St. Maria and Michael (Churwalden)
The church of St. Maria and Michael with its uniform late medieval furnishings is located at the northern exit of Churwalden in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.
history
The first church of the Premonstratensian monastery at that time stood further south near the bridge over the Rabiusa . In the first half of the 13th century it was built on its current location over a pre-Romanesque building and consecrated to St. Michael . The six-story tower was built later, probably in the 14th century. On May 3, 1472, under Abbot Ludwig von Lindau (1461–1488), the church was destroyed by fire and rebuilt over the old foundations. The choir was lengthened, an ossuary was added on the north side and the sacristy was expanded. On September 29, 1502 the new church was consecrated in honor of Mary, St. Michael and all holy angels. Instead of the tower, which was not restored until 1511, the church had a roof turret .
Around 1800 a new sacristy was built and the previous one was transformed into the Marienkapelle. In 1895 the organ was installed by the Klinger company. The seating in the choir dates from 1890, the benches in the nave were set up in 1915. 1967-1976 archaeological investigations were carried out and the church restored. 1646–1967 the church was used by both denominations, since then it has been Catholic after the completion of its own Reformed village church .
building
Outside
The relatively short lay ship consists of a three-aisled stepped hall with two bays . Chapel extensions are to the left and right of the monks' choir, the square tower is on the north side. the tower clock on the west side with a painted dial with wild men of the ten-court association and the coat of arms of abbot Gebhard Vittler dates from 1511. The clock is the oldest dated large clock in Graubünden. Three bells hang in the tower, the largest diameter is 136 centimeters. They were cast between 1843 and 1896 and by the Theus brothers in Felsberg GR .
Inside
The broad rectangular nave, divided into three naves by massive pillars, is separated from the square monk choir by a massive walk-in rood screen. It rests on three arcades and shows on its west side a representation of the Last Judgment from 1481. Its upper part was destroyed by the installation of an organ that has been removed today. On both sides, the ribbed vaults rest on pillars with half-columns. The western keystone of the nave shows the red and white monastery coat of arms. From the previous Romanesque building, a round arched window has been preserved on the north wall of the lay nave.
Paintings
On the east wall of the north aisle, a fresco by the Waltensburg master from around 1330/1340 has been preserved in a round arch niche . The depiction, uncovered in 1970, presumably replaced a plastic figure or an altarpiece from the earlier altar of Saints Catherine and Dorothea . It was later whitewashed and the alcove was closed. The depiction shows a coronation of Mary with the blessing Christ and Mary, accompanied by luminous angels. The star painting in the Romanesque window reveal on the north side of the ship dates from the same period.
The depiction on the west side of the rood screen, largely destroyed in the upper part, shows a depiction of the Last Judgment over three arcades. An inscription shows the builder Abbot Ludwig von Lindau and the date 1481. The choir-side front of the rood screen also contained paintings, but these were not exposed. Remains of paintings have not yet been uncovered on the north side of the choir.
High altar
The late Gothic altarpiece was erected around 1477 for the new church. With its height of 7.18 meters, it is one of the largest and most important in Switzerland. It is one of the earliest to be brought from Swabia to Graubünden. It is not known who created it; a signature is missing. Due to its stylistic feature, it is believed that it was created in Ulm .
The predella , painted with a representation of Christ and his twelve disciples, is adapted to the width of the altar support. Some of the apostles are characterized by their attributes. The altar shrine contains five statues: In the middle the Mother of God is enthroned with the baby Jesus, on her right St. Augustine and St. Emerita , who is said to have been martyred in the Bünderischen Trimmis , on the left St. Lucius and an unknown saint. Emerita and Luzius were among the most popular local saints in Graubünden.
The figures above the shrine show the crucified Christ in the middle, next to them Mary and John, accompanied by James on the left and St. Margaretha on the right. The two outer angel figures were added later. At the very top, as the patron saint of the church, is St. Michael with the soul scales.
The inside of the left wing of the altar shows an Annunciation with banners, the outside working day side shows an image of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary . The right wing shows the birth of Christ on the inside and Saint Lawrence of Rome and John the Baptist on the outside .
Lucius Altar
The late Gothic Lucius Altar was acquired by the Gottfried Keller Foundation in 1926 after a dispute between Protestants and Catholics and installed in Chur Cathedral . From 1997 to 2000 it was restored and is now back in its original location in the south aisle.
It dates from around 1511 in the vicinity of Jakob Russ. In the shrine there are statues of the holy Emerita, Luzius and Magdalena, the wings show reliefs of John the Baptist and Peter. The carved predella shows scenes from the Passion of Christ under three arches. The antependium is a painted wooden panel with a depiction of the Last Supper and the coat of arms of Abbot Gebhard Vittler (1497-536) on the left and the former Churwalden monastery on the right.
Further equipment
The two statues of the Man of Sorrows are also assigned to the workshop of the altar builder. The life-size figure of the choir arch crucifix above the rood screen from around 1480 is decorated with horsehair and a crown of thorns.
The tabernacle dates from the end of the 15th century. The Pietà in the Lady Chapel from the first quarter of the 15th century was the only figure to survive the fire of 1472. The small crucifix on the opposite side also dates from the 15th century.
On the west wall of the church are some gravestones from the 13th and 14th centuries. and the 17th century exhibited as well as the fragment of a tombstone of the barons of Vaz from the 12th / 13th centuries. Century.
Crucifix, around 1480
Pietà, around 1425
Man of Sorrows
Grave slab of the Barons of Vaz
Abbot building
The so-called abbot building is around 100 meters south of the church. It was built before the middle of the 15th century. It got its current appearance in 1472 after the monastery fire. Original panels and a Renaissance wall box have been preserved in the abbot's room on the third floor. Around 1870 the house underwent major structural changes when a parish apartment was established in it.
literature
- Uta Bergmann: The former Premonstratensian monastery church of St. Maria and Michael Churwalden. (Swiss Art Guide, Volume 611). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1997, ISBN 978-3-85782-611-5 .
- Ludmila Seifert, Leza Dosch: Art guide through Graubünden. Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2008.
- Erwin Poeschel : Art monuments of the canton of Graubünden. Volume II, Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1937.
- Dieter Matti: Old Pictures - Newly Interpreted, Church Art in the Passland , Volume 3; Desertina, Chur 2012, ISBN 978-3-85637-370-2 , pp. 19-22.
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 46 ° 47 '21.2 " N , 9 ° 32' 8.8" E ; CH1903: 760,109 / 184145