Pilgrimage Church Maria Hilf (Speiden)
The magnificently furnished Maria Hilf church in Speiden , a district of the Eisenberg community , is a place of pilgrimage in the Eastern Allgäu. With the pilgrimage church Mariahilf near Passau (1622) Speiden is one of the oldest Maria-Hilf pilgrimage sites.
Miraculous image
According to tradition, the small farmer from Speiden, Christian Steinacher, carried out masonry work for the Schwanenwirt in Füssen in the middle of the Thirty Years' War. He discovered a figure of Our Lady in the attic, which was standing in a corner, unnoticed. Steinacher asked for the portrait and took it home.
The crowned Madonna sits on a throne and holds the baby Jesus (with the globe) in her left arm. The child is only loosely connected to the mother and shows stylistic features of the 14th century, the Gothic Madonna those of the early 16th and 17th centuries.
Chapel of Mercy
The inscription on the base of the statue of Mary reports on the creation of the small chapel of grace. Then Steinacher saw his daughter Annele kneeling on a cross in front of his house and praying. Three soldiers of the Graf von Schlick regiment who died of the plague were buried here. When asked why she was doing this, the girl replied: oh dad! In the absence of you, these soldiers have done me vill guetes, ia also received their lives . As a result, Steinacher built a chapel in 1635 in gratitude for the salvation of his child, in which he set up his Madonna from Füssen for veneration.
Belief in miracles
The book of miracles also reports that a miracle occurred during the construction of the chapel. At that time Maria Welz von Rieden, walking on crutches, came by and said that if the Blessed Mother had helped Steinacher, she would also be able to help her. And sure, as soon as this woman's play has been heard, her ghrade glider has attained and to the word sign her cramped old place left, after her devotion all ghrad haimb went . This is followed by a further 155 good deeds up to 1657, additions from another hand and various details from the history of the pilgrimage.
Pilgrimage church
The pilgrimage to Speiden must have quickly received a large number of visitors, because the Chapel of Grace was very soon much too small. With the abundant flow of sacrificial funds, a “fairly large church” was built north of it between 1644 and 1647. This church too was only able to cope with the onslaught of believers for a few years. As early as 1660, an extension was considered, into which parts of the old sacristy and the tower were then integrated. In 1678 this new church was inaugurated by the Augsburg prince-bishop Johann Christoph von Freyberg . The construction soon showed defects: the roof was leaking, the clock was ruined and the organ had no pipes. Because of the uncertain times at the time, it took a long time for the church to be in an orderly state.
Furnishing
For the centenary of the pilgrimage in 1736, the church received new altars. The main altar with the statues of St. Joachim and St. Zacharias, made by Peter Heel (1696–1767), is a rococo gem, as are his figures on the side altars, the Saints Joseph and Johann Evangelist (left) and the apostles Peter and Paul (right).
In 1783 the church got its present appearance. The high-quality stucco is a joint effort by Pfrontener plasterers. Joseph Anton Geisenhof (1737–1797) and his son Johannes received the highest wages. In the nave, the stucco frames a ceiling painting by Joseph Keller (1740–1823). It already shows stylistic features of classicism. It depicts the heavenly grace that descends upon humanity through the Mother of God.
The fresco in the middle of the choir shows the Assumption of Mary. It is framed by medallions depicting the life of Mary: Temple walk, Annunciation, Simeon's prophecy and the presentation of Jesus in the temple.
The four pictures on the parapet of the lower gallery recommend Mary to the newborns, the sick, the dying and married people as a helper in need.
Sacrificial sticks
There were two landlords in Speiden: The Lordship of Freyberg-Eisenberg and Freyberg-Hohenfreyberg . The Gnadenkapelle and the nave of the pilgrimage church are on Hohenfreyberg, but the choir is on Eisenberg land. Therefore, there were protracted differences between the two rulers over the right of patronage over the church. Due to the income from the offering sticks, a pragmatic agreement was reached. They can only be emptied if three tools are used at the same time. One was held by the pastor, the second by the Eisenberg bailiff and the third by the Hohenfreyberg bailiff (or their deputy). Because of the dispute over the right of patronage, however, not all three parties always came by the agreed date, so that the sacrificial boxes were often full to the brim. That pleased rascals who stole the contents with limbs.
literature
- Verena Friedrich: Speiden - Maria-Hilf , 1st edition 1997. Art publisher Peda, Passau
- Ludwig Dorn: Pilgrimage Church Mariahilf in Speiden. 2nd Edition. Schnell and Steiner, Munich, Zurich 1985. (Schnell Art Guide No. 1187.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Petzet: City and District of Füssen. Brief inventory. German art publisher, Munich 1960
- ↑ a b parish archives of Zell, Miracle Book
- ↑ here quoted from Hans Popp: Mariahilf in Speiden. 1636-1936. Holdenried, Füssen 1936
- ^ Files in the parish archive in Zell
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 36 ′ 38.6 ″ N , 10 ° 36 ′ 48.2 ″ E
Andechs Monastery Church (Andechs) | Mary in misery (Baar) | St. Benedikt (Benediktbeuern) | St. Jakobus, St. Laurentius and St. Cross (Biberbach) | Pilgrimage Church Herrgottsruh (Friedberg) | Maria Hilf on the Lechfeld (Klosterlechfeld) | Marienfried (Pfaffenhofen an der Roth) | Maria Hilf (Speiden) | To Our Lady of Sorrows (Vilgertshofen) | St. Michael (Violau) | St. Leonhard im Forst (Wessobrunn) | Wigratzbad | Maria Vesperbild (Ziemetshausen)