Hofkirche Innsbruck

The Hofkirche Innsbruck, or the Court Church of Innsbruck, is a Roman Catholic church that stands as a testament to the legacy of Emperor Maximilian I and his successors. Located in the heart of Innsbruck, on the outskirts of the old town, the Hofkirche is also known as the Franciscan Church or the Schwarzmander Church, after the 28 black bronze statues that surround the emperor’s cenotaph. The church was built between 1553 and 1563 by Emperor Ferdinand I, Maximilian’s grandson, to house the magnificent tomb that Maximilian had commissioned for himself during his lifetime. The church is also the final resting place of other notable figures from Tyrolean history, such as Andreas Hofer, the leader of the Tyrolean Rebellion against Napoleon, and Philippine Welser, the morganatic wife of Archduke Ferdinand II. The Hofkirche is one of the five homes of the Tyrolean State Museums and is attached to the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum, which showcases the rich cultural heritage of the region.

The Cenotaph of Emperor Maximilian I

The most striking feature of the Hofkirche is the cenotaph of Emperor Maximilian I, who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 to 1519. Maximilian was a visionary ruler who expanded his territories through diplomacy and warfare, and who initiated a series of reforms that laid the foundations for the modern state. He was also an avid patron of the arts and sciences, and a lover of chivalry and hunting. He had a grand vision of his own legacy, and he planned to build a splendid tomb for himself in the St. George’s Chapel of the castle at Wiener Neustadt, where he was born. However, his ambitious project was never completed, and he was buried in a simple grave at the fortress of Wiener Neustadt.

His grandson, Emperor Ferdinand I, decided to honor his grandfather’s wishes and transferred the unfinished tomb to Innsbruck, where he built a new church to accommodate it. The cenotaph consists of a marble sarcophagus with a bronze effigy of Maximilian lying on top, surrounded by 24 marble reliefs depicting scenes from his life. The sarcophagus is flanked by four bronze statues of his four wives: Mary of Burgundy, Anne of Brittany, Bianca Maria Sforza, and Margaret of Austria. The cenotaph is also guarded by 28 larger-than-life bronze statues of Maximilian’s ancestors, relatives, and heroes, such as King Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon, and Rudolf of Habsburg. These statues are known as the Schwarzmander, or the black men, because of their dark patina. They were cast by various artists, such as Peter Vischer, Hans Leinberger, and Gilg Sesselschreiber, between 1502 and 1555. The cenotaph is considered one of the finest examples of Renaissance sculpture in Europe, and a masterpiece of imperial propaganda.

The Silver Chapel and the Tomb of Philippine Welser

Adjacent to the Hofkirche is the Silver Chapel, a smaller chapel that was built by Archduke Ferdinand II, the son of Emperor Ferdinand I, as a burial place for himself and his wife Philippine Welser. Philippine Welser was a noblewoman from Augsburg, who married Ferdinand in a secret ceremony in 1557. Their marriage was morganatic, meaning that it was unequal in social status, and that their children could not inherit their titles or lands. Philippine Welser was a remarkable woman who was well-educated, skilled in medicine, and interested in alchemy. She was also a patron of the arts and a benefactor of the poor. She died in 1580, and Ferdinand had her buried in the Silver Chapel, which he commissioned from the court architect Hans Lucchese. The chapel was enlarged in 1587, and Ferdinand was buried there in 1595.

The Silver Chapel is named after the silver altar that dominates the interior. The altar features a silver-driven Madonna with a crown and a scepter, and four silver emblems representing the virtues of Philippine Welser: a unicorn for chastity, a pelican for charity, a phoenix for immortality, and a salamander for endurance. The chapel is divided into two chambers by a lattice. In the front chamber, there are two marble tombs of Ferdinand and Philippine, sculpted by Alexander Colin. The tombs are decorated with allegorical figures and scenes from their lives. In the back chamber, there is an Italian organ from 1580, with almost entirely wooden pipes. The organ is known as the Organo di legno, and it is one of the oldest and most valuable organs in the world. The Silver Chapel was restored in 1993 and 1998 by Pierpaolo Donati and Jürgen Ahrend.

The Heroes of Tyrol and Other Burials

The Hofkirche is not only a monument to the Habsburg dynasty, but also to the heroes of Tyrol, who fought for their freedom and independence. The most famous of them is Andreas Hofer, who led the Tyrolean Rebellion against the French and Bavarian occupation in 1809. Hofer was a peasant leader and a devout Catholic, who rallied the Tyrolean militia against the invaders. He won several battles, but was eventually captured and executed by Napoleon’s forces in Mantua. His bones were brought back to Tyrol in 1823, and he was buried in the Hofkirche, where his monument stands in the left aisle. The monument was designed by the painter Johann Martin Schermer, and it depicts Hofer in his traditional costume, holding a rifle and a crucifix. Hofer is revered as a national hero and a symbol of Tyrolean identity.

Other burials in the Hofkirche include Hofer’s comrades, such as Josef Speckbacher, Joachim Haspinger, and Kajetan Sweth, who also fought in the rebellion. Hofer’s grandson, Joseph, who died at the Battle of Goito in 1848, is also buried here. Another notable burial is that of Katharina Loxan, an aunt of Philippine Welser, who died in 1582. Her tomb is located above the stairs to the Silver Chapel, and it was sculpted by Alexander Colin. The wrought iron gate that leads to the tomb was designed by Paulus Kien.

The Architecture and Art of the Hofkirche

The Hofkirche is a three-aisled hall church, with a nave and two side aisles. The church was designed by Andrea Crivelli, a Trento architect, and built by Nikolaus Türing the Younger, a master builder from Memmingen. Türing’s grandfather had built the Golden Roof, the famous landmark of Innsbruck. After Türing’s death, the construction was continued by Marx della Bolla. The church has a Renaissance façade, with a portal that was carved by the stonemasons Hieronymus de Longhi and Anton del Bon. The portal features statues of St. James and St. Christopher, the patron saints of pilgrims and travelers, and reliefs of the Annunciation and the Coronation of the Virgin.

The interior of the church is mostly Baroque, as it was renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries. The high altar was built between 1755 and 1758, according to a design by Nikolaus von Pacassi, a Viennese court architect. The altar is flanked by two lead cast sculptures of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Theresa of Avila, made by Balthasar Ferdinand Moll, a court artist from Innsbruck. The altar also has a painting of the Crucifixion by Martin Knoller, a Tyrolean painter. The church has several side altars, dedicated to various saints and themes, such as the Holy Cross, the Holy Family, the Immaculate Conception, and the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The church also has a rich stucco work, mostly from the late 17th century, and a wooden ceiling, painted with scenes from the life of Christ.

Innsbruck, Austria