Innsbruck Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of St. James (), is an eighteenth-century Baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Innsbruck in the city of Innsbruck, Austria, dedicated to the apostle Saint James, son of Zebedee. Based on designs by the architect Johann Jakob Herkomer, the cathedral was built between 1717 and 1724 on the site of a twelfth-century Romanesque church.Parsons 2000, p. 370. The interior is enclosed by three domed vaults spanning the nave, and a dome with lantern above the chancel.Maier 1998, p. 270. With its lavish Baroque interior, executed in part by the Asam brothers, St. James is considered among the most important Baroque buildings in the Tyrol.Caramelle 1987, p. 92.
Innsbruck Cathedral is notable for two important treasures. The painting Maria Hilf (Mary of Succor) by Lucas Cranach the Elder from c. 1530 is displayed above the main altar. It is considered among the most venerated Marian images in Christendom.Caramelle p. 3. The cathedral also contains in the north aisle the canopied tomb of Archduke Maximilian III of Austria, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, dating from 1620. The cathedral was heavily damaged during World War II, but was fully restored within a few years.
History The earliest reference to a church at the site of the cathedral dates back to 1180 in a document drawn up between the Counts of Andechs and the Premonstratensian Abbey at Wilton, authorizing the market to be moved from the left to the right bank of the Inn river, signifying the foundation of the old town of Innsbruck. The document specifically mentions an ecclesia in toro in reference to a church. In 1187, the Alte Innbrücke (Old Inn Bridge) was constructed along with the establishment of a market. The name Innsbruck was first used around this time.
Not much is known about this first Romanesque church, only that it was incorporated in Wilten Abbey. Subsequent documents mention the first church, but nothing is known of its appearance or the artistic decoration. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the church was repeatedly destroyed or damaged by fire and earthquakes, making it necessary to repair and rebuild several times.Caramelle pp. 3–4.
In 1438, Nicholas of Cusa donated significant funds to have the church completely enlarged. In 1472, the first sacristy inventory was conducted, enumerating large quantities of liturgical books, embroidered chasubles, monstrances, and chalices. In 1495, Albrecht Dürer created the first depiction of the church in a watercolor he made while on his way to Venice. The church is shown with a single spire behind the fortified walls of the city. The watercolor is now housed in the Albertina in Vienna.Caramelle p. 4.
During this time, St. James was most likely a three-aisled hall church, common at the time throughout southern Bavaria and the Alps. In 1551, St. James was rebuilt again, converted into a single-aisled hall-like church. The renovation included plans to house the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I. Under Archduke Ferdinand II, a number of notable artists worked on the church, including Jörg Ebert of Ravensburg who constructed a new organ in 1567, and Alexander Colyn who created the tabernacle of Obernberg marble in 1571.
In 1643, following a long struggle by the citizens of Innsbruck, St. James became the parish church, independent of Wilten.Caramelle p. 5. In 1650, the masterpiece Maria Hilf ("Mary of Succour") by Lucas Cranach the Elder was donated to St. James by Archduke Ferdinand Charles and entrusted to a well known Marien brotherhood.Caramelle pp. 5–6. During that period, the citizens of Innsbruck fought to have the old church demolished and replaced with a new one much safer against the many earthquakes that shook the area during that time.Caramelle p. 6. The ambitious building project had the support of notable secular and religious leaders. In December 1716, architect Johann Jakob Herkomer and his proposed design was selected, and on 12 May 1717, the foundation stone was laid, and within five months the foundation was completed. On 27 October 1717, Herkomer died suddenly, but he was replaced immediately by his nephew and first foreman, Johann Georg Fischer, who followed his uncle's plans, with only a few minor alterations.Caramelle pp. 6–7.
The dome and towers were completed on 16 November 1720, and two years later Cosmas Damian Asam of Munich was selected to decorate the ceiling with scenes from the life of Saint James. Asam was paid 3,500 guilders for his work, and his brother Egid Quirin Asam received 2,400 guilders for the stucco work.Caramelle p. 7. The new church was dedicated on 9 September 1724 by Kaspar Ignaz Count Kunigl, Prince Bishop of Brixen. The nobility and parishioners embraced the new building and donated generously to its completion. The imperial family also donated valuable votive gifts. On the occasion of the birth of her eldest son, Empress Maria Theresa donated a silver sculpture of a child in swaddling clothes, as well as festive vestments. The interior was finally completed in 1732.
St. James retained its general appearance throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In 1890, Albrecht Steiner von Felsburg was commissioned to undertake significant interior restoration. On 16 December 1944, St. James sustained major damage during the most severe air raid of Innsbruck in World War II.Caramelle pp. 7–8. The bombing resulted in the collapse of the vault, the damage of frescos and stucco, and the destruction of altars and paintings.Caramelle p. 8. Between 1946 and 1950, extensive restoration of the church took place.
In 1964, St. James was elevated to the status of the Cathedral of the Diocese of Innsbruck. In 1973, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of St. James' dedication, the façade of the cathedral was renewed. Between 1991 and 1993, comprehensive interior restoration was done to address all remaining war damage. On 24 October 1993 at the conclusion of the restoration, Bishop Reinhold Stecher dedicated the new altar and crypt.
Exterior
Innsbruck Cathedral, with its two bell towers and big dome, creates a dominant profile over the Altstadt (Old Town) skyline amidst the many green copper roofs in the town.
The facade, which faces west over the Pfarrplatz, is constructed of Hötting breccia and Hagau marble and is dominated by its two towers. The round arched wall niches in the concave curve of the façade contain limestone statues of saints from the Tyrol: Hartmann, Cassian, Ingenuin, Albuin, Notburga, Romedius, Magdalena of Austria, and Heinrich von Bozen. These statues were created between 1941 and 1960 by Hans Andre, who also created the statue of the Virgin in the façade gable and the equestrian statue of Saint James above it.
The ground plan of the structure is traditional and cruciform with two west towers, a twin-bayed nave, a semicircle transept, and a straight-ended choir, framed by the sacristy and two concluding passages. The nave and transept are covered by saucer domes completely decorated with frescos—the first time in the Tyrol where this decorative technique was used. Another unique element of the building is the placement of the dome above the choir, and not above the crossing which is customary. The architect Herkomer, who was known for bringing together "all the church beauty from German and Latin lands", chose a Renaissance approach by giving the church a unique architectural element that helped create a symbolic focus on the high altar and tabernacle—a focus later enhanced by the inclusion of the painting Maria Hilf.Caramelle pp. 8–9.
Interior
The cathedral interior projects a "severe monumentality" based on a series of heavy pillars that create a repeated triumphal arch motif.Caramelle p. 10. The pillars support the saucer domes that are in fact mock vaults consisting of flat wooden ceilings with concave moulding that spans the width of the interior. The segmented walls are divided by the pillars with marble lesenes on all sides. The powerful entablature is highly angulated and turns upwards above the windows creating links between the groups of windows.Caramelle pp. 10–11.
The high dome illuminates the choir and directs the eye toward the high altar, which takes up the entire width of the choir.Caramelle p. 11. The cathedral interior creates a "sweeping spacial unity", unlike the Baroque churches constructed in the Tyrol up to that time, which consisted of a tunnel vaulted nave of elongated multi-sectioned rooms with rows of chapels and galleries lining both sides. Herkomer rejected this partitioned design approach, and for the first time in the province, created an expansive interior with a spacial unity directed toward the domed choir and high altar.Caramelle p. 12.
The cathedral interior receives its characteristic appearance from the frescos that decorate the vaulting, with their color fully realized by the abundant natural light from the clear windows. The frescos were painted by Cosmas Damian Asam from Bavaria. Trained in Italy, Asam was the first south German artist to employ the technique of optical illusion to project endless space. The cycle of four frescos he created for the cathedral celebrate the life of Saint James, son of Zebedee, the patron of the church. In the main dome, Saint James is presented as a heavenly general with flag in hand, leading the Spanish Christian army against the Moors. The spandrels show the four evangelists, and the side arches feature angels with the attributes of Saint James. In the transept dome, Saint James is shown pointing to a Marian altar, urging the faithful to venerate the Virgin. In the fresco above the nave, the saint is shown interceding on behalf of suffering humanity. In the dome above the organ, the saint is presented as the intercessor for Innsbruck, the Tyrol, Austria, and the Catholic Church. The small spandrel paintings associated with each fresco show allegorical figures that reference the main frescos.
The stucco work by the artist's younger brother, Egid Quirin Asam, reflects the visual vocabulary of the Renaissance in both form and color, and supports the dominant presence of the paintings.Caramelle p. 13. In concert with the harmony achieved between the frescos and stucco, and between the natural light and color, the design of the floors and walls plays a special supporting role. Consisting of an imaginative display of geometric patterns, the marble floors of the cathedral—considered among the finest in Austria—were designed by Christoforo and Theodoro Benedetti from the Trentino region. They also designed the nine cathedral altars—all made entirely of multicolored Trentino and Veronese marble—as well as the pilasters in the nave, for which they chose Hague marble. The side galleries above the presbytery, with their gilded Rococo ornamentation, were added during the time of Empress Maria Theresa.Caramelle p. 19.
The cathedral has nine altars: the high altar, six side altars, and two small altars by the chancel arch. The high altar is the showpiece of the cathedral.Caramelle p. 16. Donated by Prince Bishop Count Künigl, the high altar is flanked by statues of Saint Ingenuin and Saint Albuin, the patron saints of the diocese of Brixen. The magnificent silver altar is one of the most outstanding examples of late Baroque craftsmanship in Austria.Caramelle p. 18. Donated by Elector Charles III Philip of the Palatine in 1712, this highly ornate tabernacle frame was enlarged in 1729 and 1750. On occasion it is adorned with silver busts of the church patrons and two Mannerist silver statuettes, created c. 1600 after a model by Hubert Gerhard.