The family chapel of the Stürtzel, along with the university chapel, is one of the earliest completed chapels in the choir of the Freiburg Minster.
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Konrad Stürtzel
Konrad Stürtzel von Buchheim († 1509) and his second wife Ursula, née Loucher, donated this family chapel, around 1505. It remains unclear as to whether the jurist and Court Chancellor to Emperor Maximilian I was buried here in the chapel or, like his wife, in the Martinskirche opposite Freiburg Town Hall.
Stained Glass Windows
In the window on the right (ca. 1530, Hans Baldung Grien design), the nobleman’s wife, sons and daughters are arrayed with the Stürtzel family's coat of arms.
Architecture in the Background
The different backgrounds of the respective scenes are striking: They show the portrayed characters within elaborate elements of Renaissance architecture, some with garlands and putti.
Holy Helpers Altarpiece
It is not known whether the Holy Helpers altarpiece (ca. 1530, Augsburg school) was part of the original furnishings of the chapel. On the central panel, Saints Anthony, Augustine and Roch can be seen, flanked by Saints Christopher and Sebastian. On the predella, the altarpiece’s base, there are depictions of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady of Sorrows and St Anna, Madonna and Child. The retable, the uppermost appendage of the altarpiece, (originating from Hans Baldung Grien’s circle) shows Christ’s deposition from the cross.
When closed, the altarpiece shows 44 saints, including the so-called Fourteen Holy Helpers.
Coats of Arms
Baroque Plaque
Items that were later added to this chapel include the Baroque plaque on the upper right-hand side of the chapel wall commemorating the Mayor of Freiburg Johann Stephan Bayer († 1714).
The painting by an unknown artist was removed at the end of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the painting and frame were restored, reassembled and returned to the chapel.
Baptismal Font
A Baroque baptismal font from 1768 by Johann Christian Wentzinger depicts Christ’s baptism in the Jordan.
Golden Figurines
The three gilded Late Gothic wooden figurines depicting Saints Nicholas, Stephen and Lawrence originally came from the St. Nicholas Church in Freiburg, which was destroyed in 1677. Their location within the Minster has changed several times before being recently placed in the Stürtzel Chapel.
St Nicholas, St Stephen and St Laurence, wood, by Joseph Dominik Glaenz, 15th century
Stürtzel in the Minster
The altarpiece with the Adoration of the Kings from Stürtzel's city palace (now the Basler Hof) came into the possesion of the Freiburg Minster at the beginning of the 19th century. It's currently located in the south aisle of the minster. This altarpiece from 1505 is probably one of the best-known works by the Upper Rhine sculptor Hans Wydyz.
