Beuerberg Monastery: “Black Madonna” as a crowd puller

It took the Lower Bavarian silversmith Bettina Dittlmann over a year to equip a replica of the famous Altötting “Black Madonna” with fabric, wires and jewelry.

• Artist Bettina Dittlmann made a replica of the "Black Madonna"
• The creation process was laborious: the silversmith needed a year
• The work of art can be seen in the garden pavilion of the Beuerberg monastery until November 1st

Beuerberg - It was fitting that she was able to present her complex work of art to the public for the first time on the symbolic Ascension Day in the garden pavilion of the Beuerberg monastery. "I'm really happy here and I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this work," said the 56-year-old in front of around 100 guests.

Shortly before the exhibition opened, a long line of people formed in front of the black garden pavilion. Due to the corona regulations, only a maximum of eight visitors were allowed to enter the dark interior at the same time. There they admired the complex work of art.

Reported on the lengthy development process of her work: Bettina Dittlmann in the garden of the monastery.

© Peter Herrmann

"Whenever I thought I was done, I was faced with a new challenge," said Dittlmann, remembering the complex development process. So she created two crowns from thin iron wires and damaged gemstones for a baroque devotional copy of the Altötting image of grace. With the cross, heart and anchor motifs used, the artist uses her own words to symbolize the Christian values ​​of faith, love and hope. Finding a fabric for clothing turned out to be difficult. She found what she was looking for in Beuerberg Abbey. Coarsely woven blackout cloths were stored there, which were supposed to protect the nuns from bombing during the Second World War.

In addition, the visitors to the exhibition were amazed at the approximately five-meter-long route that leads to the showcase within the pavilion. Dittlmann had scattered iron filings on neodymium magnets. This is how bizarre iron flowers were created. The Passau native has a special relationship with magnets anyway. “There were always magnets lying around in my father's electrical engineering workshop that I and my brother played with,” Dittlmann recalled. She also thanked her husband Michael Jank, who photographed the various steps of her work. The result can be seen in the exhibition catalog available for 20 euros.

Place of honor in Freising for the "Black Maria"

Dr. Christoph Kurzeder, director of the Diocesan Museum in Freising, which is currently closed for renovation, not only presented the artist with a traditional shrub. He also announced that her “Black Maria” will get a place of honor in Freising when it reopens in 2021. Kurzeder praised Dittlmann as a silversmith who "goes deep into the human psyche and approached the task with a lot of reverence". Former LaBrassBanda tuba players Andreas Hofmeir and Barbara Schmelz provided the musical accompaniment on the opening day. The cloister kitchen team took care of the hospitality of the guests.

info

The exhibition “Maria's clothes” can be seen until November 1st in the garden pavilion of the Beuerberg monastery. Opening times: Wednesday to Sunday and on public holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. School box office after registration.

Also read: New exhibition opened in Beuerberg Abbey