Collegiate Church of the Old Chapel (Regensburg)

Exterior view of the collegiate church to the old chapel from the north

inner space

The Roman Catholic Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Old Chapel (short: Collegiate Church of the Old Chapel or Old Chapel ) on the Alter Kornmarkt in Regensburg is the main church of the Collegiate Monastery of Our Lady of the Old Chapel , the oldest still existing collegiate monastery in Bavaria , and the oldest Regensburg Church. In terms of art history, it is one of the most important rococo churches in Bavaria. According to legends , it is also said to be the oldest church and thus the mother church in Bavaria, from which the Christianization of the country originated, and is said to stand on the site of a Roman Juno temple. The core of today's building structure goes back to the Ottonian period, when the collegiate monastery was founded in 1002 by Heinrich II and his wife Kunigunde . The elevated choir , on the other hand, was not built until the middle of the 15th century and is in the late Gothic style. After a radical redesign in the second half of the 18th century, the rococo style dominates the interior.

history

Legendary prehistory of the old chapel

According to legends, the collegiate church is said to go back to a palatine chapel belonging to the Agilolfingers, who have lived in Regensburg since the 6th century . This in turn is said to have been built on the site of a Roman Juno temple, which allegedly Bishop Rupert of Salzburg converted into a Marian shrine. According to tradition, this nucleus of the old chapel, referred to in the late Middle Ages by a chronicler as the chlain Altenchapelle zu Altenchapelle , is said to be today's Marian Marriage Chapel in the northwest corner of today's building. Legend has it that the Agilolfinger Duke Theodo II was baptized there by Rupert. In addition, the Christianization of Bavaria is said to have started from here. This prompted the aforementioned late medieval chronicler to state that the old chapel is an anvankch of all gotz houses in Bavaria. However, all of this is neither documented nor verifiable in terms of building history, but must be ascribed to oral tradition and legend according to today's knowledge.

Founding by King Ludwig the German and decay

The old chapel stepped out of history for the first time in 875. King Ludwig the German , who ruled from Regensburg from 826 to 876, described himself in a deed of donation as the builder of the church in honor of Mary and the builder of a collegiate foundation. Stones from the Roman city ​​wall of Castra Regina were used to build the church, which was already laid out as a three-aisled basilica . Because of their importance as city fortifications, it is now assumed that parts of other Roman ruins found new uses. This also includes inscription stones from Roman graves. Further Roman cuboids were found during renovation work in the post-war period and in 1997. Some of them are still visible today on the western outer wall. However, the deed of donation does not reveal whether a church already existed at this point. The information rather suggests that Ludwig had the royal palace, which was previously located in the area of ​​the later Niedermünsterstift (i.e. in the northeast corner of the Roman legionary camp), relocated to the Alte Kornmarkt at this time .

Since Arnulf , Ludwig's successor, relocated the royal palace in the immediate vicinity of the St. Emmeram monastery in 887 , the collegiate monastery quickly dissolved and the building complex was left to its own devices. In 967 a document mentioned the antiqua capella (Latin for "old chapel") for the first time, as the church building was visibly deteriorating at that time.

Re-establishment by King Heinrich II.

In the year 1002, the later canonized King of the Franks, Heinrich II , founded the collegiate monastery again shortly after taking office and had the old chapel completely rebuilt from 1002 to 1004 while retaining the existing floor plan . The name matrem ecclesiam (Latin for "mother church"), which is found in the founding document, suggests the importance that Heinrich attached to his Palatine Chapel. In 1009 he transferred the collegiate monastery and church to the newly founded diocese of Bamberg , with which the monastery remained until it was secularized . With a few exceptions, the provost of the old chapel was always a Bamberg canon , while the monastery chapter in Regensburg largely managed itself independently under the direction of a dean .

Modifications from the 12th to the 17th century

The collegiate church was also damaged in the Regensburg city fires in 1152 and 1176, which destroyed the Carolingian cathedral. Probably during the reconstruction after one of the fires, the now redundant westwork was demolished. The southern tower, which is now free-standing, comes from this and was raised three times in the 12th and 13th centuries. In addition, several chapel extensions were built around the basilica in the high and late Middle Ages. In addition, at the time was in the southeast of the church is a charnel house, a so-called Karner , whose basement is below the present sacristy received and was discovered during renovation work in the year 1993rd

Between 1441 and 1452 the architect Hans Engel replaced the too small and dilapidated apse and the Karner by an opposite long and transept clearly excessive, late Gothic choir, which now has nearly the dimensions of the nave nave. Both this Gothic high choir and the nave of the Ottonian basilica are still clearly visible from the outside. From the rich baroque furnishings from the 17th century, which included a coffered ceiling and numerous, richly decorated altars, nothing has survived, apart from a few individual pieces and the stucco in the Chapel of Grace.

Rococo remodeling in the 18th century

The current impression of the collegiate church is strongly influenced by the Rococo remodeling of the 18th century. Under the energetic monastery dean Johann Michael Franz Velhorn (term of office 1746–1782), the remodeling of the most important rococo church in Bavaria after the Wieskirche took place from 1747 . Wooden formwork vaults were installed in the nave and transept. The medieval windows, some of which can still be seen in the exterior plaster , have been replaced by bass violin windows typical of the period. Between 1750 and 1752 the elaborate stucco work in the nave and transept was created by the Wessobrunn master Anton Landes , in 1752/53 the numerous frescos by the Augsburg painter Christoph Thomas Scheffler . As a result, the renovation of the nave and transept was completed in 1754, on time for the 750th anniversary of the restoration of the church. In the years 1761 to 1765, the choir was completely redesigned by Anton Landes and the painter Gottfried Bernhard Göz , who also came from Augsburg . In the period that followed, the Regensburg sculptor Simon Sorg created the altars, the choir stalls , the oratorio crowns and numerous other pieces of equipment. With the construction of the baroque organ by Andreas between 1791 and 1797, the redesign of the church was completed after a total of 50 years.

Through the renovation, the Collegiate Foundation for the Old Chapel also wanted to demonstrate its independence to the powerful cathedral monastery and the bishop. The saying has been passed down to this day: “St. Peter (cathedral) is the mighty, the chapel the magnificent ”. The image of grace should also underline the high status of the chapter of the monastery. During the restoration measures of the 18th century, however, almost all medieval building elements were lost. Only the Romanesque south portal , through which one enters the church from the Gnadenkapelle, has been preserved.

Restoration measures from the 19th to the 21st century

The uniform overall room in the Rococo style remained - apart from minor repairs - until the end of the 19th century. In the years 1886 to 1888, however, the entire interior was to be redesigned in accordance with the taste of the time, which should have brought back the church's medieval roots more strongly. For financial reasons, however, the measures were left with less serious measures: the ceiling, walls and altars were painted over with dark oil paints and the frescoes were also darkened by partially painting over them.

It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the appreciation for the craftsmanship of the Rococo grew noticeably. The old chapel should therefore regain its former splendor. After that, a new interior renovation was carried out in 1936 with the aim of largely undoing the measures of 1886/88. The dull oil paints on the walls, altars and frescoes were almost completely stripped off. However, due to the improper way of working, the 18th century paint layer underneath was largely destroyed. Only remnants of the gilding remained . The church was then repainted with lime paints, but without adhering too closely to the template of the Rococo period. In this way the image of a church interior typical of the 18th century was created, but it did not correspond to the original condition of the old chapel.

In 1944, during fighting during World War II , the north transept of the collegiate church was badly damaged by a bomb. In 1964 Pope Paul VI raised the old chapel due to its long, uninterrupted tradition as a collegiate church and its supposed importance as the “mother church” for the Christianization of Bavaria to become a “minor basilica”.

Due to the poorly repaired war damage and unfavorable weather conditions, a renewed renovation was urgently required in 1990. The exterior was first renovated by 1992. This was followed by a much more difficult interior renovation, which again aimed at restoring the overall impression after the Rococo remodeling in the 18th century. Based on the sparse remains of the Rococo version and with great expertise, this project was largely completed by the millennium of the Kollegiatstift in 2002. Remaining work was done in 2003.

Three years later the old chapel received a new organ, made by the Swiss company Mathis Orgelbau from Näfels . The new work, which is based on the baroque disposition of Andreas Weiß, was inserted into the classicist case from 1797. On September 13, 2006, the organ was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI. as part of his pastoral visit in the Bavarian homeland . That is why the organ is now called the Pope Benedict Organ .

architecture

Urban embedding

In terms of urban planning, the collegiate church of the Old Chapel forms the southern end of the Old Corn Market and is located in the immediate vicinity of the Herzogshof (west) and the Carmelite Church of St. Josef (east). Unusually, the church already had this free location in the Middle Ages and was not integrated into the narrow rows of houses in the city.

Exterior construction

Northern walling of the church district

The building history can be clearly read from the exterior of the church. The three-aisled basilica with six bays with an eastern transept forms the typical T-shaped floor plan of Carolingian church buildings, so it goes back to the construction of Ludwig the German from the second half of the 9th century. This floor plan was retained during the restoration under Henry II. Of the westwork characteristic of early medieval church buildings with a royal gallery and double tower facade, only the southern tower remains. Today this forms a so-called campanile , a free-standing church tower, which in the case of the old chapel is connected to the nave by means of an arched bridge. With its simple structure, the largely unstructured structure and the low pyramid roof , it stands out clearly from the rest of the church.

In addition to the free-standing tower, a few other structural features speak for the former existence of a westwork: The western nave yoke, for example, is wider than the five other yokes. In addition, the chapels adjoining this yoke on the north and south sides were originally two-story. While the northern Marienvermähl chapel no longer has an upper floor, this is still preserved in the southern Gnadenkapelle. The fact that the wall core of the lower tower floors was later walled with Roman blocks, which may have come from the removed westwork, speaks for this assumption.

The late Gothic choir, which was built in the middle of the 15th century, connects to the east of the building, which was laid out in Carolingian times. This is significantly elevated compared to the nave and transept and is even wider than the nave central nave. At the interface with the transept, the saddle roof of the presbytery is crowned by a ridge turret. It comprises four yokes and closes in three sides of the hexagon. The yoke structure on the choir is made by striking buttresses , each of which is stepped down by a water hammer and is closed at the top by a small pent roof, which in turn is crowned by a front gable. A wall in the line of the laterally attached chapels originally enclosed the entire choir and thus marked the church district. At the beginning of the 20th century, parts of the wall were removed so that today it only extends to a neo-Romanesque chapel from the early 19th century. At the time, this replaced a two-storey, Gothic cemetery chapel and ended approximately at the level of the easternmost choir yoke. The end of the choir is therefore optional. On the south side of the choir is the sacristy , which was built around 1600 by merging two chapels. Today this forms the link between the collegiate church and the other buildings of the collegiate monastery.

When it was redesigned in the 18th century, the medieval appearance of the exterior was largely retained. This should probably reflect the age and rank of the church building. Only the window openings have been adapted to suit contemporary tastes and are accordingly presented as curved "bass violin windows". The contours of the medieval windows are partially still visible in the plaster. In addition, the appearance of the chapels built on the north side was standardized in the 18th century so that the face of the collegiate church appears as a harmonious whole.

North portal

The north portal, which is framed by the Rupertus or Marienvermähl chapel (to the west) and the baptistery of St. Vitus (to the east), clearly emerges from this. Here too, Rococo style elements were used sparingly. The portal is flanked by two pilasters decorated with fruit hangings that support a protruding cornice . This ends in the middle of the merging of two volutes . A Marian monogram is arranged underneath . The portal is crowned by a medieval figure of the Madonna and Child, which was created around 1370. Two Romanesque lions were placed next to this as "portal guardians". The figures in the niches on both sides of the portal are also Romanesque and may have been made around 1200. Depending on the interpretation, they represent a confession or baptism scene. In the latter reading, the figures would refer to the legendary baptism of Duke Theodo II by Bishop Rupert of Salzburg, which, according to tradition, was performed in the immediately adjacent Rupertus Chapel.

inner space

View from the crossing into the nave

While only subtle Rococo accents were set on the exterior during the remodeling of the 18th century, this style is all the more rich inside. Nonetheless, the medieval complex can still be seen here today: Significantly lower, narrower and darker aisles adjoin the wide central nave with high upper aisles on the north and south sides, separated by square pillars and arched arcades . The transept to the east is at the same height as the central nave, but it is slightly narrower than this and is only illuminated through two window openings on the front stones. The late Gothic, light-flooded choir adjoins this pre-Romanesque building - only slightly raised.

In the 18th century, instead of the flat ceilings in the nave and transept as well as the ribbed vault in the choir, wooden formwork vaults were installed in the entire interior, which, due to their uniform height, contribute significantly to the unification of the overall space. In the central nave and choir, these are designed as needle cap barrels, which are divided into sections of three or two yokes by belt arches . The interfaces between the central nave and crossing and between crossing and choir are each accentuated by generous triumphal arches, with the choir arch being designed much more elaborately. In the side aisles there are flat barrels, which are also provided with stitch caps. The two arms of the transept and the crossing are vaulted with Bohemian caps . The large vaulted sections of the main rooms are each covered with stucco-framed frescoes. The windows are all arranged at the same height and each sit in the stitch caps. Below the windows, a cranked cornice, supported by flat pilasters, surrounds the main rooms in its entirety. A biaxially arched gallery with curved parapets is drawn into the rear yoke of the central nave .

The entire church space above the arcade zone (with the exception of the stuccoed apostle crosses in the nave) is adorned and enlivened by the varied stucco by the Wessobrunn master Anton Landes. This is mostly set in gold and white-gold, which makes it stand out from the bright, whitewashed shell. The stucco decoration appears, for example, in the form of rocaille ornament , putti and vases arranged on the cornice , frames, cartouches , coats of arms and capital decorations .

Dimensions

The interior of the collegiate church to the old chapel has the following dimensions:

• Total inner length (without winter choir): 56.61 meters
  • of which choir: 22.66 meters
  • of which transept: 7.95 meters
  • of which longhouse: 26.05 meters
• Width:
  • Choir: 10.35 meters
  • Transept: 24.90 meters
  • Central nave: 10.07 meters
  • Aisles: each 5.12 meters
• Vault height in the central nave and transept: 15.45 meters
• Room volume: 11,500 m ³

Furnishing

Frescoes

Ceiling fresco in the nave: handover of the miraculous image to Heinrich II.

Ceiling fresco in the crossing: Mary as Queen in the heaven of saints

Frescoes over the southern nave arcades

The fresco program of the 18th century, created by the Augsburg painter Christoph Thomas Scheffler in rococo style, was probably worked out by the monastery chapter and served to emphasize its independence from the Regensburg cathedral chapter, as the bishop gave the old chapel the title Kayserliches Collegiat Stift during this time disputed. The focus is on the following three thematic groups: the founding legend of the old chapel with its baptismal tradition; Mary as the patroness of the church , especially in the form of the image of grace; the glorification of the donor couple Heinrich and Kunigunde.

The baptism of Duke Theodo by St. Rupert can be seen in a fresco above the organ gallery. Two grisailles on the base show the destruction of the pagan temple and the consecration of the pagan temple in a Lady Chapel by Rupert. In between the signature of the artist and the year 1752 can be seen. This expresses the reference to the founding legend of the Old Chapel and the associated positioning as the “Bavarian Lateran Basilica”. In the east there is a fresco showing the handover of the miraculous image to Henry II. He is said to have received the picture allegedly painted by the Evangelist Luke on the occasion of his imperial coronation in Rome in 1014 from Pope Benedict VIII to adorn his palatine chapel.

In contrast to the painting described above, the almost square crossing fresco shows Mary as Queen of Heaven in the midst of choirs of angels, who is venerated by Old Testament figures and a host of saints . Most of the saints depicted, including the couple Heinrich and Kunigunde, have a connection to the Old Chapel or have had and still have altar patrons in the collegiate church or in one of the side chapels.

The so-called cup miracle is shown on the ceiling fresco in the north arm of the transept , in which Henry the Saint reassembles a crystal cup that one of his pages had broken. A domed building in the Renaissance style forms the elegant framework for the scenery. The cup shown is an image of the so-called Heinrichskelches, which the emperor bequeathed to the collegiate monastery. It was owned by the old chapel until secularization; today it is on display in the treasury of the Munich residence . On the north wall of the transept there is a fresco of the "Angel's Mass" in St. Michael's Shrine on Monte Sant'Angelo , which is said to have been celebrated by Christ himself in the presence of the emperor (chosen by him). On the ceiling fresco of the southern arm of the transept, Kunigunde's “ plowshare sample ” is shown. The Empress, unjustly suspected of adultery, walks unharmed over twelve glowing plowshares to prove her innocence. The painting on the south wall of the transept shows the marriage of Gisela of Bavaria , the sister of Heinrich II., To St. Stephen of Hungary . According to tradition, Henry agreed to the marriage on condition that the Hungarians accept the Christian faith. Thus Henry II should be understood as the "Apostle of Hungarians", which is certainly the main intention of the painting.

Ten more, albeit smaller, wall paintings by Scheffler from 1753 can be found above the nave arcades. They depict historical events and legends from the life of the holy imperial couple Heinrich and Kunigunde and thus follow - like the other wall and ceiling frescoes - the overall program of the church furnishings . In the first yoke from the east on the Gospel side (north side) you can see St. Wolfgang , Heinrich's former tutor, who appears to the still young duke in 995/96 with the prophecy post sex . This does not, as Heinrich originally thought, refer to his imminent death (about six days, six weeks or six months), but to his coronation as King of Eastern Franconia, which is imminent in six years. Opposite on the epistle side (south side) the reception of Henry in Rome by Pope Benedict VIII is shown. He crowned him Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1014. In the second yoke on the north side you can see how Henry pardoned the inhabitants of the besieged city of Troy in southern Italy, opposite how he received Holy Communion before the battle against the Poles. In the third yoke, on the gospel side, the holy Kunigunde is depicted as church donor and benefactress, on the epistle side the farewell of the imperial couple, who lived in chaste marriage, before the death of Henry in 1024. In the fourth yoke from the east, on the north side, is shown how Kunigunde in the year In 1025 she joins the Kaufungen monastery she founded , compared to how she dies as a poor nun in 1039. In the fifth yoke on the gospel page you can see a representation of several healings and miracles at the grave of the imperial couple, on the epistle page the canonization of Henry by Pope Eugene III. on March 12, 1146.

The large fresco in the choir was not created by Scheffler as early as 1752/53, but by the painter Gottfried Bernhard Göz, also from Augsburg, in 1762. It shows the apocalyptic vision of John on Patmos ( Rev 1 : 9-20  EU ). The author sits on a stone at the lower edge of the picture, ready to write down his vision in an open book. Like him, the 24 elders also observe the visionary events ( Rev 5  EU ). In the center is the enthroned God the Father , accompanied by lightning bolts and trumpets . Next to him are the Lamb of God and the open book with the seven seals , above him the Hebrew lettering YHWH . Heinrich and Kunigunde kneel in front of God's throne, shown with a model of the collegiate church. They are to be seen as representatives of the earthly rulers who, despite their earthly power, recognize the greatness of God. As a sign of this, their crowns lie carelessly on the ground, while they now wear wreaths of flowers on their heads.

The wall frescoes embedded in richly decorated stucco frames in the third choir bay from the west were also painted by Göz in 1765. On the north side the handing over of the keys to the apostle Peter can be seen ( Mt 16,19  EU ), on the south side the sermon of the apostle Paul on the Areopagus in Athens ( Acts 17,19  EU ).

High altar

Rococo high altar, in the foreground the modern popular altar

The high altar of the collegiate church is considered to be the main work of the Regensburg Rococo. It takes up almost the entire height of the choir and with its side wings separates the “winter choir” located in the apex of the choir, which the canons once used as a place of worship during the cold season. The design and the sculptural work of the high altar, which was built between 1769 and 1775, were made by the Regensburg sculptor Simon Sorg. The Kistler work was carried out by Carl Heinrich from Stadtamhof , the version was provided by Georg Caspar Zellner, who was also resident there. The structure of the altar, which is enlivened by rocaille ornamentation, clouds and numerous putti, is characterized by the connection of a column apparatus with wall-like surfaces in between. The two pairs of columns staggered in depth also create the impression of plasticity and three-dimensionality.

The elaborately curved Altarmensa rises between the inner pair of columns , on top of which the tabernacle flanked by worshiping angels . Although standing on a rotating pedestal, the main character - Maria as the Apocalyptic Woman - seems to float above the tabernacle. The figure created by Simon Sorg in 1769/72 depicts the Mother of God standing on a globe and crescent moon. Her head is surrounded by a wreath of 12 stars. On a cloud that hardly stands out from the flowing robe of Mary, the baby Jesus stands, who is embraced by his mother with both arms and has raised his right hand in a blessing. The group of figures is spanned by a kind of canopy and is embedded in a triumphal arch-like niche. The richly designed altarpiece rises above the latter and completes the Trinity with a figure of God the Father on the globe and the dove of the Holy Spirit .

Just like the figures and putti of the altar extract, the side figures of the canonized donor couple Heinrich (left) and Kunigunde (right), which are located between the two columns, are framed in white and gold. In addition to a model of the old chapel, they are assigned imperial insignia as a symbol of their power. These are presented by putti above the side passages. On the rambling volutes of the entablature are figures of the evangelists John and Luke. John is shown with his attribute , the eagle, and the scroll that marks him as the author of the Apocalypse . Luke, symbolized by the bull, appears in the role assigned to him as a painter of the Madonna and is accordingly represented with a copy of the miraculous image. This was housed in the choir room of the collegiate church until 1694. So the two evangelists stand as representatives of the two media, word and image, through which beliefs can be conveyed. It is also worth mentioning the reliefs with reference to the Virgin Mary that adorn the pedestals of the two outer columns. From left to right the Annunciation , the Ascension , the Immaculate Conception and the Immaculate are depicted.

People's Altar

The modern folk altar - corresponding to the ambo - is cast in bronze and was erected in 1998. It was designed and executed by the Eggenfelden artist Joseph Michael Neustifter . With its contemporary design, it sets a clear accent in the overall appearance of the altar room, which, despite the sheer size of the high altar, characterizes it as the central location of the liturgical celebration.

Choir stalls

The choir stalls , executed by Simon Sorg in 1765 , have back walls elaborately decorated with rocaille ornament and volutes. The stalls are arranged in four blocks of twelve seats each, divided into two rows.

Other equipment of the choir room

As is customary in the 18th century, the furnishings of the presbytery are supplemented by cosmological and ethical representations, thus staging the choir as a symbolic image of the cosmos. The high altar is surrounded, for example, by stucco figures sitting on the surrounding cornice, which symbolize the three theological virtues of faith, love and hope. There is also another stucco figure that is to be understood as the personification of the mission . Between these sculptures there are originally designed stucco vases depicting the four elements : earth and air on the left side of the high altar, fire and water on the right.

The lavishly designed, white and gold framed double oratorios on both sides of the choir are crowned by figures by Simon Sorg from 1764, who personify the four continents known at the time. On the north side these are Europe and Africa , compared to Asia and America . These correspond with the four stucco busts that are embedded in cartouches on the oratorio gables and are also intended to represent the four continents. This is clear from the putti that are attached to the window mullions and present their typical attributes. The oratorio parapets are adorned with stucco reliefs of the cardinal virtues . Strength and temperance are represented on the northern double oratory, justice and prudence on the southern side. In between there is a further relief depicting King David singing the penitential psalms (north side) and Cecilia playing the organ (south side). Their representations in turn correspond to the stucco busts of the donors Heinrich and Kunigunde, which appear in the overhangs below.

Two classicist epitaphs on the choir arch are reminiscent of the last two monastery deans before secularization. To the south is the tomb of Johann Michael Franz Velhorn († 1782), who was the builder of the Rococo redesign of the collegiate church; on the north side is the grave slab of Johann Joseph Thomas von Haas († 1811), who also founded a study foundation.

Side altars

The side altar in the north arm of the transept, also known as the Briccius Altar , is dedicated to St. Brictius of Tours , the successor of St. Martin as Bishop of Tours . The late baroque, four-pillar structure was created in 1730 by the sculptor Franz Anton Neu fromprüfunging and changed in the Rococo style by Simon Sorg in 1768. Between the outer, straight columns and the inner, coiled columns, there is a figure of a saint framed in white and gold on both sides - on the left St. Martin, recognizable by the goose as one of his attributes, on the right St. Brictius. Above the rotating tabernacle crowned by a pelican, the symbol for the sacrificial death of Christ, is the main painting created by the painter Otto Gebhard , who also comes fromprüfunging. It shows the devotion to the Holy Eucharist . The far cantilevered entablature is decorated with an artful rococo cartridge with the Christ monogram . Above it rises the altar extension, accompanied by four volutes, which contains a painting depicting God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The upper end is formed by a figure of the Archangel Michael , again framed in white and gold , who stands on a small pedestal above lush clouds.

The counterpart in the south arm of the transept is the St. Anne's altar , consecrated to St. Anne , formerly also known as St. John's Altar. This was also created by Franz Anton Neu in 1730 and revised by Simon Sorg in 1768. The altarpiece, which shows the Holy Family with John the Baptist, is again by Otto Gebhard. The side figures also set in white and gold represent the saints Ursula and George .

The side altars in the side aisles of the nave are also designed as counterparts. In the first yoke from the east on the north side there is the Barbara altar , which was made in 1755 by the sculptor Johann Baptist Dirr from Stadtamhof. It is an original retable made of rocailles with a statue of the titular saint attached. The side figures represent the saints Apollonia and Christina , the excerpt painting shows the holy Agatha . The opposite Maria-Schnee- Altar , also created in 1755 by Johann Baptist Dirr, shows not only a figure of the Madonna but also sculptures of the evangelists Luke and Matthew as well as relief medallions of the Annunciation to Mary and the birth of Jesus. The latter were made by Simon Sorg around 1785.

pulpit

View into the Chapel of Grace

Artfully carved stalls in the Chapel of Grace

Miraculous image

View of the Vitus Chapel

View of the Pope Benedict Organ

Bell tower of the collegiate church to the old chapel

In the next yoke to the north is the so-called Heinrichs Altar. The structure in transitional forms between Rococo and Classicism was created in 1782/83 by Simon Sorg and a master carpenter Heinrich. Among other things, it bears a relief depicting the resurrection of Jesus Christ . The main painting , which the Munich painter Christian Wink created in 1785, shows the death of St. Heinrich, the founder of the Old Chapel. The counterpart on the south side is the St. James altar , which was also executed by Sorg and Heinrich. It shows a relief of the beheading of the eponymous saint. It also contains a painting of James as a pilgrim patron, which Hans von Aachen made in the Mannerist style at the end of the 16th century .

In the third yoke from the east, in the north aisle, the Catherine altar can be found. It was created by Simon Sorg in 1790/91. Above the figure of the namesake is a floating fides , in the excerpt a representation of the Holy Trinity. The altar also contains medallions in relief with scenes from the Katharinenmarter. The counterpart on the south side is the cross altar , which is decorated with relief medallions of repentant Peter and the penitent Maria Magdalena . In the extract there is a depiction of the lamb on the book with the seven seals .

pulpit

The pulpit was created in 1855 by the Regensburg sculptor Anton Blank and changed into neo-baroque forms in 1936/37 . It is attached to the southwestern crossing pillar. The polygonal pulpit is decorated with corner pilasters that are rolled into volutes on the underside. The sound cover , also decorated with gold-plated volutes , the underside of which is adorned with a relief of the dove of the Holy Spirit, shows two angel figures on a globe, presenting the anchor as a Christian symbol of hope.

Chapel of Mercy

The Chapel of Mercy , attached to the south of the nave , has served as a place of storage for the famous image of the Virgin Mary, which made the Old Chapel an important place of pilgrimage in the late Middle Ages. Before 1694, the southern vestibule of the collegiate church was called the Jakobskapelle . The two-bay, cross-vaulted room was furnished in 1693, i.e. immediately before the transfer of the miraculous image, with elaborate ceiling stucco and medallion images with symbols of Mary from the Lauretanian litany .

The south portal of the basilica, through which church visitors can directly access the Chapel of Mercy, was designed around 1790 in the classicist style. The elaborate reliefs depicting the Annunciation to Mary come from the Regensburg sculptor Simon Sorg. To get into the actual church space, a second portal is used on the north side of the Chapel of Mercy. This is Romanesque and has a three-tiered wall. In the tympanum there is a renaissance painting of Christ in the grave by Hans Mielich , a donation from Canon Ulrich Pruner, who died in 1544. The door leaf is decorated with a classicistic relief of the Adoration of the Shepherds.

The miraculous image is now located in the eastern choir extension, which was built in 1864 and is equipped with a rococo altar created by Johann Baptist Dirr in 1751/52. At the top it takes up the miraculous image, which is surrounded by a halo and flanked by kneeling figures of the donor couple Heinrich (left) and Kunigunde (right). The miraculous image shows a Byzantine style and therefore resembles icon representations of the Eastern churches. It shows the Madonna type of Dexiokratusa, that is, Mary carries the baby Jesus on her right arm. This in turn raised his right hand in blessing. It also belongs to the devotional image type of the Luke image .

According to legend, this is how it was painted by the Evangelist Luke. Pope Benedict VIII is said to have given it to Henry II on the occasion of his coronation as Roman-German Emperor on February 14, 1014. He, in turn, later donated it to the Old Chapel - he had had it renewed a few years earlier and then transferred it to the diocese of Bamberg, which he had founded. In fact, no evidence can be found for this legend. The panel painting is first mentioned with an indication of the location in a document from 1451. The art-historical dating is to the first half of the 13th century; possibly the miraculous image was created around 1230/40 in a Regensburg workshop. It is probably the wing of a shrine in which the actual Henry icon was kept. After it became ruinous, the copy may simply take the place of the original. The image of grace also served the Regensburg painter Albrecht Altdorfer as a template for his painting of the beautiful Maria , which was created around 1515/20 and is now exhibited in the Regensburg Diocesan Museum of St. Ulrich .

The pilgrimage to the image of St. Luke in the Old Chapel “probably came about late after the Thirty Years' War”, as the Regensburg church historian Josef Staber states - contrary to different self-portrayals of the collegiate monastery. Until the second half of the 17th century, the miraculous image was in the choir of the collegiate church . In the 17th century a so-called miracle occurred in the old chapel : a boy who was born blind was able to see in the old chapel. Therefore, in order to make it more accessible to the people, the miraculous image was transferred to the former Jacob's Chapel in 1694, which has been called the “Gnadenkapelle” since that time and was magnificently furnished. The monastery and parts of the Regensburg population were hit hard when, in the course of secularization, the image of grace was transferred to the gallery of Schleissheim Palace in 1810 and later to the Bavarian National Museum. The pen had to make do with a copy until finally Bishop Ignatius of Senestrey obtained the return of the original picture in 1862. On April 27, 1864, it was ceremoniously transferred to its original location.

The stalls with richly carved acanthus ornamentation and putti heads, which were probably created at the same time as the chapel was stuccoed in 1693, are also part of the furnishings of the Chapel of Mercy. The same applies to the richly decorated choir grille. The crucifix on the north wall was created by the sculptor Simon Sorg in 1782.

Remaining side chapels

In the northern vestibule there is a high quality, late Gothic relief dedicated to the late provost Konrad Schenk von Schenkenstein († 1475). There are also representations of Saint Barbara and Salvator mundi . To the west, the so-called Marienvermähl chapel , a two-bay, cross-vaulted room , adjoins the north vestibule . Today this is considered to be the founding building of the old chapel and the place of the legendary baptism of Duke Theodo; The Palatine Chapel of the Agilolfingers may also be located here.

The Vitus Chapel , which adjoins to the east and comprises two bays and is equipped with a ribbed vault , was donated to the important Regensburg patrician family Gumprecht around 1270/80 as a burial chapel. Especially in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was (incorrectly) considered the legendary Marienkapelle consecrated by St. Rupert and was accordingly painted with numerous frescoes from the Rupert's vita until around 1880. Today the room to the left of the north vestibule serves as the baptistery of the St. Kassian Abbey Parish. The massive font is Romanesque and dates from the end of the 12th century. The twelve blind arcades of the sandstone basin are reminiscent of the twelve apostles . In addition, in the Vitus Chapel there is also a sandstone ecclesiastical christ , created around 1490, as well as a wooden figure of the eponymous saint, which depicts his martyrdom in the oil kettle and dates from the mid-18th century. The room is separated from the north vestibule by a wrought iron grille with magnificent acanthus vines. This was originally created around 1690 and had to be replaced by a faithful replica by Ludwig Steger after the bombing in World War II.

Pope Benedict organ

→ Main article : Pope Benedict organ

Bells

From the free-standing, Romanesque tower, a four-part Salve Regina chime sounds with the striking sequence d ¹ –f sharp ¹ –a ¹ –h ¹ . The second largest and the smallest bell come from the 13th century and are therefore among the oldest in the diocese of Regensburg. They were cast in 1247 by a certain "Fridericus". The largest bell was commissioned from Johann Florido in Straubing in 1777 as part of the Rococo redesign of the old chapel . The second tallest bell, on the other hand, was cast by Rudolf Perner from Passau in 1971. There is also a fifth bell, which was also cast by Fridericus in 1247. However, due to its poor condition, this is out of order today. The bells in detail:

No.	Casting year	Caster	Weight [kg]	Diameter [mm]	Chime
1.	1777	Johann Florido, Straubing	2560	1561	d 1 -9
2.	1247	Fridericus	1400	1215	f sharp 1 -5
3.	1971	Rudolf Perner, Passau	490	956	a 1 -3
4th	1247	Fridericus	500	992	h 1 -1
	1247	Fridericus	?	?	g 1 -9

literature

• Karl-Heinz Betz, Harald Gieß: Regensburg - The Collegiate Church of Our Lady to the Old Chapel. (= Little Art Guide No. 415). Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, 14th edition.
• Karl-Heinz Betz: The inconological program of the old chapel in Regensburg . In: Negotiations of the Historisches Verein Regensburg , 118, 1977, pp. 5–72 (at the same time the Regensburg dissertation, Master's thesis in the summer semester 1977),
• Johann Baptist Kurz: Emperor Heinrich II. And the old chapel in Regensburg , in: Heimatblätter des Historisches Verein Bamberg , Volume 4, 1924, pp. 22–24.
• Johann Baptist Kurz: The Old Chapel - the oldest pilgrimage church in Bavaria , in: The Onion Tower , year 19, 1964, pp. 193–216.
• Johann Baptist Kurz: Basilika Alte Kapelle - a millennial legacy of the veneration of Mary in the diocese of Regensburg , in: Regensburger Bistumsblatt , year 33, 1964, pp. 12-14.
• Johann Baptist Kurz: The miraculous image of the old chapel basilica , in: Der Onion Tower , year 19, Regensburg 1964, pp. 216–218.

Web links

Commons : Alte Kapelle in Regensburg  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Homepage of the Collegiate Foundation of Our Lady of the Old Chapel
• Virtual tour through the collegiate church to the old chapel
• Art of faith with cathedral vicar Werner Schrüfer: Rococo on YouTube
• Brochure 1000 Years of Grace in the Old Chapel (PDF; 1.14 MB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Betz, Gieß; Pp. 2-6.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Betz, Gieß; Pp. 6-10.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Ingrid Scheurmann: Bavarian Mother Church - The "Old Chapel" in Regensburg . Online at www.monumente-online.de; accessed on February 18, 2017.
4. ↑ Old Chapel - The monastery of Our Lady . Online at www.inregensburg.de; accessed on February 18, 2017.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Betz, Gieß; Pp. 10-12.
6. ↑ ^{a b c d} Betz, Gieß; Pp. 16-19.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Betz, Gieß; P. 19f.
8. ↑ Station IV - The Cup Wonder . Online at www.kath.de; accessed on March 22, 2017.
9. ↑ Betz, Gieß; Pp. 24-26.
10. ^ Station I - Vocation history: "post sex" . Online at www.kath.de; accessed on March 22, 2017.
11. ^ Station VI - "The Heaven of Saints" . Online at www.kath.de; accessed on March 22, 2017.
12. ↑ ^{a b c} Betz, Gieß; Pp. 20-22.
13. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Betz, Gieß; Pp. 22-24.
14. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Betz, Gieß; Pp. 26-28.
15. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Betz, Gieß; Pp. 28-31.
16. ↑ ^{a b c} Collegiate Foundation of Our Lady of the Old Chapel (ed.): The image of grace of the Old Chapel in Regensburg. Morsbach Verlag, Regensburg 2015. ISBN 978-3-937527-82-6 .
17. ↑ Josef Gerl: The pilgrimages to Mary through the collegiate chapter of the Old Chapel - beginnings and reception. In: Paul Mai (Ed.): Kollegiatstift UL Frau zur Alte Kapelle in Regensburg. Schnell & Steiner publishing house, Regensburg 2002, p. 102.
18. ^ Joseph Staber: Remarks on the history of religion on the origin of the pilgrimages to Mary in the diocese of Regensburg. 1973, pp. 55-56.
19. ↑ Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Old Chapel . Online at glockenklaenge.de; accessed on February 17, 2017.
20. ^ Regensburg, Alte Kapelle: Plenum on YouTube , accessed on February 17, 2017.
21. ^ Karl-Heinz Betz, The inconological program of the old chapel in Regensburg , Regensburg 1977 (University thesis Regensburg, master's thesis summer semester 1977) available online

Coordinates: 49 ° 1 ′ 6 ″  N , 12 ° 6 ′ 0 ″  E