Parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The Roman Catholic parish church of Schwaz, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, is located in the heart of the district seat of Schwaz in the state of Tyrol.The parish church is part of the Innsbruck diocese’s Schwaz deanery.The church is one of the most notable holy Gothic structures in Tyrol and one of Europe’s few four-aisled churches.

The Features of the Parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The Parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a remarkable example of the late Gothic architecture and art in Tyrol, and has many features that are worth admiring and exploring. Some of the features are:

The Exterior: The church has a striking and imposing exterior, with a red-tiled roof, a white facade, and a 63-meter-high tower. The facade has three portals, each with a tympanum and a relief depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. The main portal also has a statue of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus, flanked by two angels. The tower has a clock, a sundial, and a spire with four pinnacles and a cross. The tower also has a carillon of 12 bells, which play melodies every quarter of an hour.
The Interior: The church has a spacious and bright interior, with three naves and a choir, separated by octagonal pillars and pointed arches. The church has a ribbed vaulted ceiling, with Gothic frescoes depicting the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. The church also has stained glass windows, some of which date back to the 15th century, and show scenes from the Old and New Testaments, as well as the coats of arms of the donors and the guilds of Schwaz. The church also has a wooden gallery, which runs along the side walls and the choir, and provides a view of the nave and the altar.
The Altars: The church has 10 altars, each with a different theme and style. The main altar is the most impressive and elaborate, and was built in 1739 by the sculptor Bartolomeo Eder. The main altar has a marble base, a wooden frame, and a gilded canopy, and is decorated with statues, reliefs, and paintings. The main altar shows the scene of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, surrounded by angels and saints. The main altar also has a painting of the Last Supper by Josef Kramolín, and a tabernacle with a statue of Christ. The other altars are dedicated to various saints and topics, such as St. Anne, St. Barbara, St. Sebastian, St. Roch, St. Anthony, the Holy Cross, the Holy Trinity, the Holy Family, and the Rosary.
The Organs: The church has two organs, one in the choir and one in the gallery. The choir organ was built in 1740 by the organ builder Johann Georg Gröber, and has 25 registers and a Baroque case. The choir organ is used for liturgical purposes and for concerts. The gallery organ was built in 1898 by the organ builder Franz Reinisch, and has 40 registers and a Neo-Gothic case. The gallery organ is used for festive occasions and for accompaniment of the choir and the congregation.

History of the Parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

In 1337, the church was referred to as Liebfrauenkirchen in a document.A chaplain was appointed in 1442.The Liebfrauenkirche was too small for the settlement of around 3000 people as early as 1460.A prior expansion, was out in 1429 according to the mountain chronicle, proved inadequate.The laying of the foundation stone in 1460 required a significant amount of construction effort.On March 6, 1465, there was an early consecration in the shell.

After its initial fire in 1429, the original church structure was repaired, extended, and dedicated in 1432.The second church was erected on the site of the former church from 1460 to 1478 as a hall church with a four-bay, three-aisled nave.The chancel had three bays and was severely constrained.Between the nave and the choir lies the north tower.In 1478, Hans Mitterndorfer and his son Gilg finished the church. The north choir wall and the north nave walls have been retained in their original shape to this day.

The third phase of church building began around 1490. The huge population expansion induced by the migration from the Schwaz silver mine necessitated the construction of a bigger church.The ideas for this expansion were created by Munich master builder and sculptor Erasmus Grasser, and the building was overseen by Christof Raichartiger.It was decided to build a hall church with two naves, two aisles, and two choirs.The nave was extended from four to six bays, and the west facade received a new design.They support five buttresses that rise to nearly half the height and blend into pilaster strips.The pediment is completed by thirteen tiny towers representing Christ and the apostles.Acornice framed the market clock with firmament and moon phase.Four coats of arms surround the clock face.The coats of arms are those of Austria, Tyrol, Schwaz, and the Tänzl family of businessmen, from top left to bottom right.Two main gateways with geometric branchwork and four lion handles were cast in Nuremberg in 1512. The center pillar has a life-size figure of Mary and Child.Erasmus Grasser drew inspiration for the west façade from the ancient Munich town hall.

Master carpenter Thomas Schweinebacher erected a five-story roof structure between 1503 and 1518.Meanwhile, the sacristy was erected between 1505 and 1508, and the north tower was enlarged between 1509 and 1513, following to the plans of Ausburg tower builder Burkhart Engelbert.These were carried out by Jakob Zwitzel and Konrad Vogel, the latter of whom was also in charge of the building of the west gallery (1515–1520).

The church was damaged on Friday, April 28, 2023, between 12 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.Blue paint was splattered over the stone floor in front of the altar, as well as the number 6 on a confessional’s glass door.The content is regarded as diabolical.

Architecture of the Parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The nave’s western gable front features five buttresses at the corners, two channeled doorways to the two central aisles, two tracery windows, and 13 pilaster strips and battlements.The market clock, built in 1502, stands in the center of the west front. Wilhelm Götz installed a new clockwork in 1582.Michael Gasser sculpted the crescent moon Madonna in the Patrona Bavariae style on the center pillar circa 1650. A stair tower from 1534 is joined to the gallery at the right end of the west front and has a copper hood.The nave’s longitudinal walls have stepped buttresses, a window cornice, and a painted roof frieze.The two choirs have the identical façade construction, with the exception of triangular pilaster strips for buttresses.Two buttresses are placed across the corner of the southern sacristy addition at the transition from the nave to the choir.The huge four-story north tower is located in the northern choir corner of the nave; the structure of the bell storey is characterized by pointed-arch blind pilaster strips and sound windows with tracery; above is a balustrade with corner branches; the tower has an eight-sided helmet with a pointed turret.

The church’s roof is made up of 15,000 copper plates.Two massive treadmills maintained since 1518 may still be seen in the roof truss.Today, the church mostly depicts the 1490 enlargement. The nave is split into two major naves and two side naves: to the north, the civil naves with choir, and to the south, the mining relations’ naves with choir (miners’ ships).

Two new major altars for the two choirs were erected in the early Baroque style around the beginning of the 18th century.Götzner Jakob Singer designed the complete interior from 1728 to 1730.Small murals depicting Mary’s life were also produced in the 18th century by Franz Michael Hueber and Johann Georg Höttinger the Elder.

The Gothic interior, which originally housed twelve altars, was eventually demolished in 1787.The interior of the church was only re-Gothicized in 1908.Almost all of the baroque altars were demolished.The Gothic ribs have been refinished.The neo-Gothic high altar was constructed in 1913.Lower Bavaria and Swabia influences can be noticed throughout the construction, which may be linked to mining and numerous benefactors from southern Germany.Only a little portion of the original interior has survived.

In 1500, a new high altar was commissioned from Veit Stoss in Nuremberg following the new building and extension of the church.The shrine’s carved winged altar depicted the Assumption of Mary and the apostles watching over her.This altar was replaced in 1648/52 by an early baroque altar with a painted altarpiece of the Ascension, but below it took over Veit Stoss’ group of apostles.Michael Gasser made the remaining sculptures.Instead of this altar, Eberhard Zobelwas created a simple neoclassical altar in 1805, and the side sculptures of St. Ingenuin and Albuin took over from the baroque altar.Joseph Schöpf created the Assumption of Mary altarpiece, which presently rests on the interior wall of the tower.

The current high altar was built during the Gothic renaissance of 1911-1913.The design was created by Josef Schmid, and the architectural work was completed by Stans altar builder Ludwig Plattner.The shrine’s winged altar depicts the Assumption of Mary, with reliefs of the four evangelists on the wings.In the ruins are statues of Christ Pantocrator flanked by Moses and Elijah, as well as predella reliefs of biblical spies and manna showers.Alois Winkler made all of these sculptures.Franz Kobald created the sculptures of St. Sebastian and Martin on the left and right of the altar.Emanuel Raffeiner painted scenes on the outside of the wings depicting St. Dominikus and the Brixen diocesan patrons Kassian, Ingenuin, and Albuin in front of the Rosary Queen and below the four great Western Church Fathers.Jakob Rappel, a goldsmith, created the gilded and partially silvered tabernacle.

Schwaz, Austria