Wolf Church
 Tower of the Wolf's Church from the 14th century, modern cemetery chapel |
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| Basic data | |
| place | Bosenbach, Germany |
| Building history | |
| start of building | around 1310 |
| Building description | |
| Architectural style | Yellow sandstone, Roman masonry |
| 49 ° 32 '31.1 " N , 7 ° 30' 55.8" E | |
The Wolfskirche is a former church that was built at the beginning of the 14th century between the villages of Bosenbach , Friedelhausen and Niederstaufenbach in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate . The east tower has been preserved, the basement of which contains significant Secco paintings from the years 1320 to 1340. A cemetery was also laid out around the church, which is located next to Landesstraße 370, which is still used today by the community of Bosenbach.
Building description
The masonry of the four- story choir tower of the Wolfskirche consists of unprocessed sandstone. The floor plan is trapezoidal . In the lower area, stones from a Roman building were also used.
The basement, which served as the chancel , has a ribbed vault and contains Secco paintings from the first half of the 14th century. The only entrance to the tower today is in the west. Originally there was only one window on the east side. During a renovation around 1500, a Gothic window was built into the south wall instead of another entrance . An altar niche in the north wall also dates from this period. In the basement there are now more fragments of Roman origin from the area around the church and the cemetery, including the remains of Roman tombs.
The rooms on the three upper floors have a flat ceiling. The second floor is only 1.50 m high. A low, ogival door is built into its west wall, which originally led to the attic of the nave. The next two floors have a height of about 2.20 m. In the bell storey, twin windows are let into the north, east and south. The tower has a gable roof.
The outer facade of the tower was plastered again in the course of the renovation work between 1985 and 1989 in order to better protect the walls and paintings from penetrating moisture.
Murals
Secco paintings in the former choir in the basement of the tower date from the period between 1320 and 1340. They covered all four walls of the basement and the fields of the ribbed vault. Paintings are also visible on the vault ribs and on the frame of the east window. The central theme is the Last Judgment . Of particular importance, however, is the depiction of Christ's entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. In the Wolf Church, Christ carries the cross staff and a victory flag. The scene depicts the entry into the Heavenly Jerusalem , a representation that is very rare to find.
The wall paintings were partially destroyed by the renovations in 1500. Since then, the interior walls have been plastered and painted over several times. In 1952/53 the wall paintings in the tower basement were exposed again for the first time. However, it was neglected to protect them permanently from the weather. Damage from penetrating moisture was the result, and there was a threat of final destruction. A comprehensive restoration of the building took place from 1985 to 1989. The main task was to protect the tower from moisture penetration, including a new roof and drainage. During this measure, the remaining fragments of the painting were secured and preserved.
graveyard
The cemetery, which is laid out west of the tower, is still used today by the community of Bosenbach. He is surrounded by a wall. Roman building poles were also used for the baroque main portal, which was restored in 1818 according to an inscription in the keystone . The cemetery wall was renovated between 1963 and 1965, and the entrance portal from 1980 to 1982. More recently, the cemetery has been expanded to the east, outside the area enclosed by the wall, and parking spaces have been created.
history
The Wolf Church was built for the villages of the Bosenbach office and was consecrated to Saints Antonius and Bartholomäus . Dendrochronological investigations on the timber used show a construction time around 1310, documents or documents for the construction are no longer available.
Bosenbach belonged to the parish of Deinsberg ( Theisbergstegen ) until the 16th century . In 1323 the pastor there set up a chaplaincy for the church and the associated cemetery . At that time, the basement of the tower was being painted.
The importance of the Wolfskirche decreased from 1442 when a new church was built in Bosenbach. Around 1500 changes were made to the church. Around 1835 the nave of the church, which had since become dilapidated, was demolished. The cemetery chapel, which still exists today, was built in its place in 1969. The wall paintings in the tower were restored in 1952/53 and 1985–1989.
Among the Roman fragments in the basement there is, among other things, an animal sculpture that was placed next to the cemetery portal until 1965. It shows a donkey that is being killed by a lion. This lion was interpreted as a wolf and gave the church its name.
literature
- Association for the preservation of the tower and the wall paintings of the Wolf Church near Bosenbach (publisher): Architectural and art monument "Tower of the Wolf Church" . (Based on various sources). :
- Joachim Glatz: Medieval wall painting in the Palatinate and Rheinhessen . In: Sources and treatise on medieval church history . tape 38 . Society for Middle Rhine Church History V. (self-published), Mainz 1981 (without ISBN).
- The triumphant palm donkey Christ in the Wolf Church near Bosenbach . In: Joachim Glatz, Norbert Suhr (ed.): Art and culture on the Middle Rhine. Festschrift for Fritz Arens on his 70th birthday . Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1982, ISBN 978-3-88462-016-8 .
- Christian Schüler-Beigang (arrangement): Kreis Kusel (= cultural monuments in Rhineland-Palatinate. Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany . Volume 16 ). Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1999, ISBN 3-88462-163-7 .
- Wolfgang Bartels, Hans-Ludwig Schulte: Moselle . With insider tips. In: Marco Polo [travel guide] . 1st, completely new edition. Mairs, Ostfildern 2007, ISBN 978-3-8297-0300-0 .
