Klosterneuburg Collegiate Church

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Klosterneuburg Collegiate Church

Southwest view of the collegiate church and in front of it the Tutz column

Basic data
Denomination Roman Catholic
place Klosterneuburg, Austria
diocese Archdiocese of Vienna
Patronage Virgin Mary's birth
Building history
architect Josef Schömer (based on plans by Friedrich von Schmidt ) responsible for the current appearance (historical renovation from 1882–1892)
start of building 1114
Building description
Architectural style Gothic and historicism (neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic) with Romanesque and Gothic wall remains
Furnishing style Early to late baroque in general, romantic realism (frescoed side aisle chapels), postmodernism (folk altar)
Construction type Off-side hall church with upper aisle, transept, choir apse and double tower west facade as the result of the conversion of a formerly three-aisled Romanesque basilica
Function and title

Parish, deanery and collegiate church

Coordinates 48 ° 18 '26 "  N , 16 ° 19' 33"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 18 '26 "  N , 16 ° 19' 33"  E

The Klosterneuburg collegiate church of the Lower Austrian Augustinian Canons Monastery of Klosterneuburg is a former three-aisled basilica with a transept and crossing tower. In the 17th century it became a Abseiten - hall church rebuilt with side chapels and received in 1890 largely its present appearance. It has a Romanesque origin with Gothic additions and is of particular art historical importance due to the baroque interior design, which has all stylistic features from early to late baroque.

The Roman Catholic sacred building was on September 24, 1936 by Pope Pius XI. Elevated to the rank of basilica minor with the apostolic letter Inter praeclara pietatis , is at the same time a deanery church ( deanery Klosterneuburg ) and a parish church (monastery parish Klosterneuburg). The patronage of the collegiate church is the birth of the Virgin Mary .

Building history

Statue of St. Leopold at the south tower (geographically in the southwest) with a model of the original basilica

Romanesque basilica and Gothic conversions

The previous building of the collegiate church was probably a St. Mary's Church mentioned in a document in 1108. The foundation stone of the collegiate church took place on June 12, 1114 under the founder and Babenberg Margrave Leopold III. (called the saint), who transferred the entire complex of Klosterneuburg Abbey , the establishment of which is linked to a veil legend , to the Augustinian Canons in 1133 .

In 1136 a three-aisled basilica with a transept and three semicircular apses and a tower over the square of the crossing was consecrated . This Romanesque basilica was probably modeled on cathedrals such as Bamberg , Regensburg , Speyer or the St. Michael monastery church in Hildesheim.

After construction work began on the westwork, construction was halted, which is probably related to Leopold's death on November 15, 1136. At this point in time, the north tower of the planned double tower facade was only halfway up.

In the Romanesque choir there was probably a rood screen as a choir screen made of stone, on which the medieval pulpit with 45 enamel panels of the Verdun Altar , which was made by Nikolaus von Verdun from approx. 1170–1181, stood.

After the huge pin fire of 1330, the construction work of the collegiate church of Romanesque crossing tower was in the course completed over the choir square with a Gothic crown under Probst Stephan von Sierndorf, and the Verdun Altar extended by 6 enamel panels and rear tempera paintings of the master of the back of the Verdun Altar equipped .

At the end of the 14th century, the south tower was built from 1394–1399 under Provost Peter I. Lenhofer; presumably under the master builder Michael Knab, who at that time also erected the Tutz column on the monastery area in addition to the Wehinger chapel .

In 1417 the construction of the south tower was discontinued with a provisional wooden structure as a conclusion above the second floor. It was not until 1587/88 that the south tower was given an octagonal, masonry end with a crowning baroque onion dome under Provost Balthasar Polzmann. (The south tower retained this appearance until the renovation in 1882, when it had to be almost completely removed due to static problems.)

First Baroque phase 1634–1645

The Romanesque crossing tower was given a Welsh dome in the 16th century, but was torn down due to serious damage in 1637 during the first Baroque phase.

This first Baroque phase from 1634–1645 took place under the architects Andrea Retti (1634/35), Johann Jakob Spaz (1636/37) and Giovanni Battista Carlone (from 1638) and is mainly characterized by the conversion of the Romanesque basilica into a baroque one Aside - hall church with side chapels. For this purpose, the aisle galleries were removed and partition walls were put in from the main pillars to the outer walls. It was necessary to break out new window openings in which a pseudo-Gothic tracery was inserted.

Furthermore, the gothic north tower was built from 1638 to 1644. This work was carried out by master stonemason Pietro Maino Maderno as well as 23 journeymen, 2 sculptors, and stone breakers and day laborers who worked in the Haselbachleiten quarry on the Weidling-Steig.

Early baroque stucco on the west gallery are also part of the first Baroque phase, as well as a new pulpit by the Spaz brothers. After 1645, due to the Turkish wars of 1663/64, among other things, construction was interrupted until 1680.

Second Baroque phase 1680–1702

In the second Baroque phase from 1680 to 1702, the nave was given high baroque frescoes by Johann Georg Greiner and stucco by Domenico Piazzol .

The second Baroque phase from 1680 to 1702 is characterized by the stucco decorations on the nave vault by Domenico Piazzol, with slightly abstract forms in contrast to older stucco indicating the high baroque style.

During the time of the Turkish siege of 1683, work on the frescoes was stopped. From 1689–1695 the vault frescos in the nave and transept were executed by the painter Johann Georg Greiner , including the nave fresco "The Virgin protects Klosterneuburg during the Turkish siege in 1683".

Third Baroque phase 1723–1730

In the third Baroque phase from 1723 to 1730, the redesign of the choir is the focus of the baroque redesign of the collegiate church. (Before that, the Verdun Altar was removed from the chancel as a high altar as early as 1714. ) In terms of a total work of art, the choir was staged as a sacred stage (“ Theatrum sanctum ”). For this, the floor was raised twice, as well as the ceiling of the apse, so that the new high altar made of Salzburg marble could find space.

The design for the baroque presbytery comes from Matthias Steinl and was completed by Donato Felice d'Allio after his death in 1727 .

The patronage of the collegiate church, the birth of the Virgin Mary, is embodied in the choir by the high altar painting by Johann Georg Schmidt from 1727 depicting the birth of Mary. In addition, stucco reliefs by Santino Bussi indicate the historical background of the church building (veil discovery and laying of the foundation stone from 1114).

Above the high altar painting by Johann Georg Schmidt is a late baroque choir dome fresco by Johann Michael Rottmayr from 1729, which shows the Assumption of Mary and was combined with pseudo architectural painting by Gaetano Fanti .

The program of images of Mary (after the birth and the Ascension) was completed with the depiction of the coronation of Mary as a ceiling fresco by Johann Georg Greiner in the crossing of the choir.

In addition, in the third Baroque phase, choir stalls were installed based on a previous Gothic model with rich carvings and high stalls with openwork walls, which show the coats of arms of the Habsburg territories. A glass oratory for the Habsburg rulers was erected above the choir stalls: the so-called imperial oratorio.

Furthermore, the two side chapels in the transept were built in the course of the renovation work in the presbytery.

Renovation in the 19th century and historical reconstruction

At the beginning of the 19th century, significant changes took place in the collegiate church in 1832 (a chronogram in the church documents this renovation with the year). Many walls have been whitewashed and figures removed; a sign that today's term "renovation" used to include a redesign and renovation / restoration.

This applies in particular to the major historicist renovation and conversion phase of the late 19th century from 1882 to 1892, which included a renewal of the outer facade of the collegiate church, the complete expansion of the various church towers , but also picturesque renovations with regard to marbling work in the aisles or the Fresco paintings.

Completely new, however, was the fresco design of the side aisle chapel walls with a cycle of the Stations of the Cross by Karl Peyfuss in the romantic-Nazarene style from 1898 to 1900.

The architect Josef Schömer , whose father Martin Schömer was already working on the construction as a master builder, was in charge of the redesign of the collegiate church from 1882 .

However, the plans for the reconstruction came from the cathedral master builder St. Stephans in Vienna, the architect Friedrich von Schmidt , who, in addition to new plan drawings, also documented a drawing of the state of construction from 1882.

The collegiate church received its present-day appearance mainly through Schmidt's ideal ideas (for which the overall impression of the collegiate church took precedence over preservation of the current state) and because of their implementation by Josef Schömer in the course of the historicist transformation:

  • The Baroque-Gothic north tower of the 17th century neo-Gothic tower to a floor with gable -Bekrönung and Gothic pointed arch - lancet extended and with a spire completed -Verdachung. The south tower was dismantled due to static problems and rebuilt to adapt to the tower floors of the north tower. In contrast, the newly built central gable of the west facade shows Romanesque round arch friezes and arched window shapes.
  • The three-part arched hall of the west entrance, which is covered in front of it, also points to the mix of neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic styles: the middle arch has a round arch shape, while the two outer arches are pointed arches.
  • The exterior facade of the south-west side was also designed in the same pluralism of style: the Romanesque building fabric was shown along the nave and aisle facade with a neo-Romanesque structure with round arch friezes and semicircular columns as pilaster strips. Neo-Romanesque arched pairs of windows on the side aisles were supplemented by neo-Gothic round windows with five-pass tracery in the upper cladding zone of the nave.

In addition, it should be mentioned that during the renovation work at the end of the 19th century, the sculptors Karl Schweuert and Franz Erler , as well as the painters Franz and Karl Jobst, were employed (e.g. tympanum fresco over the west entrance portal of the church in the type of a donor's picture with representation of Saint Leopold, who presented the Mother of God with a model of the collegiate church, a presumed model from the time the monastery was handed over to the Augustinian Canons in 1133).

Renovations in the 20th and early 21st centuries

In 1935/36 a restoration took place, which - in contrast to the interventions of the 19th century - did not include any redesign and mainly concerned the paintings in the collegiate church. The performers were the Floridsdorf decorative painter Oskar Gligu and the academic painter Hans Fischer from Vienna. The occasion was the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Leopold (1136).

In the mid-1970s, a major renovation began (floor plan and structural information, see Adalbert Klaar 1975) with a view to the 1985 anniversary celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the canonization of Leopold III in 1485. The two church towers were built in the early 1990s - refurbished. This makes it clear that anniversary years with the corresponding accompanying exhibition culture offer welcome opportunities to present the collegiate church in the best possible way.

The last major renovation began at the end of the 20th century, planning ahead for the 900th anniversary in 2014 on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone in 1114 under Probst Bernhard Backovsky .

In this regard, construction work was carried out in the collegiate church from 1998 to 2007, including the installation of an air conditioning and heating system in order to dehumidify and heat the church in a controlled manner without damaging the works of art.

From 1997 to 2001 the electrical installation was also renewed and a fire alarm system was installed.

In the course of the painterly restoration work from 1996 to 2000, a Romanesque column from the 12th century was uncovered in December 1999 in the north-west staircase to the organ gallery, on which a representation of an armed attacker with a lion is made using the lime paint technique. With the help of a reflection and a window in the access door, this representation can be viewed from the outside in the church.

In 2001 the interior restoration of the apse and high altar took place, which mainly included the removal of layers of dirt, dust and soot, as well as the processing of the massive woodworm infestation on the 15 gilded angels of the high altar; furthermore the addition of missing parts with linden wood and the restoration of the gilding of all figures on the high altar.

Further restorations from 2001 onwards included cleaning work and the restoration of cracks in the vaults in all ceiling paintings. In the course of this, fresco medallions painted over under whitewashed cartouches were discovered in autumn 2002. Two medallions are located in the nave on the aisle walls above the main cornice of each aisle chapel and show representations of the Pope. A total of twelve popes are represented in chronological order in the six chapels, although it is unclear to what extent this papal cycle is to be interpreted. Four angels medallions painted over were also found in the vaulted areas of the central nave. The time of origin of the discovered fresco medallions is assumed to be around 1689 (in the second Baroque phase). The painter in charge was Johann Georg Greiner, who at that time had also done the frescoes of the nave vaults.

In 2003 the north side chapels and the entire central nave were restored; In 2004 the church floor was renovated. Furthermore, the small organ, the imperial oratorio and the choir stalls were restored. In 2005 the pew blocks were removed in order to refurbish the lay chairs on the one hand, but also the floor panels in the main aisles and in the aisles.

In the last section of the interior renovation, in 2006, renovation work began under the large organ, the entrance area and the Lady Chapel and ended with restoration work in the sacristy, the vestibule anteroom ("small sacristy") and the prelate chapel.

In 2007 the restoration work was devoted to the exterior facade. In addition to the roofs, the nave facade, the transept facade and the marble epithaphs on the southwest facade were renovated by late autumn 2007. In 2008, the Jobst brothers' tympanum was worked on to conserve the main entrance.

Furnishing

High altar

High altar painting by Johann Georg Schmidt

The magnificent Romanesque winged altar of Verdun as a high altar was removed in 1714 and replaced by a monumental, baroque one that occupies the apse . This was made by the Salzburg stonemason Sebastian Stumpfegger after a design by Matthias Steinl from different colored Salzburg marble types around 1725 to 1728. The altarpiece by Johann Georg Schmidt depicts the veneration of Mary, while the figures on the left and right of the high altar, which were made by the court sculptor (Johann) Franz Caspar († 1728), refer to the family tree of Jesus and thus at the same time to the gospel of the feast day of the Birth of Mary. The figural biblical models are:

  • King David with the harp (reference church music)
  • Abraham wanting to sacrifice his son Isaac (symbol of the sacrifice of the Mass)
  • Jacob wrestling with an angel (reference to prayer) and
  • King Josaphat with the code of law (symbol of compliance with the rules).

Furthermore, two king figures are shown, which appear in the Gospel of the Marian feast day and are to be understood as models for the emperors of the modern age, since these figures can only be seen from the imperial oratory: "Ezechias victoriosus" (victorious ruler) and "Josias zelosus" (Zeal for the law of God).

Other altars (chapels)

In the six aisle chapels there are marble wall altars by the Linz sculptors and brothers Johann Baptist and Johann Peter Spaz , made in the years 1680–1702. Above these altars, altar pictures refer to the corresponding altar dedication.

In the left aisle - looking from the entrance in the direction of the altar - this is first of all the Michael's Chapel with an altarpiece by Peter Strudel (1692), in which the archangel pushes the devil into purgatory. In the middle the Kreuzkapelle shows an altarpiece with the depiction of the crucifixion of Christ by Peter Strudel (1692), followed by the Anna chapel and an altarpiece by Antonio Belluci (1692), which contains the instruction of Mary.

The right aisle chapels - again in the direction of the altar - show an altarpiece by Peter Strudel with the martyrdom of St. Barbara from 1692 in the Barbara chapel (scimitar in this painting - next to Johann Georg Greiner's nave ceiling fresco - make a reference to the Turkish sieges), in In the Sebastian Chapel there is also an altarpiece by Peter Strudel with the martyrdom of St. Sebastian (1692), and in the Augustinus Chapel an altarpiece (1692) by Antonio Bellucci depicting St. Augustine , the father of the Augustinian Canons, as a bishop and Doctors of the Church.

In the chapels of the transepts there are also altarpieces by Antonio Bellucci and marble altars from the late 17th century. The Peter and Paul altar is located in the north-east and the Afra altar in the south-west chapel of the transept.

The neo-Gothic aedicular altar of the Lady Chapel on the south-western ground floor of the tower is equipped with a historic Madonna statue from the 19th century (conservation 2014). Another altar is located in the confessional chapel on the northeastern tower floor.

In 2007, the temporary people's altar in the choir room was replaced by a modern altar by the Graz sculptor Hannes Fladerer and inaugurated in 2008.

This altar consists of a solid block of Carrara marble , in which the impression of twelve individual blocks is created through incisions, which make the word “Amen” visible. The number 12 stands for both the expression of Scripture and the presence of Christ in the assembled church. The cafeteria (the table top of the altar) symbolically represents Christ as the keystone - made of red marble stone.

Further components of the popular altar by Fladerer are the ambo , also made of Carrara marble, which is connected to the floor in the form of a scroll and the side facing the community shows an intertwined alpha and omega; In addition, a bronze candlestick depicting the veil of Margravine Agnes from the founding legend, as well as a lecture cross made of bronze, marble and wood, which refers to the Noli me tangere scene in the tempera pictures on the back of the Verdun Altar from 1330, in which Jesus met Magdalena on Easter morning, who thinks he is a gardener. In the tempera picture, Jesus holds a flagpole that ends in a gardener's shovel. Similarly, Fladerer's lecture cross ends in a shovel with the bronze imprint of a field clod.

Celebratory organ

The celebratory organ by Johann Georg Freundt

The collegiate church has two organs. The celebratory organ has three manuals with 35 registers and 2179 pipes . It was built between 1636 and 1642 and comes from the workshop of the Passau organ building family Freundt . The high, three-part stepped case was made by the carpenters Jakob Kofler and Konrad Schmidt. The rich carving was created by Michael Schmidt, Georg Gemelich and Max Preyer, partly using the carvings from the previous organ. The three-manual instrument was restored in 1984 and 1990 by the Swiss Orgelbau Kuhn AG .
The festival organ is the largest and most important monument organ of the 17th century in Central Europe. The concert instrument, which is often played by international soloists, is not only characterized by its excellent sound, but also by the cornetto tone (a '= 476 Hz) and the mid-tone tuning .

I Rückpositiv CDEFGA – c 3

( Short octave )

Night horn dropped 8th'
Principal in the Octave 4 ′
KleinCopl 4 ′
Pointed flutes 4 ′
Octave to principal 2 ′
Super octave to the principal 1'
Cimbl II 1 ⁄ 4 ′
Krummhorn 8th'
II main work CDEFGA – c 3
Principal 8th'
Principal flutes 8th'
Copl 8th'
Quintadena 8th'
Octav 4 ′
OctavCopl 4 ′
Open flutes 4 ′
Quint over the Octav 3 ′
Super octave 2 ′
Mixture XII-XIV 4 ′
Cimbl II 2 ⁄ 3 ′
Dulcian 16 ′
Trumpet 8th'
Dulcian in the Octave 4 ′
III breastwork CDEFGA – c 3
Copflutes 4 ′
Pointed flutes 4 ′
Super octave 2 ′
shelf 8th'
CDEFGA – b pedal 0
Portunprincipal 16 ′
Sub-bass 16 ′
Octav 8th'
Super octave 4 ′
Chorale flutes 4 ′
Mixture VII – VIII 4 ′
Intoxication III 2 ′
Grand trombone 16 ′
Octave trombone 8th'
Choir organ

The second organ, called the choir organ , was originally built by the Viennese court organ builder Anton Pfliegler . The case was designed by the sculptor Christoph Helfer. In 2005 Orgelbau Kuhn installed a new organ while retaining the case.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Principal 8th'
2. Gemshorn 8th'
3. Octav 4 ′
4th Lulls 4 ′
5. Quint 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
6th Super octave 2 ′
7th Mixture IV 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
8th. Trumpet 8th'
II substation C – g 3
9. Copl 8th'
10. Principal 4 ′
11. Pipe lulls 4 ′
12. Nassat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
13. Octav 2 ′
14th third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
15th Scharff III 1'
16. Krummhorn 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
17th Sub bass 16 ′
18th Principal bass 8th'
19th Dacked bass 8th'
20th Choral bass 4 ′
21st Mixture III 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
22nd Bassoon bass 16 ′
23. Trumpet bass 8th'

Picture gallery

  • Northwest view of the collegiate church with the two 82.5 meter high towers

  • Interior of the collegiate church

  • Ceiling frescoes in the nave by Greiner (1689–95)

  • Fresco Admission of Mary to Heaven by Rottmayr (1729)

literature

  • Nicolaus Buhlmann, Reinhard Schandl, Alexander Potucek a. a .: Klosterneuburg Monastery - Where heaven and earth meet, Ed .: Wolfgang Christian Huber on behalf of Klosterneuburg Monastery , Verlag Stekovics, 2014, ISBN 978-3-89923-336-0 .
  • Bundesdenkmalamt (Ed.): Dehio manual. The art monuments of Austria. Lower Austria, south of the Danube , part 1. Verlag Berger, Horn / Vienna 2003, page 1014f, ISBN 3-85028-364-X .
  • Monika J. Holy: Chapel furnishings by the Jobst brothers in Klosterneuburg Abbey , University of Vienna (diploma thesis), Vienna 1997.
  • Thaddäus A. Ploner, Birgit Kluka: Klosterneuburg Monastery - Erneuerte Herrlichkeit - Die Generalanierung , Ed .: Wolfgang Christian Huber on behalf of Klosterneuburg Monastery, Amartis Verlag, Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-9503526-5-8 .
  • Alexander W. Potucek: Studies on the artistic reinterpretation of the Klosterneuburg collegiate church "Maria Birth" by Friedrich von Schmidt and Josef Schömer , University of Vienna (diploma thesis), Vienna 2013.
  • Press kit of Klosterneuburg Abbey, as of February 2017: URL: https://www.stift-klosterneuburg.at/press-kits/pressemappe-des-stiftes-klosterneuburg/ .
  • Floridus Röhrig : Klosterneuburg , Ed .: Dr. Peter Pötschner, Vienna History Books, Volume 11, Vienna 1972.

Web links

Commons : Stiftskirche Klosterneuburg  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ulrike Seeger in Wiener Jahrbuch fur Kunstgeschichte , published by the Institute for Austrian Art Research (Austria), Austria. Federal Monuments Office, University of Vienna. Institute for Art History, Vienna 1923, pages 297ff
  2. ^ Pius XI .: Litt. Apost. Inter praeclara pietatis , in: AAS 29 (1937), n. 2, p. 26s.
  3. ^ Klosterneuburg monastery parish. In: Stephanscom.at. Retrieved August 17, 2010 .
  4. ↑ Pietro Maino Maderno, the 5th and 8th station is Klosterneuburg Abbey , in: Mitteilungen des Museums- und Kulturverein Kaisersteinbruch No. 34, Nov. 1994, pp. 17-22 and 25-26. ISBN 978-3-9504555-3-3 .
  5. ↑ Helmuth Furch : Historisches Lexikon Kaisersteinbruch, IZ Volume 2. (PDF) In: Communications of the Museum and Culture Association Kaisersteinbruch. Museum and Culture Association Kaisersteinbruch, 2004, accessed on September 7, 2017 . ISBN 978-3-9504555-8-8 .
  6. ^ Kultur-Klosterneuburg: Josef Schömer , accessed on 7 Sep. 2017
  7. ↑ Monika J. Holy: Chapel furnishings of the Jobst brothers in Klosterneuburg Abbey . University of Vienna (diploma thesis), Vienna 1997, p. 70-71 .
  8. ^ Adalbert Klaar: A structural investigation of the old monastery of Klosterneuburg . In: Yearbook of Klosterneuburg Abbey . tape 9 , 1975, p. 7-20 .
  9. ↑ Presentation by Barbara Brandl: The Verdun Altar ; Retrieved August 17, 2010
  10. ↑ Thaddäus A. Ploner, Birgit Kluka: Klosterneuburg Monastery - Renewed Glory - The general renovation . Ed .: Wolfgang Christian Huber on behalf of Klosterneuburg Monastery. Amartis Verlag, Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-9503526-5-8 , pp. 47 .
  11. ^ Orgelfachverlag: The historical Freundt organ ; Retrieved on Aug. 17, 2010
  12. ^ Orgelbau Kuhn: Klosterneuburg ; Retrieved on Aug. 17, 2010
  13. ^ Orgelbau Kuhn: New in the old dress ; Retrieved August 17, 2010