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The Lutheran Church St.
Anna Augsburg
The St. Anna complex
The St. Anna complex was originally built as a Carmelite monastery. The
first church was erected in 1321, but from that epoch only the “Large Sacristy”
is still existent.
The Goldsmith's
Chapel
In 1420 the Goldsmith's
Chapel (Goldschmiedekapelle) was donated as a pilgrim chapel by
Conrad Hirn and his wife Afra. Hence the frescos in the choir show the great
pilgrim fathers. The goldsmiths, custodians of the chapel, enlarged it in 1496
and used it as their burial place.
The frescos on the walls are
outstanding examples of the change from mysticism to realism in the 15th
century.
Right: Herod orders the high
priests and scribes to locate the birthplace of Christ.
Nearby: the meeting
place of the Magi. Then follows Christ’s passion from the Last Supper to the
Crucifixion.
Left: the legend of Helene
dispatching the pilgrim fathers in search of Christ’s cross.
Christopher; St. Georg’s
fight with the dragon.
1487-1497 the Church was
enlarged to its present size - excluding the Fugger-Chapel.
Thus in about 1500 the
monastry consisted of a pillared basilica with the east choir, the large
sacristy, the goldsmith’s chapel, the cloister, the cells and the courtyard,
called the "Lutherhöfle" (Luther’s little coutryard).
Martin Luther
When Martin Luther was
summoned to defend his teaching before the papal legate Cardinal Cajetan he
stayed in the monastery from 7 - 20 October 1518, as a guest of Prior Frosch.
Luther met Cajetan in the Fugger’s house and all that was required was for
Luther to recant. But he refused and fled the town.
The Fugger Chapel
The Fugger Chapel (1509
- 1512) was founded by Jakob Fugger and his brothers Ulrich and Georg as a
burial chapel for the male members of their families. It represents the first d
decisive achievement in ecclestiastical building in the Renaissance style in
Germany. Apart from the organ builder J. Dobrau no master builder can be
identified with cdertainty. The prevailing opinion is that the designer was
Albrecht Dürer, Hans Daucher sculptured the six putti on the
balustrade, the wonderful marble floor with the coat of arms of the Fugger
family ( a blus and yellow lily) and their trade mark ( a spindle) was inlaid
by Adolf Daucher, a carpenter. The four epitaphs on the back wall are for Jakob
Fugger and his brothers. The designs of the two middle epitaphs (Ulrich, Georg)
come from Albrecht Dürer depicting the Resurrection and the battle of
Samson with the Philistines. In the outer epitaphs for Jakob Fugger, warriors
in ancient uniforms bear the Fugger coat of arms. Dominating the upper part of
the chapel is the organ, totally destroyed in 1944, rebuild in 1978. The organ
wings had been removed, so we see the original paintings by Jörg Breu
the Elder. The large wings show Chrits’s Ascension and the Assumption of the
Virgin Mary, the little ones “the invention of music” The altar ist a
masterpiece by Hans Daucher. The three predella reliefs depict Christ carrying
the Cross, Christ being taken from the cross, his descent into Hell. In the
altar group the body of Christ, supported by an angel, his mother and St. John
is presented for mourning. In front of the altar a marble slab covers the steps
to the crypt.
Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre
To the left of the Fugger
Chapel is the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, an imitation of that in
Jerusalem. Built in 1506 and purchased in 1656 by the Österreicher
family, it is also called “Österreicher Chapel”.
Gustv
Adolphus King of Sweden
According to the Restitution
Edict of 1629 the Chruch of St. Anna was barred to the Protestants. When Gustv
Adolphus King of Sweden entered Augsburg in 1632, he ordered his court
chaplain Fabricius to hold a thanksgiving service at St. Anna. In 1635 the
Lutherans were again locked out. For 14 long years they had to worship in the
open air in the courtyard of St. Anna College and it was only in 1649 that the
Protestants got back their church. Thus after the 30 Years War extensive
renovations were necessary. In 1682 the chandelier and the carved wooden pulpit
- and two years later the gallery - were added.. Since 1747 the ceiling has been vaulted and
decorated in the baroque and rococo styles. The three large frescos
painted by Johann Georg Bergmüller show the Sermon on the Mount ( Jesus the Prophet)
the Crucifixion (Jesus the priest) and Judgement Day (Jesus the King). The
stuccowork was carried out by Simpert Feuchtmaier from Wessobrunn.
Principal paintings of
interest in the east choir:
-
Lukas Cranach the Elder 1529:
portraits of Martin Luther and of Johann friedrich Electoral Prince of Saxony;
Christ blessing the children( predella of the altar)
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Christopf Amberger 1560: the
parable of the ten virgins
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Jörg Breu
the Elder: Chrits’s resurrection; Christ’s Descension to Hell
- Abraham von Diepenbeck 17th
century: Adoration of the Magi
Lutherstiege (Luther staircase)
On the occasion of Martin Luther’s
500th birthday in 1983 this museum was opened in some former monastic cells and
in the gallery. It mainly shows documents from the Reformation to the Reace of
Westphalia in 1648.
31st October 1999
In the St. Anna Church, Lutheran and Catholic
representatives from around the world placed their signature on the Common
Statement confirming the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification -
an historic and significant sign of Christian unity.
(English translation:
Helene Städtler
and Alan Stockbridge)
For more Information about Augsburg visit the tourist information
Maximilianstr. 57
86150 Augsburg
Tel.: 0821/ 50 20 70
www.regio-augsburg.de
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