Église Saint-Martin (Saint-Imier)

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Saint Martin in Saint Imier

The Saint-Martin church at 6 rue de Beau-Site in Saint-Imier in the canton of Bern is the Roman Catholic parish church of the parishes in the St. Immer valley . In addition to the church in Saint-Imier, built in the neo-Gothic style in 1862–1866, the parish has another church in Corgémont . The Roman Catholic parish of Vallon de Saint-Imier has around 4,200 believers and extends over the entire Vallon with the parishes of Corgémont, Cormoret , Cortébert , Courtelary , Renan , Saint-Imier, Sonceboz-Sombeval , Sonvilier and Villeret . The church and the rectory are listed as objects worth protecting in the register of the canton of Bern.

history

St. Imier in the Martinskirche

Around the year 600, St. Himerius founded a settlement with a church in the headwaters of the Schüss , which was mentioned as Cella Sancti Imerrii by Charlemagne in 884. The collegiate church was built over the hermit's grave in the 11th century and was looked after by 12 canons . Since then, the city and the entire valley have been named after the saint.

The Reformation introduced in Biel / Bienne in 1528 and in Erguel in 1530 led to the ban on Catholic worship in the Saint-Imier valley. The collegiate church has since been the parish church of the Evangelical Reformed community. After the Napoleonic troops marched in in 1797, Erguël belonged to France until 1814, when it became part of the Canton of Bern.

With the beginning of industrialization, Catholics settled in the valley again. By 1834 there were about 400 Catholics in the Courtelary district. In 1861, according to the federal census, 1805 Catholics were counted among the 22,000 inhabitants of the district. After several unsuccessful petitions, the cantonal government allowed the creation of a parish in Saint-Imier in 1857. Abbé Pierre Mamie (1801–1900), the then pastor of Miécourt , was appointed as the first pastor . He soon began planning a new church, which was built from 1862 to 1866.

As a result of the Kulturkampf , the new Martinskirche was handed over to the Old Catholics in 1873 and Abbé Mamie, because he joined the protests against the deportation of Bishop Lachat, was also expelled in 1874. During his time in exile, he worked as a chaplain in Fontaines in the canton of Neuchâtel and returned in 1875. The following year he had to resign for health reasons. The Roman Catholic believers who remained in Saint-Imier met in private houses and soon afterwards had a chapel built in Rue de la Cléf, which was inaugurated on Christmas 1877.

After about forty years and many militant negotiations up to the federal court, which were concluded with a settlement in 1910, the Roman Catholic community was allowed to buy back its St. Martin's Church in 1912. The Lucerne Kultusverein, registered as the owner, sold the existing chapel to the German-speaking Protestant Reformed community. The then pastor Rippstein moved into an apartment in the "Villa Basilea", the former Leonidas factory. To protect them from further expropriation, the owner founded her own private company «Basilea» in Sursee.

Part of the purchase agreements required the completion of the church and thus the construction of the spire within 20 years. The construction was completed in November 1913. The renovations that were carried out after that lasted until the 1940s. Then the first repair work was carried out inside and on the outside. The side windows received glass paintings in 1942; Confessionals and a communion bench on the choir steps were installed.

With the general reorientation of sacred art, a restoration project began in 1945 under the direction of architect Jeanne Bueche, with the artistic supervision of Georges Dessouslavy, which brought about radical changes in the appearance of the church. The neo-Gothic decorations and paintings have been removed to make way for sober furnishings. The pulpit on the first pillar disappeared. A new high altar made of marble with modern reliefs was attached to the rear wall of the choir. The existing sacristy extensions were removed and replaced by an extension around the apses of the church. The decoration of the choir walls with frescoes had to be omitted because the artist Dessouslavy who was commissioned to do this had died. The existing organ was replaced and the gallery expanded accordingly.

After the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council , a popular altar found its place on the choir steps. With the most recent renovation, completed in 2007, structural defects were eliminated and a new harmony of the church interior was achieved by relocating some of the facilities.

Building description

Pastor Pierre Mamie saw the French architect Diogène Poisat (1808–1881) as the right man for his project. The church of Réchésy in Alsace, which Poisat had built, served as a model for the church in Saint-Imier. However, the architect had to pay attention to the client's special requests and savings.

The basilical church faces east and west on the property on Rue de l'École . The west gable facade is formed by the soaring bell tower. The high central nave with its saddle roof is accompanied by two lower aisles with pent roofs. The octagonal choir apse of the central nave has been surrounded by an annex for the sacristy that adjoins the side aisles since the renovation in the 1950s. A flight of stairs leads from the street to the main entrance on the west side.

Steeple

The tower was initially only built at the ridge height of the central nave. An octagonal structure was used as the bell chamber, the low roof of which was surmounted by an iron cross. Already in the time when the Christian Catholics were responsible for the church, a lottery raised 70,000 francs to complete the spire. Only after the takeover of the Roman Catholic community was the tower completed under the direction of the architect August Hardegger from St. Gallen. The funding was again achieved with a lottery, because the amount originally collected was used to build a Christian Catholic church.

Bells

The four-part chime was created in two stages. In 1866 the bell founder Bournez from Morteau delivered the two smaller bells , which were consecrated on September 30, 1866. The two large bells were supplied by Jules Robert from Nancy, a special bell foundry for large bells, in 1913 . They were consecrated on September 14, 1913.

number Weight dedication inscription
1 1,578 kg "HOMAGE TO SACRÉ-COEUR DE JÉSUS."
2 1,151 kg "HOMAGE À MARIE IMMACULÉE ET À SAINT JOSEPH."
3 580 kg "Je m'appelle Imière-Joséphine-Marie." "J'HONORE DIEU, JE REHAUSSE LES FÊTES, J'APPELLE LES VIVANTS ET JE PLEURE LES MORTS, SAINT IMIER, PRIEZ POUR NOUS"
4th 247 kg "Je m'appelle Martine-Xavière-Fany ..." «S. MARTIN, PRIEZ POUR NOUS ... »

Interior and artistic equipment

Baptistery

Baptismal font from 1912

At the western beginning of the right aisle, a side door had to be installed during the construction of the church at the request of the cantonal master builder Friedrich Salvisberg, who was critical and negative . A font in red Verona marble designed by the architect Hardegger was installed there in 1912 . Green serpentinite was used as inlays , which was also used in the recent renovation for the octagonal slab floor around the base. During the recent renovation of the church in 2007, the door was replaced by an art glass window and a separate baptistery was created. The window was designed by the artist Michel Delanoë (* 1945 in Caen) from Serix VD in a whitish glass cut.

Main nave and choir

Central nave with choir

The central nave and the side aisles are divided by arcades . Their round arches are supported by profiled pillars with figuratively carved capitals . Above this, a triforium bridges the wall surface to the pointed arch windows of the upper aisle . The octagonal choir is illuminated by five pointed arched windows with simple tracery. The height of the window continues the series of triforias and cliff windows. Wall pillars between the windows structure the walls. As a continuation of the pillars, pilasters with attached spiers support the ribbed vault .

They had employed the Alsatian Joseph Meyerlin from Altkirch as a sculptor . Most of the ornaments and decorations are probably from his hand, because as Abbé Mamie wrote in his notes, the local stone carvers had considerable trouble with the unusual work, especially with the construction of the cross-ribbed ceiling.

In the newly built church, rows of pews were installed on both sides of the central aisle and on the walls of the aisles. Abbé Mamie commissioned the master carpenter Marchand from Saulx (Haute-Saône) , who had previously worked for Diogène Poisat, with the production because he had enough oaks in his region. The bench heads had to be made in the dimensions given by the pastor and the model submitted. On July 14, 1866, the benches and the church doors arrived in Biel in a carriage. They were all made from oak boards that had been dried for 20 years, as Abbé Mamie noted in his diary. Since the redesign of the church space in 2007, the benches have stood on the newly constructed wooden floor in only two blocks on both sides of the aisle. This is intended to achieve a concentrated focus on the center and the altar area .

When the architect Jeanne Bueche was commissioned with the artistic redesign of the church in 1950, the carved pulpit , which was built in 1813 by «Maison Böhme de Mulhouse» and decorated with oak, was removed. The high altar and the side altars also gave way; their style was considered to be "fake Gothic". In the now “architecturally cleaned” choir, a new altar was set up, made of marble by the artist Remo Rossi . Instead of the painted windows from the 19th century, according to the suggestion of the art expert Georges Dessouslavy, modern dark glazing should be installed and the choir walls, freed from historical painting, should be painted with frescoes in a modern style. But these plans were not implemented. After the renovation phase as a result of the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council , a new altar was added to the steps of the choir.

The Way of the Cross , which the local artist Georges Schneider (1919–2010) designed with black Angers slates, was also created during this period . The installation, initially consisting of fourteen stations, was inaugurated on March 23, 1963 and met with general approval. The artist was then commissioned with the fifteenth station, the representation of the resurrection of Christ, to complete the work, which happened the following year. According to the new spatial planning, there is now a corridor on the side walls and the Way of the Cross is freely accessible.

After the renovations in the 1960s, the altar by Remo Rossi was not placed in the background of the choir in accordance with its artistic significance. Therefore, the altar and its tabernacle were moved to the apse of the left aisle. There the three reliefs with the representation of the wonderful multiplication of the bread in the middle and the wedding at Cana as a representation of the Eucharist , as well as the walk of Peter over the waves as a testimony of faith can be seen better. With this, the tabernacle, which was not on the altar after the council, found a worthy place for the holy sacrament again. Instead, a tall cross is hung on the back wall of the choir. Now, with the new furniture in the choir, a harmonious unit has been created. With the redesign of the baptistery, the statue of the Madonna from the 19th century was also repositioned. It is now on the right side wall in a light area.

Several architects were involved in the construction and various extensions and conversions of the church. That was Diogene Poisat from 1862 to 1867, August Hardegger from 1910 to 1912, Jeanne Bueche from 1950 to 1965 and Sabine Girardin and Christine Rais El Mimouni from 2004 to 2007. In consultation with the monument protection department, the two architects were able to realize a contemporary realignment of the church for the visitors.

Stained glass

Choir window by Johann Jakob Röttinger

The three high windows in the choir were painted in 1866 by Johann Jakob Röttinger in the style of the Nazarenes . In the middle window they show the Annunciation to Mary and the handing over of the keys to Peter . Further in the left window are the four Evangelists and on the right the four Church Fathers Augustine , Ambrosius , Hieronymus and Pope Gregory the Great . The windows of the side aisles were painted in 1942 by Albin Schweri with pictures especially of Swiss saints. Two pictures of St. Cecilia and St. Benedikt, painted by Frauenknecht's Scheidegger Freiburg company, were added in 1980. Finally, the non-representational glazing in the baptistery was created in 2007 by Michel Delanoë.

  • St. Martin's capital

  • Capital on the left

  • St. Ursanne by A. Schweri

  • St. Randoald

  • St. Germaine

organ

The Röthingen organ

When the church was being built, the parish of St. Theodor in Basel sold a Johann Andreas Silbermann organ from 1770 to the Roman Catholic parish of Saint-Imier. With its baroque prospect and its size, the instrument did not really fit into the neo-Gothic church. In 1951, the Basel Historical Museum bought the Silbermann organ back and rebuilt it in the Peterskirche in Basel.

In October 1951 the church building commission decided to buy a new organ, which was built by EA Röthinger, Strasbourg , on the reinforced gallery and inaugurated on March 29, 1953. The instrument has a free pipe prospect and stands on a supported organ pedestal. The console with electric action is below on the left on the wall and the gallery parapet. The organ comprises 27 electrically controlled registers with sliding chests on 2 manuals and a pedal .

I Grand Orgue C-g 3
Montre 8th'
Flute 8th'
Bourdon 8th'
Prestant 4 ′
Flûte à cheminée 4 ′
Duplicate 2 ′
Fittings V. 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
II Récit expressive C – g 3
Bourdon 16 ′
diapason 8th'
Flûte à cheminée 8th'
Salicional 8th'
Principal Italian 4 ′
Flûte douce 4 ′
Nazard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
Flageolet 2 ′
third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
Plein-jeu VI 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
Trumpets 8th'
Châlumeau 4 ′
Pedale C – f 1
Soubbasse 16 ′
Bourdon 16 ′
Bourdon 8th'
Flute 8th'
Flute 4 ′
Bombard 16 ′
Trumpets 8th'
Clairon 4 ′

Surroundings

In park-like areas to the west of the church are the parish hall "Saint-Georges" and to the east the rectory "Villa Basilea". In the parish center of Saint-Georges, rebuilt in 1974, there is a refreshment bar, a large hall (with a stage and technical equipment) and several rooms for catechesis and meetings of the various parish groups. The rectory was built in the mid-19th century as a residential building in neoclassical style and sold to the parish in 1912 by the manufacturer Constante Jeanneret. Since then, the villa has served as the home of the pastor or community leader.

Trivia

When the church was excavated, water sources were taken in the area of ​​the tower and the choir and the water was used to feed a new fountain on Place Neuve (today Place du 16. Mars).

See also

List of Roman Catholic churches in the canton of Bern

literature

  • Dominique Jeannerat et al .: L'Église catholique romaine de Saint-Imier . Paroisse catholique romaine du Vallon de Saint-Imier, Saint-Imier 2008, p. 67 .
  • Robert Piegai: Histoire de l'Église catholique du Jura dans ses rapports avec le Canton de Berne de 1815. Cure catholique, Malleray, Malleray, p. 80 .
  • Régine Bonnefoit et al .: Modern glass painting in the Jura arch . Society for Swiss Art History GSK, Bern 2018, ISBN 978-3-03797-359-2 , p. 60 .

Web links

Commons : Église Saint-Martin (Saint-Imier)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Grand Council resolution on the delimitation of the parishes. In: Website of the Government Council of the Canton of Bern, April 4, 2012 (PDF; 111 kB)
  2. ^ History of Saint-Imier
  3. ↑ Pierre Mamie on Dictionaire du Jura
  4. ^ Dominique Jeannerat et al .: L'Église catholique romaine de Saint-Imier . Paroisse catholique romaine du Vallon de Saint-Imier, Saint-Imier 2008, p. 67 .
  5. ^ Anne Kleiber: L'église de Réchésy et ses copies suisses. L'architecte Diogène Poisat. Coeuvatte Suarcine Vendeline, 2016, accessed June 16, 2020 .
  6. ↑ The church on the property page of the Geoportal of the Kt. Bern
  7. ↑ The diary of Abbé Pierre Mamie is mentioned in part in the brochure 180 Years of the Église catholique romaine de Saint-Imier .
  8. ↑ Organ directory of Switzerland accessed on June 7, 2020
  9. ↑ organ profile on Orques et Vitreaux
  10. ↑ rectory as an object leaf on Geoportal of Kt. Bern
  11. ↑ Mention of the source version in the brochure 150 Years of the Roman Catholic Church Saint-Imier , p. 18.

Coordinates: 47 ° 9 '16.3 "  N , 7 ° 0' 0.8"  E ; CH1903:  566752  /  two hundred twenty-two thousand seven hundred and twelve