Lector Wenzeslaus as Founder in a Violet Habit
Heinrich Menger
Minorite Church, Regensburg, Before 1371
82,0 x 62,5 cm
Inv.-Nr. G 969
From the Royal Collections of the House of Wittelsbach
Gallery 3
The depiction of the founder is from a window section of the Minorite Church in Regensburg. The Minorites are smaller and less-known branch of the Order of St Francis, which were, next to the Dominicans, the most important mendicant order of the Middle Ages. Due to historical reasons, the Dominicans were barely able to gain a foothold in Bavaria whereas the Franciscans enjoyed particular support of the Dukes of Bavaria, in particular. The Minorite church, which was erected near the Regensburg Cathedral, is the largest church of the Franciscans in Southern Germany. After the monastery was dissolved in 1799, it was used as a customs and toll building and today is the residence of the Regensburg Museum of History. The glass window panes of the 14th century included scenes from the life of Christ, the founder of the Order of St Francis, scenes from the Old Testament, as well as purely ornamental window panes. The windows were removed soon after the desecration of the church. The remaining fragments make up less than half of the original number of windows. After an extensive restoration and reconstruction, they came via the collection of King Louis I into the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum. Still today, many of the windows are exhibited here in Munich while the other windows can be found in close proximity to the original location in Regensburg. Wenzeslaus Maeller, the founder or commissioner of the church, died in 1371. He was member of the monastery where – according to the inscription – he served as lector. The inscription on the scroll reads “Miserere mei Deus" (Have mercy on me, O Lord).
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
