Baroque Churches: Die Wies

Thursday 25 February 2021

Die Wies

Taking up the story of my first visit (see Steingaden) I arrived before 8.00am outside the church. No-one was about and the doors firmly shut. It was enough to have seen and touched it, I concluded, so I went back the way I had come and reached Mittenwald in mid afternoon.

The next time I saw die Wies was in the early 1990s when I was passing through the area with my then young son. I drove up to it, saw no chance of parking, or being able to appreciate it that day, so instead I parked it in my brain. It was therefore a great joy to include it in My Holiday of a Lifetime jaunt in August 1989.

In 1730 Father Magnus Straub and Friar Lukas Schwaiger created a Flagellated Saviour figure from wooden portions of other saints' figures. They covered the joints with canvas and painted the figure. It did not go down too well and was put away from 1734-8 and kept in a garret by Steingaden innkeeper Jeremias Rehle.. His godmather Mary Lory, took it to her farm at Wies. During prayers on 14 June 1738 tears were seen to come from the statue. This led to Wies becoming a pilgrimage centre. People came from Bohemia, Moravia, Tirol and Switzerland. A small chapel was erected in 1740 and then a small wooden nave. The Abbot of Steingaden commissioned a church. Dominikus Zimmermann then created what has been called the greatest rococo church in the world. He was a strong believer, and this inspired his work.This church is today not just great art or a kind of music hall or like Dresden china but a pilgrimage centre to revive us. The foundation stone was laid in 1746 and consecrated 1749.

It is oval with a rectangular choir. There is an aisle all around the church with a lofty arcade that supports a dome. Light can stream in from the clear glass windows in the outer walls through the arcades. The junction between the arcade and the ceiling is important and can give the impression there is no ceiling at all. In paint and stucco a kind of balustrade is formed, behind which clouds and angels can float as from the roof.

What are we to make of JB Zimmermann's frescoes? When in the church it is hard to take in the detail. I cannot pretend to have grasped the subtleties then, and now on reflection realise this needed time, diagrammatic plans and excellent photos in order to appreciate. I am in awe of the compositional skill, imagination and inspiration of this remarkable man. Perhaps this will be a future project and interest. I have noticed that books, and articles tend to see frescoes as art objects, rather than concentrating on their subject matter and message. Sometimes Wiki Commons images give every possible detail about the technical side of the photo but tell only the place taken, and no detail of title of the fresco.

With the help of a guide book I will attempt to explain the huge central fresco. As we enter the church the fresco shows the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ : angels, and saints waiting to sit in judgement. It is to be seen less as a Day of Judgement with wrath and tears and more as a manifestation of Our Lord's mercy, achieved through repentance. Note the judgement throne is unoccupied What a contrast with Michelangelo's Christ in the Sistine Chapel where Christ is like a warrior.

Overall view of the central fresco
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wieskirche_1.12.jpg#/media/File:Wieskirche_1.12.jpg

As we leave the church the other side of the fresco above the door is the Door to Eternity so we have both the door to the world and to eternity. This latter door is closed. Chronos, the old Greek God of Time looks old and his scythe has dropped, the hour glass is on the ground; to the left the waters of eternity begin to flow, for the Angel of Judgement is coming, and other angels have the trumpets of judgement. Words above the door say "Tempus non erit amplius" or "There shall be delay no longer"(Apocalyse 10 :6) The departing pilgrim sees the mountains, meadows, all green and beautiful, then looks up and is reminded that when the door of eternity opens to the faithful, their share will, by a single glance into the beauties of eternal life, be beauty beyond parallel.

Our first view

Organ gallery over entrance door

Pulpit

The high altar contains the statue of the Flagellated Christ. The saving act of Christ is central to this Church Above the figure of Christ is a statue of a pelican - tearing its breast to feed its young. The frescoes above emphasise the sacrifice of Christ and connects to the sacrifice which is repeated every time Mass is given below.

The ceiling frescoes over the choir passages show Christ helping people bodily : healing, casting out evil spirits, raising the dead.

The large statues of the four Fathers of the Church are by Anton Sturm.

Pews, pulpit and organ case are all superb .It is likely that D Zimmermann designed it himself and his Wessorunnb craftsmen stuccoed it.