Silent Night Chapel | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
Location | |
Location | Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria |
Geographic coordinates | 47°56′44″N12°56′11″E / 47.9455°N 12.9364°E |
Architecture | |
Groundbreaking | 1924 |
Completed | 1937 |
Website | |
www |
The Silent Night Chapel (German : Stille-Nacht-Kapelle) is located in the town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg in the Austrian province of Salzburg, and is a monument to the Christmas carol "Silent Night", its lyricist Joseph Mohr, and its composer Franz Xaver Gruber. The chapel stands on the site of the former Nikolauskirche, where on 24 December 1818, the Christmas carol was performed for the first time. [1] [2]
The Catholic Nikolauskirche was damaged several times in the 1890s by flooding of the Salzach river, especially by the 1899 flood that severely impacted the Altach district and destroyed a large part of the town. This led to the decision that the whole of Oberndorf, including the parish church of St. Nicholas, would need to be rebuilt about 800 meters (0.5 mile) upstream. [3]
Due to the high cost of repairs and the continued risk of flooding, the damaged St. Nicholas Church was not repaired. Instead, it was replaced in 1906 with a church in the new town center. In 1913 the old parish church was demolished and only a debris cone marked the location where the now-famous Christmas song was first performed.[ citation needed ]
The 100th anniversary of the song in December 1918 fell at a difficult time immediately after World War I. [4] Still, many of the citizens of Oberndorf wanted to honor the message of peace created by Mohr and Gruber. Begun in 1924, construction of a memorial chapel proceeded slowly under the difficult political and economic conditions of the First Austrian Republic. The chapel was eventually completed on 15 August 1937, the Feast of the Assumption. The Memorial Chapel ultimately became the visible symbol of the song "Silent Night".[ citation needed ]
Every year, especially at Christmas, thousands of people from around the world visit the Memorial Chapel and adjacent Museum. At 5:00 p.m. every 24 December, a solemn memorial mass is held at the church and guests thrill to the experience of hearing the famous carol sung in their many languages. Since 2002, this celebration has been transmitted by means of the local webcam on the Internet. [5]
The chapel is an octagon in form with a bell helmet and a lantern, and the portal has a hipped roof canopy. The arched windows were created in 1935 by the Tyrolean Stained Glass. The high altar with a relief of the Nativity is by the sculptor Hermann Hutter, from 1915. The predella (altar base) relief of The Adoration of the Magi, The Crucifixion, The Flight into Egypt is by the sculptor Max Domenig, from 1936. [6]
Replica models of the Silent Night Chapel exist in the Mini Mundus leisure park at Klagenfurt in Carinthia (1:25 scale) and the model park Mönichkirchen in Lower Austria. Furthermore, there is a 1:1 scale replica in Frankenmuth in the U.S. state of Michigan.
A Christmas carol is a carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French origin. Christmas carols may be regarded as a subset of the broader category of Christmas music.
Franz Xaver Gruber was an Austrian primary school teacher, church organist and composer in the village of Arnsdorf, who is best known for composing the music to "Stille Nacht".
"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. The song was first recorded in 1905 and has remained a popular success, appearing in films and multiple successful recordings, as well as being quoted in other musical compositions. It is the world's most recorded Christmas song, with more than 137,000 known recordings.
Braunau am Inn is a town in Upper Austria on the border with Germany. It is known for being the birthplace of Adolf Hitler.
This is a list of music-related events in 1818.
Josephus Franciscus Mohr, sometimes spelled Josef was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest and writer, who wrote the words to the Christmas carol "Silent Night."
Hallein is a historic town in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is the capital of Hallein district.
Oberndorf bei Salzburg is a small city in the Austrian state of Salzburg, about 17 km (11 mi) north of the City of Salzburg. It is situated on the river Salzach in the Flachgau district. Town privileges were granted on April 30, 2001.
Bronner's Christmas Wonderland is a retail store in Frankenmuth, Michigan, that promotes itself as the "World's Largest Christmas Store".
Bezirk Braunau is a district of the state of Upper Austria in Austria.
Christmas in Vienna is a 1993 live album of American soul singer Diana Ross and Spanish tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, released by Sony Classical. The concert was Domingo's first in the televised Christmas in Vienna series. It was recorded on December 23, 1992, at the Rathaus in Vienna with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Gumpoldskirch Boys Choir as ensemble.
Golling an der Salzach is a market town in the Hallein district of Salzburg, Austria.
Koppl is a municipality in the district of Salzburg-Umgebung in the state of Salzburg in Austria. In the west it borders on the Salzburg urban area.
John Freeman Young, author of the most commonly sung English-language translation of the Christmas carol Silent Night, became the second bishop of Florida in 1867.
Christmastime is an album of Christmas songs released by the Swingle Singers in 1968 on the Philips Records label. It was reissued with the title Christmas Album (1980). All tracks from this album are also included on the 11 disk Philips boxed set, Swingle Singers.
Silent Mouse is a British 1988 television film directed and produced by Robin Crichton.
Silent Night, Holy Night is a 1975 Australian animated television special produced by Hanna-Barbera and written by Gene Thompson. The special aired for the first time in several major markets in December 1975, including Boston (WSBK-38) and Philadelphia (WKBS-48).
The Legend of Silent Night is a 1968 American television film directed by Daniel Mann and starring James Mason, Kirk Douglas and John Leyton.
Christmas with Flicka is a 58-minute television concert film starring Frederica von Stade, Melba Moore, Rex Smith and Julius Rudel. It is an American-Austrian co-production, shot on location in Austria in 1987.
The Nikolauskirche was a parish church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of boatmen. The Christmas carol "Stille Nacht" was first performed in the church in 1818.