double chapel
The castle chapel is the most interesting architectural feature of the place and was subject to many interpretations and theories.
It consists of a decagonal corpus with added apses (altar rooms). There are two storeys with what seem to be two different chapels, connected together with a hexagonal opening in the middle. This building replaced an older square structure from which foundations still are visible on the lower storey.
This older structure may have been the remains of a roman "Fanum" from the 1st century. Another popular interpretation is a "Burgus" tower.
While there is still a theory around that lower and upper chapel were build separately, it is very probable that both chapels were build at same time.
interpretation & known history
This oratory is a typical example of crusaders architecture and represents a copy of the holy sepulchure of Jerusalem. One can find such edifices in many places while they may vary a lot in dimension, shape and look. The one thing they all have in common is a central place for the supposed tomb of the Christ, which in Jerusalem is crowned by a hexagonal baldachin. In sepuchure copies, this place is occupied by a tomb of some important personality or a display of an important reliquary. As in Vianden there have been no tombs, we have to suppose that there was a reliquiary display.
The chapel was build around 1170 with the help of the order of the Temple, called to the region by count Siegfried I.
In the 13th century, we know about an altar dedicated to St. Mary.
From at least the 17th century onward the lower chapel wasn't used any more as an oratory, and the central opening was closed. But the chapel remained an important venue for pilgrims due to the impressive relics collection, which was to be seen here.
As the lower chapel wasn't accessible any longer, a new access was established.
The choirs (apses) of both chapels are on the south-eastern side while the main entrance is north-west; so the whole edifice is orientated towards the holy land.
lower chapel
While there is a choir (formerly containing an altar), the attention of a visitor is pulled towards the centre, the place of the supposed tomb of Christ. This will have been even more pronounced in former times when the window opening in the choir was still much smaller, and therefore most daylight was coming down the centre shaft from the upper chapel (which has many windows). Only around christmas day (winter solstice), the rising sun would send its first rays through the choir window (from the direction of Jerusalem) towards the chapel centre.
The small room to the left with two round portholes and a larger opening in the outside wall only exists since the 17th century. Earlier, this outside wall didn't exist and a wooden staircase came up here from the bailey as pilgrim's access to the chapel. The formerly richly decorated doorway arch and bar holes inside the chapel to lock the door are still proof of this.
The doorway to the right led to a balcony-style platform, also decorated by an arch of carved stone. This balcony might have been used as an outdoor pulpit and to show the relics kept in the castle chapel to the public.
The lower chapel was called "capella militum" in a 13th century document, reflecting the presence of the knights templar at the castle.
Templar display: "Commander's room"
Inside the room on the left, some reproductions of 13th century furniture are on display.
They're meant to show the room of a Templar "commander" (chief of a commandery - a regional branch of the order). The Templars were present at Vianden castle, helped constructing the chapel, were living some time here and possibly administered the affairs of the county during the count's absence.
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The furniture is kept very simple with no painting - as obliged by the order's rule: A cupboard, a writing desk with side table, a chest for docuents ...
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Templar on display:
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Hugo was preceptor (principal) of the Templar commandery of Roth near Vianden in the first half of the 13th century. The knights templars were present at Vianden castle too, since they were called to the Our valley by count Siegfried I of Vianden. They were involved in the construction of the castle chapel, which was decorated with frescoes depicting Templars.
While count Henri I and countess Marguérite of Courtenay resided as margraves in Namur from 1229 to 1237, Hugo was often present at their court. Back in Vianden the Templars were probably administrators of the county during the counts absence
upper chapel
While the architectural elements of this part are painted again approximately in the original colours, there is a big part missing: On the white walls there have once been fresques showing Templars, some dressed in armour and riding into battle, others in lithurgical dress celebrating the holy mass. Unfortunately, none of these fresques remain ...
Towards the opening to the lower chapel kneelings were incorporated into the masonry; the prayers were to look down to the reliquaries in the lower chapel.
Originally the chapel building stood free to all sides and so also had windows to every side. Of these original windows only one and a half at the left of the entrance survived. Behind those, there is the "count's lodge", a heated room probably build for count Englebert II; the purpose being enabling the nobleman who was ill and suffering to be present at the holy mass. This room emerged as a result from the building of the high gabled roofs in the late 15th century, as a consequence of which the chapel building was entirely attached to the adjoicant "small palace".
After or during these transformations, new (larger) gothic style windows were introduced into the remaining outside walls. Three windows in the choir nowadays show the arms of Vianden: Old Vianden (until 1288, left), New Vianden (from 1288, right) and Nassau-Vianden (from 1417, centre).
furniture of the upper chapel
The altar stone
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On display is a copy of the original now being in a chapel not far away in the forest (Bildchen).
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Retabel
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At least from the 17th century on, the castle relics were on display on top of this altar. An inventory from 1614 lists the following content:
Saints:
1. St. Hilarius
2. St. Antonius the eremite
3. St. Agnes
4. St. Vicentius
5. St. Blasius
6. St. Ansgar
7. St. Agatha
8. St. Dorothea
9. St. Julia
10. St. Perpetua
11. St. Felizitas
12. St. Benedikt (the Abbot)
13. St. Vital
14. St. Petronilla
15. St. Philippus (Apostle)
16. St. Pudentia
17. St. Eberhard
18. St. Petrus (Apostle)
19. St. Paulus (Apostle)
20. St. Margaretha
21. St. Praxedis
22. St. Maria Magdalena (Apostle to the apostles)
23. St. Christina
24. St. Glodesinde
25. St. Christoph
26. St. Pantaleon
27. St. Martha
28. St. Dominikus
29. St. Laurentius
30. St. Bernard (of Clairvaux)
31. St. Bartholomäus (Apostle)
32. St. Kornelius
33. St. Cyprian
34. St. Hildegardis
35. St. Mathäus (Apostle and Evangelist)
36. St. Mauritius & Consorts (of the holy lance)
37. St. Justina
38. St. Lukas (Evangelist)
39. St. Ursula and the 11000 maidens
40. St. Wllibrord
41. St. Claudius
42. St. Martin
43. St. Cäcilia
44. St. Klemens
45. St. Katharina
46. St. Andreas (Apostle)
47. St. Barbara
48. St. Nikolaus
49. St. Lucia
50. St. Stephanus
51. St. Thomas
Other relics:
52. hair and linen from the holy virgin
53. a piece of the table of the last supper
54. a stone from the calvary with a blood spot from Our Saviour
55. a particle from the holy cross
56. a piece of stone from the holy sepulchre
The main panel of this reliquary is today on display in the trinitarian church in Vianden.
Statue of St. Anthony the eremite
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On display is a copy of the original from the 15th century which once stood here and is now in the Luxembourgish National Museum (MNHA) in Luxembourg city.
