Church of the Assumption (“Mariahimmelfahrt”) Catholic
Church
The religious anchor of the Marktplatz and the highest peak of the city’s silhouette is the Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption (“Mariahimmelfahrt”). Here’s a little background. Pre-dating the founding of the city was the founding of a cloister at the site of the present church complex. The cloister grounds are now occupied by the church, parish house and gardens on either side of the steep stairs that descend to the Spital. The original church was a large one, constructed to meet the needs of the religious community and large number of pilgrims who were drawn to the church. The cloister community left the site, so the large church was no longer justified for the country town community. As Prince Bishop of the area, Julius Echter re-envisioned the look and feel of the church, right-sizing the church for the needs of the local community. Echter also was an avid promoter of the Counter-Reformation forces of the time, using architecture and design as a means of demonstrating the authority and prominence of the Catholic Church against its Protestant rivals. Windows were enlarged to allow light to pour into the nave. The later addition of the impressive Baroque altar completes the effect. Appreciate the effect as you move from the dimly lit entry area in the shadows under the balcony up the steps to the nave.
The Baroque high altar was commissioned in 1692 and carved by the sculptor Johann Brandt of Wuerzburg. It frames the 1688 painting of the Assumption by Wuerzburg court painter Oswald Onghers. The side figures of Anna and Joachim were carved by Johann Georg Auwera from Aub, which were added in 1782. The altar holds a special place in the hearts and memory of older residents. In the final days of the Second World War, as the American army made its way across Germany, the army surrounded the City. The city's refusal to surrender resulted in a barrage that hit the more visible and meaningful symbols of the city, including the church steeple. The strike started a fire that ultimately caused the roof to collapse and cave in, virtually destroying the church. For some reason, the Baroque altar was left standing in the midst of the destruction. Some say that a consecrated host left in the tabernacle spared the altar. Others say that because the arch between the apse and the nave was made of stone, it did not succumb to the flames and protected the altar. However it happened, an historic treasure and a pride of the city survived.
The true jewel of the church, though, is almost hidden in plain sight. Before exiting the church, be sure to stop at the devotional area just to the right of the entrance. On the wall is a three-figure Crucifixion group by Tilman Riemanschneider, one of the greatest of all German artists. Dating from about 1510 and installed here in early 1600s, this exceptional carved wood ensemble captures the pathos of the scene in vivid detail. Riemanschneider is well-known for his extraordinary sculpting skills and for the pathos in his figures. Fortunately, a number of this works survive and can be found in nearby towns such as Creglingen and Rothenburg o.d.Tauber. This grouping in Aub ranks as one of his best. It is interesting to observe and compare the poses and expressions of the time of Riemanschneider with those of the Baroque as depicted in the main altar.
If you happen to be in Aub in the evening during the darker times of the year, you might hear the “Seven O’Clock Bells.” Legend has it that the daughter of a knight left the nearby Reichelsburg castle in the middle of a nighttime blizzard and lost her way in the woods between the castle and Aub. One version has her on the way to a tryst with her lover when she re-gained her direction listening to the church’s bells; another that she was trying to find a priest for her dying father and heard the tinkling of the bells carried by the altarboys accompanying a priest making his way through the woods to the castle. As a way of giving thanks and to save those in a similarly desperate situation, the bells now toll in the darkness, letting those lost find their way back to the safety of Aub.
Exit the church from the doors through which you entered. Turn right at the corner of the church and descend the long flight of stairs that bisect the garden of the parish, formerly the grounds of the old cloister. As you walk toward the street, note the city well before (carefully) crossing the street. Continue to your right. Enter the large courtyard on your left. Here you will find a stone monument that notes the distances to Campostelo and other noted pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages. Aub is still a station on the Via Romea (ViaRomea.de), a route for the faithful to follow on a pilgrimage to Italy.
...next stop
Spital
The religious anchor of the Marktplatz and the highest peak of the city’s silhouette is the Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption (“Mariahimmelfahrt”). Here’s a little background. Pre-dating the founding of the city was the founding of a cloister at the site of the present church complex. The cloister grounds are now occupied by the church, parish house and gardens on either side of the steep stairs that descend to the Spital. The original church was a large one, constructed to meet the needs of the religious community and large number of pilgrims who were drawn to the church. The cloister community left the site, so the large church was no longer justified for the country town community. As Prince Bishop of the area, Julius Echter re-envisioned the look and feel of the church, right-sizing the church for the needs of the local community. Echter also was an avid promoter of the Counter-Reformation forces of the time, using architecture and design as a means of demonstrating the authority and prominence of the Catholic Church against its Protestant rivals. Windows were enlarged to allow light to pour into the nave. The later addition of the impressive Baroque altar completes the effect. Appreciate the effect as you move from the dimly lit entry area in the shadows under the balcony up the steps to the nave.
The Baroque high altar was commissioned in 1692 and carved by the sculptor Johann Brandt of Wuerzburg. It frames the 1688 painting of the Assumption by Wuerzburg court painter Oswald Onghers. The side figures of Anna and Joachim were carved by Johann Georg Auwera from Aub, which were added in 1782. The altar holds a special place in the hearts and memory of older residents. In the final days of the Second World War, as the American army made its way across Germany, the army surrounded the City. The city's refusal to surrender resulted in a barrage that hit the more visible and meaningful symbols of the city, including the church steeple. The strike started a fire that ultimately caused the roof to collapse and cave in, virtually destroying the church. For some reason, the Baroque altar was left standing in the midst of the destruction. Some say that a consecrated host left in the tabernacle spared the altar. Others say that because the arch between the apse and the nave was made of stone, it did not succumb to the flames and protected the altar. However it happened, an historic treasure and a pride of the city survived.
The true jewel of the church, though, is almost hidden in plain sight. Before exiting the church, be sure to stop at the devotional area just to the right of the entrance. On the wall is a three-figure Crucifixion group by Tilman Riemanschneider, one of the greatest of all German artists. Dating from about 1510 and installed here in early 1600s, this exceptional carved wood ensemble captures the pathos of the scene in vivid detail. Riemanschneider is well-known for his extraordinary sculpting skills and for the pathos in his figures. Fortunately, a number of this works survive and can be found in nearby towns such as Creglingen and Rothenburg o.d.Tauber. This grouping in Aub ranks as one of his best. It is interesting to observe and compare the poses and expressions of the time of Riemanschneider with those of the Baroque as depicted in the main altar.
If you happen to be in Aub in the evening during the darker times of the year, you might hear the “Seven O’Clock Bells.” Legend has it that the daughter of a knight left the nearby Reichelsburg castle in the middle of a nighttime blizzard and lost her way in the woods between the castle and Aub. One version has her on the way to a tryst with her lover when she re-gained her direction listening to the church’s bells; another that she was trying to find a priest for her dying father and heard the tinkling of the bells carried by the altarboys accompanying a priest making his way through the woods to the castle. As a way of giving thanks and to save those in a similarly desperate situation, the bells now toll in the darkness, letting those lost find their way back to the safety of Aub.
Exit the church from the doors through which you entered. Turn right at the corner of the church and descend the long flight of stairs that bisect the garden of the parish, formerly the grounds of the old cloister. As you walk toward the street, note the city well before (carefully) crossing the street. Continue to your right. Enter the large courtyard on your left. Here you will find a stone monument that notes the distances to Campostelo and other noted pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages. Aub is still a station on the Via Romea (ViaRomea.de), a route for the faithful to follow on a pilgrimage to Italy.
...next stop
Spital