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The Hofkirche Innsbruck

The Hofkirche (Court Church) is a Gothic church located in the Altstadt (Old Town) section of Innsbruck, Austria.The church was built in 1553 by Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) as a memorial to his grandfather Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), whose cenotaph within boasts a remarkable collection of German Renaissance sculpture

The Habsburg Emperor Maximilian I (1459 - 1519), ruler of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, made Innsbruck the center of his empire. Alongside major reforms, Emperor Maximilian I also left behind prestigious buildings that serve as a reminder of his person and, above all, of his power

During his lifetime he commissioned plans for his own monumental sepulcher complete with an impressive (partly fictitious) ancestral gallery in the form of 40 larger-than-life bronze figures (200-250 cm)

The cenotaph is surrounded by 24 marble reliefs depicting his accomplishments, as well as 28 larger-than-life-size statues (200-250 cm) of ancestors (including King Arthur of England), relatives and heroes. Their creation took place between 1502-1555 and occupied a number of artists

Duchess Cunegond of Bavaria (1465 – 1520)Cunegond was the only sister of Maximilian I and wife of Archduke Albrecht IV of Bavaria

The Bronze statue of Duchess Cunegond of Bavaria has a height of 208 cm

Duchess Mary of Burgundy, Queen Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol and Duchess Cunegond of Bavaria (from left to right)

Duchess Mary of Burgundy, who was believed to be one of the most beautiful women of her time, the first wife of Emperor Maximilian I, was the daughter and single child of Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy

Duchess Mary of Burgundy (1457 – 1482)

Duchess Mary of Burgundy died at an early age in

consequence of a hunting accident

followed by a miscarriage

They say, Maximilian could never cope with her early death. He has published in memory of his beloved first wife the story of his courtship and Brautfahrt in Theuerdank with epic verses in 1517

Duchess Zimburgis of Masovia The Polish princess was the grandmother of Maximilian and the wife of Ernst, „The Iron Duke“ (1377 – 1424), who like her son, Emperor Friedrich III (1415 – 1493), became part of the funeral procession.

Duchess Zimburgis of Masovia

It is told that the lady was extremely

strong despite her pettiness in the

execution, which can not be hidden by the opulent drapery of

her cape and puffed up sleeves as well as the roomy skirt. She would have

been able to bend horseshoes by her hand, to crack nuts with her fingers, to drive nails into the wall with her bare

hand, to pull out iron nails from the wall with her bare hand and much more are

telling us the legends

In the course of a journey in 1519, the Emperor died in the castle of Wels before his plans for his own monumental sepulcher were realized, and he was buried in the Wiener Neustadt, the town of his birth. Unfortunately it proved impractical to construct there the large memorial

His grandson Emperor Ferdinand I planned the construction of a new church and monastery in Innsbruck as a suitable memorial; the Hofkirche, which was built between 1553 and 1563. In 1584, under the auspices of Archduke Ferdinand II, the cenotaph was finally completed.

Four women are holding an open book in their left hand (the right hand is reserved for holding the candle), one of them is apparently reading in her open (prayer ?) book

Elizabeth Princess of Carinthia of

Gorizia -Tyrol (1262 – 1313)

was the daughter of

Count Meinhard II of Gorizia -

Tyrol and Elizabeth of Bavaria. She married the

Habsburg King Albrecht I, the

son of King Rudolf

Queen Elizabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol gave birth to 21 children and so became the ancestress of the Habsburg. She is to be considered as a strong-minded character with some interest on pragmatic political and economic affairs which tasks she did solve independently and successfully. The salt production in Hallstatt she did promote considerably

Queen Elizabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol When in 1308 her husband, Albrecht I, was murdered because of probate dispute in the Habsburg family she pushed her claim of the punishment of the murders. Though as a queen Elizabeth had determined successfully the Habsburg policy, she went into the cloister Königsfelden, which she had built on the spot where her husband had been murdered

The complete construction of

the cenotaph and the figures took

more than 80 years

Elisabeth von Luxemburg,

Duchess Mary of Burgundy and

Queen Elizabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol

Text and pictures: Internethttp://www.readingwoman.org/en/cols/2008/11.htmlCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela

Sound: Ludwig van Beethoven - The Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 2016