Pilgrimage Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary (Werl)

View from the forecourt with the coat of arms of Pope Francis above the portal

The forecourt with atrium

The pilgrimage basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary is a Catholic pilgrimage church in Werl in Westphalia. She was on October 16, 1953 by Pope Pius XII. raised to the rank of a minor basilica . The neo-Romanesque building, together with the baroque old pilgrimage church , which is directly adjacent, forms a locally effective building complex, whose mighty double tower facade is visible from afar to the north and east. The building is under monument protection and is entered under serial no. 100 in the list of monuments of the city of Werl, part A of the list.

history

The interior with the still preserved painting and figures on the pillars, around 1928

Memorial plaque on the occasion of the elevation to the minor basilica

A Capuchin convent existed in Werl since 1649 . In 1661 the miraculous image of Our Lady of Werl , also known as the comforter of the afflicted , was ceremoniously transferred from Soest to Werl. The consecration of the first pilgrimage and monastery church is documented for 1669. The pilgrimage church had to be rebuilt from 1786 to 1789, as the old one had become too small for the onslaught of pilgrims. Captain A. Boner made the construction plans. The church is accessed via six stone steps that lead to a terrace-like square. Because of the secularization, the Capuchins had to leave the city in 1836; the direction of the pilgrimage was taken over by the Franciscans in 1849 . The church was expanded to mark the 200th anniversary of the pilgrimage. The Franciscans were expelled from the city because of the Kulturkampf in 1875; they returned in 1887. Because the previous pilgrimage church could no longer do justice to the strong stream of pilgrims and the space there was no longer sufficient despite the expansion of the church, the Franciscans planned the new building of the neo-Romanesque church from around 1900. The old pilgrimage church should be demolished for this. There was considerable resistance in the population, and Albert Ludorff , the then provincial curator from Münster, also protested sharply. The opponents of the demolition wanted under all circumstances to preserve the church, built by a student of the baroque master builder Conrad Schlaun, as a Westphalian gem of the baroque era. A delegation from the Ministry of Culture traveled from Berlin to decide on the case on the spot. The old pilgrimage church was given the title “absolutely worth preserving” with a veto.

The present church was built between 1904 and 1906 on behalf of the Franciscan Order by Werl Monastery according to the plans of the cathedral builder Wilhelm Sunder-Plaßmann in the neo-Romanesque style. The outer shell was made from Rüthener green sandstone . The consecration of the church was made on May 24, 1911 by Paderborn Bishop Karl Joseph Schulte . The church stands on the site of the former monastery, which was built by Capuchins in the 17th century . A new monastery building was built in the immediate vicinity. Next to today's pilgrimage church is the old pilgrimage church , which has a rich baroque interior.

construction

Entrance to the old pilgrimage church

The interior of the new pilgrimage church was repeatedly renovated. During the renovation from 1960 to 1961, the rich furnishings from the time it was built had to give way to a sober and for the time modernist facility, which was supposed to put the architecture in the background and the miraculous image, altar and tabernacle in the - also optical - focus. These measures were for the most part reversed during subsequent renovations in 1983 to 1984, 1999 and during the even larger renovations from November 2002 to March 2003 and the church was made more lively again. What was left were the 14 glass windows that divided the wall of the right aisle. The designs come from Helmut Lang from Nieukerk, the execution under the direction of his brother Crescenz Rauße was carried out in the monastery's own glass workshop. The windows show stations in the history of salvation using the example of Mary. They are “the creation, the instruction of Mary by Mother Anna, the announcement of the birth of Jesus, Mary visits Elizabeth, the birth of Jesus, Jesus in the temple, the homage to the three kings, the flight to Egypt, the twelve year old Jesus in the temple, the wedding at Cana, Jesus on the cross with Mary below, the descent of the Spirit on the congregation in Jerusalem, Mary as Queen of Heaven and as the archetype of the Church. ”Wilhelm Buschulte made the glasses for the rosette above the gallery; they only develop their effect when there is sufficient light from outside. The three glass windows in the apse show the invocations from the Lauretanian litany, Mary as a rose without thorns as the middle picture, on the left the heavenly gate and on the right the morning star. Wilhelm Buschulte from Unna made the designs for these windows. The side windows show representations from the secret revelation of John, namely the twelve apostles and the twelve gates of the heavenly Jerusalem. The natural stone mosaic in the left aisle is a work by the artist couple Hoffmann-Lacher from Munich. The stones were collected in the Alps; the mosaic shows the Lamb of God and is surrounded by twelve rock crystals. The crypt is accessed through a door made by Josef Baron in 1999. The crypt was built during the renovation in 1961 to allow smaller groups to hold worship services. The buildings are accessed via stairs to the so-called atrium with a forecourt flanked by arcades on the side .

Furnishing

Miraculous image

Miraculous image

There are many legends about the original location of the miraculous image . It has probably been in neighboring Soest since the new Wiesenkirche was built , the foundation stone of which was laid in 1313. In connection with a procession in Soest in 1351, the statue was mentioned as Onse Vrowen tor wese . She was venerated here until the Reformation in 1531. It was then removed from the church, hidden and forgotten until 1661. The figure represents an enthroned Madonna with forearms stretched forward and hands straight up. She is holding an apple between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand. It was carved from black alder and oak and probably dates from the end of the twelfth century. In the Middle Ages, the ring-post chair on which she is enthroned belonged exclusively to high-ranking personalities such as bishops, kings or abbesses. The baby Jesus, carved out of oak, sits blessing on her lap. In the 13th century the figure with a thin was stucco plated layer and a gold setting applied; Gemstones were also painted on. In the 14th century, the Madonna's face and hair and the child's hair were plastered over. The incarnates were probably revised in the second half of the 15th century. The figure has been crowned since 1911 .

Bells

The pilgrimage basilica has a total of nine bronze bells. The main bell consists of seven bells with the tone sequence c′-es′-f′-g′-b′-c ″ -d ″ and is distributed over both west towers (c ′ and g ′ in the south tower, the rest in the north tower). Two small bells es ″ and f ″ hang in the roof turret of the basilica. Bells I – III and VIII come from the Junker foundry in Brilon and are made of silicon bronze (I, II, VIII 1947; III 1948). Glocke IV was supplied by the Eifeler bell foundry Mark, Brockscheid, 2003, Glocke IX 2004. Bells V – VII were cast in Sinn in 2010 for the 350th anniversary of the Werl pilgrimage by the Rincker bell foundry. Two historical bells with the tones g ″ (Heinrich Humpert, Brilon, 1860) and as “(Johan Delapaix, Arnsberg, 1679) hang in the roof turret of the old pilgrimage church.

On the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the pilgrimage in 2011, three new bells were donated, which Archbishop Hans-Josef Becker solemnly anointed and inaugurated on the eve of the outer celebration of the patronage festival of the Visitation of Mary in July 2010. The bells then rang in the choir with the chimes on New Year's Eve 2011 for the anniversary year.

Monumental painting

In a side corridor near the monastery gate hang three monumental paintings depicting the history of pilgrimage.

• The first picture shows the transfer of the miraculous image from the electoral castle to the church of the Capuchins; this event took place on November 2, 1661. The picture shows the elector of Cologne, Archbishop Maximilian Heinrich; He is followed in a solemn procession by the clergy from Werl and the Capuchins. The image of grace is carried and is adorned with flowers. On the right side of the picture are the town councilors; they await the solemn procession, which is accompanied by well-defended knights.
• The second picture was painted in memory of the 200th anniversary in 1861. At that time the miraculous image was on a side altar on the left. The image, surrounded by silver votive offerings, is adored by Konrad Martin, the confessing bishop.
• The third picture relates to the solemn coronation of the miraculous image on August 13, 1911. On this occasion, around 50,000 people visited the small town to take part in the coronation act performed by Josef Cardinal Frings on the Gänseföhde.

organ

The predecessor of today's instrument was built by the organ builder Barkhoff from Wiedenbrück, and from 1896 to 1897 it was replaced by a new organ .

The organ, built according to the slider box system with electrical control, was built by the organ building company Stockmann. The organ work with 62 registers is distributed over four manuals and pedal and has around 4500 sounding pipes . The instrument is also used by international artists for concerts.

The organ

Pedals C– Principal bass 16 ′ Sub-bass 16 ′ Thought bass 16 ′ Fifth bass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Octave bass 8th' Pointed flute 8th' Chorale bass 4 ′ Peasant flute 2 ′ Pedal Mixture V 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Bombard 32 ′ trombone 16 ′ Trumpet 8th' Clarine 4 ′ Singing Cornett 2 ′

I main work C– Grand principal 16 ′ Principal 8th' Gemshorn 8th' Capstan whistle 8th' octave 4 ′ Flute 4 ′ Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Principal 2 ′ Mixture VI-VIII 2 ′ Cornet IV 8th' Trumpet 16 ′ Trumpet 8th' Trumpet 4 '

II Swell C– Pommer 16 ′ Reed flute 8th' Willow pipe 8th' Vox Coelestis 8th' Principal 4 ′ Dumped 4 ′ Nasatquint 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Forest flute 2 ′ Third flute 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ Sif flute 1' Mixture IV 2 ′ Mixture IV-V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ bassoon 16 ′ Schalmey oboe 8th' Vox humana 8th' zinc 4 ′ tremolo

III Rückpositiv C– Lead-covered 8th' Quintadena 8th' Praestant 4 ′ recorder 4 ′ octave 2 ′ Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Rauschpfeife II 2 ′ Scharff IV 1' Wooden dulcian 16 ′ Rohrschalmey 8th'

IV breastwork C– Wooden dacked 8th' Reed flute 4 ′ Principal 2 ′ Coupling flute 2 ′ octave 1' Terzian II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Quintzimbel III 1 ⁄ 2 ′ Wooden shelf 8th' Head shelf 4 ′ tremolo

• Coupling: II / I, III / I, IV / I, III / II, IV / II, IV / III, I / P, II / P, III / P, IV / P
• Playing aids: hand register - 2 free combinations - 2 free pedal combinations -
• Pleno - tutti - individual storage - tongues from - 16 ′ from
• In July 2010 an electronic setter was installed.

Other equipment

Showcase with votive offerings

Pieta in the devotional chapel behind sacrificial candles

• A Pietà, the representation of Mary as the Mother of Sorrows, is in the right rear corner. It was carved by August Wäscher, an artist from Werl. This representation is the only surviving piece of the original equipment.
• The Antonius Altar was designed by Josef Baron from Hemmerde; he stands at the end of the right aisle. Antonius is shown seated in a cell that was built into a walnut tree. Here he spent the rest of his life.
• A triumphal cross hangs over the celebration altar, this work by Josef Baron is made of polished bronze and weighs about four hundred pounds. The cross is adorned with rock crystals in different sizes, a red jasper symbolizes the five wounds of Jesus. The center of the cross shows Christ crucified with a royal crown.
• The tabernacle is illuminated in the morning by the light of the so-called rose window.
• The Way of the Cross with fourteen stations was made by Josef Baron. The expressive pictures hang on various pillars and columns.
• The Kreuzwegplatz is located next to the church, in an area enclosed by the Franziskushaus. Some life-size white figures are set up here, most of which were donated by pilgrims or parishes. Services are often held here, and the processions of lights end here.
• In earlier times, pilgrims often donated votive offerings as thanks for requested healings. Very often these gifts were made of sheet silver and showed replicas of the healed body parts. After the church was rededicated in 1911, it was decided not to exhibit this work on the altar of grace, as was customary until then. Today some of these pieces are on display in a showcase. Today donations of money or decorated candles serve as votive gifts, some of the candles are on display in the church.
• The nativity scene is set up around Christmas time; Brother Gandulf Stulpe from Münster carved the figures in 1973 based on living models.

Pilgrimage

In 2011 the 350th pilgrimage anniversary was celebrated. The number of groups and pilgrims who visited the pilgrimage city during this year had risen sharply again compared to previous years. In 2011, cardinals and bishops from Germany and abroad visited Werl on many days of pilgrimage. In addition to the large number of large pilgrimages by the Portuguese, Spaniards, expellees ( Ermländer , Sudeten Germans , Grafschaft Glatzer and Schlesier ) and a pilgrimage for the disabled, it was a large number of smaller groups that particularly visited the miraculous image in the pilgrimage church in May and October. Several thousand people came in groups to Werl for the patronage festival of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary . They came from Warstein , Delbrück , Hildesheim-Algermissen , Lenhausen , Arpe , Olpe and Much 150 kilometers away , some of them on foot. In the week after the patronage festival , the foot pilgrimage from Werne took place. The Werler Miracle Book , a collection of miracles that supposedly happened, is kept in the archives of the pilgrimage administration .

literature

• Elisabeth Bellot-Beste: The pilgrimage to the miraculous image of Werl in Westphalia. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1958 (publications of the city of Werl, series A, historical-scientific articles, issue 4).
• Gerhard Best: pilgrimage and veneration of saints in Werl. Lessons in Westphalian museums, special series: Excursion guide booklet 2. Ed. Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, 1990, ISBN 3-923432-24-0 .
• Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage Basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 .
• Hans-Günther Schneider, Urban Hachmeier: Marian pilgrimage site Werl. 1st edition. Verlag Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2006, ISBN 3-7954-6620-2 (Schnell, Art Guide No. 2631).

Web links

Commons : Mariä Visitation (Werl)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Internet presentation of the Franciscan monastery for the Werler pilgrimage
• Description on the LWL website, p. 83 (accessed November 15, 2012) (PDF; 7.5 MB)
• history
• Meaningful photos
• History on the website of the city of Werl

Individual evidence

1. ^ Elevation to the minor basilica
2. ↑ Report on the LWL website ( memento of the original dated November 4, 2013 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; 7.5 MB) 
3. ↑ Monument protection ( Memento of the original dated June 11, 2015 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. 
4. ↑ Baumeister Boner ( Memento of the original from June 22, 2015 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. 
5. ↑ Prehistory
6. ↑ Disputes about the demolition of the old pilgrimage church
7. ↑ Basic idea of ​​the renovation measures
8. ↑ stained glass window
9. ↑ ^{a b} Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage Basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 , p. 11.
10. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 , p. 19.
11. ↑ Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage Basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 , p. 20.
12. ↑ Origins of the Image of Grace
13. ↑ ^{a b} Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage Basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 , p. 12.
14. ↑ Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage Basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 , p. 1.
15. ↑ Georg Dehio , under the scientific direction of Ursula Quednau: Handbuch der deutschen Kunstdenkmäler. North Rhine-Westphalia II Westphalia . Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , p. 1169.
16. ↑ [1]
17. ↑ Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage Basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 , p. 10.
18. ↑ Predecessor organ ( Memento of the original from June 22, 2015 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. 
19. ↑ August Wäscher
20. ↑ Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage Basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 , p. 18.
21. ↑ Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage Basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 , p. 22.
22. ↑ Light processions
23. ↑ Stefan Federbusch: Pilgrimage Basilica Werl. Completely revised new edition. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1999, ISBN 3-87163-239-2 , p. 21.

Coordinates: 51 ° 33 ′ 13.8 ″  N , 7 ° 54 ′ 54 ″  E