Old Church (Watzenborn-Steinberg)

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Church from the south

The old church in Watzenborn-Steinberg , a district of Pohlheim in the district of Gießen ( Hesse ), was built in the Romanesque style and received its Gothic nave in 1489/90. The city of Pohlheim has been the owner of the Hessian cultural monument since 1992.

history

Old foundations under the floor
Choir closure as the oldest component
House coat of arms of the von Schwalbachs on the north wall

The time of construction of the original chapel is unknown, but should be in the 13th century at the latest. It lay between the places Watzenborn and Steinberg and was built under the mother church in Grossen-Linden . The original patronage is not known. When the floor was laid in 2006, foundations from the Romanesque period were found. The chapel is mentioned for the first time in a forged document from the Schiffenberg monastery from the 13th century, which was dated to the year 1162. In this way, the monastery secured the right of patronage and the corresponding income. The then Commander of the Teutonic Order , Gernand von Schwalbach, whose coat of arms is preserved on a stone in the church, possibly initiated a renovation in 1420. The expansion of the Romanesque baptistery by a Gothic nave goes back to the year 1489/90, when Ewald von Hattenbach was Commander on the Schiffenberg. After a dendrochronological report, the trees for the roof beams and the roof turret were felled at the end of 1489. Until about 1532 Watzenborn was a branch of Schiffenberg Monastery, then of Hausen (Pohlheim) and from 1561 again of Schiffenberg.

In the course of the Reformation , the parish changed to the evangelical confession in 1561 and was parish with Steinberg and Garbenteich in Steinbach . Under pressure from the community, church services were allowed to be held since 1584, after the curate chapel had only served the pastoral care of the Schiffenberg monks in the pre-Reformation period. For the purpose of worship in 1584 a gallery and church stalls were built. From 1597 baptisms and weddings were allowed in the church for 6 or 45 pfennigs due to the cold winter time. 1607 Watzenborn was raised to an independent parish with the branches Steinberg and Garbenteich. Nikolaus Clemens von Kassel was the first Protestant pastor from 1607 to 1624.

Several changes took place in the 17th century. In 1624 the interior was painted and a new door and an organ were installed. The roof has been renewed. The church, looted and damaged during the Thirty Years' War in 1645/46, was extensively rebuilt inside in 1658. The triumphal arch was removed and the church ceiling was fitted with a hanging frame. According to the Schefer's Chronicle, the arch was equipped with a boss vault . In 1670 the church tower was renovated, and in 1683 the gallery was expanded to include the “men's stage”. In 1774 the damaged ceiling beams in the ship were replaced. The building's poor condition was made worse by an earthquake in 1846. The following year the west gable was cracked and a bell fell down, as a result of which the tower was renovated in 1847 and almost all of the interior was renewed. In the same year, the two stairways to the men's galleries on the long sides were removed. A piece of the men's gallery, which is marked with the year 1683, was installed in 1847 as a lintel of the upper west door and secured during the renovation in 2001.

Interior view before 1927

Since the church had become too small at the end of the 19th century, plans for expansion or demolition were drawn up from 1922 onwards, which were not carried out due to inflation, the Third Reich and the Second World War. War damage was repaired in 1945 and the interior was renovated in 1947. After a citizens' meeting in 1952, the parish built the Christ Church on the cemetery grounds from 1953 to 1955, partly on its own.

The Catholic community, which had grown significantly due to the influx of people who had been expelled from the homeland, bought the chapel in 1955 for 30,000 DM and redesigned it for their purposes. The interior in particular has been drastically changed. The pulpit, choir stalls, side galleries and the painted wooden ceiling were removed, and in 1956 the outer staircase. The roof turret was secured by iron girders in 1958, the west gallery was built in and a small western porch was created as a vestibule , a sacristy was added in the southeast , for which a door on the south side was broken in. In 1959 the floor slabs were re-laid, the old pews reworked, a new altar built up and new stained glass windows inserted in the choir . In the middle is John the Baptist , to whom the church was consecrated in 1959, he is flanked on the left by Peter and on the right by Paul.

The city of Pohlheim acquired the building in 1992 for 180,000 DM. From that year until the completion of its own church in 1999, the Syrian Orthodox community held its services here. In 1997 the friends' association to save the “old church” was founded. In 1999 the tower was reinserted and the tower cross and weather valve were rebuilt, in 2001 the west gable was renovated inside and outside, the western canopy was built based on the historical template and provided with a new staircase. In addition, the restored entrance doors, which had been removed in 1957 and stored in the attic, were reinstalled. In 2007 the wooden floor in the area of ​​the benches was exposed. When old foundations were found, the Lower Monument Protection Authority of the district of Gießen was turned on. The "Scientific Ground Archeology e. V. ”at the universities of Marburg and Frankfurt am Main took over the further exposure. Post pits of wooden posts and wall foundations from previous buildings, grave sites, column foundations, ceramic objects and other items were found, which were again covered with sand. Then a new floor with electric underfloor heating was installed and the course of the old foundations was marked with brass rails. Since the renovation, the church has been used regularly for weddings, funerals, devotions and concerts.

architecture

Eastern attic, in front the former beam

The 22–23 ° east-facing, single-nave aisle church is built on the western edge of the village on the edge of a cemetery made of quarry stone. It has a three-sided flat choir end, which, along with the entire eastern section, is part of the oldest surviving part of the building. The eastern part is 8.03 meters long, the western part 13.12 meters, the long side without the choir closure 19.80 meters. The width without the sacristy is 7.72 meters. On the slated gable roof, the completely slated roof turret merges from a hexagon with six gables into a pointed helmet, which is crowned by a tower button, cross and weathercock. On the eastern south side a sacristy is built under a sloping roof, which has three small square windows on the south side.

The eastern part stands out from the younger ship through the use of larger stones and more yellowish mortar. In addition, it has a base that ends with lung stone at the top . A construction seam on the north side marks the transition between the two structures. Three large arched windows provide the choir with light. In the Gothic period they were equipped with a pointed arch on the inside of the reveal, but today they have their Romanesque shape again. The nave is lit on both long sides through large rectangular windows with Lungstein walls , the window above the north portal is slightly smaller. The overlapping arches are only slightly arched. The central, pointed arch portals on the north and west walls have irregular walls made of lung stone. A rectangular entrance as a gallery entrance has broken into above the west portal. To the left of it is a narrow window with lungstone walls and a window with sandstone framing. A small rectangular window in the gable triangle serves to illuminate the attic.

Until 1658 the ceiling had a profiled girder in the middle, which was supported by wooden posts. Today, the beam bears the entablature from 1658 as a covering in the attic of the eastern part. The Gothic roof structure from 1489/90 has been preserved on the western side.

Furnishing

Interior to the east
Dentzer grave slab from 1676

Today, the multifunctional interior is simple and closed off by a flat ceiling. Little reminds of the old equipment. The crucifix from 1847 is now on the altar in the Christ Church. A stone Teutonic Cross is embedded above the north portal, which shows in a circle the house coat of arms of Commander von Schwalbach, on whose initiative the chapel was rebuilt: a diagonally placed shield, split from red and blue and covered with three silver rings placed diagonally. A niche with a lungstone frame is attached to the north east wall of the ship.

Instead of the former four-sided wooden gallery, there is a concrete gallery on the west side. The eastern choir area is raised by one step, the altar area by two more steps. On the south side of the choir the organ stands behind a free pipe prospect. At the two entrances there are small holy water stoups that were added in the late 1950s when the Catholic community redesigned the church. The wooden stalls with carved cheeks were taken over from the Arnstadt Bach Church . The 26 benches were shortened in width during the year, refurbished in-house and placed in the church in 2008 so that a central aisle remains free.

Two gravestones made of red sandstone flank the portal on the western gable side and stand under the two-sided external staircase. The left tombstone for Pastor Johann Georg Weiß (Albinus) dates from 1708 and is 1.47 meters high and 0.73 meters wide. Two angels holding the crown of life are placed above the oval surface with inscription, which is flanked by acanthus tendrils. The right grave slab for Konrad Schmand, who died in 1768, is 1.35 meters high and 0.82 meters wide. The obverse bears a cross and corpus in the upper third in the middle, facing four male figures on the left and five female figures with folded hands on the right, obviously the descendants. The back bears the crown of life in the middle, under the pine cone and the 0.26 meter high curve. To the left and right of it, a little below, two angels are carved. In the church choir there is a tombstone for Ottmar and Loisa Dentzer, who both died in 1676. It is 1.34 meters high and 0.68 meters wide. Above the two-column inscription is Christ on the cross. There are six male figures on the left and five female figures on the right, facing him in prayer and graded according to size. Apparently the father is shown with the sons and the mother with the daughters.

In front of the north side there is a Gothic baptismal font with a pointed arch frieze. It has a diameter of 1.21 meters and a height of 0.76 meters. In the 17th century it was removed from the church and replaced with a pewter baptismal bowl, as the practice of completely immersing children was replaced by sprinkling or dousing them. It came into the possession of the mayor of the Steinbach court. It stood in his Freihof for centuries , was moved to a front garden around 1980 and returned to the old church in 2006.

organ

Silent organ brochure

Nothing is known about the organ that existed in 1624 . In the inventory from 1800 "an organ with 8 registers" (on one manual) is listed. During the interior renovation in 1847, this older organ was apparently retained. Johann Georg Förster built a new instrument in 1890, which was placed on the east side of the choir room. It had mechanical cone chests and eight stops on one manual. In 1917 the Mixtur-Cornett was delivered to the armaments industry, replaced in 1930 by a viol and in 1939 by a Mixtur, and in 1955 the register was rebuilt. The Octave 2 ′ takes the place of the old Flauto Amabile 8 ′; the old registration plate was retained. Otherwise the old pipe inventory from 1890 has largely been preserved. The organ was moved in 1956 without the old case in the niche in front of the sacristy wall. In 2008 it was expanded by an organ builder, stored in a city building and replaced by an electronic organ . The Förster instrument has the following disposition :

Manual C – f 3
Principal 8th'
Bourdon 8th'
Dolce 8th'
Principal 4 ′
Flauto Gedackt 4 ′
Octave 2 ′
mixture
Pedal C – d 1
Sub-bass 16 ′

Bells

Bell in the roof turret

The bell tower, built in 1490, housed a Gothic bell (52 cm in diameter), which has served as a school bell since 1921. In the year 1597 two bells are proven. A bell from 1791 (68 cm diameter) with the inscription "GOS ME IN GIESEN FRIEDRICH OTTO ANNO 1791" has been hanging in the bell tower of the Christ Church since 1955. After the other bell mentioned in 1597 was presumably delivered to French troops, the community purchased another Otto bell (47 cm in diameter) in 1831, which was delivered to the armaments industry in 1917. In 1921, the Rincker company from Sinn cast a bell (56 cm in diameter) with the inscription “Pray and work” as a replacement, which was melted down during World War II. In 1950 a new bell with the inscription "Everything that breathes praises the Lord" was purchased. In 1992 this bell, along with two other bells purchased in 1960, was taken over in the newly built Catholic Church of St. Martin. In return, the old church received a bell that was cast in 1965 for the Catholic Church in Hausen and is still hung in the roof turret today.

literature

  • Georg Dehio : Handbook of German art monuments , Hessen I: Administrative districts of Giessen and Kassel. Edited by Folkhard Cremer, Tobias Michael Wolf and others. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-422-03092-3 , p. 915.
  • Walter Damasky (arr.): The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. A chronicle of the work in the association for the rescue of the "old church" Watzenborn-Steinberg e. V. 2nd edition. Self-published, Pohlheim 2002.
  • Wilhelm Diehl : Construction book for the Protestant parishes of the Landgraviate of Hessen-Darmstadt (= Hassia sacra. Volume 5). Self-published, Darmstadt 1931 pp. 384–386.
  • State Office for the Preservation of Monuments Hesse (ed.), Karlheinz Lang (edit.): Cultural monuments in Hesse. District of Giessen II. Buseck, Fernwald, Grünberg, Langgöns, Linden, Pohlheim, Rabenau (= monument topography Federal Republic of Germany ). Theiss, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-8062-2178-7 , p. 440 f.
  • Magistrate of the city of Pohlheim (ed.): Festschrift 850 years Watzenborn-Steinberg. 1141-1991. Pohlheim 1991, pp. 99-121.
  • Heinrich Walbe : The art monuments of the Gießen district. Vol. 3. Southern part without Arnsburg. Hessisches Denkmalarchiv, Darmstadt 1933, pp. 411–413.
  • Peter Weyrauch : The churches of the old district of Giessen. Mittelhessische Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft, Gießen 1979, p. 184 f.

Web links

Commons : Alte Kirche (Watzenborn-Steinberg)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c State Office for the Preservation of Monuments Hesse (ed.), Karlheinz Lang (arrangement): Cultural monuments in Hesse. University town of Giessen. 2010, p. 441.
  2. ↑ a b Weyrauch: The churches of the old district of Gießen. 1979, p. 184.
  3. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, p. 45.
  4. ^ Dehio: Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, Hessen I. 2008, p. 915.
  5. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, pp. 47, 197.
  6. ^ Festschrift 850 years of Watzenborn-Steinberg. 1991, p. 99.
  7. ^ Watzenborn-Steinberg. Historical local dictionary for Hessen. In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS). Hessian State Office for Historical Cultural Studies (HLGL), accessed on September 14, 2013 .
  8. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, p. 12.
  9. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, p. 105.
  10. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, pp. 65-67.
  11. ↑ on pohlheim.de , accessed on April 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, p. 176 f.
  13. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, p. 7.
  14. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, pp. 186, 209.
  15. ↑ Walbe: The art monuments of the district of Giessen. 1933, p. 411 f.
  16. ^ Festschrift 850 years of Watzenborn-Steinberg. 1991, p. 120.
  17. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, pp. 75-82.
  18. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, pp. 50f, 171.
  19. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, p. 114.
  20. ^ Franz Bösken , Hermann Fischer : Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 3: Former province of Upper Hesse (=  contributions to the Middle Rhine music history 29.2 . Part 2 (M – Z)). Schott, Mainz 1988, ISBN 3-7957-1331-5 , p. 954 f .
  21. ^ Organ of the Old Church , accessed on April 22, 2020.
  22. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, p. 84.
  23. ↑ Walbe: The art monuments of the district of Giessen. 1933, p. 413.
  24. ↑ Damasky: The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, p. 85.

Coordinates: 50 ° 32 ′ 9.7 "  N , 8 ° 42 ′ 55.4"  E