Catholic Deanery Parish Church of St. Vitus
Zell am Ziller, Tyrol, Austria
1772–1779
Architect: Wolfgang Hagenauer (1726–1801); master mason: Andrä Hueber [n.d.]; stuccowork, attributed to: Franz Graßmayr [n.d.]; frescos and altar paintings: Franz Anton Zeiller (1716–1794); sculptures, attributed to: Joseph Götsch (1728–1783), Franz Xaver Nißl (1731–1804), amongst others
Ecclesiastical architecture (parish church)
Dean Joseph Melchior Stephan
Construction plans drawn up by Salzburg’s court building administrator, Wolfgang Hagenauer in 1766, were executed from 1772 onwards in slightly amended form on the site of its Gothic forerunner (Gothic tower with pointed helm roof retained) by Andrä Hueber. The interior was complete in 1782 and the church was consecrated on 21 August 1808.
Monumental octagonal building of a bold pilaster-type construction. A rare example of an arcaded octagon in Tyrol, a building type more frequently found in neighbouring Bavaria. The eight columns aligned with the centre of the domed main space are connected by arches of slightly varying cross section. The side rooms are integrated into the largely symmetrical building. Despite the bold, clear formal language, the building is to be classified as High Baroque as opposed to Classicist. In contrast, the interior work composed of altars, stucco, frescos etc. is in the style of the Late Rococo.
View Short DescriptionThanks to its décor in the style of the Late Rococo, the Late Baroque, octagonal central-plan building in bold, clear formal language, acquires a sanguine, effortless quality. It is a rare example of an arcaded octagon in Tyrol whose masterful ceiling paintings of a heaven populated with numerous figures are in large part responsible for its monumental impression.
Documented, archives
Choir
1779
Franz Xaver Nißl (1731–1804); Franz Graßmayr [n.d.]; Franz Anton Zeiller (1716–1794)
The high altar, a structure composed of a loose grouping of freestanding marble pillars enclosing the altarpiece framed by pilasters, fits in perfectly to the semi-circle of the eastern apse. The painting from Zeiller depicts the church patron St. Vitus as a martyr ascending into heaven. The actual martyrdom is depicted in the choir fresco. In addition, the white painted sculptures of St. Peter and St. Paul are attributed to Franz Xaver Nißl.
Cupola of the main space
1775–1779
Franz Anton Zeiller (1716–1794)
The large cupola fresco is considered to be Franz Anton Zeiller’s magnum opus. It depicts the veneration of the Holy Trinity by prophets and saints of the Old and New Testament, a total of approximately 100 figures who, in a huge panorama, are arranged in the celestial sphere in order of hierarchy. On the eastern side of the cupola, between angels playing music, the patrons of the diocese of Salzburg, Rupert and Virgil, are prominently featured.
Main room, view into the aisle
1772
Wolfgang Hagenauer (1726–1801); Andrä Hueber [n.d.]
The arrangement of large columns in the main space corresponds to pilaster-type constructions in longitudinal buildings. The edges are occupied by pilasters supporting a powerful entablature bent at right angles. The vault arches ascend above an attic zone and mark the ends of the barrel-vaulted aisles. The rear wall with a large, round arched window functions solely as a panel wall without architectural structure. Pilasters and vault arches generate eight fully formed arcades which encircle the central space like a crown, opening up on all sides like gateways.
Frodl-Kraft, E., “Wolfgang Hagenauer und eine Gruppe nordosttiroler Kirchenräume”, in: Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte, 14 (=18), 1950, pp. 131–94.
Frodl-Kraft, E., Tiroler Barockkirchen, Innsbruck 1955, p. 50f.
Unger, A., Joseph Götsch. Ein bayerischer Bildhauer des Rokoko aus Tirol, Weißenhorn 1972, p. 107.
Ringler, J., Zell am Ziller, Tirol. Pfarr- und Dekanatskirche zum hl. Vitus, 3rd edition, Salzburg 1987 (= Christliche Kunststätten Österreichs No. 52).
Hahnl, A., “Der Salzburger Hofbauverwalter Wolfgang IV. Hagenauer (1726-1801)”, in: Barockberichte, 44/45, 2006, pp. 883–900.
Frank Purrmann "Catholic Deanery Parish Church of St. Vitus" in "Discover Baroque Art", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;BAR;at;Mon11;25;en
MWNF Working Number: AT 25