A Visit to Innsbruck (4): Kapuzinerkirche and Spitalskirche

The rather unassuming facade of the Capuchin church in the center Innsbruck, the Kapuzinerkloster, might cause one to pass right by it, and yet I have been told that this is the first church of the Order in the German-speaking part of Europe. It was endowed by Archduke Ferdinand II and his second wife Anna Katharina Gonzaga in 1593. The hermitage of Archduke Maximilian III was built onto the north side of the church in 1615. Appropriated by the Nazis in 1940, the monastery was re-established after the War. (Notes adapted from the sign posted outside the monastery.) In keeping with Franciscan poverty combined with postconciliar austerity, the church is quite plain, but it houses a treasure: a second painting of Our Lady by Lucas Cranach the Elder, this one of the nursing Madonna.

The altar piece is unusual.

Two Capuchin martyrs from the Missions

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A Visit to Innsbruck (1): The "Mariahilf" Icon of Cranach: A Protestant's Contribution to Marian Iconography

Right at the end of June and the beginning of July, I had the pleasure of spending a few days with a friend in the city of Innsbruck, Austria, where I had never been before. He wanted to share with me the cultural and religious treasures of his town. I was deeply impressed. As with every other place in Austria, Innsbruck is permeated with the monuments and the spirit of Catholicism. In a number of installments I will share with NLM readers the best and most interesting things I got to see there.

Today's article will focus on the cathedral church of Innsbruck, the Domkirche St. Jakob, which was rebuilt in the years 1717-1724 in the Baroque manner according to plans by Jakob Herkomer aus Fuessen and since 1964 has been the cathedral of the Diocese of Innsbruck.

In the sanctuary, directly above the high altar, stands the famous Mariahilf icon, a beloved painting by Lukas Cranach the Elder (1472-1563), which is considered the city's patroness (as we would say in English, Our Lady, Help of Christians).

 

 

(This last one is from Wikimedia Commons)

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