Monastic Island of Reicheneau - UNESCO: World Heritage

Handbuch der deutschen Kunstdenkmäler / Reichenau - English Summary Add. 3
heads) point to a strong local tradition already
well documented by excavations and written
sources and reaching back to the 8th century.
The imposing figures of the apostles set
between the clerestory windows and the
topmost meander frieze are late 19th century,
but formally they are very close to the
originals, still visible at the time. - The mixedtechnique
murals on the eastern wall of the
crypt were discovered in 1969 and uncovered
in 1989/90. Each of the two arches flanking
the central niche and window features a
Crucifixion with an attendant saint; the one in
the right-hand painting has been tentatively
identified as St. George. In both murals the
figure of Christ is under life-size, and entirely
contained within the outline of the cross; the
lines are very similar, but the right-hand
figure is the more sophisticated. It is likely
that altars were once placed beneath both
paintings. The murals are somewhat later than
the crypt itself, as proved by damage and dirt
on the plaster underneath; comparison with
local illuminations suggests they were created
around 980. - The entire eastern wall of St.
Michael’s Chapel on the first floor of the
antechurch is taken up by a Parusie, a
depiction of the Last Judgment. Christ in a
mandorla set on the summit of Mount Zion
takes up the centre, enthroned on a rainbow
and displaying his stigmata. To the right is
Mary (also interpreted as a personification of
Ecclesia triumphans), to the left an angel
bearing a cross (depicted as an arbor vitae).
The remaining space is structured by three
horizontal bands of color. The topmost
register features four angels, two of them
holding instruments of the Passion, the others
playing the tube. Underneath, the apostles are
enthroned on richly decorated benches, and
at the bottom the resurrected are rising from
their graves. The Parusie of Oberzell is of
paramount importance as it is the earliest
monumental rendering of the Last Judgment
to survive. It dates from the first half of the
11th century. A niche cut into the wall
features an early 14th century Crucifixion; the
niche with its sculpted canopy served as a
retable at a time when an altar was placed
against the wall. The striking homogeneity of
the 11th and 14th century coloration might
suggest that the Last Judgment was brightened
up during the 14th century. Today much of
the color has been lost to time and chemical
processes. - The northwestern anta of the nave
features a moralizing 14th century mural
warning against the proverbial gossiping of
women. - The pre-1000 mensa of the high
altar, a massive slab resting on a plain stone
box, is among the oldest in Germany.
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