“You have to make people happy”

The opening ceremony of the newly designed Grieserhof took place on April 27th. An essential element of the house is the chapel on the ground floor, whose patroness is St. Elizabeth is.

You have to make people happy.” This quote from St. Elisabeth is written in German and Italian on the western rear wall of the remodeled chapel. In between, in a blind window, sits a carved wooden female figure, looking down slightly and holding a loaf of bread in her hands: St. Elizabeth. She is not only the patroness of the chapel, but also of the foundation of the same name, which runs the Grieserhof as a senior center. The depiction of the saints seems a bit unusual and can only be classified after closer inspection.
The window opening in which the youthful saint is seated may indicate her position. Elisabeth lived at the beginning of the 13th century and came from a noble family. At that time it was quite common for the noble families to celebrate the services in the castle chapel from a separate room behind a viewing window. The silver dress could also indicate her noble rank. Perhaps the window is also a picture of their generosity and willingness to help the poor. The window could therefore be a metaphor for the open window of the heart, with which one encounters those closest to us. This interpretation is obvious when the red splashes of color in the window opening are seen as roses and give a hint of the well-known miracle of roses. As a result, the saint was forbidden to give bread to the poor. When she did, and was surprised, the food was said to have been miraculously turned into roses. Through her bare feet, as a sign of poverty, she places herself figuratively on the level of the poor and destitute.
The saint faces the opposite side, towards the altar area. In the center is the massive altar made of oak wood, to the left of it is the ambo, which corresponds to its allocation and material, and to the right is the priest's seat. They are the liturgical places for the celebration of the Eucharist. When Elisabeth holds the bread, a staple food, in her hands and brings this gift to the altar, then the Eucharist is the spiritual nourishment, the transformed bread.
This mystery of faith is highlighted by the unusual rectangular altarpiece. It is the key image that can only be unlocked by faith. The large-scale painting, whose basic color is blue with many nuances, is correspondingly well-developed and almost abstract. An association with the sea or the sky arises involuntarily, but in any case blue is a color that has a relaxing and calming effect and symbolizes peace, harmony and contentment.
The white-colored, cloud-like swaths permeate the depiction and increase towards the top. A slightly suggested white horizontal line in the upper third of the picture seems to form a horizon that marks a transition, so to speak, and seems to connect two worlds with each other.
But attention is drawn to the brightest part of the altar wall, which seems to outshine something hidden, which appears overexposed and dazzles the eye.
It seems as if a representation behind it has been superimposed. Feet can only be made out in the lower section, which in turn stimulate the imagination and give an idea of what can basically only be understood by faith: the mystery of Jesus' resurrection. It is the central message of faith that gives confidence and hope. St. Elisabeth lived according to this belief and can lead to this message, which "can make people happy".

(peter Schwienbacher, Sunday newspaper, May 27, 2018)