Below the gathering of the fabric masses, this falls down on the shoulder of the saint in slightly diagonal, almost parallel folds. The long neck is surrounded by a smooth undergarment which is apart from that covered up by a strongly creased overgarment. The parted hair falls down long at the back, is slightly wavy and in several streaks, and provides a glimpse of the freely drawn ear that has been set at eye-level. Except the preparatory drawing, there remains hardly anything of the design of the figure, only of the upper paint layers in the arcade framing the head there is slightly more preserved.įragment of the head of a bearded saint in three-quarter profile with a formerly gilded halo under an arcade featuring capital and arch. A tiny trace of gold could be determined on the halo.Įxposed and restored in 1978, renewed conservation in 2008 with pointillism reintegrations to complete the late-Romanesque contours. The younger figurative fragment of a saint was not prepared by its own lime-wash the preparatory drawing in red ochre lies directly on the first painting. Worked on very-well smoothened, fine-grained plaster the polychrome architectural decorations from the time of construction lie on a thin, but partly also pastose lime-wash. North side of the choir arch, fragment of the head of a saint, presumably an apostle or Prophet. Its probable function was to lead up to the choir apse that was firstly white-washed and then figuratively painted at a much later time. This painted decoration belongs to the polychrome architectural decoration of the church nave from the time of construction. Underneath the fragment of the painted figure in the choir arch the remains of a painted pier with rising ornamental ribbon are preserved. Today’s polychrome architectural decorations, a lime paint renewal from 2008, is closely derived from the original Romanesque colour scheme. Exposed in 1978 and cautiously conserved, the lacunae were infilled neutrally. The polychrome architectural decorations, well preserved on the Romanesque building components from the end of 12 th century, with painted ashlar structure on walls and piers, bands accompanying the groins, lily motifs and stars in the vaults as reference to the Heavenly Paradise is an early example of the so-called “Westphalian painting system“ in Romanesque churches. Romanesque polychrome architectural decorations Previous building 2 nd half of 9 th century, Romanesque new building during the final years of the 12 th century, gothic rebuilding including north vestry 14 th century, redesign of the choir with south vestry in 1903-1907. The Gothic choir, that formerly had a flat ceiling which was later replaced with a vault, has recently been extended towards the east. Also part of the Romanesque building fabric is the remnant of the former apse in today’s choir with the figurative wall painting fragment. Of this building the west tower, the nave and the former crossing bay as well as the southern transept arm with side apse, each with piers and vaults, have been preserved. It resulted from the Gothic reconstruction of a Romanesque cruciform hall with semi-circular apse and transept. Hall church comprising two bays with trilaterally polygonal closed choir and west tower.