St. Nikolaus: A Late Gothic Filial Church in Füssen
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.2
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page11 sections
History
St. Nikolaus is a Catholic filial church in Füssen, Germany, located in the district of Oberkirch. Dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, the fourth-century Christian bishop traditionally associated with charity and gift-giving, it was built as a late Gothic church during the first half of the fifteenth century and is now a protected historic monument.
Late Gothic origins
The church first appears in written records in 1420. Much of the present building belongs to its fifteenth-century construction, preserving the pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and vertical character associated with the later phase of medieval Gothic architecture. Medieval wall paintings in the choir survive mainly from the second half of the fifteenth century.
Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century changes
The interior was remodeled in 1617 in the early Baroque style, a seventeenth-century artistic language that reshaped the church’s furnishings and decoration. The date is marked on the chancel arch. The north side, which originally had no windows, probably received its windows during this remodeling. The altars and pulpit were installed in 1665, while a gallery was added at the west end of the nave during the seventeenth century.
In 1765, the church tower was heightened with an octagonal stage and an onion dome. These changes gave the medieval building a later upper structure while leaving its principal late Gothic form largely intact. The church therefore preserves several distinct phases, from its fifteenth-century construction and paintings to its Baroque interior and eighteenth-century tower addition.
Remains
Church plan and tower
St. Nikolaus has a single nave with a flat wooden ceiling. At its eastern end, the five-sided closed choir has pointed-arch windows and a cross-ribbed vault, a ceiling supported by intersecting stone ribs. A low square bell tower stands at the northern angle of the choir. Its later octagonal upper stage is divided by blind panels, recessed decorative panels that do not open through the wall, and includes large sound openings with rounded upper and lower ends. An onion dome crowns the stage.
Medieval paintings and devotional sculpture
Late Gothic wall paintings remain in the choir. The chancel arch carries an image of Saint Nicholas, foliage decorates the choir vault, and the keystone shows the saint with three golden balls, his traditional artistic attribute derived from legends of his generosity. Painted consecration crosses survive on the walls. On the north wall of the nave, painted putti, probably from the seventeenth century, surround the crucifix and appear to catch the blood from the wounds of the crucified figure in chalices.
Opposite the pulpit stands a late Gothic crucifix dating to around 1500. Two angel figures holding candles beneath it belong to approximately the same period. The Stations of the Cross consist of eighteenth-century paintings on wood.
Gallery and Baroque furnishings
The west gallery has a painted parapet whose panels depict the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, together with Saint Joachim, Anna selbdritt, an image of Saint Anne with the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, and the Coronation of Mary. The wood-carved pulpit bears the date 1660, and an arm holding a cross projects from its parapet.
Altars
High altar
The high altar was made by the Füssen sculptor Andreas Steinheubl, and its consecration inscription gives the date 1655. Gabriel Neckher’s wooden altarpiece presents the Crucifixion with Mary and John. Its side wings show Saint Ulrich of Augsburg and Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg, while the upper section depicts Saint Nicholas with his three golden balls. The predella, the raised base beneath the main image, contains a Pietà with Mary Magdalene, Saint Veronica with the Veil of Veronica, and angels holding the instruments traditionally associated with Christ’s suffering and crucifixion.
Northern side altar
Franz Steinheubl, the son of Andreas Steinheubl, made the northern side altar around 1660. Its altarpiece by Gabriel Neckher depicts the Nativity, with the Annunciation above and the Adoration of the Magi in the predella. Smaller side scenes show Saint Magnus of Füssen with a dragon at his feet and Saint Martin, bishop of Tours, with a beggar.
Southern Marian altar
Hans Peter Schonger made the southern side altar in 1661. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title Help of Mary, a devotional image emphasizing her aid and intercession. An inscription along the upper edge gives the date 1661 and invokes Mary, while a prayer-like text along the lower edge is now barely legible. Gabriel Neckher painted God the Father in the upper section. The predella represents souls in purgatory, with Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine of Siena praying the rosary on either side.
