Erfurt Cathedral

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View of the Erfurt Cathedral (left) and the Severikirche (right).
View of the Erfurt Cathedral (left) and the Severikirche (right).

The Erfurt Cathedral (formerly also called Marienkirche or Propsteikirche Beatae Mariae Virginis ) is the most important and oldest church building in Erfurt . It is 81.26 m high and has the largest free-swinging bell in the world, the Gloriosa , from the Middle Ages. The cathedral only served as a bishop's seat for a short time in the middle of the 8th century and was the seat of the collegiate monastery of St. Mary throughout the Middle Ages until the early 19th century . Since 1994 it has again been the cathedral of the newly created diocese of Erfurt and the seat of the cathedral chapter .

History of Erfurt in the early Middle Ages

Erfurt was already an important center of power in the Thuringian and Franconian Empire . Pope Gregory II (715-731) asked the Thuringians in 724 to build a "house" for Bonifatius , who was missionary here . Allegedly this request has already been complied with in 725. In 741/42 Bonifatius asked Pope Zacharias to confirm the establishment of a diocese "at the place called Erphesfurt, which had long been a settlement or castle ( urbs ) of pagan farmers". At the same time, the dioceses of Büraburg (later Fritzlar ) and Würzburg were established. The first mention is considered to be the founding date of the city of Erfurt, although Bonifatius had already found a populous settlement, which on the one hand was a condition for the establishment of a diocese and on the other hand the results of the urban archaeological research have clearly shown.

Only a few years later, probably in the early 750s, but at the latest after Bonifatius, Adalar and Eoban had suffered martyrdom in Friesland in 754 , the diocese was dissolved and incorporated into the diocese of Mainz . The first bishop of Erfurt was probably not, as reported in the legend Adolar but in since 751/52 Eichstaett acting Willibald . The documented mention of a Carolingian Palatinate exists from 802 , which can be located with some certainty on the Petersberg in Erfurt . In 805, Erfurt was designated as a border trading place with the Slavs in the Diedenhofen capital of Charlemagne .

Building history of the catholic cathedral church Beatae Mariae Virginis

Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque times

The first predecessor of today's Marienkirche was supposedly built from 752 by Boniface; However, it is not known where and in what form this took place. During archaeological investigations on the occasion of an organ installation, a western apse made of simple masonry was found in the west of the nave at a depth of three meters and dated to the 9th century. The excavator Wolfgang Timpel even thought it possible that it had already belonged to the first church and was built in the 8th century. A renewed investigation showed, however, that this apse dates from more recent times, probably the 12th century.

St. Marien was first documented in 1117 and in 1153 the collapse of Erfurt's main church, the major ecclesia , was reported. In 1154 construction began on a late Romanesque basilica on Toompea. However, it cannot be assumed with certainty that the church of Boniface stood until 1153, nor that the building actually collapsed. It is much more likely that the canons and the Archbishop of Mainz built a new church because they did not want to stand back behind the new construction of the neighboring St. Severi Church and St. Peter's Monastery , which were destroyed in a fire in 1142. It is possible that the fire had partially spread to St. Marien.

Construction progressed quickly, as two burials were uncovered during construction in 1154, which were identified as the remains of the holy bishops Adolar and Eoban, which with the donations and offerings that began soon afterwards contributed significantly to the financing of the construction. The church was already usable in 1170, since Ludwig III. The son of the Landgrave Ludwig of the Iron of Thuringia, where Emperor I. Frederick Barbarossa to Knight was beaten.

Tungsten chandelier
Madonna, stucco retable

The two oldest pieces of furniture in the cathedral also date from this period, the so-called "Wolfram" or tungsten chandelier and the Romanesque Madonna made of stucco, both of which are dated around 1160. The tungsten chandelier is a bronze free-standing sculpture of a candlestick, which was probably made in the Magdeburg foundry and is one of the oldest free-standing bronze sculptures in Germany. The founder Wolfram named in a chased inscription on the hanging belt ends together with his wife "Hiltiburc" was very likely identical to a Mainz ministerial Wolframus scultetus , who appeared twice in documents in 1157.

A consecration of the church has been handed down from June 20, 1182 , which is probably the total consecration , but without all construction work being completed at this point in time. This is evidenced by news about the completion of the towers and a renewed consecration on October 5, 1253, which was often used as the completion of the Romanesque building, especially in older literature. However, it can only be a re-consecration or re-consecration after renovations or extensions. It probably refers to the vaulting of the sanctuary , which was flat covered until at least 1238.

When the Erfurt latrine fall in 1184 broke during a court day of the king and later emperor Heinrich VI. Parts of the Dompropstei together. Around 60 of those present, including many aristocrats, were mostly killed by falling through two floors into the toilet pit below and drowning or suffocating in the excretions.

From the Romanesque building from the second half of the 12th century, a basilica with a cross-shaped floor plan, the substructures of the towers, each with two square basement floors, the adjoining choir rooms to the west and parts of the transept have been preserved. The tower floors above, which merge into an octagon, date from the late 12th century and the first half of the 13th century. The south tower was completed in 1201 and the north tower in 1237; both were later changed several times or rebuilt in the 15th century.

Gothic conversions

"Erffurt the big and Gedechtnußwirdig instead of a haubt Thuringian country". City view of Erfurt from the Schedelschen Weltchronik from 1493. The cathedral with its stairs can be seen at the top left.
Erfurt, cathedral and Severinskirche, south view, around 1900

As in other cathedral and collegiate churches, the need to make the church, and especially the choir, larger and brighter, grew in the Gothic period , especially since there was no longer enough space for all cathedral capitals. Their number had risen considerably through several foundations and over 100 people, on public holidays even around 300 clergy took part in the service .

As early as the 1280s, work began on adding a new, larger choir with a polygonal finish. In 1290 the first choir extension was consecrated. Thereupon the expansion of the central tower began and this was completed before 1307. It serves as a bell house with the famous Gloriosa church bell , which was first consecrated in 1251. In the meantime the bell has been re-cast several times; the last casting took place in 1497.

But soon there wasn't enough space again. Therefore, in the 14th century, a much larger choir was created and extensive construction work was carried out on the rest of the church. The so-called high choir with a 5/8 end , which was continued in 1349 (at this point in time the lower meters of the masonry had been finished for a generation) , was consecrated by the auxiliary bishop of Constantia, Friedrich Rudolf von Stollberg, who held office between 1370 and 1372.

The cathedral was built from Seeberg sandstone , which comes from the Great Seeberg near Gotha .

Overall view of the building, on the right the Severikirche
View of the cathedral from the south
Illuminated cathedral and Severikirche at night

Of particular note is the late Gothic glass painting cycle (around 1370–1420) in the high choir, one of the best preserved in Germany, and the interior furnishings of the choir, which are also largely original. The choir stalls , created in 1329, are one of the most extensive medieval stalls in Germany and of higher quality than in some episcopal churches. The dendrochronological dating of the stalls shows that the plans for the construction were far ahead - in 1329 only the lowest meters of the masonry of the high choir were standing. After a construction interruption, construction was not continued until 1349.

The choir stands on huge substructures that had to be created by 1329 for the artificial expansion of the cathedral hill to the east. These substructures are Kavaten called what from Latin cavare be derived undermine =. Houses were built here in the Middle Ages and modern times, but they were removed in the 19th century. Today's image of the choir also comes from this time, when the attic on the top of the wall and the pinnacles , the sculptures of saints in front of the buttresses and other pieces of equipment were recreated. The outer pulpit on one of the cavate pillars is still medieval. With the construction of the kavaten, the lower church - the name crypt is not entirely correct - was built, which was consecrated in 1353. The Gothic lower church was both a prayer room and a processional path. The Holy Blood procession around the choir is secured. In this function, she did not need direct access from the church, but two opposite doors for the procession.

At the same time as the Kavaten was built - around 1330 - the triangle portal porch was built on the north arm of the transept as the main entrance. It shows the twelve apostles and the cycle of the wise and foolish virgins , flanked by the Ecclesia and the synagogue . Overall, this solution is unusual, because the cathedral does not have a representative west facade with a portal, but you experience it coming from the northeast. This is mainly due to the limited space on the cathedral hill, which one had to share with the Severikirche and the important medieval city east of the cathedral.

The news comes from 1452 that the nave was about to collapse. This is not entirely unlikely, since the Romanesque nave was still in use, but it was more the desire for a modern building similar to that of the neighboring St. Severi Church that led to a new building. St. Severi had already received a new nave after a fire in the middle of the 14th century.

In 1455 the nave was finally torn down and the construction of a late Gothic hall church began. The reason for the renovation is apparently that the canons wanted to gain more space for the community. However, the independent share of the middle-class population in building finance will not be underestimated either. The church was already usable again around 1465, as a Corpus Christi procession is reported through the west portal. It is not known when the nave was completed. The late Gothic star vault in the south arm of the transept probably also dates from the last third of the 15th century and presumably marked the location of the relics - Tumba of St. Adolar and Eoban out (now in the lower church).

The exam facilities

The enclosure south of the cathedral is now in three parts and encloses a small cross courtyard. The western and southern are the usual single-nave cloister wings , the northern one was laid down with the construction of the late Gothic nave. In contrast, the eastern cloister wing is designed as a two-aisled so-called Kunigunden Hall. The hall served the chapter meetings and was probably built around the same time as the completion of the towers in 1230/40. The remaining parts of the enclosure were built and rebuilt in sections from the middle of the 13th century to the middle of the 14th century, the east wing was subsequently vaulted in the middle of the 14th century. The cloister buildings were also changed significantly in the period that followed, especially in the 19th century.

The Clemens and Justus Chapel on the east wing, a single-nave, single-bay room with a star vault and 5/8 end, was completed in 1455 and also deviates in axis to the north.

The further development of church construction in modern times

The city and church experienced several changes of ownership during the Thirty Years War ; At times the pen was even supposed to be kept and handed over to the Jesuits , which the chapter prevented. Between 1697 and 1706 the huge baroque high altar was created and set up in the choir to give the liturgical celebrations a more pompous setting and to demonstrate to the outside world the victory of the Archbishop of Mainz over the Protestant city. The Archbishop of Mainz increasingly lost interest in the monastery and hardly had any maintenance work carried out in the 17th and 18th centuries. After the spiers burned down in 1717, only a flat emergency roof was put on. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Domberg and Petersberg were converted into a fortress and the cathedral was misused by French troops as a stable for horses. During the bombardment in the Wars of Liberation in 1813, the entire dense development of the cathedral square with the curiae was destroyed. In 1803 and finally in 1837 the cathedral monastery was dissolved in the course of secularization and from then on served as a parish church. In Erfurt, now in Prussia, an extensive, purist restoration and renovation program began in 1828 , in which the late Gothic hipped roof was converted into a lower gable roof in 1868. These measures were largely completed by 1900.

  • Mosaic picture of Mary on the western gable 1955

  • “Brühler side” of the cathedral in November 2008

  • Entrance on the Brühler side of the cathedral (closed)

  • southern wing that houses the cathedral workshop

  • Virgo portal as part of the triangle portal

  • High mass on the occasion of the diocese pilgrimage in the Boniface year on the cathedral steps

During the Second World War , the cathedral was spared direct bomb hits. However, the roof and the windows of the high choir (the Gothic windows had been removed) and the nave were partly badly damaged by detonations in the vicinity . The towers were hit by grenades. The repairs lasted until 1949/51.

Extensive restoration work began in 1965. In 1968, 100 years after its construction, the neo-Gothic roof with the mosaic image of Mary on the western gable was dismantled and replaced by a new roof corresponding to the late Gothic condition. Restoration of the church continued through the late 1970s and 1980s through 1997.
In 1994, four years after reunification, the dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany were reorganized; the former Marienstiftskirche became the cathedral of the restituted diocese of Erfurt .

In October 2018 it was announced that the main portal was in need of renovation.

Furnishing

Glass window in the high choir

Helena window
Boniface window
Eustachius window
Catherine window
Apostle martyrdom window
Apostle window
Abraham window
Jacob window
Joseph's Window
Deep pit window
Elizabeth window by Charles Crodel
Revelation window by Charles Crodel

The 18.6 m high and up to 2.60 m wide four-lane tracery windows in the choir show a late Gothic glass painting cycle that was created from around 1370 to around 1420 and is one of the largest of its kind in Germany. 13 of the 15 windows are almost completely preserved from the Middle Ages, with 895 of the approximately 1100 individual panes being medieval. Only the remaining east window with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and minor repairs from the period between 1897 and 1911 complete the old stock.

The restoration of the windows was carried out by Alexander Linnemann and Otto Linnemann from Frankfurt in the Linnemann glass painting workshop . New windows were also designed at that time. Material on this can be found in the Linnemann archive.

During the Napoleonic occupation of Erfurt in 1811, parts of the window were brought to Paris and never returned. Following a new restoration concept, the two western windows on the south side are new creations by Charles Crodel in the imagery of the Middle Ages .

To the right of the apex window, the creation and prehistoric times up to the tower of Babel are dealt with ( Gen. Book of Moses ), on the left the passion of Christ up to the resurrection. The south side shows the story of the patriarchs Abraham , Jacob and Joseph , the last window late Gothic holy virgins (deep pit window), the north side the apostles and apostle martyrs as well as the legends of the saints. Katharina , Eustachius , Bonifatius and Helena .

The windows were created successively after the choir was built and can be divided into three groups: The oldest eight windows belong to the so-called small-figure group (Eustachius, Katharinen, Apostle Martyrien and Passion windows on the north side, Genesis, Abraham, Jacob - and Joseph window on the south side). They are characterized by their mostly stocky figures with large heads and hands. The fields are tightly filled. They were created under the influence of Bohemian and South German models and date between around the end of the choir building period around 1370 and 1380. The second group is referred to as a group of individual figures. These include the apostle window on the northeast side of the polygon and the central Mary window on the east side, which was probably removed from the high altar and has since been largely lost. The group is characterized by depictions of saints distributed on individual panes, with softly falling robes, neglecting the physicality and vigorous interior drawing. They were made between around 1390 and around 1400. The windows of the so-called large-figure group include the Boniface and Helen windows (the two western ones on the north side) and the deep pit window. It is named after the cathedral vicar of the same name who donated the window and is shown kneeling on it. It is documented in 1403 and therefore the last window can also be dated to this time. In the case of the first two windows, it is considered that they might have been renewed on a larger scale after the cathedral fire in 1416 and were not finally completed until around 1420. The influence of the “soft style” conveyed through Bohemia is clearly evident here.

In 1940/41, due to the beginning of the bombing war, the medieval cathedral windows were removed as part of structural protection measures and secured by storage in the cellar vaults below the crypt. The undeveloped "Elisabeth Windows" from 1913 fell victim to the pressure waves from bomb detonations in 1944/45.

Over the centuries the cathedral windows have been restored frequently . Some of these also had negative side effects. This was particularly true for the renovation work on the windows before they were reinstalled from 1947 to 1949. During the GDR era, the windows at the cathedral were exposed to considerable concentrations of pollutants in the air, plus vibrations from neighboring traffic on the ground and in the air above the cathedral away. Extensive restoration work is ongoing: for example, the removal of "weather stone crusts" on the outside of the windows, cracks in lead frames and glasses and the consolidation of the loose paint layer on the inside.

Choir stalls

Choir stalls of the Erfurt Cathedral

In addition to the windows, the choir also has its largely original interior. The 89 seats, arranged one behind the other, are distributed over two double rows 17.5 meters long and one row each on the left and right on the western walls, which separate the high choir from the Romanesque part of the church. The seats are made of oak. The Erfurt choir stalls are one of the most extensive and best preserved medieval stalls in Germany, the original preserved and of higher quality than in some other bishop's churches. In 1329 the wood for the choir stalls was felled and probably worked soon afterwards. The previously assumed dating to the 1360s / 70s has to be moved forward 40 years due to this dating. In 1829/30 and 1900 additions were made, especially in the area of ​​the canopies, so that their original form can no longer be reconstructed. In addition, 36 of the 50 female figurines of the intermediate jaws and other details were replaced.

As in every collegiate church , each canon had his own permanent place in the choir stalls (" stallus in choro "), whereby a strict distinction was made according to rank. The maiores praebendati , the better-equipped canons, had their place in the rear, higher-up and much more richly furnished chairs . Below were the seats of the minores praebendati , lesser clerics such as elected canons in waiting and vicars and students from the cathedral school. The latter often had their names carved in, which caused confusion in older literature regarding dating. The row of chairs on the west side of the choir is most splendid and richly decorated. On each side there are three seats with desks in front, but they are modern in shape, only the cheeks are original. The dignitaries or prelates , the dignitaries of the chapter, sat here : the provost , who was also archdeacon , dean , cantor , custodian , scholaster , and on the sixth chair perhaps the senior or punctator or an auxiliary bishop .

The program consists of a typological comparison of the Old and New Testaments . There are also genre-like scenes and grimaces and creatures on intermediate benches and handrails. The chairs do not have any of the usual misericords ("mercy"), that is, small brackets for support. The two large west cheeks are particularly rich. The southern one shows a trailing, round-shaped vine with scenes of viticulture and the grape harvest above a Christ head between two fish. Above, in addition to the small fully plastic figure of Mary with the child, the Fall of Man is shown in two three-pass arcades . The vine is to be interpreted as a symbol of Christ, since the wine symbolizes the blood of Christ. The medallions with the viticulture are thus allegories of the overcoming of original sin through the sacrifice of Christ. The north west cheek shows the victory of Christianity over Judaism in the battle between Ecclesia and the synagogue . A beaming knight competes against a rider on a sow (see Judensau ). This representation is probably also connected with the raging pogroms against the Jews in 1349/50 . The four angels making music with contemporary musical instruments and King David with the harp as well as three musical accompanists apparently celebrate the victory of the Christian Church.

On the east cheeks, St. Christopher is depicted as a youth in the south and Judas Iscariot hanging himself in the north and a sneering little devil in the tree branches. A decline in quality and at least two hands are clearly discernible, with the chairs of the dignitaries and high prelates being entrusted to the best carvers.

The valuable choir stalls were protected from bomb fragments during the aerial warfare of the Second World War by walling and roofing with reinforced concrete slabs.

High altar

High altar in the Erfurt Cathedral

The 16.5 m high and 13 m wide baroque high altar was made between 1697 and 1707 and probably placed in place of a large Gothic winged altar. It was restored at the beginning of the 21st century. The tabernacle is inscribed with a date of 1697 and was erected in 1706 according to the chronical tradition. The master of the altar is unknown. The installation took place in connection with the Counter Reformation and is to be understood as a sign of the rule of the Archbishop of Mainz in Erfurt.

It consists of a high, two-story pedestal, which is cranked several times and provided with side passages. On the broad, polygonal basement there are pairs of columns that are rotated and wrapped with vine leaves. They carry a mighty entablature with a rich plastic decoration that takes up the shape of the pedestal. On the outside of the pedestal are sculptures of the princes of the apostles, on the left St. Peter , on the right St. Paul , then on the left St. Boniface and on the right St. Martin , the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Mainz, and in a preferred position next to the altarpiece, the bishops Adolar and Eoban. The four evangelists stand on the upper pedestal . Only in the central axis is there an attachment with detachable gables, which is crowned by a gable field with an oval medallion image. In turn, Joseph and John the Baptist stand on the pediments. Archangels Michael and Raphael flank the medallion picture at the top .

The lower altar panel shows the adoration of the Magi , the representation being based on the painting of the same name by Peter Paul Rubens . It comes from the painter Jakob Samuel Beck , who can be traced back to Erfurt between 1736 and 1776, and probably replaces an older painting. Originally the painting of the Holy Trinity was also in Beck's essay, today a baroque painting with a protective cloak Madonna from 1950 hangs here, in which contemporaries of the cathedral community who lived at the time were immortalized. An image of the Annunciation is shown in the cartridge. The two altarpieces can be changed according to the major church festivals (“ Theatrum sacrum ”).

On the south wall of the choir hang “Crucifixion” and “Assumption of Mary” (beginning of the 18th century) and another picture by Beck, the “Adoration of the Shepherds” from the second half of the 18th century. Despite its monumentality, the altar is subordinate to the high Gothic choir and allows a view of the choir window except for the axis window.

Stained glass window in the nave

Holy Cross Window
Cecilia window
Tungsten window

The colored glass windows of the nave from the 1860s were destroyed by air mines and high-explosive bombs near the cathedral, including the "Kaiserfenster" (1879) opposite the main entrance. They were initially replaced by provisional windows, some of them also with "boarding".

Charles Crodel , who also created the supplementary windows 14 (St. Elisabeth) and 15 (Apocalypse) in the high choir, continued the pictorial themes in the nave. Crodels , a five-part cycle of glass windows designed in the manner of a pentychon , together with the nine choir windows, forms a glass architecture that encompasses the entire church space:

In the south:

In the West:

In the North:

  • Views

  • Door puller at the apostle portal

  • Panel painting on nave pillar: Adoration by St. three Kings

  • Panel painting on nave pillar: Assumption and Coronation of Mary

  • Panel painting on nave pillar: Kalvarienberg

  • Unicorn altar fragment in the cathedral treasury

  • Side altar with the image of the wedding of St. Catherine with the baby Jesus by Lucas Cranach

  • Baroque Madonna

  • St. Laurence

  • Baptismal font

  • View into the top of the baptismal font

Cathedral organs

Up until the 1950s there was a large organ in the cathedral , which was built in 1906 by the organ building company Johannes Klais (Bonn). The instrument was torn down, not only because of water damage caused by the war, but also because of the sober, analytical taste of the time, which opposed such a romantic-orchestral instrument. Since 1994 Silvius von Kessel has been the cathedral organist and cantor at Erfurt Cathedral.

Choir organ

Choir organ

In 1963 the choir organ was inaugurated. It was built by the organ building company Alexander Schuke Potsdam Orgelbau and is located in the high choir. The instrument has 29 registers from two manuals and a pedal. The playing and stop actions are electric.

I main work C – a 3
01. Pommer 16 ′
02. Principal 08th'
03. Coupling flute 0 08th'
04th octave 04 ′
05. Gemshorn 04 ′
06th Nassat 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
07th octave 02 ′
08th. Mixture VI
09. Scharff IV
10. Trumpet 08th'
II Oberwerk C – a 3
11. Dumped 8th'
12. Principal 4 ′
13. Reed flute 4 ′
14th Sesquialtera II-III 0
15th Gemshorn 2 ′
16. Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
17th Sif flute 1'
18th Scharff V-VII
19th Dulcian 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C – g 1
20th Sub-bass 16 ′
21st octave 08th'
22nd Bass flute 08th'
23. Bass aliquots IV 0
24. Pipe pommer 04 ′
25th Wooden flute 02 ′
26th Mixture V
27. trombone 16 ′
28. Trumpet 08th'
29 Field trumpet 04 ′

Main organ

Main organ

The main organ was also built by Schuke (Potsdam) in 1992 . In the new instrument, some stops from the previous organ from 1906 have been adopted. The main organ has 62 stops on three manuals and a pedal . The Spieltrakturen are mechanically, the Registertrakturen electrically. The choir organ can also be played from the console of the main organ.

I Rückpositiv C – a 3
01. Principal 8th'
02. Metal dacked 0 8th' K
03. Quintadena 8th'
04th octave 4 ′
05. Reed flute 4 ′
06th Hollow fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
07th octave 2 ′
08th. Forest flute 2 ′
09. third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
10. Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
11. octave 1'
12. Scharff V
13. Cromorne 8th'
14th Vox humana 8th'
Tremulant
II main work C – a 3
15th Principal 16 ′
16. octave 08th'
17th Reed flute 08th' K
18th Viol 08th'
19th Nassat 05 1 ⁄ 3  ′
20th octave 04 ′
21st Night horn 04 ′
22nd Fifth 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
23. octave 02 ′
24. Cornett V (from f 0 ) 0
25th Large mix VI
26th Small mix IV
27. Trumpet 16 ′
28. Trumpet 08th'
29 Trumpet 04 ′
III Swell C – a 3
30th Drone 16 ′ K
31. Violin principal 08th'
32. Flauto traverso 08th' (K)
33. Salicional 08th'
34. Beat (from c 0 ) 0 08th'
35. Wooden dacked 08th'
36. octave 04 ′
37. recorder 04 ′
38. Viola da gamba 04 ′
39. Nassat 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
40. Piccolo 02 ′
41. third 01 3 ⁄ 5  ′
42. Seventh 01 1 ⁄ 7  ′
43. Mixture III-VI
44. Bombard 16 ′
45. Hautbois 08th'
46. Trumpet harm. 08th'
Tremulant
Pedal C – g 1
47. Principal 32 ′ (K)
48. Principal 16 ′
49. Violon 16 ′ K
50. Sub-bass 16 ′
51. Soft bass (= No. 30) 0 16 ′
52. Nassat 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′ K
53. octave 08th'
54. cello 08th'
55. Thought bass 08th' K
56. octave 04 ′
57. Flute bass 04 ′
58. Back set III
59. Mixture V
60. bassoon 32 ′
61. trombone 16 ′
62. Trumpet 08th'
63. Clairon 04 ′
  • Coupling : I / II (mech.); I / II, III / II, III / I, I / P, II / P, III / P (electr.)
  • Playing aids : crescendo kick (roller), crescendo settings: standard (fixed), A, B, C (each freely programmable), register cuff, key cuff, tutti, 4000 typesetting combinations, USB stick.
  • Remarks
K = stops from the previous organ by Orgelbau Klais (1906)
(K) = partial pipe inventory from 1906
Principal 32 ′: C - E acoustic 16´ + 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′ (pipes from 1906), F - G wood (pipes from 1906), from G sharp (new pipes) in the brochure

Bells

The Erfurt Gloriosa is the largest free-swinging medieval church bell in the world.
The bell for high mass on the last Sunday in August 2014

The cathedral has a total of 13 bells, which are distributed among various bell stalls and towers.

The supporting foundation of the six-part main bells (bells 1 to 6) is the gloriosa , which is housed in the lower bell chamber of the central tower. With her the art of bell foundry is at an absolute peak; her master was from the Dutch Kampen coming Geert van Wou . On the night of July 7th to 8th, 1497, he cast this bell above the cathedral steps. It bears the inscription:

+ Laude / patronos / cano / glorioſa • • Fulgur / arcens / et / demones / malignos • Sacra / templis / a / populo / ſonanda • • Carmine / pulſo • • Gerhardus / wou / de / Campis / me / fecit • Anno / D [omi] ni / M. Cci. XCUII [.]

Since its general restoration in 2004, careful use of the bell has been aimed for, primarily for monument conservation reasons. According to the chimes, it rings mainly on high church holidays . Although its sound dominates all the other bells, its unique sound spectrum can only be experienced when it sounds on its own. If the Gloriosa is used, it always rings the first bell in Erfurt. All other Erfurt church bells only ring afterwards afterwards.

In a wooden bell chair, one floor above the gloriosa , hangs a small, independent chime made up of four bells, which are called silver bells . Among them is the beehive-shaped Cantabona, cast by Hans Sinderam in 1492 .

The Trinity Bell and the Johannes Bell by Nicolaus Jonas Sorber are the remnants of a five-part chime, the destroyed bells of which were re-cast in Apolda in 1961 by the master bell founder Franz Peter Schilling in the same tones and keeping the names . The Trinity Bell bears the following inscription on its shoulder:

ANDREAS EWALDT HOHENGANDERANUS EICHSFELDIACUS HUIUS ECCLESIAE BMVIRG. CANONICUS PAITULARIS QUONDAM PAROCHUS HANC QUOQUE CAMPANAM IN HONOREM S. TRIN. SUMPTIBUS SUIS FUNDI CURAVIT. DXJUL. 1721.

The St. John's bell bears the following inscription on the shoulder:

HAEC CAMPANA STI (sic!) JOANNIS BAPTISTAE NOMINE INSIGNITA SVMPTIBVS ETIAM DECANI CHRISTOPHORI MATTHIAS FUSA EST. 23rd JVLI ANNO 1720. NJSORBER GOS ME.

In the roof turret of the high choir hangs the conversion bell, which has not yet been rung .

The two clock bells Martha (for the full hours) and Elisabeth (for the quarter hours) were cast in a shortened rib and are rigidly hung in the lantern of the central tower.

No.
  		Surname
  		Casting year
  		Foundry, casting location
  		Diameter
(mm) 		Mass
(kg) 		Percussive
( HT - 1 / 16 ) 		Bell chamber
 
1 Gloriosa 1497 Gerhard van Wou , Erfurt 2,560 11,450 e 0 +3 Central tower, below
2 Trinity 1721 Nicolaus Jonas Sorber 1,940 ≈4,900 g 0 +12 North tower
3 Joseph 1961 Franz Peter Schilling, Apolda 1,840 ≈4,600 a 0 +8 South tower
4th Andreas 1,540 ≈2,600 c 1 +11 North tower
5 Christophorus 1,360 ≈1,900 d 1 +10 South tower
6th John Baptist 1720 Nicolaus Jonas Sorber 1,190 ≈1,000 e 1 +7
7th Cosmas and Damian 1625 Jakob König, Erfurt 750 ≈200 of the 2nd Central tower, above
8th Cantabona 1492 Hans Sinderam 650 ≈300 g 2
9 little angel around 1475 Claus von Mühlhausen, Erfurt 550 ≈125 as 2
10 Nameless ones 1475 Master Peter 500 ≈75 b 2
11 Transformation bell 1961 Franz Peter Schilling, Apolda 550 ≈100 f 2 Roof turret (high choir)
12 Paul Bell 2009 Br. Michael Reuter, Maria Laach ≈390 ≈42 d 3
I. Martha 1961 Franz Peter Schilling, Apolda e 2 Lantern
II Elisabeth g sharp 2

literature

  • Falko Bornschein u. a .: The stained glass by Charles Crodel in the Erfurt Cathedral . Edition Leipzig, Leipzig 1999, ISBN 3-361-00502-7 (illustrated book).
  • Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (ed.): Historical glass painting. Protective glazing, security of existence, further training; a project of the German Federal Environment Foundation . Edition Leipzig, Leipzig 1999, ISBN 3-361-00500-0 , pp. 86 ff., 96 ff.
  • Johannes Cramer: Research on the Erfurt Cathedral (workbook of the Thuringian State Office for Monument Preservation / New Series; Vol. 20). Reinhold Verlag, Altenburg 2005, ISBN 3-937940-10-3 .
  • Verena Friedrich: The bells of the cathedral Beatae Mariae Virginis in Erfurt (Peda art guide; vol. 541). Kunstverlag Peda, Passau 2001, ISBN 3-89643-541-8 .
  • Edgar Lehmann , Ernst Schubert : Cathedral and Severikirche in Erfurt . 2. unchangeable Edition Koehler & Amelang, Leipzig 1991, ISBN 3-7338-0041-9 .
  • Rolf-Günther Lucke: The Erfurt Cathedral (Small Art Guide; Vol. 1874). Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg 2000. ISBN 3-7954-4039-4 .
  • Klaus Mertens (text), Klaus G. Beyer (photos): Der Dom zu Erfurt (The Christian Monument / special issue; 4). Union-Verlag, Berlin 1975.
  • Josef Pilvousek : The prelates of the collegiate monastery St. Marien in Erfurt from 1400–1555 (Erfurt theological studies, vol. 55), Leipzig 1988.
  • Franz Peter Schilling: Erfurt bells - the bells of the cathedral, the Severikirche and the Peterskloster in Erfurt. With prefaces by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Freusberg and Auxiliary Bishop Hugo Aufderbeck (also double issue 72–73 of the series The Christian Monument ). Berlin 1968
  • Ernst Schubert: The Cathedral of Erfurt . Union-Verlag, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-372-00326-8 .
  • Helga Wäß: tombstones, shrine and holy grave in the "St. Mary's Cathedral" in Erfurt . In: Dies .: Form and Perception of Central German Memory Sculpture in the 14th Century . Edition Tenea, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-86504-159-0 (2 volumes , plus dissertation, University of Göttingen 2001).
  1. A contribution to medieval grave monuments, epitaphs and curiosities in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, North Hesse, East Westphalia and South Lower Saxony (content explanations).
  2. Catalog of selected objects from the High Middle Ages to the beginning of the 15th century . (on the monuments in Erfurt Cathedral, 12th – 14th centuries, see: pp. 154–158).

Web links

Commons : Erfurt Cathedral  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Thuringian General of May 22, 2017
  2. ↑ Erfurt cathedral portal crumbles: renovation worth millions required . Süddeutsche Zeitung , October 12, 2018, accessed on August 19, 2020 .
  3. ^ Eva Fitz: The medieval glass paintings in Halberstadt Cathedral, 2003, p. 139
  4. ^ F. Bornschein: The stained glass by Charles Crodel in the Erfurt Cathedral (1999).
  5. ↑ = gaudia matris: birth of Christ, his resurrection, his ascension, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit and the ascension of Mary - in the five number z. B. in the Legenda aurea contrasted with the wounds of Christ on the cross.
  6. ↑ Information on the previous organ
  7. ↑ Information on the choir organ ( Memento from March 10, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ More information about the main organ and its disposition (PDF; 176 kB)
  9. ↑ a b https://www.kirchenmusik-erfurt.de/fileadmin/PDF-Orgeln/Haupt-Chororgel-Dom-Erfurt.pdf
  10. ↑ a b c Konrad Bund and Claus Peter: The bell castings of the master Geradus de Wou in Erfurt in 1497 . In: Jahrbuch für Glockenkunde, Vol. 1–2, Greifenstein 1990, pp. 37–41.
  11. ^ A b Margarete Schilling: Bells. Shape [sic!] Sound and ornament . VEB, Dresden 1988, pp. 87, 89, 326.
  12. ↑ DNB 458836087

Coordinates: 50 ° 58 ′ 33 "  N , 11 ° 1 ′ 23.4"  E

This version was added to the list of excellent articles on October 8, 2004 .