass (= No. 3) 8th'
23. Choral bass (= No. 4) 4 ′
24. Flute bass (= No. 5) 4 ′
25th Choral bass (= No. 6) 2 ′
26th Trumpet bass (= No. 10) 8th'
  • Coupling: II / I, I / P, II / P

Web links

Commons : St. Cyriak  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Uwe Hauser / Helmut Fries: Sulzburg St. Cyriak , Peda Art Publishing, Passau 2011.
  • Karl List: Sankt Cyriak Sulzburg , Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1995, with a reconstruction drawing of the monastery in the 14th century.
  • Karl List: St. Cyriak in Sulzburg. A research and work report , State Office for Monument Preservation Freiburg, 1964.
  • Arnold Tschira : The monastery church Sankt Cyriacus in Sulzburg in: Schau-ins-Land: Annual issue of the Breisgau-Geschichtsverein Schauinsland, Volume 80 , self-published, Freiburg im Breisgau 1962, pp. 3–38, with the development of the church in plan on p and 38 ( digitized version ).
  • Dagmar Zindars u. a .: Handbook of German Art Monuments, Baden-Württemberg II, the administrative districts of Freiburg and Tübingen , Munich / Berlin 1997, p. 697.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl List: St. Cyriak in Sulzburg 993–1964. A research and work report of the State Office for Monument Preservation Freiburg, Rombach, Freiburg o. J., p. 23ff.
  2. ↑ Lexicon for Theology and Church (LThK), Herder, Freiburg 2006, Volume 2, Sp. 1367f.
  3. ↑ Jacobus de Voragine: Legenda Aurea, ed. Bruno W. Häuptli, Herder, Freiburg 2014, II, p. 1458ff.
  4. ^ Karl List: Sankt Cyriak Sulzburg, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1995, pp. 2f.
  5. ^ Günter Bandmann: Medieval architecture as a bearer of meaning, Gebr. Mann, Berlin 1951, p. 228
  6. ^ Karl List: St. Cyriak in Sulzburg 993–1964. A research and work report by the State Office for Monument Preservation Freiburg, Rombach, Freiburg o. J., pp. 50 and 52ff.
  7. ^ Arnold Tschira: The monastery church Sankt Cyriacus in Sulzburg in: Schau-ins-Land: Annual issue of the Breisgau-Geschichtsverein Schauinsland , Volume 80, self-published, Freiburg im Breisgau 1962, p. 8ff. with floor plans and historical photos
  8. ↑ Hans Georg Wehrens: Rome - The Christian sacred buildings from the 4th to the 9th century - A Vademecum. Herder, Freiburg, 2nd edition 2017, p. 342 with references
  9. ^ Karl List: Sankt Cyriak Sulzburg , Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1995, pp. 2ff. with drawings of the construction status from 993 and 1310 as well as a reconstruction drawing of the monastery complex in the 14th century.
  10. ↑ Uwe Hauser / Helmut Fries: Sulzburg St. Cyriak , Art Publishing House Peda, Passau 2011, p. 3
  11. ^ Karl List: St. Cyriak in Sulzburg 993–1964. A research and work report by the State Office for Monument Preservation Freiburg, Rombach, Freiburg o. J., p. 81f.
  12. ^ Karl List: St. Cyriak in Sulzburg 993–1964. A research and work report of the State Office for Monument Preservation Freiburg, Rombach, Freiburg o. J., p. 102ff. with further references and illustrations
  13. ↑ Handout from the Evangelical Church Community Sulzburg pp. 21–32 https://www.evang-sulzburg-laufen.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/rundgangCyriak.pdf
  14. ↑ Handout of the Evangelical Church Community Sulzburg p. 13
  15. ↑ Information on the organ

Coordinates: 47 ° 50 ′ 28.8 "  N , 7 ° 42 ′ 37.4"  E