Old St. Maternus

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Old St. Maternus, 10th century
Baptismal font of the church

The church of Alt Sankt Maternus , also known as the “Kapellchen”, is located close to the Rhine in the old historical center of the Cologne suburb of Cologne-Rodenkirchen . The church is one of the 13 small Romanesque former village churches in front of Cologne's medieval city ​​wall , which have long been part of Cologne today. It is also looked after by the Friends of Roman Churches in Cologne .

Early history of the church

Memories stones, which were discovered in the walls during renovation work in 1925, date from early Christian times. As a rule, these stones were only used in churches with baptismal and burial rights , which are reserved for parish churches . In this respect, an early Christian predecessor building is possible or even likely.

The church building

The church consists of two naves with a choir and sacristy . It was created in different construction periods. The older part, the central nave with its semicircular apse , is probably from the 10th century. A side aisle with Gothic windows was added to it in the 15th century and a tower in front of it to the west in the 17th century. In this massive tower , several rooms were set up, which in earlier centuries served the sexton as living space.

As early as the last quarter of the 19th century, the interior was described as “little worth mentioning”.

Inventory records

In December 1731 an older monstrance was stolen by breaking into the tabernacle , a new one made of pure silver , partially gilded, procured by Father Dionysius , “ Disconsolate Carmelite of Cologne”, from Augsburg for the price of 81 Talers and 25 Albus . This was not preserved either, it was sold in 1817 for 72 Taler and 40 Stüber because of the prevailing poverty .

The two bells of the old Maternus Church were only temporarily preserved thanks to donations of 400 Reichstalers from the community. Originally they were supposed to be given in payment to the master bell founder Rodenkirchen zu Deutz, who had received the order for the bells of the new parish church.

The bells bore the inscriptions:

  • My name is Maria, I call out to the service of God, in 1673
  • In honorem St. Materni.

In 1873 Andreas Rodenkirchen then cast a new bell. It has a diameter of 411 mm, weighs around 40 kg and sounds on the strike note b 2  –2. The second compartment of the small wooden bell chair is free.

A Madonna from 1470 is now in the new church.

The Rodenkirchen coat of arms, detail with anchor, the Cologne Petri key and the Bergisch lion

In the niche created on the outside of the choir wall facing the Rhine, a figure of St. Maternus stands at the rudder of a boat and with a miter in one hand as an attribute . In earlier times she gave the passing boatmen an opportunity to intercede for her patron saint .

Underneath, in a wreath of waves, the coat of arms of Rodenkirchen with anchor, the Cologne Petri key and the Bergisch lion is depicted.

The old churchyard

The old church, formerly surrounding the church, is still present in a small area adjacent to the church. However, the gravestones are very badly weathered and the inscriptions are difficult to read.

The old churchyard, next to Alt St. Maternus

In the Jülisch-Bergischer inquiries book it says in 1550: " When the pastor reported that the churchyard was being defaced and devastated by shipmen and boys, the bailiff wanted to do proper repairs so that it would be improved ".

In 1854 the civil parish created a plot of land in the west of the village as a new cemetery, and it was surrounded by a beautiful wall. The clergy had to agree to keep part of the site free for non-Catholics.

Income and responsibilities

Church incomes were low. Before the secularization, the goods belonging to the large ecclesiastical corporations only supplied wax and other natural goods for church use . For the year 1827 the following information about the money receipts was recorded:

Until the time of secularization, the building of the church lay with the St. Severin monastery as a major decimator . In an edict of the electoral state government of Düsseldorf under Karl Theodor (Palatinate and Bavaria) of 1751, it was decided that all those who participate in hard tithe crops, i.e. wheat, rye, oats, barley and the like, should own the small nave to build the nave Tithe, however, for the building of the choir and, where such is not raised, the former should also be obliged to do so.

The flood situation

Although the church with the adjoining churchyard is in a slightly elevated position, it was never safe from flooding and its damage. So it is said in the 18th century:

“ The masonry around the church started in August 1764 and ended in June 1766. In the foundations, oak sleepers and trees are pegged into one another, thick oak boards and heavy house stones attached to each other and attached with anchors ”.

Just as many martyrs or saints acted as patron saints from early Christian times , Saint Maternus is considered an advocate and helper in water needs. In conjunction with the recurring floods of the river Rhine in Cologne-Rodenkirchen are already in the Middle Ages the basis of the Maternus Church intercession serving ship processions have taken place.

The end as a parish church

When the population began to consider building a new church in the middle of the 19th century, two coincidences were decisive for a new building. On the one hand was community , and therefore the church, again struck by a catastrophic flood, on the other hand you have been given by the deceased in 1857, landlords of Fronhofes to Rodenkirchen the necessary funds, which in 1856 the municipality for the construction of a church 15,000 Reichstaler had alloyed . In 1867 the new church was consecrated on a higher ground , and it was also consecrated to St. Maternus.

The Alt St. Maternus district today

The Alt St. Maternus district

After building measures for flood protection already carried out in previous years, construction work on the Rodenkirchen towpath began again in April 2006 .

The work, which will also continue in 2007, is intended to finally secure the village comprehensively.

The particularly endangered historical town center on the old, narrow village streets Steinweg, Auf dem Brand and Kirchstraße has always been hardest hit.

In this quarter, also called the “fishing village”, is the house “Gaststätte zum Treppchen” from 1556. Today's "Restaurant Fährhaus", which with two two-story half-timbered houses from the 18th century is reminiscent of the former ferry service on the other side of the Rhine, and finally the ancient parish church of St. Maternus.

In order to meet the requirements of the monument protection, the listed buildings will be permanently protected and secured in the future.

Literature / sources

  • Irmgard Schnellbächer: Cologne's small churches from the Romanesque period I . Bernadus Verlag, 2003
  • Robert Wilhelm Rosellen: History of the parishes of the deanery Brühl . JP Bachem Verlag, Cologne 1887
  • Fried Mühlberg , memorial stones and table altar in Rodenkirchen . Kölner Jahrbuch für Pre- und Frühgeschichte 9, 1967/68, 167–173
  • Hiltrud Kier : Cologne, villages in the south on the left bank of the Rhine .

Web links

Commons : Alt St. Maternus (Cologne)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ in honor of St. Maternus
  2. ^ Gerhard Hoffs: Bell music of the Catholic churches in Cologne . P. 731.
  3. ^ The church archives in Rodenkirchen, - reprinted by Binterim and Mooren, Archd., II 427
  4. ↑ In 1990, the then Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Johannes Rau , issued monument protection.

Coordinates: 50 ° 53 ′ 43 ″  N , 6 ° 59 ′ 41 ″  E