Bönekerskapelle
The Bönekerskapelle (actually Beata Mariae Virginis chapel ) in Rheine is the former chapel of the New Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Rheine. The hospital building, which was built at the end of the 15th century, has not been seen since it was demolished in 1841 because it was dilapidated. The chapel, on the other hand, was so solidly built that it could be returned to its function as a place of worship after a repair and (thanks to some further renovations) has survived the times to the present. Today, since the merger of all originally independent parishes left of the Ems in 2013, it is one of six churches and chapels in the parish of St. Dionysius . In addition, the building has been part of the list of architectural monuments in Rheine since 1982 . It represents the last example of pre-industrial social institutions in the city of Rheine. The church received its current name Bönekerskapelle from the first administrator of the New Hospital of the Holy Spirit , Vicar Bernhard Böneker, who had been employed since 1682 . The chapel is currently open to visitors daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
history
Reason for construction
A hospital from around 1500 had a different function than an institution of the same title today. As a major at the time Rheine citizens to Christmas of the year 1484 in his will ordered that a portion should be used its assets to the foundation of a hospital, so it went to him this is a house, should take that destitute, old and incapacitated citizens. The term hospitium in its original meaning for hospitality . It represented the successor to an old hospital in the city, whose patronage was now taken over by the new foundation : New Hospital for the Holy Spirit . In memory of the hospital, which has since disappeared, the place that the monastery partly occupied is still called Heilig-Geist-Platz today . As usual, an institution like this one was assigned a priesthood and the associated place of worship. In this case, the chapel was under the patronage of Beata Mariae Virginis , so it was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary . This patronage ensured that the hospital was called Marienstift by the population over time , while the chapel after its meritorious first vicar Bönekerskapelle .
The construction of the monastery building succeeded very quickly: it was ready for occupancy in 1683, whereas the construction of the chapel, with the completion of all details inside and outside, dragged on until 1689. Although the altar consecration and thus the official commissioning of the little church took place in 1685, work on the exterior design ( embossing , plastering, etc.) took longer. The roof turret and the clock were also still unfinished at this point. This work was only completed in 1687. At the very end of the construction period, suitable benches were acquired for the interior and the chapel could finally be given its function.
With its mixture of stylistic elements adopted from Baroque, Renaissance and, above all, Gothic, the chapel is a typical example of the post-Gothic style in Westphalia . This type of recourse to the pre-Reformation Gothic language of forms should be understood as a conscious counterpoint to Protestantism and is therefore a Stone built symbol of the Counter Reformation in Northwest Germany . The closest example of this trend is the parish church of St. Ludgerus in Elte. Stylistic similarities even suggest that the same builders, artists or even the same master builder were at work here.
The city almost lost this gem when it was decided in 1974 to move the chapel down in favor of a multi-storey commercial building. Due to the initiative of various groups and committed citizens, this could be prevented. Instead of demolition, the building was completely refurbished and renovated between 1982 and 1983. Today the chapel is used by the parishes as a place for peace prayers or midday devotions, for the people of the Rhein it is a place of rest in the middle of the sometimes very busy market on the edge of the city center.
The founder
.jpg)
When founders it was the fürstbischöflich Münster Drosten and Gografen John of Grüter (* 1425, † 1487). Due to his title, he was the representative of the sovereign in many respects (comparable to a district president or district administrator today ). He also served as a judge . Its importance for the city is documented, among other things, in the fact that Grüter was one of four people who were important for the city's history at the beginning of the 20th century on the crossing tower of the St. Antonius Basilica in Rheine alongside outstanding personalities such as Charlemagne , Bishop Bernhard was immortalized by Galen and Bishop Ludwig II in the form of a portrait figure. Furthermore, a school in Rheine ( special school for pupils with special needs ) is named after him. The building site for the new hospital was in the garden of the Grüterschen Burgmannshof (later renamed Staelscher Hof ).
Building description
Exterior
The very small corner building extends over an area of only 11.3 m × 5.85 m, has an eaves height of 5.65 m and a ridge height of 9.50 m. The tower in the form of a roof turret rises 16.75 in height and is crowned by a Caravaca cross . The west side shows a simple portal with a round arch in the style of the Renaissance , above a round window and high under the top of the gable a clock disc. The façade sides are structured with raised work imitated by coarse plaster and side staves at the gable foot. The roof turret above shows more Gothic play of forms, as does the south side of the chapel facing the former city wall with its pointed-arched tracery windows .
The location of the chapel on the square called Staelscher Hof allows today to view the west side from a greater distance. At the time of construction, the entrance to the church was on a narrow street; directly opposite the portal was the back of the Burgmannshof Staelscher Hof , which belonged to the property of the founder.
Interior
The main architectural emphasis is entirely on the exterior, the interior is extremely simple and unadorned. The box-like, single-nave hall has its main entrance in the west and another entrance / exit, which originally allowed direct access from the hospital to the chapel, in the north wall at the level of the main altar. The altar niche in the east represents the only architectural room design. It takes up the large epitaph altar from 1685. The ceiling is drawn in flat and simply plastered. Their original painting of in Renaissance style was painted in the 20th century and Art Nouveau - ornamentation replaced in adapting Renaissance design.
Furnishing
Overview
Due to the modest dimensions of the building, the equipment (apart from the painting) is rather clear. The few furnishings (especially the epitaph altar), however, with their opulence stand in stark contrast to the otherwise extremely simple interior design of the chapel:
The epitaph altar from 1685
The epitaph altar as it was before 1980 (still with the figures of Peter and Paul next to the reredos)
The Overberg Epitaph from 1897
The tabernacle on the pillar fragment
Windows and parts of the Art Nouveau painting
The round window above the main portal
- Epitaph -Altar by Bernd Meyering (1631–1703), inscribed with the year of creation 1685. Although the work is not signed, it can be identified by a style comparison with documented works by the master in z. B. uniquely assign mesum or elite .
- Epitaph for the theologian and school reformer Bernhard Overberg from 1897; painted metal relief based on a design by Theodor Appelmann (1858–1915);
- Pillar fragment, probably from Bevergern Castle, which was blown up in 1680 . The pillar was found in the east wall of the chapel during renovation work in 1983. There it served as filler material. The piece is used today as a pedestal for the tabernacle. This was previously part of the high altar and integrated into it in the cafeteria.
- The only larger windows are in the south wall, a smaller round one above the portal. All windows show simple ornamentation with cross and crown symbols in (except for a few details) pale colors. The year of origin, the artist and the workshop are unknown
The epitaph altar
The centerpiece of the interior, the main altar from 1685, is the late work of the sculptor Bernd Meyering and is considered to be his most mature and best work. Despite its artistic quality and space-dominating effect, this obviously very expensive altar is hardly mentioned in the building files. There are various reasons for this, all of which ensured that the property was constructed in a favorable manner:
- the stipes , i.e. the substructure, were simply built up by the builders;
- The old altar from the previous building was reused as the canteen (altar plate). It consists of Baumberger sandstone , which is very popular with sculptors in the region ;
- the retable , the precious sandstone altarpiece, was donated by Dietrich Recke († 1639). This is clear from a detailed inscription on the reredos. He was a member of the so-called Fiscal or advocatus fisci pro interest principalis , and thus a representative of the Prince-Bishop's property affairs and one of the highest-ranking state officials.
A thematic connection to the patronage of the chapel is not evident from the inscription or the pictorial program on the altar. The time at which the work was set up on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption seems to have been chosen very deliberately and is related to the patronage. Rather, the work is a picture of consolation and hope for the living and dead of the founding family on the one hand, but also for all residents of the hospital who celebrated Holy Mass in front of the altar on the other .
The theme of the altar is the first and last things in human life, represented in pictures and text. The main floor above the cafeteria shows the incarnation , i.e. the birth of Jesus Christ, as a model for the beginning of human life. The historical and theological correctness of this depiction was attested by the two assistant figures left and right of the depiction, who have since disappeared from their place: Saints Peter and Paul , both also from Bernhard Meyering's workshop (Peter stolen from the chapel in 1980, Paulus today on loan in the Falkenhof , the city history museum).
The representation of the Lord is shown in the stipes . With this incident from the life of Christ, the child is handed over to God and from that point on is seen as his property, as a child of God.
On the upper floor the end of the earthly time of Jesus, his ascension into heaven is shown. For the pious observer, this means a visualization of his hoped-for acceptance into the kingdom of God at the end of his days. To the right and left of it, assistance figures again function as witnesses: the evangelist John and a figure identified as a guardian angel . Again the relief is commented on by an accompanying text. It is doubtful whether the hospital residents were able to decipher the text, which was written in Latin. A linguistic priest must have translated and interpreted it. It is the description of the ascension of Christ from the Acts of the Apostles of Luke .
Between these two floors charged with theological messages, the founder Dietrich Recke, including his entire family, figuratively standing in the middle of life (i.e. between earthly birth and the hoped-for acceptance into the glory of God): himself, his deceased and his current wife at the time of the foundation, his seven daughters and eight sons. The central figure of this frieze-like mezzanine is not the founder himself, who wants to put himself in the limelight as a benefactor (he rather kneels humbly, i.e. in prayer, facing his two wives in the same position), but his already deceased son Jodokus Recke takes the middle position, the only one standing and apparently comforting his family and referring to the events in the uppermost part of the altar (the Ascension). According to other inscriptions, the altar is dedicated to him and his memory. Thus, the foundation is not only a selfless donation, but also a very selfish donor of consolation and hope for one's own family.
It is possible that other families besides the named donor contributed to the financing of the lavish commemorative altar. This suggests further cartouches on the consoles of the two princes of the apostles Peter and Paul.
The Overberg epitaph
In the 18th century, more than 6,000 ordinations took place in the Bönekerskapelle (for example, in the years 1782–1794 alone 424 subdeacon ordinations, the donation of minor ordinations to 392 candidates and a total of approx. 1,400 ordinations ). This came about because Wilhelm d'Ahlhaus (1716–1794) , who had been appointed auxiliary bishop for the dioceses of Münster and Osnabrück , was also the prior of the Kreuzherrenkloster at the gates of the city in Bentlage . However, he saw his task not exclusively in the management of the monastery, but also in his priestly mandate as a shepherd with a pastoral function within the city walls. As a place to exercise his episcopal activities, he chose the Beata Mariae Virginis chapel , i.e. the Bönekerskapelle. One of the candidates he ordained as a priest was Bernhard Overberg (1754–1826) from Voltlage , who had already attended the Franciscan high school in Rheine . He gained some fame as a reformer of the school system and teacher training in the Münster monastery . The memorial plaque on the north wall commemorates this man who was closely connected to the history of the city of Rhine and who was respectfully and full of admiration called the teacher the teacher . His epitaph was donated by the Catholic teachers' association in 1897 and designed by the sculptor Theodor Appelmann, who worked in Rheine and who ten years later was one of the main artists commissioned to decorate the imposing St. Anthony's Basilica on the other side of the Ems. As a supposed work from the Renaissance period, the epitaph fits both the main altar by Meyering and the Art Nouveau painting of the chapel, also giving the impression of a Renaissance work.
.jpg)
The painted iron object has the stately size of 262 cm × 155 cm (height × width). It was made by the master blacksmith Wilhelm Holtkamp († 1922), who also worked in Rheine. He also took part in the construction of the Antonius Basilica: the large cross that crowns the mighty tower of the church was built in his workshop. Appelmann's work shows Bernhard Overberg in profile in a round cartouche in the center of the work, subtitled with the slogan "Let the little ones come to me", written in an open book. In volutes to the left and right, Overberg's life data can be seen, also in smaller round cartouches, and the dedication "THE TEACHER OF THE TEACHERS" on the lower edge ; as the founder of THE KATH.LEHRERVERB.WESTFALENS and the year of the foundation of the epitaph 1897 . Everything is surrounded by tendrils in Renaissance shapes and finished with a triangular gable, which encloses a chalice , held by two angels, again crowned by a crossed host . On top, as a conclusion, the representation of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.
The builder
Although each of the craftsmen and artists involved is listed in the building files, there is no source giving the name of the builder. However, there is an obvious assumption that can be credibly derived from the building design.
The main piece of equipment is undoubtedly the epitaph altar by Bernd Meyering. This sculptor is known to work as a stonemason and was e.g. B. significantly involved in the construction and furnishing of the (in some design features very similar) parish church of St. Ludgerus in Elte. This village church is also an example of the so-called post-Gothic. In the Bönekers chapel the altar dominates the building to such an extent that all proportions of the chapel seem to be derived from it and that (as the sum of the stylistic features and the fact that the planning architect uses the interior completely as a stage for precisely this altar) It is reasonable to assume that Meyering was not only the outfitter but also the builder of the chapel.
literature
- Rheine. The art and cultural monuments. Part I , Tecklenborg Verlag 2003.
- Anton Führer: History of the City of Rheine ; Verlag der Buchhandlung Eckers 1974.
- Rheine; yesterday Today Tomorrow. Issue 1/86.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rudolph Breuing in Rheine, yesterday - today - tomorrow , issue 1/86
- ↑ http://www.glasmalerei-ev.net/pages/b4295/b4295.shtml
- ^ Rheine - The art and cultural monuments; Rudolph Breuing; Part One; Page 213; 2013; Tecklenborg Publishing House
- ^ Rheine - The art and cultural monuments; Rudolph Breuing; Part One; Page 410 ff; 2013; Tecklenborg Publishing House
- ^ Rheine - yesterday, today, tomorrow issue 1/86; Page 43
- ↑ Rheine; yesterday Today Tomorrow. Issue 1/86; Page 25
Coordinates: 52 ° 16 ′ 38.1 ″ N , 7 ° 26 ′ 20.5 ″ E