Hergiswald pilgrimage church (Kriens)
Hergiswald is an art-historically significant place of pilgrimage above Kriens in the canton of Lucerne . The origin goes back to the year 1489 and is based on a hermitage of brother Johann Wagner.
history
Hergiswald's story begins in 1489, when Johannes Wagner, a Swabian brother from the Carthusian monastery from Ittingen , settled here as a hermit and cleared a square. He received help from the Lucerne family von Wyl, who owned the forest section.
In 1501 the Bishop of Constance Hugo von Hohenlandenberg allowed the mayor Jakob von Wyl and other donors to build a chapel, which was consecrated in 1504. Brother Johann died in 1516 in the name of holiness. In 1620, under the carers Ludwig and Jakob von Wyl, a new, larger chapel was added to the old choir.
Thanks to the Capuchin Father Ludwig von Wyl (1596–1663) and with the help of donors, it was possible to enlarge the chapel to the present day church and to equip it with altars, pictures and emblems according to a theological program. In 1649 the Loreto Chapel was added to the north of the nave. In 1651 a Felix chapel was added to the west. Construction of today's church began in 1652, including the Loreto and Felix chapels and the conversion of the old choir to the sacrament chapel .
Architecture and equipment
Today's Hergiswald pilgrimage church is built around the Loreto chapel. It is rich in sacred art. In addition to the high altar , which stands on the outer wall of the chapel, there are side altars in the church. The Loreto Chapel, which is modeled as closely as possible on the model of the Santa Casa in Loreto, Italy , contains a Black Madonna .
Special attention is given to the “picture heaven”. It consists of 324 wooden panels painted with symbols of the Virgin Mary , which cover the entire church vault. This cycle of pictures, the largest of its kind, was created by the Swiss painter Kaspar Meglinger in 1654.
Place of pilgrimage
People have been making pilgrimages to the Hergiswald pilgrimage church for centuries. It is slightly outside the Way of St. James on the route between Lucerne and Werthenstein . The way to Hergiswald leads over the Rosenkranzweg . In 2009 the 20 secrets of the rosary were recorded in 20 steles along this path with frescoes .
literature
- Dieter Bitterli: The pilgrimage church of Our Lady in Hergiswald. Swiss art guide GSK. Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History.
- Lothar Emanuel Kaiser: Pilgrimage Guide of Switzerland. Publishing house pilgrimage guide.
Web links
- Official website of the Hergiswald pilgrimage site
- Bilderhimmel - Another site about the pilgrimage church
Coordinates: 47 ° 1 '22 " N , 8 ° 14' 9.2" E ; CH1903: 660 610 / 208278