Pilgrimage church Frauenberg on the Enns

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Frauenberg on the Enns
Frauenberg on the Enns
East facade of the parish and pilgrimage church

The Roman Catholic parish and pilgrimage church Frauenberg an der Enns stands on an elevation, called Kulm , in the Ennstal in the village of Frauenberg in the municipality of Ardning in the Liezen district in Styria . The parish church of the Sacrifice of the Virgin Mary is incorporated into Admont Abbey. It is located in the Diocese of Graz-Seckau and is a listed building ( list entry ).

Mother of grace of Frauenberg at the high altar

history

Interior of the parish and pilgrimage church
High altar

About 6 km west of Admont rises a wooded single mountain on the left bank of the Enns , which at its highest point, 130 m above the valley floor, bears the Frauenberg parish and pilgrimage church, which can be seen from afar. The "Kulm-Berg" was owned early on by the Admont Benedictine Abbey, founded in 1074 . The beginnings of the Marian pilgrimage lie largely in the dark of history. An old tradition, only recorded in writing in the 17th century, describes the origin: in the spring of 1404 , when the Enns once again flooded, it carried a wooden statue of the Virgin with it on its floods, which got caught in the undergrowth at the foot of the Kulm. A light appearance the following night, it was the Saturday before the second Sunday after Easter, led to the discovery of the statue. The Abbot and Convent of Admont carried the statue into the collegiate church, but the next day it disappeared and was found again at the foot of the Kulm. This was repeated a second and a third time, so that one saw a hint of God in it. Abbot Hartnid von Admont first built a wooden chapel on the summit of Mount Kulm for the statue of the Virgin Mary, but it soon turned out to be too small and was therefore replaced by a larger stone church. The church on the Kulm was first mentioned in a document in 1410. In 1420 the name Our Frawnperg appears for the first time . In the first half of the 15th century the church building was redesigned and re-consecrated by the Bishop of Lavant, whereby the patronage was also mentioned: The Sacrifice of the Virgin. The builder of the Admont building works, Niklas Velbacher, is mentioned as the builder of the first Gothic building. In the course of the devotion to Mary , the influx of pilgrims soon began , which was accompanied by numerous reports of miracles. The parish of Frauenberg is documented as early as the early 16th century. Since then, this has been continuously looked after by Benedictine monks from Admont.

The revival of the Frauenberg pilgrimage church in the Counter Reformation was accompanied by extensive construction work. A new high altar (1648) by Christoph Paumgartner (today the housing of the high altar) and a rectory were built (the windows of the building from 1640 have been exposed in the pilgrimage shop); after 1682 the nave was expanded in baroque style, the rectory was significantly enlarged and a tower was built. Under the abbots Urban Weber and Adalbert Heuffler von Rasen and Hohenbühel, the place of pilgrimage was largely given its present form. On July 2, 1687, the redesigned church building was consecrated. The castle-like parsonage was given its shape that still exists today: Inside there are splendidly furnished rooms, some of which now serve as an apartment for the pastor (superior).

Abbot Antonius von Mainersberg had the two east towers built, a new bell installed in 1719 and the large pilgrim hostel (today's St. Benedikt nursing home) built in 1724. Abbey sculptor Josef Stammel created a new altar of grace in 1740. The 18th century is considered the greatest heyday of the pilgrimage site; up to 60,000 pilgrims a year were counted.

In Josephinism , the pilgrimage church was not closed, like many others, because it also served as a parish church. In 1865 the parsonage temporarily served as a place of residence for part of the Admonter Convent, since the monastery was badly affected by a fire disaster. During the Nazi era , the pilgrimage was canceled. A group of the Rosenberg staff moved into the rectory.

After the end of the war, the pilgrimage on the Frauenberg was brought back to life. The church was restored under the Admont abbot Bonifaz Zölß . In 1968 the parsonage was transformed into an educational center. Since a corresponding renovation of the education house was not possible, the education house was closed in 1996. The rectory was then extensively dismantled under Abbot Benedikt Schlömicher according to historical aspects. A pilgrimage shop and the parish secretariat were built on the ground floor.

From January 2013 to December 2014, the interior of the church was extensively restored by the Admont Benedictine Abbey during the tenure of Father Winfried Schwab . The total budget was € 3 million. Here, a floor sonar was used which, among other things, brought to light a well-known but not precisely located priest's grave in front of the pulpit. In addition to altars, frescoes and pews, the baroque organ was also restored. The consecration of the new altar and the reopening of the church was celebrated on December 7th 2014 by the bishop of the diocese of Graz-Seckau , Egon Kapellari .

In September 2015 the term of office of the current superior and pastor of Frauenberg, Fr. Maximilian Schiefermüller, began . The parish of Frauenberg now forms a parish association with Ardning and the parish of Hall near Admont . In 2016, in the "Holy Year of Mercy", a "Holy Gate" was opened in Frauenberg and the existing five-part chime was extended by three bells. Logging work around the church was carried out, a new Marienkapelle was built in the "intercession garden" and some rooms in the baroque rectory were renovated. On the occasion of a visit to Pope Francis , the Admont Monastery and Abbot Gerhard Hafner presented a modern lecture cross by the artist Wendelin Pressl from the Frauenberg parish church. From April to October 2018, the church underwent a thorough exterior renovation and the baroque, cream-colored facade design was restored. The conclusion was the consecration of the "Linz Bell" by the Abbot of Admont .

Architecture and equipment

Vaulted ceiling with frescoes

From the outside, the church and rectory look like a single elongated, 100-meter-long structure. In the east the church ends with two onion domes; the conspicuous, baroque wall structure is encrusted with slag .

In the style of a basilica , the church interior is a hall with four side chapels. The interior of the church was designed by Carlo Antonio Carlone around 1683 . He based his design closely on the monastery churches that his father Pietro Francesco Carlone designed for the Garsten Abbey and Schlierbach Abbey .

The rich stucco of the barrel vault was made by Giovanni Battista Carlone . Antonio Maderni created the frescoes that fill the open spaces of the vault; they represent stages in the life of Mary. On the walls of the choir and its ceiling there are frescoes by Johann Lederwasch (1794). The furnishings with altars, pulpit and confessionals are largely early Baroque. Martin Neuberg, monastery carpenter from 1671 to 1714, created the three-storey main altar. The carved figures are works by Josef Stammel . In the center of the high altar is the Gothic sculpture of the Virgin Mary with Jesus in her arms. It is the actual miraculous image of the pilgrimage church. The sculptures (works by Josef Stammel) of Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna act as assistant figures. The high altar is littered with depictions of angels and putti, largely from the hand of Josef Stammel. The baroque pulpit on the south side of the presbytery with depictions of the four evangelists is worth seeing. In the four side chapels there are the following altars (with thematically coordinated frescoes in the vaults): Cross altar (until 1786 the altar of grace) with a crucifixion picture by Johann Lederwasch, Benedictine altar, Joseph altar and Antonius altar with altar pictures by Frans de Neve .

The Pilgrim Madonna dates from around 1410 and was repainted in the 19th century. It is the oldest sculpture in the pilgrimage church and has been back in its original place, behind the high altar, since the interior renovation of the church. This is an old tradition of the Frauenberg pilgrimage, as the pilgrims are invited to walk around the altar. The Frauenberger Schutzmantelmadonna , created around 1420/30, is in the Landesmuseum Joanneum ( Graz ); A copy is placed in the candle chapel of the pilgrimage church. By Michael Zürn the Elder J. are figures of the hll. Rosalia , Cäcilia , Barbara and Katharina, whose dynamic, high-contrast design predicts the Rococo . The neo-baroque sessio in the chancel comes from Upper Austrian artist Ludwig Linzinger , was created in 1908 for the parish church of Bad Zell and transferred to the parish church of Frauenberg in 2018.

Organ works

View to the west and the organ

The parish and pilgrimage church has two independent organ works.

Main organ

The main organ on the west gallery of the pilgrimage church was built around 1687 and has a high baroque front structure with three round towers and six Solomonic columns . Alluding to the nine muses, [...] nine sculptures making music intone the praise of God : The life-size King David with the harp leads an ensemble of eight angels making music. They hold instruments in their hands, namely the trombone, bass gamba, prongs, buckled neck lute, viola, trumpet and conductor's baton. Franz Xaver Krisman changed the organ around 1780 , and in 1823 Simon Anton Hötzel provided it with a second manual, the pipework of which he placed in an annex behind the organ. In 2013–2014, the instrument was subjected to an extensive restoration by Orgelbau Kögler , whereby a return to the baroque state, which might be sensible in terms of monument preservation, was refrained from.

Disposition:

I. Manual C – c 3 ( short octave )
1. Principal 8th'
2. Coppel 8th'
3. Octave 4 ′
4th flute 4 ′
5. Quint 3 ′
6th Great Octave 2 ′
7th Octave 1'
8th. Mixture IV 1 1 / 3 '
II. Manual C – c 3
9. Principal 8th'
10. flute 4 ′
11. Gamba 8th'
12. Octave 8th'
13. flute 4 ′
14th Mixture II - III 2 ′
Pedal C-G sharp 0 (12 notes, repeating)
15th Sub bass 16 ′
16. Principal bass 8th'
17th Violon 8 '+ 4 ′
18th Bombard 16 ′

Choir organ

A mechanical organ by master Detlef Kleuker from the second half of the 20th century has been on the south wall of the chancel since summer 2019 . The original installation site was the parish church of St. Petri in Hüsten , municipality of Arnsberg in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia . The simple housing was adapted to the baroque church interior of Frauenberg.

Disposition (1 manual with attached pedal): Gedackt 8 ′, reed flute 4 ′, principal 2 ′, mixture 2f.1 ′.

Bells

The Frauenberg parish and pilgrimage church has a sonorous ten-part chime, the largest chime in Styria . The extension of the original five-part bell became necessary because in autumn 2016 the Gothic "Maria Schutz-Bell" was installed again in the bell room of the north tower after decades. The resulting sound gap was closed by casting two more bells. In 2017 a bell for the "intercessory chapel" in the garden was cast, which is a sound when the church peals. In 2018 the "Linzer Bell" was cast as the final point of the church exterior renovation. Frauenberg now has two different sounding chimes: the original five-part main chime and a five-part secondary chime. The full ringing of all bells can only be heard on the highest public holidays, as there are two different sounding sets. Main chimes: bells 1–5 Secondary chimes: bells 5–10

  • 1st bell: Jubilee bell, “Joachim u. Anna “, Perner 2004, 1,700 kg, tone d 1
  • 2nd bell: "Herz Jesu", St. Florian 1950, 964 kg, tone f 1
  • 3rd bell: Angelus bell, "Maria Himmelfahrt", St. Florian 1950, 500 kg, tone a 1
  • 4th bell: death bell, "Josef", St. Florian 1950, 300 kg, tone c 2
  • 5th bell: transformation bell, “Bonifatius u. Adalbertus “, St. Florian 1950, 224 kg, tone d 2
  • 6. Bell: Mercy bell, "Maximilian von Lorch and Hedwig von Andechs ", Eifeler bell foundry (D) 2016, 120 kg, tone f 2
  • 7th bell: Jägerstätter bell, " Franz Jägerstätter and Archangel Gabriel", Eifeler bell foundry (D) 2016, 90 kg, tone g 2
  • 8th bell: Maria Schutz-Bell, "Schutzmantelmadonna u. Apostel Andreas", Hans Mitter (Judenburg) 1449, 90 kg, tone b 2
  • 9th bell: Linz bell, " Florian von Lorch and Severin von Noricum ", Perner 2018, 80 kg, tone c 3
  • 10th bell: Intercession bell, " Benedikt von Nursia ", Grassmayr 2017, 25 kg, tone d 3

Bell 8 rings daily at 8 p.m. in remembrance of the “Holy Year of Mercy 2016”. The latter bears an image of Saint Hedwig von Andechs , in the depiction of the miraculous image in Hedwigsbründl , which is in the hometown of the current superior of Frauenberg, Fr. Maximilian Schiefermüller OSB, in Bad Zell in Upper Austria. These two bells are the first works of the Eifel bell foundry in Austria. The Linz bell was donated by pilgrims from the Diocese of Linz , due to the centuries of solidarity and as a thank you to the Mother of Grace von Frauenberg.

Ceiling painting in the imperial room: the Solomonic judgment reminds the landlord to make wise decisions

Jägerstätter - adoration

The blessed Franz Jägerstätter was born on May 20, 1907 in St. Radegund (Upper Austria). In his homeland, the father of three and farmer worked as a sacristan and lived as an avowed Catholic. When the National Socialists took power in Austria in 1938, he refused any cooperation. After being called up twice, he finally followed a new call on March 1, 1943 and explained to the military authorities that because of his religious conscience and in accordance with the commandment of love for God and neighbor, he refused military service with a weapon, because “one must obey God more than him People". Although he had volunteered for the medical service, he was sentenced to death in Berlin for degrading military strength and beheaded on August 9, 1943 in Brandenburg an der Havel. On October 26, 2007, Franz Jägerstätter was beatified in Linz Cathedral .

Frauenberg and Franz Jägerstätter

The parish and pilgrimage church is in possession of a small bone relic of the beatified Franz Jägerstätter . This is exhibited in the tabernacle of the "Franciscan" Antonius altar, which is decorated with the statues of St. Francis and Clare of Assisi. Jägerstätter belonged to the 3rd Order of St. Francis since 1940. In the north tower of the Frauenberg parish church, the “Jägerstätter bell” from 2016 rings for ten minutes every day at 9.00 am. Its sound invites prayer for persecuted Christians worldwide.

Pilgrimages

Pilgrimages take place regularly. The year of pilgrimage traditionally begins on Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday after Easter , and ends on the patronage feast of the Sacrifice of the Virgin Mary (November 21). There are traditional local processions in the surrounding communities of Admont , parish church Hall near Admont , Ardning , Gaishorn , Liezen and St. Gallen , but also foot pilgrimages and annual pilgrimages from Upper Austria : Lambach , Viechtwang , Spital am Pyhrn , Hinterstoder , Windischgarsten and the parishes of Schlierbach Abbey . There are also numerous pilgrimages from various parishes in Austria and Bavaria, as well as groups that either celebrate a service or visit the church only from an art-historical perspective.

Since 2018 a "pilgrimage for spiritual vocations" has been held every month since 2018.

It is clear that since the foundation of the pilgrimage the majority of the pilgrims to Frauenberg (85%) come from Upper Austria , the diocese of Linz , although Frauenberg is in the diocese of Graz-Seckau , in Styria .

Church services

In addition to the pilgrimage services, Holy Masses are regularly celebrated in the parish and pilgrimage church. The church is also a popular baptismal and wedding church.

Calvary

Crucifixion group on the Calvary ( Josef Stammel , around 1736)

At the church there is a calvary from the period from 1826 to 1829. Some of the figures come from Josef Stammel's workshop and were made around 1736. The crucifix that towers above the brick rotunda is part of Stammel's early work, which was influenced by Italy.

Gardens

To the west of the church and the rectory there are impressive gardens that can be visited. In addition to the "Intercession Garden" with the Lady Chapel, the Asian meditation garden with many plants from Far Eastern countries.

Superior of Frauenberg

The pastors of Frauenberg have had the title of superior since the baroque period, like the pastors of the pilgrimage sites in Mariazell , Maria Plain or Sonntagberg . In the period from around 1950 to the present, these were:

  • P. Erwin Ehweiner OSB († 1970)
  • P. Hildebert Exchange OSB († 1985)
  • P. Placidus Suppan OSB (until 2010). During his tenure, the rectory was extensively restored and the meditation garden was built.
  • P. Winfried Schwab OSB (2010–2015): Interior renovation of the pilgrimage church and contemporary redesign of the altar area. In 2015 he was elected abbot of the Neuburg Abbey near Heidelberg.
  • P. Maximilian Schiefermüller OSB (since 2015). He is prior of the Admont Abbey , abbey archivist and abbey librarian of the world-famous Admont Abbey Library

Ardning branch church

The Ardning branch church is also located in the parish of Frauenberg an der Enns . Although this Johannes church is in the main town of the parish, in Ardning, the church in Frauenberg has exercised parish rights over Ardning for centuries.

Ardning branch church

literature

  • Gottfried Allmer: The organ of the pilgrimage church Frauenberg near Admont (Styria) . In: Ars Organi . tape 64 , 2016, p. 39–46 and back cover .
  • Otmar Heinz: Early Baroque organs in Styria. On the genesis of a south German-Austrian type of instrument of the 17th century, Vienna-Berlin 2012 (research on the historical regional studies of Styria, published by the Historical Commission for Styria , Volume 53), ISBN 978-3-643-50232-2
  • Johann Tomaschek, Ute Himmelstoss; P. Placidus Suppan OSB (Ed.): Parish and pilgrimage church Frauenberg near Admont, Styria . Jost Druck & Medientechnik, Liezen 2002
  • Gernot Rabl: The history of construction and furnishing of the parish and pilgrimage church Frauenberg near Admont. Thesis. University of Graz 1998
  • Karl Hütter: Answers to prayer on the Frauenberg near Admont. From the Frauenberg Miracle Book of the Baroque Period. Parish office Frauenberg ad Enns, undated
  • Admont Abbey Archives

Web links

Commons : Pilgrimage Church of Frauenberg near Admont  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Otmar Heinz: Early baroque organs in Styria. On the genesis of a south German-Austrian type of instrument of the 17th century, Vienna-Berlin 2012, p. 83.
  2. ↑ Gottfried Allmer: The organ of the pilgrimage church Frauenberg near Admont (Styria) , 2016, pp. 39–46.
  3. ↑ Josef Wallner: Is the Jägerstätter relic real? In: kirchenzeitung.at. November 28, 2007, accessed May 12, 2020 .
  4. ^ Upper Austria: New altar with Jägerstätter relics. In: orf.at. May 18, 2016, accessed May 12, 2020 .

Coordinates: 47 ° 35 ′ 3 ″  N , 14 ° 23 ′ 54 ″  E