Pilgrimage Church of Maria Laach
The Sanctuary Maria Laach is aligned to the northeast, Visitation dedicated, Roman Catholic Parish at the southern edge of maria laach am jauerling , in Lower Austria . Because of a peculiarity of the depiction of Mary on the image of grace on the left side altar, it is popularly referred to as the Church of Our Lady, Six Fingers.
It belongs to the dean's office pointed to the diocese of St. Poelten and is under monument protection ( list entry ).
The church, which stands at 591 meters above sea level (according to other sources 644 meters) and is surrounded by a cemetery, is a monumental late Gothic staggered hall building from the late 15th century with a west tower and choir from the end of the 14th / beginning of the 15th century.
history
Parish history
In 1263, a chapel was first mentioned in a document, which appears in 1336 as a branch from Weiten . In 1362 a Marienkapelle was mentioned in Maria Laach. In a legal act from 1367 it can be read that the stolen Melk Cross was hidden behind the Marien Altar of Maria Laach's church. In 1432 Maria Laach went to the Vilshofen Collegiate Foundation in Bavaria as part of the incorporation from Weiten . This undertook in 1462 to hold a chaplain in the church .
During the Reformation between 1562 and 1627, the Protestant lords of Kuefstein were patron saints , who set up the burial place of their family here. This patronage was widely disputed between the Kuefsteins and the church. In 1574 a Protestant pastor built the old rectory. The older part of today's sacristy from the same period was built for the few Catholics who had not converted . Maria Laach became a stately parish in 1580.
After the conversion of Johann Ludwig von Kuefstein , Maria Laach became Vicariate von Weiten. In 1634 Maria Laach received a new rectory and a Catholic priest began his service.
In 1680 there was a plague epidemic in the area and the population of the southern Waldviertel began to make pilgrimages to Maria Laach , a custom that has been preserved to this day. This led to the parish elevation taking place in 1688. After the miraculous healing of a blind child in 1719, the stream of pilgrims increased and Maria Laach has been a pilgrimage church since the beginning of the 18th century .
Building history
Exact records of the early building history do not exist. The proportions and the rib profiles of the choir vault indicate that this is the oldest component, which was probably built towards the end of the 14th century. At the end of the 15th century, the three-aisled nave was vaulted with the staggered, raised central nave, which can be seen from a date of "1496" in the left aisle. In 1512 the church received its west tower.
Building description
Outside
The four-bay long house with double-stepped buttresses lies under a steep gable roof. The two- and three-lane pointed arch windows are equipped with partially renewed three-pass , four-pass and fish bubble tracery. The retracted, two-bay choir has a five-eighth end and a slightly lower ridge line than the nave. It has double-stepped buttresses and a surrounding coffin cornice . In the south there is a late Gothic sacristy extension. A monumental three-storey tower with a steep hipped roof is presented to the west of the nave.
Inside
The central nave is closed off by a small, cross-yoke ribbed vault, some of which has curved ribs. It is connected to the narrower aisles by high pointed arches on slim octagonal pillars. In the middle there is a large ring with a holy spirit hole .
The north aisle is vaulted by a large, diamond- shaped mesh rib vault on polygonal consoles, while the south aisle is vaulted by a small mesh rib vault with crossed approaches.
A slightly drawn-in, pointed triumphal arch forms the transition from the central nave to the two-bay choir dating from around 1400. The choir is closed off by a ribbed vault with keystones in relief, which rests on bundles above a coffin cornice. In the choir there are four profiled segment arch niches and a sacrament niche with a pointed gable top and dazzling branches , which is closed by a delicate wrought iron grille with rosettes and lilies.
The three-aisled organ gallery from around 1500 is set in the western yoke and opens towards the nave in wide, profiled pointed arches. The three-zone, delicate tracery parapet is richly varied: it is broken into interlocking wave shapes on the left and semicircular shapes on the right. The central zone is equipped with ample tracery in swivel and fish bubble shapes and multiple structured central rosettes. The under vault is designed as a mesh rib vault with partly stuck ribs and rosette keystones. The side staircase from the left aisle has a curtain portal with a rich bar profile and notched ornamentation, the tower staircase on the right is accessed through a ribbed shoulder arch portal.
The tower vestibule has a multi-profiled shoulder arch portal from around 1500 and is closed off by a rib vault with an eight-pointed diamond star made of stuck ribs.
Furnishing
Winged altar
The late Gothic double-winged altar from 1480 is one of the few completely preserved paintings and carvings from this time in Austria and still has a conservative arrangement compared to the late Gothic picture walls of Zwettl or Mauer .
In a shrine , wrapped in a golden cloak under a mighty keel-arched canopy, Mary with the baby Jesus in her lap is depicted as the Queen of Heaven with a scepter and crown. At her feet lies a downward curved crescent moon with a face. Two flanking angels in the background hold a drapery , two further kneeling angel figures flank the throne and pay homage to the Queen of Heaven. The keel sheet breaks through the upper boundary of the shrine and from a position already outside of the shrine finial crowned which the transition to a conversation Enge forms and as a console for a statue of Christ Salvator used. Two further statues in the burst flank the Christ statue and represent the Saints John the Baptist and Paul . The burst consists of pinnacles, finials, keel arches and three-pass shapes. The architectural structural elements are polychromed and partly gilded. The back of the throne and the back of the altar are marked "1480" .
The predella with the tabernacle is richly painted and bears half-length figures of Saints Maria Magdalena and Ursula on the front . Both pictures show a coat of arms with a dog's head protruding from a crown on the outer upper edge. In the open tabernacle shrine there are half-figures of Mary Magdalene, Joseph of Arimathea , Nicodemus and John after the Descent from the Cross. A prophet is on each of the narrow sides and two angels with Veronica's handkerchief are on the back.
On the inside of the wings there are four wooden reliefs with motifs of the " Annunciation ", " Visitation ", " Birth of Christ " and the " Adoration of the Magi ". The reliefs are executed with numerous architectural and figural details of the background images. The wings painted in tempera , one of the few specimens that have been preserved in their entirety, show scenes from the Passion when half open and scenes from the life of Mary when closed. The images show detailed architecture and landscape backgrounds with numerous figures in bold colors. The sky consists partly of a stamped gold ground. From the Passion " Christ on the Mount of Olives ", the " Judas kiss ", the " Flagellation ", " Ecce homo ", the " Crowning of thorns ", the " Carrying of the Cross ", the " Crucifixion " and the " Resurrection of Jesus Christ " are shown. The “ Circumcision of the Lord ” , the “ Presentation of Mary in the Temple ” , the “ Coronation of Mary ” and the “ Death of Mary ” are depicted from the life of Mary .
Annunciation wing relief
Wing relief visitation
Wing relief Nativity
Wing relief Adoration of the Magi
Passion pictures
In 1979 the altar was extensively restored and conserved . The original veil boards were re-attached to the shrine, later overpaintings were removed, the decorations on the outer edge were processed and the face of Mary in the shrine was given a milder expression.
Left side altar
The altarpiece of the "Miraculous Image altar" altar designated from the second half of the 17th century with twisted columns, foliage décor and arched tower was changed of the 18th century in the first quarter. It bears statues of Saints Anthony the Great , Rochus , Barbara and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, two monks and angels. The Gothic altarpiece from the second half of the 15th century is painted in tempera on wood. It shows Mary enthroned with the baby Jesus. The right hand has six fingers and is holding a rosary. Behind the throne are shown angels praying below and making music above.
Right side altar
The double column retable on a high base with a top in a blown segmented arched gable dates from the end of the 17th century / beginning of the 18th century. The altar sheet is believed to date from the 19th century and depict St. Francis Xavier . The top picture shows an annunciation scene from the end of the 19th century. The top bears baroque statues of St. Augustine , Erasmus , Joseph , John , two Jesuit saints and St. Michael .
Works of art of the Reformation
- The free-standing tumba of Johannes Georg III comes from Alexander Colin . von Kuefstein , Baron von Greillenstein (1536–1603), which was created between 1604 and 1607. The rectangular monumental Renaissance - cenotaph consists of different colored marble with alabaster reliefs and with "1607" respectively.
The base is richly decorated with weapons, drums, lances, a Turkish tent, war trophies and a soldier near a cannon. On the sides of the base, which is inscribed with biblical sayings, there are putti figures with coats of arms in their hands. The base carries a rectangular statue base on top of which a large coat of arms of the Kuefstein leans in relief and the cover plate bears biographical inscriptions of the client and is decorated with lion heads. The coronation is an almost life-size, fully armored, praying statue of John George III, kneeling on a pillow and facing the altar. The open visor is placed in front of the figure .
- In the choir is the epitaph of Anna von Kuefstein, labeled "1615" , which combines early baroque elements with the shape of the Gothic shrine. On the middle part are delicate Corinthian columns with heraldic shields in relief and a broken triangular gable. The side niche flanks have volute frames. An alabaster relief by Alexander Colin composed of several plates shows the resurrection. Allegorical figures hope, loyalty, love and patience are partially fully sculpted in fine gradations towards the background.
- The works of art of the Reformation include five monumental death shields from the Kuefstein family:
- The death shield of Johann Georg († 1603) shows the Kuefstein coat of arms with inscription in a rich scroll frame .
- The oval polychromed shield of Hans Wilhelm († 1607) is framed by rollers and fittings . The central coat of arms is surrounded by a wreath of weapons and arms in relief. Below is an inscription plaque with a scroll frame.
- The shield of Johann Jakob († 1609) has an inscription, which is surrounded by a wreath of heraldic shields.
- The oval shield of Clara Domenica, née Puchheim († 1618), has small coats of arms in relief, top figures of love and loyalty and bears a long inscription.
- The splendid polychrome shield of Hans Wilhelm († 1628) has the Kuefstein coat of arms with inscription in the middle, which is framed by trophies in relief.
Other equipment
The eight-sided late Gothic stone pulpit from around 1500 rests on a pillar with a deep valley , which is provided with oak leaf leaves and a braced keel arch in the base area. It has a polygonal basket framed by bars on small twisted bases. The rectangular fields of the basket have Latin inscriptions in Gothic script and are provided with tracery in fish bladder and three-pass shapes as well as crabs .
A realistic larger than life late Gothic depiction of the dying Christ with a waving loincloth from around 1510/1520 is on a monumental cross from the beginning of the 20th century. The work of art was restored in 1979 and is stylistically similar to the late Gothic crosses in the chapel of the Spitz parish church , the parish church in Loiben and in the cathedral of Wiener Neustadt .
An oval, hunched baptismal font on a baluster foot from the 17th century, a late Gothic ten-sided basin resting on a solid shaft and the pews with shell-crowned cheeks and cartilage carvings from the middle of the 17th century belong to the other furnishings. The simple late medieval offering box, a Prague Infant Jesus from the 18th century, the statuette of St. Florian on a lecture pole from the first half of the 18th century and the Stations of the Cross from the end of the 18th century complete the equipment.
organ
The organ has a neo-Gothic case and was created in 1855 by Franz Meinl from Ybbs . A renovation took place in 1868 and in 1959 an extension by Philip Eppel from Vienna followed. In addition to a new console, the range of the pedals was expanded from 12 to 30 tones, the zinc pipes in the prospectus were replaced by pewter pipes and the disposition changed.
Current disposition:
Main work
Principal 8 ′ octave 4 ′ forest flute 8 ′ Gemshorn 4 ′ Rauschquint 22/3 ′ and 2 ′ recorder 2 ′ Mixtur 11/3 4-fold Krummhorn 8 ′
Substation
Coppel 8 ′ Flauto 4 ′ super octave 2 ′ Cimbel 1 ′ 2-fold
pedal
Subbass 16 ′ Choralbass 8 ′ Rohrpommer 4 ′ Night horn 2 ′ Bassoon 16 ′
Bell jar
The bell was cast by Mathias Prininger from Krems an der Donau shortly before his death in 1718 .
literature
- Alfred Fischeneder-Meiseneder: The architecture of the Gothic in the east of Austria. Studies of sacred buildings in the 14th and 15th centuries with a focus on the period around 1400 . Diss. University of Vienna 2016, pp. 97–98.
- Dehio manual . The art monuments of Austria. Lower Austria north of the Danube. Edited by Evelyn Benesch, Bernd Euler-Rolle u. a. Verlag Anton Schroll & Co, Vienna 1990, ISBN 3-7031-0652-2 , p. 714ff.
- Austrian Art Topography, Volume 1 (1907) pp. 271 ff.
- Reclam's Art Guide, Austria Volume 1 (Stuttgart 1961), p. 273.
- "The Wachau" by Franz Eppel (Salzburg 1964) p. 136 ff.
- "Maria Laach" by Rupert Feuchtmüller , 1959
- Church guides published by the parish of Maria Laach
Web links
- Website of the Maria Laach pilgrimage church , accessed on April 23, 2019
- The pilgrimage church Maria Laach on the website of the market community Maria Laach am Jauerling called on October 9, 2013
Remarks
- ↑ Since the end of the 17th century the Kuefstein family crypt has been in the former hospital church in Röhrenbach (Lower Austria) near Greillenstein Castle .
- ↑ In the church guide, Josef Simhandl suggests that the names of the figures shown could be a reference to the donors of the altar, Magdalena and Ursula from the family of the Truchessen von Staatz , who were feudal lords in Mary in the second half of the 15th century Laach were. The similarity of the coat of arms in the pictures with the coat of arms of the Truchsessen von Staatz is a further indication of this.
- ↑ Dehio and church leaders assume that the picture was donated by Johann Wilhelm von Kuefstein. Dehio gives the year 1636 as the date of the foundation, according to the church leader Kuefstein probably brought it with him from the Rhineland around 1663.
- ↑ This fully plastic representation of a person praying from the late Renaissance is rare in Austria.
- ↑ In the church guide the allegories are referred to as Sapientia, Fides, Spes and Caritas .
- ↑ Is given in the Dehio with 1604 .
- ↑ Is given in the Dehio with Hans Lorenz .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Church leader p. 2
- ^ BEV : AustrianMap
- ^ Federal Monuments Office : Maria Laach am Jauerling , April 1, 1999, accessed on April 23, 2019.
- ^ Wilhelm Zotti: Church art in Lower Austria, Diocese of St. Pölten, Volume 2 Parish and branch churches north of the Danube . St. Pölten / Vienna 1986, p. 236-237 .
- ↑ Alfred Eder fish-Meis Eder: The Gothic architecture in eastern Austria. Studies on sacred buildings in the 14th and 15th centuries with a focus on around 1400. Diss. University of Vienna . Vienna 2016, p. 98 .
- ^ Dehio p. 715
- ↑ Church guide p. 3
- ↑ Church guide p. 4
- ↑ a b c d e Dehio p. 716
- ↑ Church guide p. 7
- ↑ According to Dehio, it may be Saint Catherine. In photos, this saint can be clearly identified as Catherine of Alexandria based on her attributes, including wheel and sword!
- ↑ Church guide p. 13
- ↑ Church guide p. 12
Coordinates: 48 ° 18 ′ 11.7 " N , 15 ° 20 ′ 42.5" E