Kuppel in Blau und Gold

Die Friedhofskirche zum hl. Karl Borromäus am Wiener Zentralfriedhof ist ein Prunkstück der Jugendstil. Besonders angetan hat es mir die Kuppel der Kirche: sie hat einen Durchmesser von 22,7 m und eine Höhe von 39 m. Der Sternenhimmel mit 999 Sternen ist ein Sinnbild für die Allgegenwart Gottes.

Die Herstellung des Mosaiks war viel Handarbeit, und viel Blattgold. Auf 2 Tafeln im Innern der Kirche ist dies genau beschrieben:  

„Prunkstück der Restaurierungsarbeiten ist die Wiederherstellung der künstlerischen Ausstattung der Mittelkuppel. Die Rekonstruktion beruht auf Archivmaterial und historischen Detailfotos, die eine exakte Wiederherstellung des ursprünglichen, von der Firma Ignaz Dürr geschaffenen Werks ermöglichten.

Die äußere Kuppel war 1944 durch Kriegseinwirkungen zerstört worden, wobei auch das originale Kuppelmosaik stark beschädigt wurde. Im Zuge der Restaurierung 1952/53 sah man aus Kostengründen von der originalgetreuen Wiederherstellung der Kuppel ab und stattete sie nur mit einer einfachen Malerei aus.

Die Vollständigkeit der originalen Kirchenausstattung erforderte im Zuge der Generalsanierung 1995-2000 fast zwingend die Rekonstruktion des originalen Kuppelmosaiks, um das Erscheinungsbild des gesamten Innenraumes der Kirche wieder gestalterisch zu schließen.

Das neue „alte“ Kuppelmosaik besteht aus ca. 21.000 Einzelteilen, die zu einem goldenen Strahlenkranz mit exakt 999 Sternen auf blauem Untergrund zusammengefügt wurden. Jeder Einzelne der Mosaikteile ist Handarbeit. Im Prinzip handelt es sich hierbei um Zwischenglasmosaike: Bei diesem Verfahren werden zunächst große Glaszylinder mundgeblasen und zerschnitten. Die einzelnen Glasteile werden benetzt, um das hauchdünne Blattgold auftragen zu können, das nur aufgrund der Adhäsion hält und im Brennofen wieder eingebrannt wird.

Auf das so entstandene Zwischenprodukt wird ein Glasklumpen gelegt und im Brennofen neuerlich verschmolzen. So entsteht eine etwa 3 mm dicke Glasscheibe, in der luftdicht das Blattgold eingeschmolzen ist und die abschließend noch in die richtige Form (maximale Größe 13/13 cm) zugeschnitten werden muss. Trotz der Feinheit des Blattgoldes beträgt das Gewicht des im Kuppelmosaik verarbeiteten Goldes mehr als zwei Kilogramm.“

From Catholic to agnostic and back

My father, Helmut Moritz, was a renowned geodesist whose legacy as a researcher, educator, and as human being have been eloquently documented [1,2]. Yet, there remains one untold tale—a deeply personal and profound journey my father undertook, rediscovering his Catholic faith after a period of agnosticism.

My father was something like a re-convert to the Catholic faith. During his time in college and in the early years of his career as a researcher, he identified as an agnostic, asserting that it was impossible to definitively prove the existence or non-existence of God (an agnostic stance). My mother was a steadfast and devout Catholic throughout her life. When my parents decided to marry, they agreed on two key points: firstly, my mother would not attempt to convert him, and secondly, any future children would be baptized and raised in the Catholic faith. I recall the time of my First Communion when I questioned my mother about my father’s absence from Sunday Mass. She explained to me that ‘faith didn’t resonate strongly with him.’

Once a year, my father spent a month at the Ohio State University as a visiting professor. He found himself without family obligations and more leisure time. On one occasion, he went into a Catholic church and picked up a leaflet, hoping to understand why my mother held her faith so dear. It was a start. After returning to Berlin, Germany, he had lengthy discussions with the parish pastor. This encounter sparked his interest in the writings of St. Paul, to the extent that he could effortlessly reference St. Paul without explicitly quoting him. Our family relocated to Graz, Austria, in 1972, and here, he took the final steps to return to the faith: confession, Communion, and confirmation. From that point on, my father never missed a Sunday Mass, a fact that became well-known among his colleagues and friends. Even during his travels to Communist Russia and China, his colleagues ensured he could attend Sunday Mass [3].

Theology and philosophy became his passionate pursuits, and he could engage in hours-long discussions on these topics, especially with his wife. In 1995, he published a book primarily focused on the philosophy of science, titled ‘Science, Mind, and the Universe.’ In 2005, he authored an article titled ‘Science, Religion, and Tolerance.’ In 2007, my father and I co-authored an article titled ‘Über Naturgesetze und Evolution: ein Beitrag zu einem interdisziplinären Dialog.’

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[1] Hans Sünkel, Prof. Dr. Helmut Moritz (1933 – 2022)

[2] Christopher Jekeli, Helmut Moritz (1933 – 2022) – Paragon of Geodesy (and more)

[3] Rückblick eines 75-jährigen Geodäten – Helmut Moritz

Spending time together

The pandemic kept us apart for more than a year. We were more than happy to be finally able to spend some time together as family and do what my father loves most: sightseeing across Styria. In this 3 minute video, I summarized an intensive and beautiful week.

Photos: Berta Moritz

Featured photo: Science in the Church – seen last week in the Vorau Abbey, Styria (Austria). The frescos on the ceiling were painted by Karl Ritsch and Josef Krafenstein (1700 – 1703).

Charles De Koninck in the House of Commons

Back in November 2015, Pater Edmund Waldstein wrote that Charles De Koninck got a mention in the House of Parlament when discussing Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si.

Glaube und Wissenschaft unter einem Dach

Die Definition ‚Naturwissenschaftlerin, die ihren katholischen Glauben liebt‘ finde ich immer noch treffender als ‚katholische Naturwissenschaftlerin‘. Daher hätte ich vor 30 Jahren gesagt, dass es ganz sicher keine ‚Gesellschaft katholischer Naturwissenschaftler‘ braucht  Doch die Zeiten ändern sich.

Der Physiker und Astronom Stephen Barr hat die Zeichen der Zeit erkannt und hat die ‚Society of Catholic Scientists‘ begründet und ist ihr Präsident. Die Zielsetzung ist es, die Kollegialität zwischen Naturwissenschaftlern zu fördern, die ihre Aufgabe und Herausforderung darin sehen, ihren christlichen Glauben in ihrem Fachgebiet zu leben und zu bezeugen. Jetzt ist ein Artikel in der Tagespost vom 12. März erschienen, über den ich mich sehr gefreut habe. Prof. Barr sagt:

„Die Physik gibt uns ein wundervolles, kohärentes Bild der physischen Welt, der Welt wahrnehmbarer und messbarer Dinge. Der katholische Glaube gibt uns einen wundervollen, kohärenten Blick auf die Wirklichkeit als Ganzes. Wissenschaft basiert auf dem Glauben an die Macht der menschlichen Vernunft, um die Welt zu verstehen. Der katholische Glaube sagt uns, dass die Welt das Produkt ewiger Vernunft ist, dem Logos Gottes.“

Besser kann man es nicht sagen!

Vestiges from a time long past: Lyme Regis and three female paleontologists

My article on Mary Anning, Mary Buckland and Charlotte Murchison who lived exciting times in Paleontology in the 19th century got recently published on the Biologos website.

This was a great opportunity to deeply delve into their lives, their views, and discoveries, but also into the “Jurassic Coast”, the coastline from East Devon to Dorset, with rocks recording 185 million years of the Earth’s history. And in Dorset is Lyme Regis, the home town of Mary Anning.  In the early 19^th century, Lyme Regis in Dorset was a very frequented seaside resort famous for its beauty where many of the upper classes spent their time during summer. The town had well-built houses which, though numerous, are still often incapable of containing all the people that visited it during the season. Lyme offered its visitors walks and drives, shops, assembly rooms, baths and cures for invalids. One of Lyme’s main attractions was the Cobb, a long harbor wall that stretches into the sea. The harbor, at times more important than the port of Liverpool, dates back to the 13^th century.

Jane Austen visited the place in 1804, and in her last novel ‘Persuasion’, she describes the place as follows:

[A]s there is nothing to admire in the buildings themselves, the remarkable situation of the town, the principal street almost hurrying into the water, the walk to the Cobb, skirting round the pleasant little bay, which, in the season, is animated with bathing machines and company; the Cobb itself, its old wonders and new improvements, with the very beautiful line of cliffs stretching out to the east of the town, are what the stranger’s eye will seek; and a very strange stranger it must be, who does not see charms in the immediate environs of Lyme, to make him wish to know it better. The scenes in its neighbourhood, Charmouth, with its high grounds and extensive sweeps of country, and still more, its sweet, retired bay, backed by dark cliffs, where fragments of low rock among the sands, make it the happiest spot for watching the flow of the tide, for sitting in unwearied contemplation; the woody varieties of the cheerful village of Up Lyme; and, above all, Pinny, with its green chasms between romantic rocks, where the scattered forest trees and orchards of luxuriant growth, declare that many a generation must have passed away since the first partial falling of the cliff prepared the ground for such a state, where a scene so wonderful and so lovely is exhibited, as may more than equal any of the resembling scenes of the far-famed Isle of Wight: these places must be visited, and visited again, to make the worth of Lyme understood.

If you haven’t read the book, you should put in your reading list!

Another recommendation is this wonderful documentary “Walking through time – Britains Jurassic Coast” with Dr. Tori Herridge, a palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum in London. Unfortunately, the documentary is not longer available, here is the brief Trailer:

 

Love-in-a-mist and a hymn for Easter

This picture Love-in-a-Mist, Sweet Cherry, and Spanish Chestnut has been created in Vienna by Joris Hoefnagel (Flemish / Hungarian, 1542 – 1600) and is now in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Hoefnagel was self-taught and famous as manuscript illuminator and as one of the first artists to work in the new genre of still life. In 1591, Hoefnagel was appointed court artist to Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, and he demonstrated his astounding technical facility when he added illuminations to a manuscript completed thirty years earlier by the celebrated scribe Georg Bocskay.

Albertus Magnus and the Automaton – or Androides

In a post titled Albertus Magnus as Scientist, I described the legend that Albertus Magnus manufactured an automaton that, my means of mercury, probably was able to move and make sounds. It is said that Thomas Aquinas, surprised by this automaton in the middle of the night, smashed it, crying “Salve!Salve!” – I found a source dating back to 1753.

And I am happy to report, that this story has been taken up by Christopher Anadale, PhD. in this youtube video:

Confidence in troubled times

Helmut Moritz, Prague, 2012

Today is my Father’s 85th birthday. To celebrate this event, here is a wonderful poem that Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote during his time in prison. It is one of my Father’s favorites.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

1. By kindly powers surrounded, peaceful and true,
wonderfully protected with consolation dear,
safely, I dwell with you this whole day through,
and surely into another year.

2. Though from the old our hearts are still in pain,
while evil days oppress with burdens still,
Lord, give to our frightened souls again,
salvation and thy promises fulfill.

3. And shouldst thou offer us the bitter cup, resembling
sorrow, filled to the brim and overflowing,
we will receive it thankfully, without trembling,
from thy hand, so good and ever-loving.

4. But if it be thy will again to give
joy of this world and bright sunshine,
then in our minds we will past times relive
and all our days be wholly thine.

5. Let candles burn, both warm and bright,
which to our darkness thou has brought,
and, if that can be, bring us together in the light,
thy light shines in the night unsought.

6. When we are wrapped in silence most profound,
may we hear that song most fully raised
from all the unseen world that lies around
and thou art by all thy children praised.

7. By kindly powers protected wonderfully,
confident, we wait for come what may.
Night and morning, God is by us, faithfully
and surely at each new born day.
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1. Von guten Mächten treu und still umgeben,
Behütet und getröstet wunderbar,
So will ich diese Tage mit euch leben
Und mit euch gehen in ein neues Jahr.

2. Noch will das alte unsre Herzen quälen,
Noch drückt uns böser Tage schwere Last.
Ach, Herr, gib unsern aufgescheuchten Seelen
Das Heil, für das du uns bereitet hast.

3. Und reichst du uns den schweren Kelch, den bittern
Des Leids, gefüllt bis an den höchsten Rand,
So nehmen wir ihn dankbar ohne Zittern
Aus deiner guten und geliebten Hand.

4. Doch willst du uns noch einmal Freude schenken
An dieser Welt und ihrer Sonne Glanz,
Dann wolln wir des Vergangenen gedenken
Und dann gehört dir unser Leben ganz.

5. Lass warm und still die Kerzen heute flammen,
Die du in unsre Dunkelheit gebracht.
Führ, wenn es sein kann, wieder uns zusammen.
Wir wissen es, dein Licht scheint in der Nacht.

6. Wenn sich die Stille nun tief um uns breitet,
So lass uns hören jenen vollen Klang
Der Welt, die unsichtbar sich um uns weitet,
All deiner Kinder hohen Lobgesang.

7. Von guten Mächten wunderbar geborgen,
Erwarten wir getrost, was kommen mag.
Gott ist mit uns am Abend und am Morgen
Und ganz gewiss an jedem neuen Tag.

On the feast of the Archangels

Today is the feast of the Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. In today’s first reading, we heard:

“War broke out in heaven;
Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and its angels fought back,
but they did not prevail
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan,
who deceived the whole world,
was thrown down to earth,
and its angels were thrown down with it.” (Rev 12, 7-9)

This scene is depicted in the Michaelerkirche in Vienna. The integration of the Baroque sculpture into the Gothic architecture is truly amazing.

Wikipedia explains: “The high altar was designed in 1782 by Jean-Baptiste d’Avrange. It is decorated with the monumental stucco alabaster Rococo sculpture Fall of the Angels (1782) by sculptor Karl Georg Merville. It represents a cloudburst of angels and cherubs, falling from the ceiling towards the ground. It was the last major Baroque work completed in Vienna. The centerpiece of the high altar is Maria Candia, a Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary, belonging to the Cretan School of hagiography.”

(The photo is taken from Wikipedia)