Dear God every day Your goodness is with me afresh, You give me everything. Thank You for today and every day that I live. I pray that You will protect me and all I hold dear, today and always. Amen.
In this House of God, for more than 600 years, people have looked for God and found Him. Despite its chasteness a masterpiece of the high gothic. The church room is divided by two rows of 4 pillars each into three equivalent naves. (Beautiful leaves work - decorated capitals; cross voult, the apex is created as a rosette.) |
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History | ||
20.11.860 |
According to an ancient document Strassengel was first mentioned. |
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1157 |
Lord Otakar III. gave a picture of the Virgin Mary to Abbott Gerlach of the monastery at Rein and a timber chapel was built on the hill at Strassengel. |
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1208 | A chapel was first mentioned at Strassengel. | |
1255 | (1245 ?) A tree root in the form of a Crucifix was found. | |
1346 | The foundations of the church were laid. | |
1355 | The church was concecrated in the evening of the 7th of Sept., the day before the traditional day of the Virgin’s birth. | |
1366 | The completion of the pierced gothic Tower. | |
14. Jhdt. | The stained glass-windows were installed. | |
1455 | A chapel with bell tower containing 3 bells was built. | |
1477 | The first mention of an organ. | |
1724 |
The addition of St. Ann’s chapel, with beautiful frescos, and the baroque altar in honour of Saint Ann. |
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1781 | The pictures on both side-altars painted by Kremser Schmidt. | |
1976-1985 | The whole church was renovated. | |
1988 | The Altar and lectern in ront of the chancel were onsecrated. | |
1990 | The pilgrims cross, made by artist Fred Höfler of Straßengel, was consecrated. | |
1995 | Tration of the new organ (Orgelbau Martin Pflüger / Vorarlberg – Austria). | |
2008 | Tration of the new restorated gothic tower | |
Church | |
Simple in design but a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. There are two rows of 4 pillars with the nave and side aisles of equal height. The pillars have beautiful capitals and the vaulted ceiling has keystones in the form of rosettes. |
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Tower: Original Gothic, 48 m high and in every way an architectural masterpiece. | |
West door: Sandstone in heigh relief portraying the Archangel Gabriel visiting Mary. | |
Suth door: |
Sandstonerelief "Mary weeps for Christ". The wooden door has a carved Mary monogram and the arms of Rein. |
Altars | |
Highaltar: |
Made in white marble. Over the altar is a picture of Mary in the traditional style of a blue dress scattered with ears of corn. (This is a copy by Fred Höfler, the original was stolen in 1976.) |
Forwardaltar: |
Made in white marble. Over the altar is a picture of Mary in the traditional style of a blue dress scattered with ears of corn. (This is a copy by Fred Höfler, the original was stolen in 1976.) |
Seitenaltäre: | Saint Sebastian (left) --- Saint John of Nepomuk (right) |
Both the pictures are by Kremser Schmidt | |
Root cross | |
This is no longer kept in Church because it was once stolen and, except on Sundays, it may be seen in the Presbytery. |
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St. Ann's chapel | |
It has a baroque cupola, decorated with frescos. Daylight comes through the westwindows and a small lantern in the copula. The wooden sculptures are life size and show Saint Ann in the "Selbdritt" style (Ann with Mary and Christ). There are wooden statues on each side, one of "Joachim" and the other “Saint Joseph”. |
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A gllass shrine contains relics of the martyred St. Boniface from the Catacombs of Rome. | |
A great canvas shows Lord Otakar III. by presenting the picture of Mary to Abbott Gerlach of Rein. | |
On the left of the Anna chapel (under the bell tower) is in the candle chapel the baroque altar to "Our Lady of Sorrows" and a life-large " Heart Jesu" - Statue. |
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Organ | |
1477 | An organ was first mentioned |
1586 |
The organbuilder Georg Oberburger of Klagenfurt repaired the old organ which had 9 stops and added 7 more. |
1731 | Andreas Schwartz built a new organ with 18 stops. |
1902 |
Hopferwieser, of Graz, built an organ with two manuals and pedal. It had 18 stops (I/8, II/5, ped/2) and pneumatic action. The case was in the neo-gothic style. |
1995 |
Pflügers, of Vorarlberg, built a new Trackerorgan. It has 30 stops (Great/11, Ruckpositiv/7, Choir/5, Pedal/7), Ruckpositiv and Choir are provided with tremolo. Couplers are available, operated either by hand or foot (Ruckpositiv to Great, Choir to Great, Great to Pedal, Ruckpositiv to Pedal, Choir to Pedal). The Choir also has a swell capability. There is a coupler for organo pleno as well. The console is free-standing and there are 1868 pipes made of metal and wood. The case of the organ is made from oak. |
Stained glass windows | ||
Looking from the nave to the high altar you can see the high narrow windows of the presbytery and the side altars. The panes are partly from the 14th and 15th centuries. They show the birth, life, suffering, resurrection and ascension of Christ.
The panes above the northern altar picture the 12 apostles and the 14 auxiliary saints. The panes above the southern altar show the legend of Mary.
Beside the organ is a diamond shaped stained glass window. In the centre the Suffering Christ is portayed as the Judge of the world, around Him are Mary with Jesus, Joseph, Three Kings and various Saints.
The rosette in the westwindow has panes in the neo-gothic style. In the centre is Mary with the Christchild surrounded by four Cherubsheads. |
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4 Bells | ||
1. | Cast in 1681, Diameter 114 cm, about 800 kg in weight, pitch f/1 | |
2. | Cast in 1455 but cracked, replaced with a new bell in 1988, Diameter 90 cm, about 430 kg, pitch a/1 | |
3. | Cast about 1360, Diameter 75 cm, weight 250 kg, pitch d/2 | |
4. | Cast in 1455 but was removed during the 2nd World War and was then replaced with a new bell in 1988, Diameter 39 cm, about 33 kg in weight and a pitch of c/3 | |
Buildings around the church | |
1455 | Erection of the defensive wall |
1494 |
the old Priors house was either built or enlarged. Today it is used as the Parish rooms |
1582 | The Tavern was built |
1668 | The “New Building” was begun. It was completed by Abbot Alanus Matt (1684-96) |