Anyone interested in the architecture and the wall frescoes of the Glöcklehof Chapel is warmly invited to come and have a look.
The architect Felix Ruch will give you an expert and enthusiastic account of the history and special features of the Glöcklehof Chapel.
The Glöcklehof Chapel houses Bad Krozingen’s most precious treasure, which was discovered in 1936 by a spa guest. The building and the frescoes date back to around the year 1000. As Bad Krozingen’s oldest building, the chapel formed part of the adjacent St Ulrichhof. The wall paintings may have been created by artists and illuminators from the island of Reichenau.
The chapel is built of fieldstones and rubble, of the sort found throughout the foothills of the Black Forest, and has uneven and crooked walls. High up on all the walls are deep, small windows. The narrow, rectangular chancel and the nave are almost the same height. The mural on the wall above the altar depicts the martyrdom of John the Baptist. The lower frame is formed by a broad, red, horizontal line, whilst the upper frame is a meander frieze, resembling an oriental geometric ornament. As was customary in the Romanesque period, Christ, as the Judge of the World, is enthroned in the centre, surrounded by a circular medallion. This is the oldest depiction of Christ north of the Alps.
On St Ulrich’s Day (4 July), a service is always held in the Glöcklehof Chapel.
