Church of Saint George (Reichenau)

10th century Frescoes of the Church of St. George

The Church of Saint George is a part of a Benedictine monastery founded in 724 CE on the island of Reichenau on Lake Constance in southern Germany. This island is also home to the churches of Saint Mary and Marcus, and St. Peter and Paul. The Church of Saint George was built in the late 800's to house the relic head of Saint George, a gift from Pope Gregory II to commemorate a visit to Rome by Abbot Hoito in 896. The church is currently owned and run by the Catholic Church of Saint George Fund. The interior of the church is decorated with wall paintings depicting stories and characters from scripture, and was designed for those who dedicate their lives to prayer, worship, and devotion.

Frescoes

The Church of Saint George was built at the end of the 9th century, and the Frescoes were added nearly a century later. These wall paintings are an important example of artistic expression from the Middle Ages and are unique for their age and location. The frescoes of the Church of St. George are the only preserved and complete set of wall paintings north of the Alps from before the year 1000.

The nave Frescoes are divided into three pictorial zones, with the first and lowest zone being located between the nave and the arches, the second zone located above the arches, and the third and highest portion located above the windows. The first panel depicts the monasteries at Island Reichenau. The second, and most researched, zone portrays the miracles of Christ. The third panel depicts the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles.

Each fresco details a specific story from the life of Christ. Descriptive inscriptions, or Tituli accompany the paintings.

The eight miracles and their Titular (translated into English)

1. The Healing of the Demon-Possessed Man (Mark 5:1-19) “The demon is driven out, which bears the name Legion. Then [the demons] enter the swine. They throw themselves into the open sea”
2. The Healing of a Man with Dropsy (Luke 14:1-11) “A man with dropsy comes straight toward the path and is healed. He goes there loaded. He returns freed of the burden.”
3. The Calming of the Windstorm on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:23-27) “God sleeps in his bodily form; east and south wind in particular break loose. With sovereign power he gives the command. Wind and water are calm.”
4. The Healing of the Man Born Blind (John 9:1-38) “Here the one born without light is anointed with saliva and clay and…” (the remainder of the inscription is unreadable due to partial destruction).
5. Healing of a Leper (Matthew 8:1-13) “... thankfully gives…” (inscription mostly destroyed)
6. Raising of the Young Man of Nain (Luke 7:11-16) “Dead one, rise quickly, and by rising and at the same time saying, return to life!/ And so drive away all sadness of your widowed mother!”
7. The Daughter of Jairus Restored to Life and a Sick Woman Healed (Matthew 9:18-26) “See, the faith of the ruler encourages you, Jesus, to say,/ By the power of [my] force I want to,/ ‘Magdalena now arise’!”
8. Lazarus Raised from the Dead (John 11:1-45) “Lazarus, come forth!,you who have already been buried four days!/ ‘Leave the delay in death.’: Thus speaks the Father’s image.”

UNESCO

The whole island of Reichenau was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. According to UNESCO, the island, including the frescoes of the Church at St. George, are protected based on the following criteria: The remains bear witness to the role of Medieval Benedictine monasteries, they are a strong example of monastic architecture in Central Europe from the 9th to 11th centuries, and they held great artistic significance in Europe during the same time period.

Restoration and recent damage

Since their discovery in 1856, the paintings have faded quite significantly. After being uncovered between 1856 and 1857, it was declared that the paintings, specifically those depicting the life of Christ, should and would be preserved in an authentic state and not restored, so as to not lose their historic and artistic value. The Swiss technique of Bildtapeten, or picture wallpaper, were introduced to the church as a way of having a clean mural for visitors to observe without having to restore the original work. The Bildtapeten could be raised and lowered from a mechanism installed in  the ceiling, depending on who was in the building. For example, the Bildtapeten would be lowered for mass and visiting hours to give a complete picture of the paintings, but raised to reveal the original frescoes when art historians and other experts came to research and inspect the wall paintings. The academic painter Carl Ph. Schilling began creating and installing the Bildtapeten in 1889 and completed them in 1891. In 1909 the Bildtapeten of St. George were removed after a part of the mechanism had broken down. A restoration that included partial repainting and artificial patination was completed by Victor Mezger between 1921 and 1922.

The rise in visitors to the church in the last few decades has led to the paintings being damaged, calling for a need to closely monitor the state of the paintings. The increase in the number of visitors every year has actually caused a climate change in the church itself. With more bodies entering the church, there is an increase in the humidity and pollution levels. The humidity and pollution have created an environment ideal for the growth of mold and bacteria, which have caused severe damage to the frescoes.

The current damage is being monitored by Landesamt für Denkmalpflege, alongside the University of Stuttgart, Institute for Materials of Architecture. These groups state that the data they collect includes “indoor climate, microclimate impacts, air motion, influence of radiation, and influence of visitation on the microclimate.” This data will help support new ideas to regulate the indoor climate, including controlling visitor access. This could include limiting the number of visitors allowed into the church at one time, limiting the number of daily visitors, and decreasing open hours.