Our Lady von Thierenbach
Coordinates: 47 ° 52 ′ 53 ″ N , 7 ° 11 ′ 20 ″ E
Our Lady of Thierbach (fr. Notre-Dame de Thierbach) is one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Alsace . It is located in the municipality of Jungholtz in the Haut-Rhin department . The place is on the Alsatian Way of St. James, which runs from Weißenburg / Wissembourg to Belfort .
The church was elevated to a minor basilica in 1936 . Since 1982, apart from the tower, it has been listed as a Monument Historique .
history
The current structure was completed in 1723. The side church tower was built in 1930-1932. Next to it is the rectory on the site of the former monastery.
Before the current church, the bell tower and the rectory were built, there was a priory on this site , the establishment of which dates back to the first half of the 12th century. At that time, several Cluniac priories (Basel 1097, Altkirch 1105, Feldbach 1144) were founded in the area. The founder of the Cistercian Abbey of Pairis near Orbey, Ulrich von Eguisheim, is also believed to be the founder of the Thierenbach priory. Writings from Cluny Abbey show that Thierenbach was dependent on the Burgundian abbey for several centuries . The small community of monks came into great distress several times: poor living conditions, temporary indebtedness, devastation caused by wars. Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, the monks led a simple, pious life under the rule of the Benedictine order . In its heyday, the priory had about ten to fifteen monks, sometimes fewer. Reliable evidence shows that pilgrimages began here from the 15th century. Some claims place the beginning of the pilgrimage in the 12th century, in connection with the miraculous healing of a nobleman.
According to tradition, this site is said to have been visited by pilgrims as early as the 8th century. This could be related to the founding of the nearby Murbach Abbey in 727, whose monks gradually created numerous clearings and sites for and preaching the faith in their area. However it may have been, the history of Thierenbach's past can only be grasped from 1130 onwards.
The latest excavations (1983) showed that the first church from the 12th century was significantly enlarged in the 15th century. This could correspond to an upturn in the pilgrimages from nearby places, which lasted until the Thirty Years War . In 1642 the monastery buildings were set on fire by Swedish troops and partially destroyed. This also destroyed archives. The monks tried to gradually rebuild the monastery .
The construction of the new baroque church, which was completed six years later, did not begin until 1717, according to plans by the Vorarlberg master builder Peter Thumb . The pilgrimage site got a new lease of life and the small monastic community continued to live under cluniac supervision. The stormy period of the French Revolution (1789–1801) led to the religious goods being expropriated and the monks being expelled. This was the end of the priory.
The Concordat demanded by Napoleon in 1801 again brought about peaceful tolerance. Since Jungholtz was only a small part of the town of Soultz , the parish of Soultz took over the administration of the pilgrimage site until the village became an independent parish in 1880. On August 18, 1884, a violent fire destroyed the monastery building and the attic of the church. The First World War began shortly after the renovation was completed . As a result of their location at the foot of the Hartmannswillerkopf , the buildings, like all the surrounding villages, came under fire; However, they were spared to some extent, so that the main task in the reconstruction was the erection of the long-planned bell tower, which was completed in 1932.
In addition, the side chapel and the pilgrim gallery were added. A complete interior renovation was carried out in 1983. The painter Louis Wiederkehr from Soultz played a large part in this. At the moment the basilica “Our Lady of Thierenbach” is the most important pilgrimage site in Upper Alsace .
From 1983 the basilica was completely renovated: the outer structure, the roofing, the inner decor, the paving and the furniture were repaired. Gradual and unavoidable damage, both to the aesthetic appearance and to the endangered stability of the structure, made this repair necessary after 60 years. With the renovation of the high forecourt, all the necessary work will be completed from 2010, and the beautiful, quiet place is once again a place for contemplation and reflection.
Exterior view
The entire environment of the basilica has changed significantly since 2010 : the high forecourt has been completely rebuilt and newly graded. New parking spaces have now also been created all around.
The main building consists of three naves , which are united under a common hipped roof and thus represent the model of a hall church . The bell tower attached to the side with its copper onion dome and gilded summit cross is probably the most important feature of the church, which is embedded like a jewel in the friendly landscape.
If you climb up to the esplanade and cross the forecourt, the east facade comes to light, especially the main portal with its large, artistically carved door made of old oak. The top over the two wings resembles a tympanum and bears a niche in which a multi-colored figure of Mary from the 18th century stands out.
On the wide front staircase , the huge porch made of red Vosges sandstone is the only decorative component of the plant. Pilasters and borders make a beautiful baroque composition. Their ledge carries a bow gable , a hewn under the inscription over the entire length of the lintel extends: V AS A DMI RAB IL E OP V S E XC E L S I . Adding the eleven highlighted Roman letters V D M I I L V X C L I gives the year of construction of the completion of the building: 1723.
The architect at the time, Peter Thumb , apparently preferred a rather simple architecture with moderate ornamentation for this church, whereas he promoted external stone carvings and plenty of stucco in other of his works such as in Tyrol, southern Germany or in Ebersmünster in Alsace .
Along the south side, between the bell tower built in 1932 and the sacristy attached to the chancel, extends the pilgrims' gallery dating from the modern era (1950), which mentions both the Romanesque origins of the sanctuary and the old monastery. Some remains of this original church can be seen near the side entrance, as well as in the rear part of the main nave , where they are embedded in the floor.
Opposite the gallery is the “Notre-Dame” reception building, which offers its cozy space for all charity events throughout the year.
Other historical souvenirs are also present: the Antonius fountain about 50 m behind the choir head, a well-designed wayside shrine from 1750 on the bank of the nearby pond, and, under the gallery, some very old tombstones that were used when the flooring was repaired during the last restoration were found.
Interior
Overall impression
The eight central columns safely and gracefully support the massive capitals, on which double arches with colorful - red, blue, gold as basic tones - symmetrical decorative stripes rest. The two rows of square girders extend in alignment into the choir, where they transform into built-in supports in order to separate the three yokes of this component.
The vault of the building is a basket arch-shaped groin vault . The five bays of the main nave, whose arched, wide-span ceiling has a revealing architecture, are doubled on both sides by side aisles, which are half the size but almost as high as the main nave. This breakdown of the areas and volumes contributes to the balanced overall effect of the thirty meter long and twenty meter wide rectangular alley room . The choir and its apse , which is divided into three wall surfaces, receive ample light through four large, circular- arched windows.
The ridges of the vault are decorated with fine plant decorations. In the fields delimited in this way, they frame various combinations of arabesques and cartouches with pious inscriptions. In the main nave there are larger medallions with half-length portraits of saints relating to the history of the place. The choir vault shows a series of Marian-worshiping saints, including Dagobert, Casimir, Theresa and François de Sales, inserted in a rich pseudo- Renaissance decor on a dark blue background .
Decoration and paintings
All around are paintings and many trim and ornate window frames: First, the large-scale wall paintings by Martin Feuerstein : The artist was in 1856 in Barr born (Alsace) and later Professor of Art Academy of Munich . At least ten of the wall paintings that appear in the choir room and in the apsidioles were made by him, including the "Wedding of Cana" and "Jesus is found again in the temple". These works were carried out over a period of around twenty years.
In the half-dome of the north apse is a painting by another Alsatian artist, Rene Kuder, which was executed after the damage caused by the First World War. His then thirteen-year-old daughter Marie-France can be recognized among the figures who venerate Mary.
The painting on the left of the Madonna's altar, which was damaged at the same time, was restored in 1926 by Marcel Imbs from Strasbourg. It is located opposite the “Mariä u. Joseph engagement "of flint and represents the Holy Family. In the white marble and decorated with gold paneling of the choir, which through a series of fluted pilasters with Corinthian capitals is divided and surmounted by a carved top, plates with representations of the church fathers admitted . Some of these paintings are older (1840), some are more recent, but not particularly remarkable.
The large paintings in the wooden wall of the choir are likely from the early 18th century. They describe the stages of the life of the Blessed Virgin. Around 1920, the finely decorated, splendidly built retable from the Colmar workshop of Klem was placed on the head wall of the choir mentioned. The painting of the altarpiece, which was put in place in 1846, was then painted by Henri Beltz from neighboring Soultz. The depiction of the Assumption of Mary is strongly inspired by a work by the French Nicolas Poussin .
Votive pictures
The painted votive pictures of the basilica in large numbers cover a considerable wall area of the nave and testify to the ardent prayers of pilgrims from all times. In total there are 850 paintings, pictures or illustrations, wooden or marble panels, bridal wreaths and metal hearts as votive pictures. The large number of paintings (370) and the lengthy preparation time enable research into the history of development in terms of content, design and type.
The surviving painting is a large panel from 1680, which tells of the wonderful recovery of a sick person from Saint Pilt ( Saint-Hippolyte ). The fortress town of Soultz can be seen in the foreground, as well as its Capuchin monastery on the right, the old Roman-Gothic pilgrim church and the Schauenburg castle.
The very expressive, albeit often touchingly naive votive pictures from the years 1795 to around 1845, were mainly made by Ottmar Beltz, the father of the painter who created the altarpiece.
Most of the paintings show the disease in children or adults. Images relating to infants (happy survival after difficult delivery or infant disease) are common in the 19th century, but less common in modern history. The subject of the state of health of the cattle is completely receding from 1850. The events of war, on the other hand, have played a considerable part in modern times. Thierenbach was in the immediate vicinity of the battlefields of the First World War (1914-18) and not far from the places that suffered particularly from bombing in 1940-45. Also noteworthy is the large number of images that relate to the Alsatian conscripts.
On the south wall of the basilica there are some paintings that are more important in terms of size and quality: crucifixions from different epochs, a depiction of St. Louis and other votive images, which extend into the side entrance of the church to the first floor of the bell tower . In the same entrance the garments embroidered with gold , which the virgin wore at her coronation ceremony in July 1935, are kept in a glass case.
Furnishing
The pristine white high altar adorned with gilded bronze decorations was carved from Carrara marble by Josef Klem in 1911. The choir stalls - or "forms" as they were called earlier - are from the time it was built in the 18th century. The Prior Chair can be recognized by its elegant wood carving side decoration and is located next to the altar. Nearby, the special characters awarded by the minor basilica , namely the " ombrellino " and the " tintinnabulum ".
The north apse houses the altar of the miraculous Virgin. Although it has undergone changes over time, it has been preserved in an almost original condition with gilding and imitation marble. Conceived for the representation of the Pietà - the miraculous virgin - there are four columns adorned with openwork leaf decoration, which carry an arched top. Above it rises a superstructure with arabesques, from which God the Father stands out and beyond the Holy Spirit - represented as a silver dove - blesses his dead son lying on Mary's lap. A wounded heart surrounded by a wreath of clouds shines over the ensemble. The wooden statue of the miraculous virgin probably dates from the 13th century, whereas that of the crucified was recreated and erected after a lost original.
The altar in the south apse has a simpler design: the two altars were probably made by Jean-Antoine Werle, who came from Guebwiller. Less decorated than the virgin altar, it serves as a framework for the exhibition of two paintings. The older one (18th century) is a representation of the mother with the child on her lap, Saint Odilon and Saint Simon stick kneeling at her feet. On the painting above, St. Anne can be seen accompanied by the young Mary and St. Joachim .
The altars on the two pillars at the entrance to the choir are more recent. They carry two statues: on the left, the Sacred Heart (a terracotta work , around 1900), on the right, the seated Saint Joseph with child on the right, a portrait that was made in a Munich workshop before 1870. A carved wood pulpit encompasses a column on the left in the middle of the nave. It is painted white marble-like, decorated with leaf friezes and gilded acanthus leaves. Dorsal paneling , adorned with the gilded image of the Good Shepherd in bas-relief , connects the pulpit tub with the sound cover , above which protrudes a composition of volutes and a bouquet of summits.
The tub rests on the head of a life-size atlases , namely the threat with his donkey jaws Samson . Originally depictions of the four evangelists were depicted on the railing plates of the access stairs.
A small Antonius altar from the interwar period on the back wall, paneling with a bracket that supports the statue of St. Therese on the back of the north wall, as well as two antique confessionals built into the south wall complete the furniture.
The marble-like painted altar at the choir entrance and adorned with gold , as well as the matching ambo, are new products from 1998. A fully gilded lectern complements the ensemble of stalls and sideboard in Louis XIV style with which the choir has been since its restoration in the 1920s Years ago.
Our Lady von Thierenbach hides several statues behind its walls: The best known and oldest is the Pietà - the "compassionate", known as the "miraculous virgin"; it probably dates from the 14th century. It is located on the largest reredos in the church, on the north apse altar. Across from the huge pulpit pillar of Samson is a large, painted, wood-carved, crucified Savior from the 18th century.
Four consoles on the inside of the nave support statues made of painted and gilded wood. Saint Benedict , a black-clad monk with a questioning look, stands opposite Saint Margaret with a lurking dragon at her feet. Saint Catherine , with the wheel of her martyrdom , stands next to Saint Barbara , carrying the chalice. These statues have belonged to the former sanctuary since the 15th century .
“Rest here in anticipation of the resurrection” reads an inscription carved into the sandstone floor of the main nave. At this point under the flooring there is a vaulted crypt with narrow access stairs. It is divided into two compartments by a partition in the middle. On its west side or choir side, some well-known clergymen of the priory have been buried since 1703. The eastern part of the crypt houses the remains of 5 or 6 other lay people .
Chapel of the Good Shepherd: Two double-winged side doors lead through the south wall to the Chapel of Reconciliation, which is attached to the nave and which is equipped with confessionals along both walls . It had been planned for a long time, but the project could only be carried out after the war in 1939–45 in connection with the pilgrim gallery. In this room there is an ensemble made of marble of different gloss , which consists of an altar and a baptismal font and is adorned with simple ornaments made of polished and patinated bronze . A Pietà des from the early 16th century completes the furnishings. It also probably comes from the former church and has kept its gold plating and polychromy , which seem to date from the early years of the 20th century.
Fischer-Kraemer organ
The three manual organs with hanging mechanical action and 36 “neo-romantic” voiced stops were built in 1992 by the organ workshop Fischer & Krämer ; it fits seamlessly into the baroque look of the basilica.
The disposition of the main work and the positive also enables baroque mixes such as B. Grand Jeu, Plein Jeu, Fonds, Basse de Cromorne, Tierce en taille. These registers are usually in the swell.
The French, Italian, Spanish and German masters, especially Johann Sebastian Bach , can be designed in terms of sound. The romantically colored swell with a series of reed pipes “alla Cavaillé-Coll ” enables both the French-Romantic repertoire ( Franck , Widor , Vierne ) and the German ( Mendelssohn , Liszt , Reger ).
The balanced disposition and the full-tone scale lengths also enable the creation of contemporary music, such as B. Olivier Messiaen , Joseph Reveyron, as well as improvisations.
An ergonomically optimal console with a perfect keyboard, as well as a sensible arrangement of the stops within easy reach of the organist ensure a comfortable playing position as a prerequisite for a high-quality interpretation.
Disposition (1992)
Mechanical action - 36 stops
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Web links
- Site of the pilgrimage site ( French )
- alsatia-catholica.blogspot.com
- alsatia-catholica.blogspot.com
literature
- Louis Wiederkehr u. a .: The basilica of our lady von Thierenbach. Édition du Signe, Strasbourg 2001, ISBN 2-7468-0277-5 .
- Joseph Christians: Thierenbach. (Art Guide 838). Schnell & Steiner, Munich 1966.
- Elisabeth Clementz: Le prieuré clunisen de Thierenbach (12e - 18e siècles) et son pèlerinage. In: Revue d'Alsace 138 (2012), 27–59.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hiking sign on the Way of St. James near Thierenbach
- ↑ saint-jacques-alsace.org ( Memento of the original from October 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 177 kB)
- ↑ Monuments historiques
- ^ Elisabeth Clementz, Geneviève Herberich-Marx, Soeur Maria Regina Winisdoerffer: Le sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Thierenbach . Directeur publication: recteur Patrick Koehler, Photos et illustrations: Daniel Alexandre; Collection du Presbytère. Imprimerie Valblor, Illkirch, May 2007
- ↑ Armand Durlewanger: UL Thierbach . Imprimerie SAEP Colmar / Ingersheim 1979
- ↑ René Kuder in the French language Wikipedia
- ↑ http://www.patrimoine-de-france.org/.../richesses-2-630-10446-P131152-28471.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically defective marked. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ decouverte.orgue.free.fr ( Memento of the original of March 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
