St. Wendel zum Stein
St. Wendel zum Stein is a small chapel on the Jagst near Dörzbach in the Hohenlohe district . It is located in the nature reserve of the same name .
location
To the left of the Jagst is a lime sinter terrace with a ten meter high rock wall. This terrace was created by the lime deposits of several springs lying on the borderline between the lower and middle shell limestone and is estimated to be around 5000 years old. The site is the largest lime deposit in the Hohenlohe district. In the Middle Ages, building material for houses in Dörzbach and Krautheim was extracted from the rock . This uncovered caves that were inhabited in the Iron Age , which is proven by finds from the Hallstatt and La Tène periods .
chapel
Between 1511 and 1515 a pilgrimage chapel dedicated to the patron saint of the shepherds, St. Wendelin , in the late Gothic style was built on the rock face by order of Ursula von Berlichingen to fulfill his vows . It was built on the site of a previous Romanesque chapel and is the third chapel in this location. An equally old sacristan's house belongs to the chapel , under which a spring known as the Kindlesbrunnen rises. Already in 1478 the Steinkappel was mentioned in a deed of ownership from the Lords of Bachenstein. The first chapel was probably built in a tuff stone grotto above today's chapel in the mighty chapel rock in the 6th century . Traces of it can be clearly seen. According to legend, a shepherd found a treasure in this place and built a chapel there out of gratitude to God. Modern finds make the legend seem plausible. In pre-Christian times there was a Celtic spring sanctuary with a spring, tree and rock. When the first chapel was built, it was not uncommon for pagan places of worship to be converted into Christian places of worship by a decree of Pope Gregory the Great .
Since 1997, the Friends of the Sankt-Wendel-Kapelle Dörzbach have been looking after and maintaining the chapel. The sacristan's house was renovated, the tower roof of the chapel was renewed, the chapel windows were restored.
More recently, services and devotions have been celebrated in the chapel. In the summer of 2006 the "Paths of Silence" were inaugurated in the central Jagst valley. The St. Wendel Chapel is integrated into the Dörzbacher route section. It and the Kocher-Jagst-Radweg , which leads directly above the chapel over the Maifestplatz, have since brought numerous visitors again.
caves
In 1936 the marten cave was discovered in the tuff rock to the right of the chapel grotto. Several human skeletons were found in it, as well as numerous grave goods such as jewelry, tools and ceramics, a Celtic silver coin and amber beads. The finds were dated to the late Hallstatt and the subsequent early La Tène period (around 500 BC).
Nature reserve
The rock face, the Jagstufer below and the Klebwald above were placed under nature protection in 1979 with a total area of 12.1 hectares (protected area number 1082). As a result, rare plants such as B. the deer tongue protected and the limestone rock with its medieval and prehistoric evidence due to its geographical and cultural importance.
Choir vault
Wall painting
Back wall made of natural rock
right side altar
Hermit cave above the chapel
literature
- Jürgen H. Rauser: Dörzbacher Heimatbuch . Dörzbach community, Dörzbach 1980 ( Hohenlohekreis local library . Volume 3)
- Dörzbach municipality: Festschrift for Heimattag 1936 , Festschrift for Heimattag 1961 , 150 years of Dörzbach May Festival (1986).
- Ernst Eduard Hahn: sanctuaries of the Teutons . Hohenloher printing and publishing house, Gerabronn / Crailsheim 1970.
- Karl and Anton Weller: Württemberg history in southwest Germany . 7th edition. Theiss, Stuttgart and Aalen 1972, ISBN 3-8062-0104-8 .
- Carl Weitbrecht : Württemberg as it was and is , Stuttgart around 1900.
- G. Himmelhub: Art monuments in the Oberamt Künzelsau , Frankfurt 1962.
- Description of the Oberamt Künzelsau . Edited by the K. statistical-topographical bureau. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1883.
- Emil Kost: The settlement was Württ. Francs in front and prehistoric times , from: booklet series württ. Franken , Schwäbisch Hall 1936.
- Ludwig Eyth: The district of Künzelsau , Schwäbisch Hall after 1906.
- Gerhard Herm: The Celts , Augsburg 1996.
- Hans Mattern: The Jagst Valley from Crailsheim to Dörzbach . Mattern, Crailsheim 1980.
- Ottmar Schönhuth: The St. Wendel zum Stein chapel in the Jagsttal , from: Heftreihe württ. Franconia , volume 3, Aalen 1849.
- Gustav Hofmann: Urkirchen in Württemberg , magazine for Württ. Regional history VI. Born in Stuttgart 1942.
- Fritz Ebert / "Förderverein St.-Wendel-Kapelle Dörzbach": own publications and documents with further references.
- "Förderverein St.-Wendel-Kapelle Dörzbach" (Fritz Ebert / Klaus-Dieter-Seifert): Festschrift for the chapel and May anniversary 2011.
Web links
- Services for Geotourism the University of Freiburg
- Geotopes in the Stuttgart administrative region (PDF; 535 kB)
- Dörzbach free time
Coordinates: 49 ° 22 '0.04 " N , 9 ° 43' 4.81" E