Advent Stamp 2007 - Altar of Oberwöllan

The presentation of the birth of Christ on the altar painting of the Gothic winged altar of Oberwöllan has been selected as the motif for the 2007 Christmas stamp. This precious altar dates from 1519 and, following its renovation, is now on loan to the Diocesan Museum in Klagenfurt. The altar has survived in full, and it is a veritable jewel of the museum. The central painting of this altar is in the form of a relief shrine and presents the Christmas story in both painted and carved form. A young Mary is kneeling before the child. Joseph stands devoutly next to her, holding a candle in his hand. The ox and the donkey are breathing on the small child to keep him warm. The golden rounded arched opening in the background is part of an architectural ruin that symbolises the end of the Old Testament. Partially concealed by carved tendrils, one can see the scene of the announcement to the shepherds. The central altar painting is flanked by two moving shrine wings presenting St Catherine and St Barbara in relief form. The Annunciation is painted on the back of the wings. St Dorothy and St Agnes are shown on the two fixed wings. On the altar piece, a representation of the three wise men painted in the style of the Danube School rises above the carved ranks of angels. The chapel of St Peter and St Paul of Oberwöllan in the district of Arriach is on the sunny side of the Wöllaner Nock at an altitude of around 1,200 m. In artistic terms, it is one of the most valuable mountain churches of Carinthia. Built in the 14th century, the Romanesque core of the church was extended during the late Gothic and the Baroque. The mighty tower with archery ports recalls its earlier function as a walled defensive church. There used to be frescos on the outer walls of the church and an image of St Christopher can still be seen. The interior decoration dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. Of particular importance are the folding prayer chairs by the aisle, unique in Carinthia, and the painted cassette ceiling dating from 1530. The altar also contains frescos by an unknown master from 1494. The Oberwöllan church was first mentioned in 1615 as a subsidiary church of the parish of Treffen, and run by the Protestants. Since the reformation, many of the population of Arriach have belonged to the Lutheran faith. This was also apparent during the general restoration of this major cultural monument in 1985, when the roughly 200 Protestant and roughly 40 Catholic residents of the district banded together to invest both money and work in the renovation of their church. Release Date: 2007|11|23 Number of Copies: 8.000.000 Printing Style: Photogravure Design: Adolf Tuma Printed by: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei Type: Special issue stamp 0,55 EUR Source: www.post.at

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