St. Elisabeth (Bärnau)

The listed Roman Catholic Church of St. Elisabeth , also popularly known as Kappl , is located southwest of the Upper Palatinate town of Bärnau on the Golden Road on the section that led from Thanhausen to Bärnau and on to Bohemia (Kapellenweg 11). The church on a hill is dedicated to St. Elisabeth .

history

It is believed that this church was first built in the course of the granting of Eger town charter to Bärnau in 1354 by Emperor Charles IV , as the main churches in Eger were consecrated to St. Nicholas and St. Elisabeth of Thuringia and so through the construction of this church (a Nikolauskirche already existed) the ties between the two cities were deepened.

In 1556 the keeper of Bärnau received the order from Count Palatine Wolfgang to demolish the church and send the bell to the armory. According to an altar inscription, the church was destroyed by Calvinists . It says “HOC SACELLU DIVAE ELISABETHAE SACRUM A CALVINISTIS ANNO 1556 DESTRUCTUM POST INTEGRUM SECULUM ANNO 1656 PER LIBERALES MANUS FUIT REDIFICATU.” In 1656, the church was rebuilt with donations. The name "Cappl" has been documented since 1661.

The church was badly damaged in 1945 by the effects of the war. A comprehensive restoration was carried out by the Friends of the Kappl Church in 1976–1979.

Appearance

The church is a plastered solid building with a crippled hipped roof . It has a polygonal end and a roof turret on the west side with a pointed helmet from 1656; the arched portal is marked with the year 1731. The church is a hall building with a flat ceiling.

Furnishing

The paintings in the church are by the painter Maurus Fuchs from 1785. On the ceiling there is a painting of Mary Magdalene anointing the feet of Jesus, and another of Saint Elisabeth nursing the sick. On the walls there are additional frescoes from the life of Elisabeth. Over the two portals are busts of St. Rupert and St. Peter . On the gallery parapet of the pulpit is a picture of Johannes Nepomuk and the four evangelists . The pews are from the time it was built.

The baroque main altar is supported by two columns surrounded by vine leaves and grapes. In the middle there is a wooden figure of St. Elisabeth from 1500 (this is the only pre-Reformation work of art that survived the turmoil of the Reformation in Bärnau; today it has been replaced by a copy). The side figures are St. Barbara and St. Catherine . In the extract is a picture of Maria Magdalena.

literature

Christine Brunner-Hastreiter: Bärnau - a home book . Verlag der Stadt Bärnau, Bärnau 1972, pp. 220–222.

Web links

49.8073542 12.4255814 604Coordinates: 49 ° 48 ′ 26.5 " N , 12 ° 25 ′ 32.1" E