Innocent children (Essenbach, Odelzhausen)

Branch Church of the Innocent Children

Roof turret

inner space

The Catholic branch church of the innocent children in Essenbach , a district of the municipality of Odelzhausen in the Upper Bavarian district of Dachau , probably goes back to a late Gothic church building that was converted to Baroque style in the 17th century . In the church there are remains of wall paintings from the 16th century. The patronage of the church commemorates the killing of the innocent children , which , according to the Gospel of Matthew , was supposed to have taken place after the birth of Christ by order of King Herod . Secondary patrons are the Evangelist John and the Apostle Paul . The church is one of the protected architectural monuments in Bavaria.

architecture

Over the west gable of the church sits an octagonal roof turret covered with a pointed helmet, which is pierced by oval sound openings . The single-nave interior is illuminated by large arched windows and covered by a wooden beam ceiling. The choir , which has not been retracted, is closed on three sides and connects seamlessly to the nave . The west wall is divided by two large arched niches.

Frescoes

On the north side of the church are the remains of frescoes depicting the adoration of the shepherds and the killing of the innocent children . The scene of the Adoration of the Shepherds is dated 1546. However, it is incomplete because a window was broken through in the middle at a later time.

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  Killing the Innocent Children

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  Adoration of the Shepherds

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  Adoration of the Shepherds, detail with the year 1546

Leaded glass window

Lead glass windows were made for the Essenbach church around 1462 and are now kept in the Bavarian National Museum in Munich .

Furnishing

Benno von Meissen

• The altar is a work of the late 17th century. On the altar sheet the evangelist John is depicted with his attribute , the eagle. The apostle John, who is often equated with the figure of the evangelist John, stands as assistant figures on the left, and the apostle Paul on the right. John holds a chalice with a serpent in his hands, Paul a sword.
• The crucifix on the south side dates from the 20th century. It is surrounded by two baroque chandelier angels, and a winged putti head is attached to the foot of the cross .
• On the north side, opposite the entrance, there is a larger than life figure of St. Benno von Meißen , the patron saint of the city of Munich, which was created around 1910.

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  Apostle John

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  Evangelist John

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  Apostle Paul

literature

• Georg Dehio: Handbook of the German art monuments. Bayern IV: Munich and Upper Bavaria . 2nd edition, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-422-03010-7 , p. 265.

Web links

Commons : Innocent Children  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Adjacent Church of the Innocent Children in Essenbach Churches and chapels in the Dachauer Land (accessed on January 7, 2020)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ List of monuments for Odelzhausen (PDF) at the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, monument number D-1-74-135-11
2. ^ Johannes Schinnerer: Catalog of the glass paintings of the Bavarian National Museum . Publishing house of the Bavarian National Museum, Munich 1908.

Coordinates: 48 ° 18 '53.3 "  N , 11 ° 13' 37.9"  E