Baroque gem for a pilgrimage church on the Hohen Peißenberg

The pilgrimage church on the Hohen Peißenberg has a new gem to offer: a catacomb saint from the holdings of the Rottenbuch monastery. The baroque reliquary is valuable in terms of art history - and reminds of a centuries-old connection.

Hohenpeißenberg - The whole thing was made to measure - without anyone taking any measurements at the time. In the predella of the altar of grace, i.e. the substructure, there was still a free space in the glass-protected shrine there. And this is exactly where an artfully designed container (called a reliquary) with the skull of St. Clemens von Rottenbuch fits - “as if it had been made for it,” says Mayor Thomas Dorsch happily. The catacomb saint is on permanent loan from the holdings of the Rottenbuch monastery. This also reminds you of an old connection. Because Hohenpeißenberg once belonged to the Rottenbuch monastery as a place of pilgrimage. This tradition has become “tangible again with the loan. That's really nice, ”says Dorsch.

Pilgrimage church: reliquary from the baroque as a permanent possession

Dorsch came across the baroque container, which was probably from the 17th century, when he was allowed to look at the depot there with the sacristan in Rottenbuch monastery. That's when he noticed the reliquary, says the town hall chief. When it came time to fill the vacant space in the altar, he asked Rottenbuch whether it was not conceivable to use the catacomb saint. “It was a call - and it was fruitful right away,” says Dorsch. "Really great" is the Rottenbuchers' quick response. The rental fee is typically Bavarian: it is a tragl of beer.

According to the mayor, the shrine is "something special in terms of art history". Because the container is decorated with fine twisted glass rods and metal. The "interior" in which the skull lies is also very elaborately designed. However, the condition was in dire need of restoration. The art department in the Ordinariate of the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising provided support with an examination of the findings. A restoration concept was drawn up and a specialist company in Munich called "Mona Lisl" was commissioned, which is managed by two qualified restaurateurs. The restoration costs were around 7500 euros. They will be taken over by the “Friends of the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption”.

Pilgrimage church: Centuries-long connection to Rottenbuch

The chairman of the association, Rupert Weingartner, had of course come to the official handover. Pastor Josef Fegg from the Rottenbuch Parish Association was also there. He finds the permanent loan - also with a view to the 400-year-old of the pilgrimage church this year - "a nice sign of connection". Many traces of the Rottenbuch canons can still be found on the Hohen Peißenberg. The catacomb saint has "a dignified and beautiful place" directly under the Blessed Mother. The loan also has a further effect. The piece of jewelery has been restored, "We are happy about that," says Fegg.

Elaborately designed: the container in which the skull of the catacomb saint is housed.

© ralf ruder

For Pastor Robert Kröpfl from the Hohenpeißenberg-Peiting parish association, the reliquary “fits very well into the overall concept of the pilgrimage site”. The skull is admittedly "to be seen from the Baroque period". At that time the prevailing opinion was that the bones of saints would enhance the respective place. It should arouse and attract people - also with a view to economic aspects. “That is also a baroque issue,” says Kröpfl. Nowadays, the pastor is also happy about everyone who finds their way to the pilgrimage church and the Chapel of Mercy: "In times of Corona we will hopefully think more about it again." Churches are very suitable for this.

With Saint Clemens von Rottenbuch, who is clearly visible to those who stand in front of the altar, there are seven skulls in the Chapel of Grace, according to Dorsch. Various Hohenpeißenberg catacomb saints were sold to Ausserfern at the time of secularization. A businessman from Reutte reported on the purchase. The Hohenpeissenbergers found the documents in Austria. In Weißenbach in the Lech Valley, for example, they found St. Clare. The negotiations for a buyback were "well advanced". The price - Florentine guilders were converted - was already fixed at 12,000 euros. But the specialist authorities of both professorships took too much time. The return campaign did not materialize.

Keyword "catacomb saints": catacomb saints are unknown persons from the time of early Christianity, whose bones were removed in large numbers from the catacombs in Rome between the 16th and 19th centuries. They were usually richly decorated with gold, precious stones and embroidery - and then venerated as relics. The names of the catacomb saints have nothing to do with the names of well-known saints with the same name. In the iconoclasm of the Reformation, Catholic church buildings were also robbed of their relics. The Holy See then ordered that bones be exhumed from the catacombs. It is unclear whether the bones belonged to people of greater importance to Christianity. Some may actually have been martyrs