St. Peter and Paul (Aurach)

The Aurach parish church of St. Peter and Paul, seen from the north

Look at the altars

St. Peter and Paul is a Catholic, by the baroque embossed parish church in Herzogenaurach in Middle Franconia Ansbach , Bavaria and in the diocese of Eichstaett . The church is located on Kirchplatz in the center of the village on Staatsstrasse 1066.

Building history

A previous building, which was dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul, has been handed down for 1301; it will be a Romanesque choir tower church from 10./11. Century have acted. After Aurach became Eichstättisch-Hochstiftisch after 1310, an extension of the church took place in 1350; This year Aurach, previously a branch of the Neunstetten parish , was handed over to the Herrieden Collegiate Foundation .

An extensive renovation took place in the 15th century after Aurach was almost completely destroyed in 1450 by mercenaries from the Swabian League of Cities . The first illustration of the church on a colored map is 100 years younger. The choir altar was damaged in the Thirty Years' War , and a legacy of 110 guilders was given to restore it in 1681. Probably under the direction of the eichstättisch-prince-bishop's court building director Gabriel de Gabrieli , craftsmen from Herrieden redesigned the upper floor of the tower in its present form in 1744 . Two years later the baroque interior of the church began. The choir frescoes and the diagonally attached medallion paintings were refreshed by the court painter Johann Michael Franz . Another Eichstatt artist, Franz Xaver Horneis , created the stucco work . In 1873 the nave was repainted.

In 1934 the church was extended by 8-11 m in the west.

Furnishing

Right side altar (Sebastian Altar)

Figures on the north wall of the nave

• The high altar from 1682 has a two-column retable. The rectangular altarpiece by an unknown hand from the Dinkelsbühl school is dedicated to the patrons of the church: Peter receives the keys of heaven from the baby Jesus, who sits on Mary's lap; Paul points to an arched book, probably the Bible.
• The neo-baroque side altars next to the choir arch and the pulpit were created in 1935 by the sculptor Jakob Helmer from Regensburg, who fitted out several churches in the diocese of Eichstätt. The shrine figure of the Gothic Madonna on the crescent moon on the left side altar was created in 1480/90 and came to Aurach from the former Premonstratensian monastery in Sulz during the Reformation ; the right side altar shows St. Sebastian . A side figure of the Marian altar represents St. Margaretha and carved in 1480/90; the side figure of the Sebastian altar is a St. Nicholas from the same time.
• On the north wall of the choir there is a crescent moon Madonna from the end of the 14th century and, in the frame, two relief figures from approx. 1500, St. Margaretha and a holy youth, as St. Valentin interpreted, represented.
• On the southern wall of the choir hangs a crucifix with the mourning Mother of God from the Baroque period.
• Two other wooden statues represent St. John of Nepomuk and the plague saint Rochus .
• A terracotta pietá from 1430 can be seen under the staircase. She came here from the former pilgrimage chapel in Windshof.
• From the 2nd half of the 15th century, a round arched stone relief of St. Peter received. It is now installed in the south porch.
• The organ dates from 1934 and was made by the Steinmeyer Organ Building Institute in Oettingen.
• By Georg Schneider , glass painter in Regensburg, a war memorial as table was 1920 mosaic design.
• The Ölberggruppe in the extension on the north side, painted wooden sculptures, were in the 17th / 18th centuries. Century created.
• Several grave monuments on the outer wall date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. They are reminiscent of former aristocratic officers and senior bailiffs at Castle Wahrberg named von Eyb, von Knörringen, von Zehmen, von Leonrod and Speth von Zwiefalten on Hettingen and Fünfstetten. Two grave monuments are dedicated to pastors of the 17th century.

• 

  Epitaphs for two pastors of the 17th century

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  Funerary monuments on the outer wall

The baroque frescoes

The fresco in the choir depicts the Lord's Supper scene. The four diagonal medallions show the Old Testament prophets Melchizedek , Abraham and Isaac as well as the Manna rain .

Brotherhood poles

Brotherhood poles

In 1488, the Eichstatt Bishop Wilhelm von Reichenau confirmed the Aurach Brotherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Sebastian. In 1685 the brotherhood was renewed. The parish church has a number of Brotherhood procession poles from the 18th century. The punched-out sheet metal attachments painted on both sides show St. Sebastian. The brotherhood festival is celebrated every year in January.

Tower coat of arms

During the baroque redesign of the unplastered church tower in 1745, a monumental coat of arms of Prince-Bishop Johann Anton II of Freyberg was attached to it.

Bells

Instead of the bronze bells delivered during World War II, steel bells were placed in the tower, which were replaced in 1968 by five new bells in the tones e, g, a, h, d.

Others

Around 1400 Catholics live in the parish, which belongs to the Oberland parish association in the Herrieden dean's office in the Eichstätt diocese, and in its branches in Windshofen, Hilsbach and Eyerlohe. Active groups in the parish are the Catholic Workers' Movement (KAB), a branch of the Catholic German Women's Association (KDFB), the Catholic rural people's movement, two nursing associations and the Malteser Aid Service. Catholic day-care centers are operated in Aurach and Weinberg. There is a 14 km long path of reflection "To the song of the sun by St. Francis of Assisi " with ten meditation stations for encountering the diversity of God's creation. It was built as part of the Local Agenda 21 of the Aurach community. There are numerous hall and small monuments around Aurach (boundary stones, atonement crosses, field chapels).

literature

• August Hacker: Catholic parish church SS. Peter and Paul AURACH . Schnell and Steiner, Munich / Zurich 1983

Web links

Commons : Saints Peter and Paul  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Brief Notes on the History of the Church
• More history notes about the church

Individual evidence

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ Memorial plaque in the church
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Parish Church of St. Peter and Paul on aurach.de
4. ↑ ^{a b} [2]
5. ↑ Hacker, p. 12
6. ↑ Hacker, p. 11
7. ↑ [3]
8. ↑ Parish Letter, 17 (2011), No. 3
9. ↑ [4]
10. ↑ [5]  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  

Coordinates: 49 ° 14 ′ 42.3 "  N , 10 ° 24 ′ 52"  E