Holy Cross Church (Hildesheim)
The Catholic Church of the Holy Cross is one of the historic churches in the old town of Hildesheim . Among them, it occupies a special position due to its age and its complex building history.
location
The Holy Cross Church is only a few hundred meters east of the cathedral at Kreuzstraße 5, around 88 meters above sea level . From the former Petrustor of Domburg , Kreuzstrasse, part of the old west-east long-distance trade route (today Bundesstrasse 1 ), leads directly to the church portal.
History and architecture
The location, the building findings and the documentary tradition that Bishop Hezilo (1054-1079) made “a house of peace out of a house of war” with the Kreuzkirche, prove that the nucleus of the building is a gate system, probably from Bishop Altfrids Time that protected the still unfortified area of the cathedral to the east. After the Bernwards Wall made this outwork unnecessary, Bishop Hezilo had it converted into a church and built a canon monastery here . He left part of the old Hildesheim cross relics to the re-establishment .
A large part of the structure of the central nave comes from the old gate hall. Its eastern exit is marked by the unusual “bridge” in the crossing arch, behind which the transept with the octagonal crossing tower and the rectangular Hezilos choir are located. The pillars, which instead of pillars carry the arched openings to the side aisles, are also a reminder of the building's “secular” origins.
The aisles themselves date from a later period. The south with the side chapels is part of a Gothic renovation phase. The north aisle was built after 1700, when this side of the building had become dilapidated due to subsidence. It is a baroque church, almost as wide as the central nave.
The outside of the church is also presented in baroque garb. The west facade in Italian style from 1712 with the outside staircase, flanked by the sandstone figures of the apostles Peter and Paul, shows the baroque will to represent. Further sculptures from this period adorn the north portal. The stairs from the church to Brühl Street were built in 1727. Johann Theodor von Franken-Siersdorf , 1760–1779 Apostolic Vicar of Upper and Lower Saxony , was funded at the attached monastery . In 1781 the tower was raised and redesigned in baroque style.
When Hildesheim was bombed on March 22, 1945, the Kreuzkirche was badly damaged by high explosive and incendiary bombs. Was preserved u. a. the sacristy. The art treasures, however, had been relocated and remained intact. Reconstruction began in 1948, and from 1952 the church could again be used for church services. In 1958 it was largely restored to its pre-war state.
From August 1, 2004, the parish "Zum Heiligen Kreuz" also included the Hildesheim Cathedral , the St. Godehard basilica , and the St. Bernward and St. Magdalenen churches . Since November 1st, 2014 the Holy Cross Church belongs to the parish of St. Godehard.
Furnishing
The equipment is worth mentioning
- Christ in misery , around 1520, limewood, first side chapel
- Mary winged altar (Mother of God with saints), wood carving, 15th century, second side chapel
- Baptismal font , 1592, bronze cast by Mante Pelkinck , donated by the “senior canon of the Holy Cross collegiate monastery and provost of the Hildesheim nunnery of St. Maria Magdalena”, Moritz vom Sode , southern transept apse
| The individual biblical scenes on the baptismal font: |
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- Gothic Pietà , wood carving, at the main portal
- Baroque altar of the Virgin Mary and the Sacrament, northern transept apse
Other Catholic institutions in the catchment area of the church
- Caritas day care center St. Vincenz (Brühl 38).
- High school Marienschule Hildesheim (Brühl 1–3). The chorale, which belongs to the school today, is the oldest secular building in Hildesheim, parts of the building date from the 12th century.
See also
literature
- Verena Friedrich: Hildesheim, Parish Church of the Holy Cross (= Peda art guide. No. 397). Kunstverlag Peda, Passau 1997, ISBN 3-89643-053-X .
- Annemarie Böhm, Andreas Böhm: Churches, monasteries and chapels. A little Hildesheim art guide. Bernward, Hildesheim 1991, ISBN 3-87065-590-9 .
- Michael Brandt: The inventory of the Church of the Holy Cross in Hildesheim. In: The Diocese of Hildesheim in the past and present. Vol. 46/47, 1978/1979, ISSN 0341-9975 , pp. 137-174.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bettina Braun: Princeps et episcopus: Studies on the function and self-image of the north-west German prince-bishops after the Peace of Westphalia . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2013, ISBN 9783647101217 , p. 308, limited preview in the Google book search
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from February 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Ulrike Matthies: The Protestant baptismal font of Lower Saxony from the Reformation to the middle of the 17th century. Schnell & Steiner publishing house, Regensburg 1998, ISBN 3-7954-1155-6 , pp. 130 f.
- ↑ Sabine Wehking : DI 58: Stadt Hildesheim (2003) / No. 500 / Heilig Kreuz / 1592 on the page inschriften.net ( Deutsche Insschriften Online (DIO))
- ↑ http://www.caritas-hildesheim.com/caritas-leistungen/kindestagesstE3A4tte-st-vincenz/
- ↑ http://www.marienschule-hildesheim.de/
Coordinates: 52 ° 8 '58.5 " N , 9 ° 57' 3.6" E