The ''Käppele'' ('Little Chapel') is the commonly used name for the ''Wallfahrtskirche Mariä Heimsuchung'' ('

Pilgrimage Church A pilgrimage church (german: Wallfahrtskirche) is a church to which pilgrimages are regularly made, or a church along a pilgrimage route, like the Way of St. James, that is visited by pilgrims. Pilgrimage churches are often located by the graves ...

of the Visitation of Mary'), located on a hill above

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

, in Germany. (It must not be confused with the '' Marienkapelle'', or Chapel of Mary, located in the centre of the same city.) It was built following plans by

Balthasar Neumann Johann Balthasar Neumann (; 27 January 1687 (?) – 19 August 1753), usually known as Balthasar Neumann, was a German architect and military artillery engineer who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Ita ...

in the mid-18th century in

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

style. Until 2014 it was attended to by members of the

Capuchins Capuchin can refer to: *Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, an order of Roman Catholic friars *Capuchin Poor Clares, an order of Roman Catholic contemplative religious sisters *Capuchin monkey, primates of the genus ''Cebus'' and ''Sapajus'', named af ...

Geography

The church is located on the north-eastern slope of the 366 metre Nikolausberg, below the ' and above the left bank of the

Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...

in the city of Würzburg, the capital of

Lower Franconia Lower Franconia (german: Unterfranken) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. History After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria the state was totally r ...

in the north of Bavaria, Germany.

Etymology

In the Swabian and Franconian dialects, the word ''Käppele'' () is a diminutive of the German word ''Kapelle'' (), meaning 'chapel', and is also used in the names of a number of other, mostly small, hill-top chapels in the area, such as the '' Erlabrunner Käppele'', located 15 km further north, or the ''

Zeiler Zeiler is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Arthur Zeiler (born 1988), German rugby union player * Gail Zeiler (1950–2016), American singer known professionally as Kacey Jones *Gerhard Zeiler (born 1955), president of T ...

Käppele'', some 70 km to the east. Others can be found in

Bühlertann Bühlertann is a municipality in the district of Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...

Ebern Ebern () is a town in the Haßberge district of Bavaria, Germany. It is situated southwest of Coburg and northwest of Bamberg. Its population is about 8,000. Its mayor is Robert Herrmann. Ebern is about 1,000 years old and has an intact defen ...

Neudenau Neudenau () is a town in the district of Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Jagst, 17 km north of Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germ ...

, Röthlein, Rottendorf, Scheer and elsewhere.

History

Originally, a local fisher erected a

pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...

in what was then a vineyard in 1640. About ten years later, four miracle cures were reported in connection with the statue. Around 1650, a first chapel was built around the pietà. Together with some other reported phenomena, the cures began to attract pilgrims to the site, especially around

pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

. In 1690 and 1713, the original chapel was increased in size.

, architect of the UNESCO World Heritage Site

Würzburg Residence The Würzburg Residence (German: ''Würzburger Residenz'') is a palace in Würzburg, Germany. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt and Maximilian von Welsch, representatives of the Austrian/South German Baroque style, were involved in the construction, ...

, then drew up plans for a new church which incorporated the older chapel as the ''Alte Gnadenkapelle''. The foundation stone was laid on 5 April 1748. Construction took until 1750 but the interior furnishings were not finished until 1821. The new chapel was officially inaugurated only on 21 September 1824, due to earlier disruptions caused by securalization of 1803. However, the capuchins already began holding services in 1754. During the

Bombing of Würzburg in World War II The Bombing of Würzburg in World War II was a large-scale air attack on the city of Würzburg (in Franconia, in the north of Bavaria), and was part of the strategic bombing campaign by the Allies against Nazi Germany. Although lacking major ...

the chapel was damaged slightly.

Architecture

A way of the cross with 14

stations of the cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

marked by small chapels leads up to the ''Käppele''. These were based on an idea by Neumann, but completed only in 1799. The live-sized statue groups (77 figures) were created by Simon and Peter Wagner. The church's double-towered front and the roof with its cupolas and

roof lantern A roof lantern is a daylighting architectural element. Architectural lanterns are part of a larger roof and provide natural light into the space or room below. In contemporary use it is an architectural skylight structure. A lantern roof wil ...

s give it an unusual appearance that distinguishes it from the other churches of Würzburg. The interior features ceiling frescos by

Matthäus Günther Matthäus Günther (also Mathäus Günther) (7 September 1705 – 30 September 1788) was an important German painter and artist of the Baroque and Rococo era. Günther, who was born in Peissenberg (at that time: Tritschengreith), helped d ...

from 1752 and 1781 and

stucco work Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

Johann Michael Feuchtmayer the Elder Johann Michael Feuchtmayer (the Elder) (17 April 1666 (baptism) – 15 October 1713) was a German painter and copper engraver. Life and work He was born in Wessobrunn, into the famous Feuchtmayer family of Baroque artists associated with t ...

. The side altars date to 1768. The neoclassical high altar was made in 1799. The organ dates to 1752, made by Christian Köhler from Frankfurt (renovated in 1991). Votive offerings in the ''Mirakelgang'' reflect local devoutness and tastes of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Today

Apart from being a tourist attraction, the ''Käppele'' remains a popular pilgrimage site, especially at pentecost. The ''Käppele'' is administered by the ''Kirchenstiftung Käppele''. The attached monastery and the garden are property of the Capuchins, but they are trying to sell them to the

Diocese of Würzburg In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. In October 2014, the Capuchins left the ''Käppele''. It is now cared for by a

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

. As of October 2014, a renovation of the interior in two stages was planned within the next two years.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kappele Roman Catholic churches in Würzburg Rococo architecture in Germany