The Blumeneck Chapel was donated by Freiburg Mayor and Minster caretaker Sebastian von Blumeneck († 1541/42) in 1510. Initially also called Mary Magdalene Chapel, after the patronage of Mary Magdalene was transferred to it from one of the romanesque chapels, the boss in the chapel shows Mary Magdalene with the resurrected Christ while the boss in front of the chapel depicts Blumeneck’s coat of arms.
Listen to the Audio Guide
Did you notice?
Hans Baldung Grien, High Altar of the Freiburg Minster, 1512-16.
Sebastian von Blumeneck is the only chapel donor depicted on the cathedral's high altar: the back of the predella shows him together with two other cathedral custodians and the cathedral guard. They are facing Mary with child in a praying posture.
Mary Magdalene in the centre of the chapel
In the foreground, the crucifixion group with the mourning Mary and the disciple John is gathered around the crucified Jesus. The landscape in the background is characterised by a great wealth of detail.
Blumeneck is depicted next to his two wives, Appolonia von Reischach and Beatrix Bettschold, in the sinistral stained-glass window with the coat of arms of Freiburg on his chest.
Fearing for his life, Jesus prays before a rock in the Garden of Gethsemane. The depicted chalice and the cross carried by the angel symbolise Jesus' imminent sacrificial death. The sleeping disciples Peter, John and James Maior lie in the foreground. The approaching executioners who will take Jesus prisoner can already be seen through a garden gate.
his appearance to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, when he says: ‘Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.’ (John 20:17)
In the four windows you can see a depiction of the founder and his two wives in a prayerful posture in front of scenes from the Passion. Above them floats a banner in old German "O Lord into your hands I commend my spirit, you have redeemed me, God of truth" The prayer is a variation of Psalm 31:6.
Designed by Hans Baldung Grien, the original stained glass windows were executed by Hans von Ropstein around 1520 and are now in the Augustinermuseum. The copies on display in the chapel were created in 1883 in the Helme and Merzweiler workshop.
The boss shows the coat of arms of Beatrix Bettschold (first wife) on the left, that of Blumeneck himself in the centre and that of Appolonia von Reischach (second wife) on the right.
The Blumeneck family coat of arms can be seen on the boss in the ambulatory.
The Heinstetten Altarpiece
The Neo-Gothic Heinstetten altarpiece has been in the chapel since 1918; it features medieval figures, from the parish church of the village of Heinstetten, 120 km east of Freiburg. Scenes from the life of Mary on the wings of the altarpiece frame the central figures: Saints Barbara, Catherine and Agatha.
Other notable saints depicted in the altarpiece are St Christopher, the giant carrying the infant Jesus on his shoulder across a river; St Odilia, an abbess, patron saint of Alsace and patron saint of the blind and visually impaired; and St John the Baptist with his attributes, the fur robe and the lamb.
Saint Barbara
St Barbara with the chalice which, according to legend, was brought to her by an angel during her imprisonment.
Saint Christopher
St Christopher, the giant carrying the infant Jesus on his shoulder across a river.
Saint Odile
St Odilia, an abbess, patron saint of Alsace and patron saint of the blind and visually impaired.
John the Baptist
St John the Baptist with his attributes, the fur robe and the lamb.
Saint Catherine
St Catherine with the sword, symbolising her martyrdom like her head lying at her feet.
Saint Agatha
Inspired by the severed breasts of St. Agatha, Agathenwecken, a type of bread named after her, are baked and eaten on 5 February, her day of remembrance.
Saint Agatha
Inspired by the severed breasts of Saint Agatha, 'Agathenwecken', a type of bread, are baked and eaten on 5 February, the day of her commemoration.
A gallery of epitaphs
The memorial plaque of the governor of the town and fortress of Breisach, Hubert Dominik von Saix (died 1728).
The rococo epitaph of Baroness Maria Anna Franziska von Schönau (died 1758) is located in the centre below the windows.
The classicist epitaph made of grey sandstone is dedicated to Nikolaus von Zwergers (d. 1778), a councillor from Upper Austria, and his daughter Sophia († 1779).
Beneath it on the right is the memorial plaque to Archbishop Johannes Christian Roos of Freiburg (died 1896), which was moved to the chapel in 1936.
Empty Fields
The stone plinths of the chapel grille (1522–26) went unadorned.
Remembrances of unknown strangers
To the left in front of the entrance to the chapel is the tomb slab of Appolonia Schnewlin von Landeck, née Vögtin von Alten-Sumerau und Praßberg († 1596). The striking tomb slab, which is decorated with four handles made of iron rings in the mouths of lion heads, can no longer be identified.
Mary Magdalene in the ambulatory
The painting opposite the Blumeneck Chapel comes from the former Baroque Magdalene altar, which was moved to the chapel in the 19th century. The work, which was created around 1700, depicts the penitent Magdalene in front of a rock with her attributes, the ointment jar and crucifix. The coat of arms of the Sumerau family on the painting indicates that the altar was a family donation.
