Pilgrimage church "Maria vom Sieg" (Greßhausen)
"Maria vom Sieg" is a listed pilgrimage church in Greßhausen in the Bavarian district of Haßberge and part of the Franconian Marienweg . The pilgrimage has a history of over 400 years. The church building is classical. The furnishings are almost completely preserved in the neo-Romanesque style.
Legend
In a legend it is reported: “The place where the village church stands today was shaded by a mighty linden tree, under whose canopy of leaves the inhabitants gathered to hold common prayer. One day, it was a Saturday, the worshipers heard a wonderful, heavenly song from the linden tree. When this miracle was repeated, they investigated and discovered an image of the Virgin Mary in the hollow linden tree. This miraculous occurrence caused the inhabitants to build a church in which the miraculous image was displayed and worshiped. Soon after the construction of the Mother of God Church, the devout pilgrims from near and far to Greßhausen ... "
It is further reported: Later in the Swedish War the Swedes often threw the picture into the weet in the lower village, but each time it was returned to its old place in the church the next morning.
These two legends can possibly be traced back to a historical core, because in 1542 a lime tree was mentioned by the church, under which the Marktsteinacher Zehntbüttel had to call the emergency court three times.
Pilgrimage
The pilgrimage was first mentioned in writing in a document from 1593. In the 16th century, pilgrimages in Franconia came to a standstill due to wars and the Reformation. In a petition, the pastors of the neighboring towns of Schonungen and Forst asked the Würzburg prince-bishop: … but… many old people still knew that several years ago, it was still Catholic, Maynberg, Schoning, Forst, Gettheim, Ottendorf, Unter und Ober Your home Unter Und Obertheres are going to come Grussingshausen, also had a wonderful altar there, B. Mariae Virginis…. allowed to go there, before such a pilgrimage could be appropriate again. The bishop's answer to the abbot of Theres was sent on May 21, 1593: that the pilgrimage feria 4ta was supposed to be the 3rd day of the wall as a Sunday after Vocens Jocunditatis gang, but that the pilgrimage was discontinued and not allowed again due to torn war indignation.
The name Beata Maria Virgo , i.e. Blessed Virgin Mary , appeared for the first time in 1509 for the pilgrimage church. It is unclear when the church was renamed from Beata Maria Virgo to the rare title Maria Victoria , Maria vom Sieg . The title Maria of Victory is probably due to the victory of the Spanish-Venetian-papal fleet under Juan de Austria near Lepanto in 1571. The devotion to Mary thus received an upswing in the entire Christian West.
In 1797 a woman from Abersfeld donated office and sermon at three Marian feasts. In a church account from 1802/1803 expenses for a ribbon on the Mother of God altar to hang the sacrificed meals on it ... and ... for the ballot in the Creutzwochen were listed here. In the invoice of the church foundation Greßhausen 1841/42 a Marian treasure belonging to the church Greßhausen was listed. Votive tablets, body parts made of wax and other offerings hung next to the Marien Altar on the wall and under the stairs to the gallery. The miraculous image was wrapped in robes and decorated with thalers, medallions, chains and rings. In 1843, a papal indulgence with the title Foundation of a High Mass and Sermon with an indulgence to the branch church of Greßhausen branch of the parish of Forst was approved. In 1993, the 400-year reopening of the pilgrimage to Greßhausen was celebrated with an anniversary week. Numerous pilgrims still come to the pilgrimage church every year.
Patronage of James the Elder (July 25)
In a listing of the income of the pastor zu Forst in 1620, St. James the Elder ( Patrocinium in Festo S. Jacobi ) was named as the church patron for the first time , while in 1613 the church was still called Beata Maria Virgo . Perhaps James the Elder was chosen as patron of the church because he is a symbol of pilgrims.
Church building
The oldest mention of a church in Greßhausen was in 1459. The church tower is a so-called Julius tower from around 1599, named after the Würzburg prince-bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn . Typical are the church towers with pointed octagonal helmets built on his initiative.
In 1822 the pilgrimage church was supposed to be closed due to dilapidation. Since the community's money was not enough for a new building and hardly any of the 27 households could contribute anything from their private assets, the district judge of Haßfurt made an appeal to the neighboring villages in 1822: “May the highest resolution of the royal government of the Lower Main District Chamber of the Inside from April 27th l. J. the pilgrimage church is to be closed because of excessive dilapidation, especially since the fund for the new construction is not quite sufficient, and the small number of congregations there is not able to provide the necessary hand and hook-up drones alone. Our noble Landrichter Haas zu Haßfurt, however, wants the introduction to the royal. Government of the district will meet that the said pilgrimage church will be restored if the community there proves within 8 days that the nearby villages, whose inhabitants have visited this Marien chapel so often since then, wanted to come to the rescue. In order that the construction of this place of grace could be brought into existence, ask end signed all außenbenannte local boards bittlich their communities to make this religious issue known and imagine that they are the local small village only 27 neighbors (= adult male heads of household with community law) counts , and has very little livestock, in this case would like to support as much as possible in return for gratitude, be it in the transport of building materials - building blocks, sand, timber, lime, etc. Like. As it is most convenient to them, or in any monetary contributions. Those who want to contribute something to this pious purpose for God's sake must, according to the district court instruction of May 8, l. J. Sign in a register which must be submitted within 8 days. Greßhausen, May 8, 1822. "
The following 30 localities agreed to help with money or building materials: Abersfeld, Ballingshausen, Dampfach, Donnersdorf, Dürrfeld, Ebertshausen, Falkenstein, Forst, Gädheim, Grettstadt, Hesselbach, Hoppachshof, Horhausen, Kreuzthal, Löffelsterz, Marktsteinach, Obereuerheim, Oberschwappach , Ottendorf, Ottenhausen, Pusselsheim, Rednershof, Reichmannshausen, Schonungen, Steinsfeld, Untereuerheim, Unterschwappach, Waldsachsen, Weyer and Wohnau.
The current church was built in 1823 in the classicism style. According to the construction inspector Wolfram from Würzburg, it was built by master masons Kehrlein from Prappach, Kehl from Haßfurt and master carpenter Ignaz Haus from Zeil. In 1908 and 1976 the church was renovated inside and in 2001 outside and received a new sheet copper roof.
Furnishing
The miraculous image in the right side altar from around 1500 shows the Mother of God with the child in her arms. The painting of the Madonna presumably comes from the renovation in 1908. It was controversial among experts whether it was a Madonna from the Riemenschneider School.
The three altars are made in the neo-Romanesque style. The high altar from 1891 is consecrated to the Heart of Jesus, flanked by the figures of John the Evangelist and St. James the Elder with a walking stick and a scallop shell. The two side altars date from 1892. The Joseph altar with Joseph as the central figure together with Saint Wendelinus and Saint Barbara is on the left. The miraculous image in the altar of Mary is accompanied by the statues of Saint Joachim and Saint Anna. The altars were made by the art sculptor and later Art Nouveau artist Valentin Oeckler from Nuremberg (* 1854 in Sylbach; † 1940 in Nuremberg). It is likely to be the most comprehensive surviving work by Oeckler.
In 2002, the auxiliary bishop of Würzburg, Helmut Bauer , consecrated an additional popular altar . The sculptor Herbert Böllner from Lauter made the altar and the ambo based on the design of the art consultant of the Diocese of Würzburg , Jürgen Lenssen from Schleeriether Sandstein.
Franz Krombach (1853–1908) painted the 14 Stations of the Cross at the two galleries as part of the church renovation in 1908. Franz Krombach mainly painted the Stations of the Cross in the historicist style throughout southern Germany as well as in Alsace, Lorraine, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and Denmark. The Greßhauser Kreuzweg was probably Krombach's last work. The Last Supper in the middle of the raised parapet was made by Eulogius Böhler (1861–1943), Würzburg, also from 1908. The altars, pulpit and organ were redesigned by E. Reuther from Haßfurt, the gilder.
The wall and ceiling paintings from 1908 are by Eulogius Böhler. The images are arranged in a specific chronological order. Other murals include James the Elder on the Way to Execution and medallions with the evangelists and various symbols. The open spaces of the rich wall and ceiling painting are painted with stylized flower and plant motifs.
The Gothic Pietà was painted on wood by an unknown painter and was probably in a side altar. The model for the composition of the painting comes from the Dutch painter Anthonis van Dyck (1591–1642) and is in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
The painting Mariae Himmelfahrt , also by an unknown painter, is said to have belonged to the old high altar and is now hanging on the side wall. The model for the painting comes from the Italian Renaissance painter Guido Reni (1575–1642) and is also in the Alte Pinakothek. The special feature of the picture in the pilgrimage church is Mary's knee in allusion to the title “Mary of Victory”. In the original, the knee is surrounded by the blue robe. In the Greßhauser picture it resembles a piece of armor.
The font made of gray sandstone bears the year 1561, the letters CY V. VEV and a stonemason's mark. The abbreviation was interpreted as Magister Yakobus Veigand Vicar Ex Veißenfels , after a Protestant pastor in Greßhausen, who was superintendent in Weissenfels near Leipzig in 1561.
The pulpit consists of an eight-sided body with a carved frame for the individual panels and notch-cut motifs. The year 1615 is carved into two pieces of the frame. The base, the sound cover, the riser and the frame are more recent.
The two-manual organ with pedal was built and installed by the Schlimbach & Sohn company from Würzburg for 1897 marks. It has 11 registers and is an excellent instrument. In 1924 the prospect pipes melted down for war purposes in the First World War were replaced by new ones. In June 1957 an electric organ motor was installed for the bellows.
The nine windows were installed in 1883 by the local glazier Johann Baptist Hergenröter according to the plans of the district technician Zwanziger in Arnstein. In gratitude for a donation from Baroness von Dungern-Dehren at Baierhof, the von Dungern family crest was placed in the choir window.
Literature (selection)
- K. Albert: Greßhausen - A Franconian village and its history. 1996, OCLC 164747416 . (also includes all sources)
- K. Krapf: Contributions to the history and description of the village Greßhausen. Tagblattdruckerei Schweinfurt, 1910, OCLC 163073818 .
- C. Kitt: The Gothic Madonna statues in Lower Franconia. Diss. Univ. Wurzburg. Raisberger, Mannheim 1919, DNB 570769981 .
- Home sheet of the state education authority Haßfurt 1/1962.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 2 ′ 6 " N , 10 ° 22 ′ 56.6" E