St. Leonhard (Billenhausen)
The Catholic parish church of St. Leonhard in the Krumbach district of Billenhausen is essentially a Gothic church, the interior of which was changed to Baroque style in the 18th century. The patron saint of the church is St. Leonhard , whose patron saint is celebrated on November 6th. The parish church became the once important pilgrimage church only after the parish church of St. Gordian and Epimachus , which was located in the west of the village near the Kammel, was demolished in 1807. That is also the reason why the church is not, as in most cases, in the center of the village, but on the extreme northern edge of the village.
history
The church was built during the 15th century. An exact construction date is only known for the tower - 1474. The patronage was from 1514 in the imperial abbey Ursberg . The interior of the church building was redesigned in Baroque style around 1780.
Building description
The external appearance of the church has changed little since it was built in the 15th century. This still corresponds to the appearance that most of the village churches in the area had that were built at that time. Particularly noteworthy in this context are the various arched friezes on the five-story tower, which is closed off by a gable roof with pinnacles and gable ends. The changes consist in the fact that in the second half of the 20th century the sign was enlarged and a sacristy was added.
The late baroque paintings on the walls and the ceiling that characterize the interior of the church were created by Jakob Fröschle in 1781 and mostly restored in 1918. The high altar, which shows St. Leonhard as intercessor for those in need before the Mother of God , and the two side altars are works by Franz Xaver Stähle from the years 1783/84, which already show stylistic elements of classicism. Three late Gothic wooden sculptures to be mentioned in particular - the saints Gordian and Epimachus, as well as a Mother of God with child - come from the former village church, which was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century. Another figure, an Anna Selbthird from around 1500, should also be emphasized.
literature
- Bernt von Hagen, Angelika Wegener-Hüssen: Landkreis Günzburg (= Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation [Hrsg.]: Monuments in Bavaria . Volume VII.91 / 1 ). Karl M. Lipp Verlag, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-87490-589-6 , p. 322-323 .
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 48 ° 16 ′ 33.6 ″ N , 10 ° 21 ′ 41 ″ E