Monastic Island of Reicheneau - UNESCO: World Heritage

In the late 11 th and early 12 th century the preserved transeptless
basilica with nave and two aisles was re-built and
decorated in several stages as a collegiate church. The preserved
roof was put on not much after 1134. As a parish
church St. Peter and Paul’s at Niederzell received rich baroque
and rococo furnishings, which are preserved in the nave
to a large extent.
Oberzell
At the eastern end of the island Abbot Heito III (888-891)
founded a church, St. George’s, which he consecrated in
896. In the same year, as a companion of Emperor Arnulf in
Rome he acquired the head of Saint George as a relic. Possibly
he had planned for his entombment in this church; in
891 he had become archbishop of Mainz and had taken on
numerous high offices and abbeys.
The first church building can be reconstructed as a cruciform
aisleless church with two side conchas (“trefoil-shaped
plan”) (partly preserved). Before or not long after 896 the
church was re-built to a large extent. It was planned to keep
the side conchas, to built a crypt and add a nave with two
aisles. Structural problems required early changes in planning,
so today’s church is a basilica with a colonnade, a
crypt, constructed as a combination of gallery and hall, a
raised crossing with two transverse arms, half-round in the
west and square in the east, and a chancel. Parts of the figured
and ornamental decoration of the 10 th century in the
transverse arms, chancel and crypt of this church are preserved.
The monumental cycle of eight miracle scenes from
the New Testament in the nave is the most important work
of Ottonian wall painting north of the Alps from the viewpoint
of iconography, style and technique.
In the 10 th or early 11 th century the western apse with its
portal and a porch were added, also furnished with wallpaintings.
More recent changes were the raising of the crossing
tower in 1385, the construction of a lectern (remains
of the reliefs are preserved) and the crossing vault around
1435; the transverse arms became sacristies. In the course
of baroque re-furnishings the west apse was redecorated
(1708) and later the clerestory windows were extended. The
then distempered frescos were uncovered in 1879–82.
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