Name of Monument:

Former Monastery Church Spital am Pyhrn
Parish Church dedicated to the Ascension of Maria Spital am Pyhrn

Also known as:

Dom am Pyhrn/Dome located on the Pyhrn

Location:

Spital am Pyhrn, district Kirchdorf an der Krems, Upper Austria, Austria

Date:

1714–34 church building, façade decoration, ironwork grid and stucco work
1734 fresco paintings, ceiling in the Chapel dedicated to the Guardian Angels and in the sacristy
1737–40 fresco paintings, sanctuary and ceiling
1740, 1747 side altars
1743, 1748 oratories
1748 pulpit
1769 high altar

Artists:

Architecture: Johann Michael Prunner (1669–1739); statues, facade: Severin Träxl (n.d.) and Josef Hochedlinger (n.d.), stucco work: Domenico Antonio Carlone (1680–1728); fresco paintings, sanctuary: Bartolomeo Altomonte (1694–1783) and Francesco Messenta (c. 1675–1745); fresco paintings Schutzengelkapelle/Chapel dedicated to the Guardian Angels and sacristy: Wolfgang Andreas Heindl (1693–1757); high altar, statue St John of Nepomuk: Veit Königer (1729–92); pulpit, two side-altars (in the middle), statues: (Johann) Ignaz Thenny (c. 1702–55); oratories: Karl Johann Gstöttenpaur (n.d.); choir stalls: Joachim Ertl (n.d. –1808); paintings, side altars: Martin Johann Schmidt (1718–1801) and Michelangelo Unterberger (1695-1758); ironwork: Andreas Ferdinand Lindemayr (1686–1759)

Period / Dynasty:

High Baroque

Denomination / Type of monument:

Ecclesiastical architecture

Patron(s):

The Prince-Bishops of Bamberg (Bavaria, Germany) were given by Emperor Henry II the land on the Pyhrn.

History:

Emperor Henry II founded the diocese Bamberg in 1007, made it a territorial principality and appointed it to a free German bishopric. The prince-bishops were given the land on the Pyhrn under the condition to secure the road and to build a hospice/hostel there. The travellers, in particular the pilgrims, on the then-frequent route from German lands to the Adriatic Sea needed a rest in winter before crossing the Pyhrn Pass.
About 200 years later the hostel became a collegiate monastery for secular canons. In the Baroque era it was appointed provostry. The provosts built then a new abbey edifice and a new church.
Another 200 years later, the monastery was dissolved by Emperor Franz II/I. The former monastery church became the parish church. For some reason the emperor passed the property into the ownership of Benedictines from Baden-Württemberg whose monastery had been dissolved three years earlier. The religious stayed for two years and then moved on to Carinthia. The Spital manor was incorporated into the religious fund´s property and has served thenceforth until 2015 as office and administrative building and accommodation. After almost 1000 years it houses a ho(s)tel again.

Description:

It is not surprising that Provost Heinrich Fürsten who was a typical baroque (ecclesiastical) prince replaced the Gothic church with a new one. Johann Michael Prunner built the edifice with the stone-faced façade, (almost) unique in Austria, and with two high and narrow towers, crowned by onion-shaped roofs and patriarchal crosses.
The church´s interior was planned by Domenico Antonio Carlone. He did the stucco work and the colouring in the nave (white walls, white pilasters with grey capitals, fields in soft colours on balustrade and in the vault). The whole concept may go back to Provost Fürsten as everything in the nave is working up to a climax in the sanctuary: the slight convex balustrades in the gallery that look like theatre boxes are swinging towards, the pilasters are marbled there, the capitals gilded and the walls painted. The sanctuary is likewise a stage (Jesuit theatre was very popular then) with the huge fresco as stage design.
Under Provost Fürsten´s successors the artistic decoration was carried on. Andreas Ferdinand Lindemayr made the polychrome separating grid, Martin Johann Schmidt and Michelangelo Unterberger did the paintings on the six side-altars and Veit Königer created the high-altar as well as the statue of St John of Nepomuk (opposite the richly decorated pulpit).
The church´s artistic highlights are the fresco paintings in the sanctuary by Bartolomeo Altomonte (figural painting) and Francesco Messenta (illusionistic painting) as well as those on the Schutzengelkapelle´s (Chapel dedicated to the Guardian Angels) and sacristy´s ceiling by Wolfgang Andreas Heindl.

The former monastery church was built and decorated in the baroque era under three provosts. Every builder commissioned well-known artists who achieved together an acknowledged work of art: Johann Michael Prunner, the architect, erected one of the few stone-faced buildings in Austria (most are plastered and coloured) and created a dynamic interior with curvilinear galleries and huge recessed windows above.
Bartolomeo Altomonte and Francesco Messenta did the fresco painting in the choir that is considered to be one of the most important illusionistic paintings in Austria. The expressive ceiling frescoes in the Schutzengelkapelle (=Chapel dedicated to the Guardian Angels) and in the sacristy were painted by Wolfgang Andreas Heindl. Veit Königer, who was proven an important representative sculptor, created the marble high altar and the statue of John of Nepomuk opposite the pulpit.

How Monument was dated:

Historical documents

Special features

Church´s façade and square in front of the church

Stiftsplatz 2

1714–30, 1756 and 1771

Johann Michael Prunner, Severin Träxl, Josef Hochedlinger, Veit Königer, Matthäus Lindemayr

The vertically high extending church with two-storied façade and three-storied towers has a stone-faced exterior and towers with onion-shaped roofs and patriarchal crosses on top. These emblems – the building´s height, the stone-faced façade and the patriarchal crosses – may allude to the provosts´ (territorial) claim to power. They probably would therewith refer that they are on the one hand subordinate to the prince-bishops of Bamberg and on the other hand emphasize the independence on the Habsburgs´ rule.
The elegant façade is decorated with stone statues in niches and above the portal: in the middle storey one can see the Mother of God holding the Infant Jesus, in the base storey there are the apostles Peter and Paul. The sculptor Severin Träxl created the statues (1725). God the Father, sitting enthroned, as well as the figures of the founder Emperor Henry II, Bishop Otto II of Bamberg and the angels above the entrance were done by Josef Hochedlinger (1728–30).
In 1771, Veit Königer created the trinity column on the square in front of the church. It is surrounded by a picket fence and stone posts to enclose an outer holy district. All wrought ironwork (grids, gates and window grilles) was presumably done by Matthäus Lindemayr (1756).

Fresco painting

Sanctuary

1737–40

Bartolomeo Altomonte and Francesco Messenta

The church´s artistic highlight is the fresco painting in the choir. It shows the Mother of God ascending towards heaven. She is surrounded by angels and awaited by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The scenery is – typically baroque – accompanied by a concert of angels.
Further down are the apostles finding the tomb empty, but according to legend laid out with roses. Maybe the little angels (to the right of the Madonna and below) who are sprinkling flowers allude to this.
The fresco painting is considered Altomonte´s masterpiece. Art historians even refer it as the most important illusionistic artwork in Austria. But it was Francesco Messenta who did the illusionistic architectural painting – such as the columns in 3D-effect and the balustrades on the ceiling. It is remarkable how the painted architecture is a continuation of the real architecture.
The whole composition refers to Figura 47 in Andrea Pozzo´s Perspectiva pictorum et architectorum (Perspective in Architecture and Painting, vol. II).

Ceiling frescoes

In the Chapel dedicated to the Guardian Angels, the former provost´s sacristy, and in the sacristy – both to the left and to the right of the sanctuary

1734

Wolfgang Andreas Heindl

The expressive ceiling frescoes in the Schutzengelkapelle (originally the provost´s sacristy) were done by Wolfgang Andreas Heindl, who was then better known than Bartolomeo Altomonte. Regarding the painted architecture, Heindl was, like most painters, oriented towards Andrea Pozzo´s work about perspective (such as Altomonte and Francesco Messenta). He brought this art to a high level by creating perspective rooms complicatedly placed behind each other, as can be seen on some of the paintings. The frescoes in the chapel are dedicated to the Sacrifice of Isaac and to the Inauguration of the Temple by King Solomon.
Right opposite the chapel is the priest´s sacristy, originally the canons´ sacristy. The ceiling frescoes – representing the High Priest offering David the Shewbread for Reception and the Israelites´ Easter Lamb Meal before leaving Egypt – were also painted by Wolfgang Andreas Heindl. All paintings in both rooms are surrounded by delicate stucco work.

Selected bibliography:

Brandstätter, Franz, Stiftskirche Spital am Pyhrn, Wels: self-published, s.a.
Brucher, Günther, Barockarchitektur in Österreich, Cologne: DuMont, 1983: 119, 256–259.
Guldan, Ernst, Wolfgang Andreas Heindl Vienna, Munich: Verlag Herold, 1970: 51–53.
Heinzl, Brigitte, Bartolomeo Altomonte Vienna, Munich: Verlag Herold, 1964: 28–30.
Tischler, Erich, Stiftskirche in Spital am Pyhrn, Salzburg: Verlag St Peter, 2008.

Citation of this web page:

Gabriele Liechtenstein "Former Monastery Church Spital am Pyhrn
Parish Church dedicated to the Ascension of Maria Spital am Pyhrn" in "Discover Baroque Art", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;BAR;at;Mon11;37;en

Prepared by: Gabriele Liechtenstein
Copyedited by: Janice MedinaJanice Medina

Janice Medina is an artist and educator based in Upstate New York. She studied interior design at Syracuse University and obtained her M.S. in Building Conservation in 2008 (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and Master of Fine Arts in 2019 (University at Albany).

Janice is a former participant in the US/ICOMOS International Exchange Program and she has taught courses in the history of design and historic preservation. Her artwork is influenced by her experiences in historic preservation, as well as by building materials and the natural environment.

Janice has participated as a copy-editor with Museum With No Frontiers since 2019. In this role she has had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects including Discover Islamic Art, Discover Baroque Art and Discover Glass Art.

MWNF Working Number: AT 37