Stourdza Chapel

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Stourdza Chapel

The Romanian Orthodox Chapel of the Holy Archangel Michael in Baden-Baden , known as the Stourdza Chapel , was built between 1863 and 1866 in the neo-classical style according to plans by the architects Leo von Klenze and Georg von Dollmann . It is on the Michaelsberg in Baden-Baden

history

Its founder, Prince Michael Stourdza , was ruler of Moldova from 1834 to 1848. After the revolution of 1848 he left the throne and home and traveled to Paris, where he settled in 1849 after a short stay in Vienna. Since they were close to the Russian princely families, the family of the former Moldovan prince preferred to stay in Baden-Baden in Germany in the summer, where they owned a castle in the center of town.

On June 30, 1863, Stourdza's son (from his second marriage), Prince Michael, died unexpectedly at the age of seventeen in Paris, where he attended the Napoleon Bonaparte grammar school. In his memory and as a family resting place, the parents had the burial chapel built with the help of renowned artists.

Until 1882, the Greek Orthodox chapel was under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople , then the prince placed it under the canonical care of the Metropolitan Church of Moldova and the Beech Country “to give my devotion as the son of the Moldavian Church, my home to prove". But he expressed his will that it should never become a parish church, but should remain a princely burial chapel , where he and his family members would be forever remembered.

The chapel has been under the administration of the city of Baden-Baden since 1923. In 1997 a project was started to restore the dilapidated crypt and the interior of the chapel (forecastle and nave). The chapel found its way into the list of historical monuments in Germany. The work lasted six years. Also Prince Dimitrie Stourdza, and Prince Stefan Dimitrie Ferdinand, the great-grandson, respectively. the great-great-grandson of the founder (in direct line, the first marriage of Prince Michael Stourdza with Princess Elisabeta Rosetti), participated massively financially and visit the family chapel regularly.

This was inaugurated again on May 19, 2002 by the Metropolitan of Moldova and the Beech Country, Daniel, today the Romanian head of the Orthodox Church. The Stourdza family members, representatives of the local city tour, representatives of the Romanian embassy in Geneva, Strasbourg and Bern, as well as numerous Romanian believers from Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy took part in this event.

Next to the church is an oak brought from Moldova and planted by Michael Stourdza on the day of the church's inauguration, surrounded by sequoia (sequoia trees) and magnolias.

The chapel is open for prayer on public holidays during services, but also within the week by appointment.

description

Above the entrance portal in the foredeck (inside) is the votive inscription with the Greek text:

"Oh God! In your mercy, for the service of those who come to you, receive this church, built by the inconsolable hearts of parents, i.e. Prince Michael Stourdza and Princess Smaragda Stourdza, née Vogoride, who loved this church in memory of their dearly loved ones Son, Prince Michael Stourdza, born December 19/31, 1846 in Jassy and died June 18/30, 1863 in Paris. May Almighty God receive the prayers from him who was called to heaven, so that both of you can also be with him in eternal, happy life, when the time will come, just as their hearts are now united, without separation. "

At the entrance, on the inside right, Prince Michael Stourdza (1794-1884) is depicted next to his daughter Maria (1848-1905), who was married to the Russian Prince Gorceacoff, and on the left, Princess Smaragda Stourdza, née Vogoride (1810 –1885), next to her son Michael (1846–1863). These four pictures were painted on copper plates by the Parisian painter J. Pérignon in 1866 .

Prince Michael Stourdza († 1884), his second wife Smaragda († 1885) and their children Princess Maria († 1905) and Prince Michael († 1863) are buried in the crypt under the chancel. In the middle of the church, on the right side, is a funerary monument depicting the young Michael studying in Paris. This sculpture was made from Carrara marble by the Italian sculptor Rinaldo Rinaldi . Opposite is the monument, made by the French Thomas Gabriel , which depicts the painful parents.

Leo von Klenze brought in Renaissance elements with a neo-classical structure and combined with German folk elements.

The 24 m high dome is significant, a miniature replica of the dome of St. Peter's Church in Rome, which gives the chapel a special acoustics. The painting on the dome was created on copper sheets by the church artist André Müller , Munich. He also painted the iconostasis on copper sheets. The paintings on the walls of the church were made using fresco technology by Professor Wilhelm Hauschild from Munich.

The icons of the chapel are painted with oil on wood; the icons on the four desks in front of the iconostasis, which represent the Archangel Michael, Our Lady with the Child, the Savior Jesus Christ and the Resurrection of our Lord along with the 12 royal feasts during the year, are coated with silver.

Next to the monument on the left is the holy epitaph, painted by the Russian prince Nikolai Nikolaievici Gagarin . The epitaph was embroidered with a Slavonian gold thread inscription by Princess Maria Stourdza.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Meyer's Large Conversational Lexicon . 6th edition. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1909 ( zeno.org [accessed on October 8, 2019] Lexicon entry "Dollmann").

Web links

Coordinates: 48 ° 45 '47.6 "  N , 8 ° 13' 59.6"  E