Agnes Bernauer Chapel
The memorial chapel honouring Agnes Bernauer was erected by Duke Ernest I, her father-in-law, the year after her death. It was a visible sign of reconciliation with his son, Albert III. This reconciliation in the house of Wittelsbach had been preceded by months of violent clashes between father and son, during which Albert III even threatened his father with war.
The late Gothic chapel in the historic cemetery of St. Peter houses a wonderful red marble epitaph commemorating Agnes Bernauer. On it, she is depicted dressed in the garb of a 15th-century Munich patrician and carries a long chain of prayer beads in her hands, a common wedding present from a groom to his bride. At her feet lay two puppies as symbols of loyalty. The chapel is accessible through guided tours that can be booked through the Office of Tourism and City Marketing. In addition to guided tours, visitors can peer through the latticework to catch a glimpse of the chapel and Bernauer’s epitaph.
Ducal palace with great hall
Agnes Bernauer lived with Duke Albert III at the ducal residence in Straubing for around two years and would certainly have been well acquainted with the imposing great hall, and may even have danced in it. The hall dates back to the 1420s. It was one of the largest ballrooms in the German-speaking realm in the late Middle Ages. The great hall can be seen as part of a guided tour. It serves as an event hall, hosting concerts and receptions.
Carmelite Church of the Holy Spirit
The Carmelite Church was also built during the heyday of the Duchy of Bavaria-Straubing-Holland, beginning in 1368. It served as the court church for the house of Wittelsbach in Straubing, which is why Duke Albert II is buried here. His tomb, which dates back to the first third of the 15th century, is one of the most valuable late Gothic funerary monuments in southern Germany.
Agnes Bernauer wanted to be buried here as well. She donated an altar to the Carmelite Church which was linked to a perpetual mass during her lifetime. Two months after her death, her husband, Duke Albert III, renewed and expanded this endowment.
Agnes Bernauer was likely buried in the cloister of the Carmelite monastery according to her wishes. However, her grave has yet to be found – something that is likely due to the fundamental renovations the church underwent during the 17th and 18th centuries. The church is open during the day and is open to visitors.
Agnes Bernauer Festival
The Agnes Bernauer Festival Association stages the story of the life, love and death of Agnes Bernauer in the courtyard of the ducal residence. Some 200 amateur actors then invite the audience to travel back in time to the late Middle Ages. The next production will be held in 2019.
Regensburg, located upstream, from where Blessed Gisela departed on her bridal journey, boasts one of the last great noble weddings on the Route of Emperors and Kings. On 3 May 1981, offering free beer to the people of the city, the glamorous spectacle that was the wedding of ‘punk princess’ Mariae Gloria, Countess of Schönburg-Glauchau to Johannes, the 11th Prince of the famous German noble family of Thurn and Taxis took centre stage. The royal carriage that conveyed her to her wedding can be viewed in the Marstall Museum in Regensburg.
Incidentally, the fact that the Bavarian coat of arms over the city carries the unmistakable blue-and-white diamond pattern is due to another high society wedding. It originates from the Bogenberg mountain on the Danube and was added to the Bavarian coat of arms through the marriage of Countess Ludmilla of Bogen to Ludwig, Duke of Bavaria, in 1204 atop the “holy mountain of Lower Bavaria”.
