Worth Altar
The Wörther Altar , a crossed altar , is a late medieval triptych that is now in the Roman Catholic parish church of St. Nikolaus in Wörth am Main .
history
The altar was created under the government of Count Philipp I (the Younger) (1449–1500) of Hanau-Münzenberg either for the Maria Magdalena Church in Hanau or for the St. Martin's Chapel in Hanau Castle and donated to his parents .
By order of Count Philipp Ludwig II (1576–1612), a second Calvinist Reformation was carried out in the county of Hanau-Munzenberg at the end of the 16th century . The medieval furnishings were also cleared from St. Mary's Church, but - at least in part - not destroyed, but sold to Roman Catholic "abroad". In this way, not only the Wörther Altar was preserved, but also a Radiant Madonna in the Roman Catholic parish church of St. Johann Baptist in Hanau- Steinheim , which at that time belonged to Kurmainz , in whose diocese Wörth was also located, and from which there was a fief the Lords of Breuberg was.
How the altar got to Wörth is completely unclear. However, it has been listed there since the 17th century as an inventory of the former parish church of St. Wolfgang there. Only Fried Lübbecke identified the altar again as a piece of Hanau art history .
presentation
Outside
The altar is a classic winged altar . The panels on the outside show Anna Selbdritt , that is: on the left Maria with the child and on the right Anna , the mother of Mary.
Center image
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The middle picture shows the crucifixion of Jesus in the midst of a turbulent scene. The two thieves, who were also crucified, are shown to the left and right of Jesus . At the foot of the cross there are two groups of people and a rider: three people on the left represent Mary Magdalene , Mary, mother of Jesus, and the disciple Johannes . The middle group is occupied by three soldiers who - quite tangibly - fight over the clothes of Jesus. To the right of this is a knight in full armor on a white horse: the Roman captain Longinus , who oversees the crucifixion. There are indications that the donor of the altar, Count Philip I (the younger) of Hanau-Münzenberg, is shown here. From the middle distance, a soldier stabs Christ in the side. Above the rider stand elegantly dressed men, among them Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathia .
wing
Representation of the legends
The pictures on the inside of the wings of the altar show two legends about the holy cross : on the left the finding of the cross by Empress Helena , on the right the entry of Emperor Herakleios (approx. 575–641) into Jerusalem . In detail:
- Top left: Empress Helena, who was looking for the cross, after blackmailing the only person who knew her, forces two Jews to dig up the cross. But three crosses are found.
- Bottom left: To determine which of the three crosses is the right one, a corpse is placed on top of the crosses. She comes to life on one of the crosses, proving that this is what she is looking for.
- Above right: Emperor Herakleios, who has recaptured the cross from the Persians , who had previously taken it with them during the conquest of Jerusalem, tries to bring it back to Jerusalem in a solemn procession , mounted and in imperial robes . But angels deny him that.
- Bottom right: Only when the emperor in penitential garb brings the cross back on foot does the city gate open to him .
"Donors" pictures
In addition to depicting the legends, the wings also show two donor figures, which can be clearly identified by the coats of arms attached . Left: Count Reinhard III. von Hanau (1412–1452) and his wife, Margarethe von Pfalz-Mosbach (1432–1457). However, both had died decades ago when the altar was created.
Historical evaluation
The altar is a donation from Count Philipp I (the younger) of Hanau for the salvation of his parents' soul - who are therefore depicted here as donors in adoration . The altar was built between 1485 and 1490 and was created by an artist in the vicinity of the house book master. For this time, the representation - especially the gold background instead of a sky - is very traditional and not very “modern”.
The choice of themes for the altar is explained by the biography of Count Philip I (the Younger) of Hanau: In 1484, Philip went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land . He sailed from Venice on June 10, 1484 , landed in Jaffa on July 18, 1484 , from there to Jerusalem, which he left again on August 10, 1484. He traveled back via Cyprus . On November 30th he landed in Venice and at the end of January he was back in Hanau. He wrote a travel report, which was largely exhausted in listing the holy places visited and the indulgences obtained there . This trip must have made a deep impression on him, which is also reflected in the Wörther Altar. This also makes it impossible to date the altar before 1485. In 1491 he went on a second trip to the Holy Land, together with Landgrave Wilhelm I of Hesse .
literature
- Tilmann Breuer u. a .: Francs. The administrative districts of Upper Franconia, Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia = "Dehio". 2nd Edition. Munich 1999, p. 1126.
- Fried Lübbecke : Hanau. City and county. Cologne, 1951.
- Anton Merk: Two Hanau altars around 1500 - trip of the Hanau History Association 1844 eV [duplicated excursion document]. OO 2010.
- Reinhold Röhricht : German pilgrimages to the holy land. Gotha 1889, pp. 181, 186.
- Reinhold Röhricht: The trips to Jerusalem by Count Philipp Ludwig (1484) and Reinhard von Hanau (1550). In: Journal of the Association for Hessian History and Regional Studies. 26 (NF 16) (1891), pp. 85ff (90ff) [with the text of the complete travel report printed].
- Journey of Philip the Younger, Count of Hanau, to the holy grave. In: Hanauisches Magazin. 3. 1780, 7th edition, pp. 49-55; 8th piece, pp. 57-72.
- Werner Trost: Parish Church of St. Nikolaus Wörth am Main - short guide . Wörth o. J. [leaflet]
