St. Michael (Bertoldshofen)
The Catholic parish church of St. Michael is the center of the Marktoberdorf district of Bertoldshofen in the Ostallgäu district in Swabia . The sacred building is one of the most important baroque country churches in this region. The Wessobrunner stucco Ignaz Finsterwalder frame a large cycle of frescoes of local champions.
history
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The previous medieval building was redesigned in 1680/85. After the foundation of the Antonius Brotherhood (1684), an important pilgrimage developed. Already in 1720 plans were made to rebuild or rebuild the church. The final design was provided by Johann Georg Fischer (1673–1747) in 1727. The execution was entrusted to Fischer's Parlier ( foreman ) Paul Bienz. The local site manager was Thomas Windt. Bienz and Windt completed the shell by 1731. For cost reasons, the tower and parts of the surrounding walls of the old church were reused.
The client, Pastor Johann Ulrich Julius (portrait on the ceiling of the oratory), wanted the new building based on the model of the grave church of St. Antony (Padua) perform in Padua. To do this, he even went on a study trip across the Alps with Fischer. Due to the parish's limited financial resources, however, these plans had to be reduced significantly, so that only the construction of the domes is reminiscent of the Italian model.
As early as 1733 the client was able to celebrate the first mass in the church. The final consecration of the church did not take place until October 5, 1738. In 1870 the parish restored the parish church. The exterior was renovated in 1979/89 and 2002. The interior was repaired in 2001.
description
St. Michael is located on a low hill in the center of the village and is surrounded by the community cemetery. By taking over the older tower, two show facades were created. The fronts are crowned by volute gables and framed by pilasters . The tower with dome and lantern rises from the north facade, which is flanked by a side chapel and the sacristy .
The exterior is plastered in white, the architectural divisions have been painted gray again since the last renovation. In addition to the pilasters and plaster strips, high arched windows structure the surfaces. The large kidney-shaped west window reveals the influence of the Füssen master Johann Jakob Herkomer , the uncle of Johann Georg Fischer. A semicircular stair tower jumps out underneath, giving access to a crypt chapel.
inner space
The cross-shaped floor plan combines the long and central building to form an effective baroque spatial work of art, which is additionally enhanced by the rich foliage and bandwork stucco and colored frescoes. The short three-axis nave is spanned by a flat oval dome. Frescoed domes with lanterns arch over the crossing and choir . The side chapels are also vaulted with domes.
Ignaz Finsterwalder made the stucco work from 1730 to 1733. The foliage and ribbon work is enriched by pairs of birds, flower baskets, putti and landscape reliefs (sacristy).
The interior of the church was painted by Anton Wenzeslaus Haffe and Matthias Wolcker (1733). The representations follow a complicated iconographic program. In the nave you can see the baptism of Jesus, in the fresco of the crossing the glorification of St. Anthony of Padua and John Nepomuk. In the choir you can see choirs of angels with the archangels, in the oratorio above the sacristy there is a depiction of the Ecclesia, the personification of the church, which triumphs over the "false teachings" of Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and Hus ( Andreas Bergmüller ). The cartouches next to the domes depict saints and apostles.
Furnishing
The high altar (around 1736) and the chapel altars are creations by Leonhard Fischer , the side altars are attributed to Matthias Schäffler . The sculptures are entirely by Ignaz Hillenbrand . The altarpiece of the high altar with the depiction of St. Michael is from around 1870.
The side altars are at an angle at the choir entrance. The staggered, four-part column positions correspond to the design of the high altar.
The pulpit on the epistle side (as usual in 18th century monastery churches) was created by Gottlieb Dopfner around 1733. The statuettes are again by Hillenbrand. The Archangel Michael stands on the sound cover as a soul weigher, accompanied by putti, which symbolize the four continents, and surrounded by the symbols of the evangelists . The pulpit carries Christ and the apostles Peter and Paul. The room symmetry is preserved by a pulpit pendant with St. Anthony of Padua on the left side of the nave.
The organ prospectus was created in 1736/37. The partially preserved organ work by Georg Ehinger from 1736/37 was revised and restored in 1978/79.
literature
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments. Bavaria III: Swabia. Edited by Bruno Bushart and Georg Paula. Munich 1989.
- Hugo Schnell: Catholic parish church St. Michael Bertoldshofen. 3. Edition. Munich and Zurich 1991. (Schnell & Steiner Art Guide, No. 647.)
Web links
- Photos of church furnishings, in the Warburg Institute Iconographic Database .
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 47 ° 47 ′ 4.5 " N , 10 ° 39 ′ 37.7" E