Searching for traces into the crypt: 100 visitors at the Donor's Day in St. Quirinus Tegernsee

Created: 04/10/2022, 07:00

By: Alexandra Korimorth

Guided the visitors: (from left) Hans-Herbert Perlinger, Peter Schwenk, Birgit Halmbacher, Andreas Nerlich and Roland Götz.

© MKF_MaxKalup

Four experts, 100 visitors, almost 1300 years of church history: The Donors' Day in St. Quirinus as part of the Tegernsee Week gave the participants many exciting impressions.

Tegernsee

– 1276 years of church history in Tegernsee in four hours and from four different academic perspectives: around 100 interested people took part in the Tegernsee Week on the Donor’s Day and went in search of Adalbert and Otkar’s traces – right down to the crypt.

Actually, the Donor's Day should have taken place last year and parallel to the publication of the scientific documentation "The Church of St. Quirinus in Tegernsee and its Donor's Grave - Archaeology, Building Research, History, Anthropology and Textile Studies" from Volk-Verlag.

But because of the pandemic regulations, this format with lectures and guided tours in small groups, which was intended to illustrate the results of 20 years of research work, would not have worked.

Four experts guided the visitors

On Saturday, archeology expert Peter Schwenk, formerly from the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Professor Andreas Nerlich from the Institute for Pathology at the Bogenhausen Clinic, and the two Tegernsee experts Roland Götz and Hans-Herbert Perlinger took the guests on a journey through time.

Due to the interdisciplinary approach and the principle of rotation, the sequence of the teaching hours was the same.

Also read: Stieler's lecture at Tegernseer Woche brings interesting insights

With Peter Schwenk, the audience learned about the archaeological discoveries that were made during the general renovation from 1998 onwards.

When the heating pipes were laid, the foundation walls of the Stifterkirche from the Romanesque period, graves and impressive mosaics were suddenly revealed.

Although only small shafts were allowed to be opened, the ground plan of the Stifter church could be reconstructed from this and from other historical documents.

Schwenk also explained how the transformation into a Gothic church building was achieved by adding walls.

Insights into archaeology: Peter Schwenk during his lecture in the Quirinal.

© MKF_MaxKalup

During the tour of the church, historian Roland Götz traced how the Gothic church became a Baroque monastery church in 1670 and then a parish church in the 19th century.

It became clear that the Tegernsee monks were experts in sustainable construction: they had no problem reusing the capstone of the donor's high grave as a facade image, side walls as a relief or grave facings and steps.

Nor did the historical historians shy away from reinterpreting or bending data and facts in competition with other monasteries and in the fight for their own reputation.

This is what the different images of the founders, which have changed in the course of the legend formation, speak of.

Also interesting: Solution for Psallierchor Tegernsee is getting closer

also read

Construction site in Waakirchen: complete closure of the B 472 for ten days

Tegernsee fantastic: family angry about the admission price - "Wait for the next lottery draw"

In order to verify the noble Adalbert and Otkar as donors, their gender, their origin and relationship to each other, but also the year 746 as the founding date, pathologist Andreas Nerlich examined the bones of the donors.

Together with the former Tegernsee pastor Rupert Rigam, who is known for his unorthodox approach, the scientist removed the coffin and, after the examinations, buried it again under the high altar.

All the information that has been handed down has been scientifically confirmed.

Even more: Nerlich proved that Adalbert and Otkar grew up in Brittany and ate a lot of fish accordingly.

Otkar was a carpenter or roofer and seven years younger than Abbot Adalbert.

Otkar also survived a fall from a great height, but died of a sinus carcinoma, according to pathologists.

Visit to the tomb

From the high altar and current donor grave, Hans-Herbert Perlinger from the Antiquity Gau Association led the respective group down into the crypt, which consists of three chambers.

To this day, seven abbots of the former monastery and also deceased Wittelsbachers of the line in Bavaria lie behind wall panels.

In view of the large pewter and wooden coffins, Perlinger paid tribute to the dukes and duchesses, in particular the merits of Duke Karl Theodor.

In doing so, he vividly summarized Bavarian history between Tegernsee, Possenhofen, Bamberg and Banz.

Despite jumping back and forth in the almost 1300-year history of Tegernsee, none of the participants seemed overwhelmed by the data and facts.

The history of all four experts was presented in a linear, tangible and exciting way, so that curiosity about more details was aroused.

a.k