St. Leonhard (Berghofen)
The Catholic branch church St. Leonhard is a chapel and is located on the northern edge of the Sonthof district of Berghofen on the "Büchel", a low moraine hill on the edge of the Allgäu Alps . In addition to the remains of Gothic wall paintings, the simple sacred building also houses an important winged altar from the workshop of Hans Strigel the Elder .
The branch church belongs to the Catholic parish of the Maria Visitation in Sonthofen.
history
The nave of today's church probably dates from the early 14th century. Around 1438 a choir was added, in which the preserved winged altar was installed. In 1482 the Berghofen community equipped the small church with a benefit in the form of an early measurement foundation . This foundation was merged with the hospital beneficiary in 1602.
In 1607 a cost estimate was made for 55 to 60 florins for a repair of the "badly melted" church. In 1760 the nave was extended by about three meters to the west. The ceiling panels were replaced by simple stucco ceilings and a new choir arch and a new gallery were built . The simple stucco work was probably done by master bricklayer Peter Pfaundler, whose account has been preserved (“the bayde cover quater = and leaves = work done”).
In 1880 the Oberstdorf painter Claudius Schraudolph the Elder painted over the remains of an older Gothic winged altar (probably around 1500). The picture panels were integrated into the neo-Gothic side altars (Alois Schraudolph, Sonthofen) in 1882 .
Today the picturesque church building is particularly popular as a wedding church and is usually freely accessible.
description
Exterior construction
The simple church building made of plastered roll and rubble stones is visible from afar on its moraine hill, which perhaps already had a small place of worship in pre-Christian times.
The exterior is only structured by the mostly round-arched baroque window openings. A Gothic pointed arch window has only been preserved in the choir head .
The chancel, which is closed on three sides, is only minimally drawn in, i.e. it is laid out almost in the width of the nave. In the northeast a rectangular sacristy is attached to the outer wall of the choir. An unusually powerful, shingled roof turret rises above the choir arch . The pointed tent roof of the square roof ridge is crowned by a cross over a sphere.
inner space
The simple interior is spanned by simple frame stucco ceilings. The curved frame fields in the nave and choir are surrounded by rocaille cartouches .
The two neo-Gothic side altars with painted over panels from the late 15th century are located on the choir arch.
14 graphic stations of the cross from the 19th century are attached to the simple west gallery.
Furnishing
"Berghofer Altar"
In the chancel there is an important winged altar, which because of its stylistic similarity to the altar in Zell near Oberstaufen from the Memmingen workshop of Hans Strigel the Elder. Ä. is attributed.
The altar is a donation from Ulrich von Heimenhofen ( Burg Fluhenstein ), who was patron saint of the parish of Sonthofen around 1438, and the dean Peter Ried. Ried had been the parish priest since 1418. A Latin inscription on the base of the altar shrine tells of the benefactors of the two donors. On the northern narrow side, the portrait of Ried has also been preserved under the coat of arms of the Heimenhofen family.
The painted wings are probably the work of Hans Strigel himself. When closed you can see the hll on the outside. Katharina, Maria Magdalena (left), Barbara and Margaretha. On the inside, on the left, the hll. Cyriacus and Dionysius, right the hll. Johannes d. T. and New Year's Eve shown. The paintings show clear similarities with the altar wings in Zell, while the carved shrine figures in Berghofen certainly come from a different master than the statues in Zell. In the past, the wooden figures were mostly mistaken for works by Strigel, who, however, has so far only been understood as a painter . The artist commissioned the woodwork of his altars to various specialized sculptors in the vicinity of the imperial cities of Memmingen and Ulm . The "Master of Berghofen" is now part of the circle of Hans Multscher .
Here in Berghofen, in the center of the altar, there is an approximately 1.20 m high Mother of God in a halo, who was given by St. Leonhard and St. Agatha is accompanied. The statues stand against a damascus background under a richly varied tracery zone .
The half-length figures of the twelve apostles can be seen on the predella in black drawing on a gold background. As very early examples of pure drawing, the pictures are of particular interest to art history. Christ carries the cross on the back wall of the shrine. The painting is relatively poorly preserved and in need of restoration. Noteworthy is the coat of scales of the left soldier who holds a banner in his right hand. The southern narrow side shows a rarely depicted scene from the Old Testament: Daniel proves Susanna's innocence ( Dan 13.44–59 EU ), the happy ending of Susanna's story in the bath .
Side altars
In the neo-Gothic shrines of the two side altars are the painted over panels of a winged altar that was probably made around 1500. Despite the heavy overpainting, the high quality of the original pictures can still be seen. In the right side altar the Mother of God stands between the hll. Johannes d. T. and Barbara. In the left altar the two former altar wings with the representations of St. Anna Selbdritt and St. Elisabeth von Thuringia summarized.
Other equipment
On the north wall of the nave are two reliquary pyramids in rich rococo shapes (around 1760). A popular votive panel from 1666 shows the rare representation of Maria lactans , the nursing Maria. On the south wall there are some votive pictures from the 18th and 19th centuries. Century with depictions of animals.
The crucifix in the choir arch dates from the 17th century. Three oil paintings show the stigmatization of St. Francis of Assisi (late 17th century), a crucifixion group (17th century) and St. Michael and Joseph (early 18th century).
The fragments of Gothic wall paintings from the first half of the 15th century that were uncovered in 1977/78 are difficult to recognize. The “ Marientod ” on the north wall of the choir is best preserved . Because of the "narrow figures with (...) delicate hands", Franz Wolf also attributes the wall paintings to the painter of the high altar, Hans Strigel the Elder.
literature
- Michael Petzet : Sonthofen district (= The art monuments of Bavaria, Swabia . Volume 8 ). Oldenbourg, Munich 1964.
- Alfons Kasper: Art hikes from Upper to Ostallgäu (...) (= art and travel guide . Volume 7 ). Publishing house Dr. Alfons Kasper, Bad Schussenried 1969, p. 17-20 .
- Bruno Bushart , Georg Paula (editor): Bavaria III: Swabia (= Georg Dehio [founder], Dehio-Vereinigung [Hrsg.]: Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler ). Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1989, ISBN 978-3-422-03008-4 , pp. 178-179 .
- Franz Wolf: Sonthofen - Parish Church of the Visitation of Mary and chapels . Ed .: Kath. Pfarramt Maria Heimsuchung, Sonthofen (= Peda art guide . No. 522 ). Kunstverlag Peda, Passau 2000, ISBN 3-89643-522-1 , p. 21-23 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alfons Kasper: Art walks from the Upper to the Ostallgäu (...) (= art and travel guide . Volume 7 ). Publishing house Dr. Alfons Kasper, Bad Schussenried 1969, p. 19 : “(...) in a graphic manner with shaded hatching on a golden background the drawn 12 apostles, similar to the one on the Zeller Altar. On the front, the Christ moved from the center on a rectangular field sawn out as a tabernacle door (...) “ - Bruno Bushart , Georg Paula (editor): Bayern III: Schwaben (= Georg Dehio [founder], Dehio Association [ed.]) : Handbook of German Art Monuments ). Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1989, ISBN 978-3-422-03008-4 , pp. 179 : "(...) Christ and the twelve apostles (...)" - Franz Wolf: Sonthofen - Parish Church of the Visitation of Mary and chapels . Ed .: Kath. Pfarramt Maria Heimsuchung (= Peda art guide . No. 522 ). Kunstverlag Peda, Passau 2000, ISBN 3-89643-522-1 , p. 21 : "(...) in black drawing the apostles with Christ in the middle (...)"
- ^ Franz Wolf: Sonthofen - Parish Church of the Visitation of Mary and chapels . Ed .: Kath. Pfarramt Maria Heimsuchung (= Peda art guide . No. 522 ). Kunstverlag Peda, Passau 2000, ISBN 3-89643-522-1 , p. 21 .
Coordinates: 47 ° 31 '21.4 " N , 10 ° 18' 3.6" E