St. Johannes Baptist (Meringerzell)
The Catholic branch church St. Johannes Baptist is located on a hill on the former outskirts of the Meringer district Meringerzell in the district of Aichach-Friedberg in Swabia . The simple church is one of the oldest sacred buildings in the Augsburg area, the medieval painting of which was partially uncovered in 1985.
history
The church was probably built around 1010 when Duke Welf II transferred the place to the Altomünster monastery . A fortified court of the local nobility "von Cella" may have been on the hill before. The Zeller were undoubtedly servants of the von Mering gentlemen, who belonged to the Guelph ministry . The Altomünster monastery was destroyed during the Hungarian invasions , the reconstruction was supported by the Guelphs . Some historians suspect that this is even the baptistery of the parish of Mering, which is said to have been built between 982 and 988.
Large parts of the high medieval church have survived, which confirm a date around the year 1000. About a hundred years later, the foundation building was expanded to include an almost square eastern chancel.
Around 1400 this chancel was demolished and replaced by a larger polygonal choir closing on three sides. In the northern corner of the choir, a tower grew, the basement of which served as a sacristy . Meringerzell was then an independent parish seat. (1427 Hainrich der Motz, pastor of Meringerzell).
In accordance with its status as a parish church , the church was lavishly painted. The exterior also seems to have been painted at the time, as the fragment above the portal suggests. The image of the saint, which at first glance appears to be “Romanesque”, is dated to around 1430 and was created around the same time as the “Last Judgment” on the inner wall, which was exposed in 1985.
During the baroque period , the interior was redesigned, the two-storey sacristy annex was built on the south side and the windows were enlarged.
The 19th century found this baroque interior to be out of date. Around the middle of the century, the church began to be refurbished in neo-Gothic styles. The current high altar was moved to the presbytery in 1881 .
In 1954 the church was extended to the west and the gallery was built in. In 1960 the two side altars were removed and the seating was changed from a practical point of view.
A complex renovation was carried out from 1982 to 1985. By exposing the important medieval wall paintings, the former importance of one of the oldest preserved churches in Bavarian Swabia could be experienced again.
During the most recent restoration in 2012, a modern design was deliberately chosen for the baptismal font and the new popular altar made of glass, cast brass and colored LED lighting, because every era has left its mark on the church.
description
Exterior construction
The church is located in the middle of the cemetery on a hill that is surrounded by a plastered wall with buttresses . The nave and choir have a common, tile-covered gable roof . The choir has only moved in a little. The tower rises up on its north side. Two upper floors sit on the square high medieval basement, which were historicized in the 19th century and topped with a steep pyramid helmet. The corners of the upper floors are bevelled and framed by pilaster strips .
Opposite, the sacristy extension jumps out to the south.
The nave reveals its Romanesque origins through the stanchion ledge under the eaves, which was continued to the west when the church was expanded. Large baroque windows illuminate the interior. A fragment of the former exterior painting has been preserved above the portal on the south side. At first glance, the seated saint appears Romanesque, but is dated to around 1430. The dating is mainly derived from the execution of the halo, the dark rays of which are typical of this era. Perhaps a Romanesque mural was repaired here in the Gothic period. Older fragments from the 13th century have also been preserved under the “Last Judgment” on the inner wall.
inner space
The rectangular nave is spanned by a simple stucco ceiling. Emblems in cartridge-like fields are accompanied by bands and simple frames. The stucco next to the niches of the side altars were only added during the general renovation of 1982/85. The niches themselves also come from this historicizing restoration. The high altar (1881) was left in the church as the remainder of the neo-Gothic furnishings. The filigree retable is structured by three canopies . In the center is the group of figures depicting the baptism of Christ by the church patron. The diocese saints St. Ulrich and St. Afra stand to the side .
Of the former side altars, only the two figures of the Madonna and St. Leonhard remained in the church and were set up in the side altar niches.
The Last Judgement"
The most important work of art in the small branch church is the large Gothic mural of the “ Last Judgment ”, which was hidden under some layers of paint for a long time. During the renovation in 1982/85, the Eglingen restorer Norbert Fischer was able to uncover and conserve one of the few examples of Gothic wall painting in the vicinity of the former imperial city of Augsburg. The Secco paintings are dated around 1410/20 and are reminiscent of older Augsburg models, such as the depictions in the west crypt of Augsburg Cathedral that were uncovered from 1979 to 1981 . They also show influences from Bohemia and Northern Italy , but at the same time are reminiscent of works of folk art .
Two artist hands can be distinguished. Apparently an older master was at work here with his young journeyman. The master was still stuck in the tradition of the late 14th century, the journeyman allowed more modern stylistic devices to flow into his work, but seems to have been a bit uncertain in terms of painting technique.
In the lower left corner you can see a picture of the founder. The founder kneels in front of St. Wolfgang. To the right of this a clogged window has been preserved, in the jamb of which St. Warriors were depicted as knights . A young and an older warrior represent the " Miles christianus ", the Christian knight.
Above that, apostles sit as assessors at the court. The cycle is then disturbed by one of the large baroque windows, under which the portrayal of the Heavenly Gate was probably located.
The middle scene above shows Christ as the judge of the world. Below that, the dead emerge from their graves as blessed (left) or damned. One of the blessed is a ruler of the "King Sigismund type" that was widespread at the time; the Pope is also allowed to move into paradise . On the right, a bishop and a rich young man must also follow the devils to hell .
At the top right next to another window there are again three apostles as assessors. The scenes were closed at the top by a tracery frieze with mythical animals, which has only survived on the left. A border with quatrains forms the lower end .
literature
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of German Art Monuments, Bavaria III; Swabia (arr.: Bruno Bushart , Georg Paula ). Munich, Berlin, 1986
- Kurt Engelhard (Ed.): The Church of St. John the Baptist in Meringerzell - The story of a baptismal church . Sigmaringen, 1987. ISBN 3-7995-4103-9
- Martin Schallermeir (Ed.): Mering - From the past and the present . Mering, 1983
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 16 '15.6 " N , 11 ° 1' 15.2" E