Diving into the catacombs of the Rosenberg Fortress by bike is a special experience. Coming from the parking lot behind the fortress, a gate opens at the push of a button and clears the way inside the casemate of the Bastion St. Sebastian. A tunnel with numerous stone exhibition artefacts leads through the so-called ball garden into the interior of the fortress. Even if there is a bicycle parking space at the end of the tunnel, getting off and pushing is the order of the day on this short stretch.
The naming of this bastion as "St. Philip", as also indicated on a plaque at the foot of the bastion, as well as in some modern fortress guides, is historically inconsistent. Either the bastions are named after their last name from the 19th century: Marie (I), Carl (II), Ludwig (III), Luitpold (IV) and Maximilian (V). That would be consistent with the usage of the Bastion Marie, which is used for gastronomy today. Or you leave the naming of the bastions after the epoch of their last form between 1700 and 1741. Then the names would be: St. Kunigund (I), St. Valentin (II), St. Lothar (III), St. Sebastian (IV) and St. Henry (V) right. A colorful mishmash, as is currently the case, is historically inconsistent and misleading from the epochal classification.
Said bastion Sebastian occupies a special position anyway. When it was built in 1659-1663, it was called St. Philipp (after its first builder, Philipp Valentin Voit von Rieneck). Shortly after its completion, the bastion had become dilapidated again due to water ingress and partially collapsed on March 22, 1668. It was renovated by the then Prince-Bishop Marquard Sebastian Schenk von Stauffenberg by 1693 and consequently renamed St. Sebastian after its new builder. This, as well as the year 1693 (MARQVARD: SEBASTIAN: ... RESTAURAT ANNO MDCXCIII), is noted in an inscription on the monumental coat of arms attached halfway up the bastion.
What many people don't know: the tunnel or casemate passage houses one of the earliest and at the same time highest quality artifacts from the history of the fortress's creation: namely two sandstone reliefs made from the pillar stones of the fortress chapel. One with the inscription: "Philips von gots gnaden bischoff zu Babenberck Graf, Herr zu Henneberck" Plus the year 1486 and the lion coat of arms of the diocese of Bamberg and the prince-bishop Philip von Henneberg (term 1475-1487): the hen on three balls. At the front of the column there is a Latin/Greek inscription with spiritual content and a rare image of the Trinity with a personalized image of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The columns were demolished during the conversion of the castle chapel in the commandant's building of the Rosenberg Fortress into the "Franconian Gallery", the relief fragments were initially stored (virtually disposed of) and later, during the restoration of the bastion and the construction of the tunnel passage a few years ago, together with other coat of arms stone fragments , placed in the catacombs. The demolition, in the early 1990s, took place without informing the public, and the sculptures and inscription cartouches were severely damaged. The current installation is essentially a puzzle made up of two columns, without any description and without protection against possible vandalism. At the original location in the fortress chapel, there are now cheap artificial marble (stucco) columns with plaster imitations of the original sculptures and written cartouches. An absolutely scandalous incident that is waiting to be dealt with.
Translated by Google •
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