Altar inauguration - 26.10.2014
It is a valuable Late Gothic carved altar dating back to 1487, worked as a double winged altar and one of the most important altars of its kind in our region.
The open altar is almost five meters wide. The main theme in the center of the central shrine shows a crucifixion group: Jesus on the cross, kneeling before him and holding the trunk of the cross Mary Magdalene, standing on the right side of the cross, John, and on the left next to the cross, also standing, Mary the mother of Jesus. This main theme is delimited by two pinnacles (Gothic pillars), which are covered with a round arch. To the right and left of it there are under each two tail arches, which continue in the two wings with four tail arches, standing on pedestals altogether twelve saints, among them Simon and Judas Thaddäus, the patron saint of the church Neunhofen. Above the arches there is a delicately carved decoration that gives the impression of canopies. The conversation above the central shrine shows Christ as ruling king, holding the globe.
If one closes the two inner wings of the altar, four paintings become visible, which from an art-historical point of view justify the great importance of the altar in a special way. They show the passion of Jesus. The first picture shows a scene from the Garden of Gethsemane. It is the moment when Jesus announces himself to his captors with the words: "I am the one you seek, Jesus of Nazareth." The second picture shows the captivity, the third the flagellation and the fourth the mockery crowned. The pictures are very impressively painted and suggest a significant artist.
If you also close the outer wings of the altar, two more paintings will be visible. They are less colorful than the Passion pictures and come from another, also unknown, artist. The picture on the left shows the birth of the Savior, in the right image a narrative scene. In the usual view from left to right, the time sequence is therefore reversed. However, this happens quite often, as the restorer of the altar, Annette Bohrloch from Seebergen near Gotha, announced.