Loretto chapels (Oberstdorf)
The Loretto chapels are an ensemble of buildings on the southern outskirts of Oberstdorf im Allgäu . It consists of three individual Roman Catholic chapels. The Loretto chapels refer to the Italian pilgrimage site Loreto near Ancona and are the end of the stations of the cross in the village.
Legend
As is often the case with places of pilgrimage, there is also an origin legend, a local legend. According to this, in old times the nearby Stillach often overflowed its banks, flooding the surrounding fields and thus destroying the harvest. To prevent this, the people of Oberstdorf organized a procession, combined with the pledge to build a chapel if “the river could be diverted”. During this procession the river left its bed and chose the path of the believers as its new course. The vow was fulfilled and a chapel called the Appach Chapel (by "Abbach") was built. The miraculous image from the early 17th century or its predecessor, which is now in the chapel of St. Maria Loretto, also found its place here.
Appach Chapel
The Appach Chapel is the smallest and oldest Loretto Chapel. It was built in 1493 in the Gothic style . The octagonal building is located in the north of the ensemble and is the origin of the entire system. Once there were three altars in the church dedicated to St. Aegidius , the Virgin Mary and other martyrs were consecrated. The miraculous image made of terracotta from around 1600 stood on the central altar of Mary. Today there is a simple marble altar in the church, which is adorned with a baroque wooden sculpture of the risen Christ. Also worth seeing in the chapel are the frescoes from the time of construction, which visualize scenes from the life of Christ and Mary.
From Christmas Eve until Candlemas in the chapel a Baroque nativity scene is set up from around 1725th It consists of three large-format oil paintings on wood.
Directly in front of the small Appachkapelle is probably the most existing since the dawn of pilgrimage Marienbrunnen .
St. Maria Loretto
As the Appach Chapel did not offer enough space for pilgrims at some point, it was decided to build a new, larger chapel from 1657 to 1677 as an octagonal domed structure. It was named, as was the fashion at the time, after the Italian pilgrimage site of Loretto. This name later passed on to the other two chapels and the name of the hamlet, "Loreto".
The furnishings of this chapel are mainly based on the Rococo style . Particularly noteworthy is the main altar, which was created by the famous artist Anton Sturm , who also designed the high altar of the Wieskirche . In the center of the Oberstdorf altar is the image of grace mentioned at the beginning, which is dressed in clothes that change in the church year. This Madonna figure is made by the parents of Mary, St. Achim (right) and St. Anna (left) framed. In the gable of the altar is St. Johannes Nepomuk , who is venerated as a water saint and thus points to the founding legend.
In the other furnishings of the chapel the figures of the twelve apostles from around 1700, the stucco from 1741 and the ceiling paintings are mentioned. The round dome painting, which shows Mary as Queen of Heaven, comes from Claudius Schraudolph the Elder , who executed it in 1877 in the style of the Nazarenes . The cartouche pictures on the side were made in 1926.
It is also worth mentioning several votive pictures with which the faithful wanted to thank Our Lady for her help.
The Loretto Chapel, the largest of the three, is now used not only for pilgrimages , but also for weddings .
Interior with altar
Altar with miraculous image
Ceiling painting
Interior view with organ
Joseph Chapel
The Joseph Chapel was built on a cross plan in 1671 and consecrated in 1685. Artistic treasures, such as the side altars, date from the time it was built, so they were built in the baroque style. A representation of the Holy Sepulcher from the period of historicism will be in this chapel for several weeks from Good Friday.
Interior with altar
literature
- Markus Weis, The Lorettokapellen in Oberstdorf, Lindeburg 2002.
Web links
- Churches and chapels - Information about the chapels on oberstdorf.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b St. Maria Loretto: Municipality of Oberstdorf . Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ↑ Karl August Reiser: Legends, customs and proverbs of the Allgäu . Kempten 1894.
- ↑ Appachkapelle: Oberstdorf municipality . Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ↑ Josefskapelle: Oberstdorf community . Retrieved November 30, 2010.
Coordinates: 47 ° 23 ′ 48.1 ″ N , 10 ° 16 ′ 51.2 ″ E