Heft 2 des Jahres 2023 beschäftigt sich mit dem Linzer Mariendom. Unter Verwendung neuen Archiv- und Fotomaterials wird dieser sowohl aus kunst- wie auch aus kulturhistorischer Sicht unter besonderem Augenmerk auf wichtige Ausstattungselemente, wie den Glasfenstern und Mosaiken sowie den öffentlichen Raum, beleuchtet. Nach einer stilistischen Einordnung durch Günther Buchinger und Tobias Lindorfer, interpretiert Anna Minta die (Neo)Gotik des Mariendoms als architektonisches und gesellschaftliches Reformprojekt. Danach wird von Michael Hager und Katrin Spindler auf die Bedeutung und den Wandel des öffentlichen Raums um den Dom eingegangen.
Markus Stickler analysiert die Linzer Dombauhütte als Schnittstelle von Mittelalter und Moderne und Ewald Volgger erläutert das ursprüngliche Raumkonzept und die jüngste liturgische Neugestaltung. Danach folgen kulturhistorische Betrachtungen zur Entstehung des Doms durch den Gründer Bischof Franz Joseph Rudigier und seiner Geisteshaltung von Nina Kogler und zu den Frauenbildern im Mariendom von Martina Resch. Christina Wais-Wolf widmet sich der Fensterausstattung mit Schwerpunkt auf die Restauriergeschichte. Auf die Restaurierung des Kapellenkranzes mit seinen Mosaiken geht Susanne Beseler ein und der abschließende Beitrag von Judith Wimmer ist den liturgischen Objekten des Mariendoms gewidmet.
One of Austria’s most important examples of neogothic
religious architecture from the nineteenth century, the
artistic design of Linz’s Mariendom (New Cathedral)
is the product of a complex combination of social
transitions and political changes within the Church,
as well as discussions in the arts, as analysed in this
article. The construction project was initiated by Bishop
Franz Joseph Rudigier, a disciple of clerical patriotism,
who commissioned Vincenz Statz, an architect and
stonemason trained in the Cologne cathedral workshop
(Dombauhütte) who had a practice-oriented approach
in the spirit of the Middle Ages. Congenially influenced
by the attitudes of late Romanticism, they ventured into
new artistic territory, crossing over the threshold to late
Viennese Historicism without abandoning their roots in
Romantic Historicism. The cathedral therefore stands
at an artistic junction that coincides with a historical
turning point for the Catholic church in Austria.
Der Linzer Mariendom und die (Neo)Gotik als architektonisches und gesellschaftliches Reformprojekt
Bishop Franz J. Rudigier took the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception as an opportunity to build a
monumental cathedral in Linz. In April 1855 he called
for a “beautiful and large temple in the Gothic or
Byzantine style”. Shortly afterwards the decision was
made in favour of the Gothic style. The article argues
that this stylistic decision was not only motivated by
matters of aesthetic taste; rather, the choice of the
Gothic (Revival) style was also part of efforts to pursue
an ambitious project of social reform. The cathedral’s
construction is indicative of an attempt at moral mobilisation
and social education in the spirit of Catholicism.
By employing the Gothic style, iconography and value
system which followed an idealised retrospective view
of the Middle Ages, the cathedral became the focal
point of a wide-reaching popular campaign for Christian
values and community. Catholic periodicals, consulted
as source materials, demonstrate that Gothic (Revival) architecture was used both as a stylistic device and
as a built vision for constructing Church and society.
(K)Ein Platz für das Denkmal. Untersuchung des öffentlichen Raumes am Beispiel des Mariendoms
An urban square along Herrenstrasse and Stifterstrasse
was chosen as the construction site for Linz’s Mariendom.
The cathedral was built at a time when the surrounding
quarter was already heavily developed, so this
decision posed many challenges for the planners. The
matter of creating a suitable plaza for the cathedral and
gaining access to the area became the subject of many
a design proposal. The management of the established
urban fabric surrounding the sacred building and its
historical holdings required a great deal of sensitivity.
As natural as the spacious cathedral plaza and the fact
that it is possible to walk around the building may seem
today, they are in fact the result of a decades-long
planning process that only reached its conclusion in
the recent past. During the 100th anniversary of the
cathedral’s consecration in 2024, the building’s history
continues to be written in a forward-looking way with
the addition of a new meeting place.
Die Linzer Dombauhütte als Schnittstelle von Mittelalter und Moderne
Against the backdrop of an idealistic and romanticised
attitude towards medieval construction workshops in
the nineteenth century, the Linz Cathedral Workshop
(Dombauhütte) was established on 5 May 1862 to mark
the construction of the Mariendom. As a strictly paternalistic
and hierarchical form of organisation, the Linz
Cathedral Workshop is analysed as an institution that
represents the conservative values of those in charge of
the construction project. The Linz Cathedral Workshop
repeatedly incorporated the latest technical tools into
the practice of building the Mariendom to cope with
the demands of this enormous construction project. In
this sense, and in the disputes relating to the workers’
movement that was emerging at the end of the nineteenth century, the Linz Cathedral Workshop reveals
itself to be an institution in which aspects of Modernism
and the Middle Ages reached their culmination.
Das ursprüngliche Raumkonzept des Linzer Mariendoms und die jüngste liturgische Neugestaltung
Conceived in the mid-nineteenth century, the original
interior concept for Linz’s Mariendom reflected the
Church’s requirements for places of worship and for
altar design. The cathedral was built in the sober
neogothic style, with only a few details changed at
a later date. The interior of the church is informed by
post-Tridentine Eucharistic theology, the contemporary
understanding of ministry, and the prevailing ecclesiology.
The reform by the Second Vatican Council brought
about a fundamental change in the understanding of
liturgy, and the Mariendom was redesigned in 2016
as a result. Following the model of the Church as
communion, the new design allocates space for the
assembled congregation and for ministries and services;
a new central section in a tri-polar arrangement has
also been created in the transept. The original interior
design was retained, but with new possibilities carved
out for the Liturgy of the Hours and the celebration of
the sacraments, as well as for the many varied forms
of liturgy.
“[...] Linz cathedral will serve as a monument to its founders for many centuries [...]”: Bishop Franz Joseph Rudigier and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Linz
In 1855 the Bishop of Linz, Franz Joseph Rudigier,
took the dogma of the Immaculate Conception as
an opportunity to start work on a colossal cathedral
construction project. Buoyed by devoted believers
and the political and social context of the nineteenth
century, as well as by the determination of the man
behind the project, a monument to the centuries was
created in the form of Linz’s Mariendom. Taking a look
behind the scenes of the building itself, this article
uncovers the historical context in which the Cathedral
of the Immaculate Conception was developed. It also
shines a light on the role of the cathedral’s founder,
Franz Joseph Rudigier.
Marianische Möglichkeitsräume. Der Mariendom und seine Frauen
One hundred years after its completion in 1924, the
Mariendom is being remembered once again. As a
virgin and a mother, the cathedral’s namesake Mary
was stylised into a model figure and served as an
example for women, who witnessed the construction
of this cathedral but have received scant attention to
date. Mary remains a key figure in the Christian faith
to this day. Her almost unparalleled image is used as
a projection for adhering to a social order based on a
binary construction of gender; but at the same time,
she serves as an inspirational figure that touches upon
the symbolic order of established power relations. It
is down to each generation to renegotiate what Mary
tells us and shows us about society and women today.
A contemporary art project zeros in on the images of
women in the Mariendom, opening up a Marian realm
of possibility in the process; as a space for critical
aesthetic discussion, the project addresses topical
questions of gender equality in art, the Church and
society.
Die Fensterausstattung des Linzer Mariendoms. Auf den Spuren vergangener Zerstörung und Wiederherstellung
Every era naturally leaves behind its “traces” on a work
of art, whether through the natural process of ageing
or as a result of unintentional destruction. In the case
of the stained-glass windows of Linz’s Mariendom, of
which there are more than seventy, the World War
II era left behind severe damage in places, including
the total loss of certain specimens. The windows in
the clerestory were made in the Tiroler Glasmalerei,
a stained glass and mosaic workshop in Innsbruck,
at various points in time (1884/85, after 1910, 1964).
The restoration work currently taking place makes it
possible to take a close look at the older windows, and
especially to study and document the interventions
that were carried out after 1945. In combination with
an analysis of contemporary source material obtained
from Linz’s diocesan archives, the article traces the
history of the destruction and restoration of this glazing
in great detail, also laying the all-important foundation
for all reconstruction-related questions that arise in the
course of the restoration project.
„Ganz schön bist du, Maria, und kein Makel ist an dir.“ Restauratorische Aspekte zur Ausstattung des Kapellenkranzes des Linzer Mariendoms
Not only is the apse chapel of Linz’s Mariendom one
of the cathedral’s architectural highlights, but it is also
a meticulously designed synthesis of the arts with its
decorative liturgical features on the altars and mosaic
blind windows. A comprehensive study of the nine high
altars and eight mosaics was carried out as part of a
restoration survey conducted in 2022. The objective,
in addition to examining the historical holdings, was to
identify any damage and assess the overall condition.
A concept for the historically appropriate preservation
of the structure was developed in consultation with the
Bishop Rudigier Foundation and the Austrian Federal
Monuments Office (Bundesdenkmalamt) based on the
findings, and this was followed by the exemplary restoration
of a chapel. Going beyond a purely restorationbased
perspective and taking into account materials,
surfaces and methods, this article hazards a look at the
décor of the apse chapel to create a greater awareness
of this cohesive, complex ensemble and to underline
its significance within the history of art.
„[…] der Kunst und dem Style gewissenhaft Rechnung getragen […]“. Liturgische Objekte des Linzer Mariendoms
In parallel to the construction of the neogothic Mariendom
in Linz, a wave of equipment consisting of liturgical
utensils and sacred textiles began to form. Like the
architecture itself, these items are closely based on
models from the Middle Ages. Their designs were by
and large penned by the master builders – most notably
Vinzenz Statz. The result is a uniformity of style and
iconography that comes close to the idea of the total
work of art. The objects produced in 1878 to mark the
25th episcopal anniversary of the cathedral’s founder,
Bishop Franz Joseph Rudigier, are the crowning glory in
the cathedral’s treasure chest. They were commissioned
to contractors throughout Austria and in Germany.
Funding was mainly provided by donations and foundations.
In terms of liturgical equipment, Gothic purism
only began to give way to a greater variety of styles in
the twentieth century.