“Did you know that St. Remigius’s story stretches back to the time of Charlemagne?” Today, we’re exploring St. Remigius in Augsburg-Bergheim. It is more than just a pretty church. It’s a testament to faith. It is a story etched in stone and painted on its walls.
Bergheim’s story began in the 8th or 9th century. It was a small settlement branching out from Inningen. Later, Augsburg monasteries and patrician families held it. The Fugger family then owned the area. St. Remigius traces its roots to a Carolingian foundation.
Let’s journey back. The original St. Remigius suffered destruction during the Thirty Years’ War. The church was rebuilt in 1693. A new interior was added in 1790 and 1791. The tower’s lower levels survived from the 13th century. The choir shows a late Gothic style with its net vaulting. The nave and furnishings are late Baroque.
Look around you. Augsburg Academy Director Johann Joseph Anton Huber decorated the flat-ceilinged hall in 1791. He used architectural paintings. The high altar dates back to 1740. It came from the Johann-Nepomuk Chapel. That chapel was demolished in 1809.
Notice the side altars. They feature painted altar structures. They display images of St. Remigius and St. Sebastian. Take note of the northern choir window. It has stained glass from 1540. Two plaques record the church’s ownership. They name St. Stephan’s Monastery and the Fugger family.
Above us, Huber’s ceiling frescoes captivate. In the choir, see the “Lamb of God on the Book with the Seven Seals.” In the nave, observe the allegories of divine virtues.
In 1690, Abbess Margarethe Theresia von Bodman and Count Anton Josef Fugger helped rebuild the church. Each donated 1000 Gulden. Master builder Valerian Brenner extended the nave. He also renovated the choir and heightened the tower. Stone tablets by the altars commemorate the two donors. Bishop Alexander Sigismund consecrated the church in 1695.
From 1789 to 1791, the nave was renovated. Johann Josef Anton Huber added classical frescoes. The main entrance shifted to the west. In 1803, secularization ended St. Stephan’s patronage. The church acquired an altar from Augsburg Cathedral’s Johann-Nepomuk Chapel in 1828. Johann Georg Bergmüller’s antependium depicts St. John of Nepomuk.
Liberat Hundertpfund created a new altarpiece in 1865. It shows the Mother of God and Saints Remigius and Radegundis. A Steinmeyer organ was installed in 1874. During a 1933 renovation, the old frescoes were uncovered. Further renovations occurred in 1979. Bishop Josef Stimpfle consecrated the people’s altar in 1990.
St. Remigius stands today. It reflects centuries of history and art. Its walls echo with prayers. Its art reflects devotion. It is a landmark in Augsburg-Bergheim. Remember its story. It connects us to the past. It inspires us today.