St. Margaret's Basilica

St. Margaret's Basilica

Floor plan from 1894

St. Margareta is a Catholic parish church in Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . The basilica was until 1803 Collegiate Church of Gerresheimer Frauenstift , which was created in the 9th century and the oldest Kanonissenstiften the Archdiocese of Cologne was one. Since January 1, 2011, the parish of the same name has also included the former parishes of St. Cäcilia , St. Katharina , St. Maria vom Frieden , St. Reinold and St. Ursula in the east of Düsseldorf.

history

West facade

That under the patronage of St. Hippolytus was first mentioned in 870 on the occasion of the Cologne Synod and was first documented in 905/906. The founder is the Franconian nobleman Gerrich , who appointed his daughter Regenbierg (870–905) as the first abbess of the convent. The place name Gerresheim is also associated with his person in the document from 870. After Kaiserswerth, the women's monastery is the second oldest church institution in the Rhineland.

The convent was destroyed by a Hungarian invasion in 919. The canons were able to flee to St. Ursula in Cologne and thus also brought the valuable relics of St. Hippolytus to Cologne in safety. The reconstruction was only completed in 970 and the consecration was carried out by Archbishop Gero of Cologne , whose predecessor Wichfrid had provided great financial support for the monastery. After the turn of the millennium, the pen began to flourish again. This favorable development was due to a temporary reference to the neighboring monastery of Essen, whose abbess Theophanu (d. 1058), the famous granddaughter of Emperor Otto II, also ran the Gerresheim monastery at the same time.

Today's pillar basilica St. Margareta was built between 1220 and 1230 as a collegiate church in the Rhenish transition style and was presumably consecrated in 1236. Like the monastery, the church was dedicated to Saint Hippolyti and was named Monasterium Santi Hippolyti . It is located on the site of a previous building from the 9th century. The basilica was built under Abbess Guda von Berg (1214–1231) according to the importance of the monastery .

inside view

The monastery was very wealthy and powerful in the 13th and 14th centuries due to numerous possessions and income from all over the Rhineland. The high esteem among the nobility and the supraregional influence are evident from the fact that only daughters from the high nobility were allowed to enter the convent. The abundant income from the property ensured that the monastery would continue to exist until the beginning of the 19th century. The monastery was abolished in the course of secularization on September 12, 1803 by Elector Maximilian IV Joseph .

The blood procession has been taking place every year since 1598, in honor of a blood relic that is said to contain the earth from Mount Golgotha ​​mixed with Christ's blood.

The basilica was originally reserved exclusively for the canonesses, and has only been used as a parish church since the 18th century. Until then, the congregation celebrated its services in a small, south-facing church of St. Margaret, in which the bones of the blessed Gerrich , who was named after Gerresheim, were kept. From 1790 the parish services took place in the collegiate church, which was finally transferred to the community in 1810; the old parish church had to be demolished in 1892.

Restorations were carried out in 1873 by Heinrich Wiethase and in 1894 by Heinrich Renard . Further restorations and static securing took place from 1932 and 1950. Safety measures have been carried out since 1975 because of the unsafe subsoil.

The church was elevated to a papal basilica minor in 1982 by Pope John Paul II .

architecture

The exterior of the church is characterized by the uniformity of its architecture and the uniform shape. The basilical design language is evident on the west facade with the raised central nave and the low side aisles , plus the two-storey, octagonal church tower with its pointed folding roof. The interior view, on the other hand, is characterized by the entire wealth of shapes and colors of the Rhenish late Romanesque . Early Gothic influences in the sense of a certain lightness compared to the Romanesque can be seen on the wall structure. The cloister of the monastery buildings from the 13th century is still partially preserved. The external character (cross basilica meets central building), and above all the window shapes (half rose and cross), are very rare and in the Rhineland can only be found in the "sister church" St. Peter in Sinzig . Both churches do not have a crypt.

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  The basilica from the south

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  Choir of the basilica

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  North wall of the nave

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  Cloister of the monastery

Works of art

Furnishing

Baptismal font made of Namur bluestone

crucifix

High Gothic sculpture with architecture motifs shows the Gerricus - sarcophagus , one Tumba , consisting of a single Trachyt was carved block. All around it is adorned with pointed arches with finials and tin towers. The work from around 1270/80 was probably created in a Cologne workshop.

The painting of the apse, which is very important in terms of art history, dates from the time it was built. In the vault center, the Trinity of God can be seen in the form of the mercy seat : The enthroned God the Father holds the crucified Christ in front of him, between the two the dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, framed by the four evangelists. The Gerresheimer Mercy Seat is considered the earliest in German monumental painting.

The larger than life crucifix above the altar comes from the previous building . The more than two meters high (2.10 × 1.80 m) Ottonian sculptures made of oak are believed to have been made around 960 according to the latest findings and are related to the consecration of the church in 970. The body still shows remnants of the original painting. What is striking in the depiction of Christ is the small shape of the body and the soft features of the face. It was probably given by the Archbishop of Cologne. Along with the Gerokreuz in Cologne, it is probably the oldest preserved high cross in Europe north of the Alps. Researchers see the crucifix as the oldest surviving monumental sculpture in Germany.

The neo-Gothic Hippolytus shrine, made in 1871 by the Cologne artists Heinrich and Johann Bong , has housed the relics of St. Hippolytus, which had been relocated to St. Ursula in Cologne since the Hungarian invasion of 919. The gilded shrine is decorated with portraits of the apostles, as well as figures of the Madonna with Child and St. Hippolytus.

The late Gothic Mother of God with the halo , created at the end of the 15th century, is supported by a 2.13 m high wrought iron chandelier that stands next to the crossing pillar at the entrance to the choir. The picture probably comes from the workshop of Kersten Woyers (approx. 1470–1531) in Venlo.

Of the high altar , which was built before 1236, only the three-part substructure, decorated with pillars and cloverleaf panels, which was made of trachyte - the material of the altar plate is bluestone.

The basilica also has important stained glass windows and numerous epitaphs.

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  Gerricus sarcophagus

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  Christmas altar room with crucifix and high altar

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  Hippolytus Shrine

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  Romanesque Altarmensa

Church treasure

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  Page from the Gerresheimer Gospels

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  Rhenish tower monstrance

The treasury of the basilica is now housed in the former baptistery. Already in the early Middle Ages people began to collect valuable sacred objects such as reliquaries, chalices, monstrances and chasubles. In the course of secularization from 1806 onwards, the church lost many art treasures.

Some important objects are still in the basilica today or were acquired from the 19th century:

• Gerresheimer Evangeliar (1020-1040), an Ottonian manuscript that is extensively illuminated and comes from the Cologne School of Illumination.
• Reliquary of enamel to 1210 from Limoges dates
• Tower monstrance, around 1400 from Cologne
• Holy Blood reliquary around 1410/20
• Baroque cimborium from 1670
• Silver altar cross from 1841
• Two chalices (1868 and 1880)

Church music

organ

The organ dates from 1982 . It was built by the Austrian organ builder Rieger (Schwarzach, Vorarlberg). The instrument has 40  registers on three manuals and a pedal . The actions are mechanical. The organ is equipped with extensive digital technology and enables entire organ pieces to be saved.

I Rückpositiv C – g 3 Wooden dacked 8th' Principal 4 ′ Paddock 4 ′ Gemshorn 2 ′ Quintlet 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Scharff IV 1' Rankett 16 ′ Krummhorn 8th' tremolo

II Hauptwerk C – g 3 Pommer 16 ′ Principal 8th' Pointed flute 8th' Octave 4 ′ Night horn 4 ′ Super octave 2 ′ Mixture V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Zimbel III 1 ⁄ 2 ′ Cornet V 8th' Trumpet 8th'

III Swell C – g 3 Bourdon 8th Salicional 8th' Voix céleste 8th' Prestant 4 ′ Reed flute 4 ′ Nazard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ flute 2 ′ Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ Sifflet 1' Plein Jeu V 2 ′ Basson 16 ′ Hautbois 8th' Clairon 4 ′ tremolo Wind throttle

Pedal C – f 1 Principal 16 ′ Sub-bass 16 ′ Octave 8th' Dumped 8th' Chorale bass 4 ′ Pipe clamp 2 ′ Rauschpfeife IV 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ trombone 16 ′ Trumpet 8th'

• Coupling : I / II, III / II, III / I, I / P, II / P, III / P
• Playing aids : 20 × 1000-fold typesetting system , sequencer

Choirs

Klaus Wallrath has been cantor and choirmaster since 1987 . During his time at St. Margareta, Wallrath built up several choirs and ensembles. In addition to the basilica choir, there is now a choir school for children and young people with over 150 young singers and the St. Margareta Chamber Choir. Numerous concert series are held in the basilica.

Bells

Today six bronze bells hang in the tower of the basilica. The oldest of them is the Marienglocke , which was cast in 1717 by the Cologne bell caster Gottfried Dinckelmayer.

No.	Surname	Foundry, casting location	Casting year	Ø (mm)	Weight (kg)	Nominal (16th note)
I.	Maria	Gottfried Dinckelmayer, Cologne	1717	1350	1630	es ′ + 4
II	Angelus	Peter Boitel, Luxembourg, Roermond and Bourmont	1828	1112	850	f ′ + 10
III	Christ	Peter Boitel, Luxembourg, Roermond and Bourmont	1828	995	580	g ′ + 11
IV	resurrection	Wolfgang Hausen-Mabilon, Mabilon & Co. , Saarburg	1977	830	350	b ′ + 10
V	reconciliation	Wolfgang Hausen-Mabilon, Mabilon & Co., Saarburg	1977	740	240	c ″ +11
VI	Joseph  Wilhelm  Elisabeth	Wolfgang Hausen-Mabilon, Mabilon & Co., Saarburg	1977	620	150	it ″ +11

Ringing motif : Latin hymn : Veni creator spiritus , German “Come, Holy Spirit, who creates life” or “Come, creator spirit, come to us” ( Praise to God nos. 341, 342 and 351).

Web links

Commons : St. Margareta (Gerresheim)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Parish of St. Margareta
• Entry in the monument list of the state capital Düsseldorf at the Institute for Monument Protection and Preservation

Individual evidence

1. ^ Hugo Weidenhaupt (ed.): Gerresheim 870–1970 contributions to local and art history . Schwann, Düsseldorf 1970, without ISBN, p. 9.
2. ^ ^{A b} Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 2.
3. ^ ^{A b} Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 3.
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Manfred Becker-Huberti (Ed.): Düsseldorfer Kirchen. The Catholic churches in the city dean of Düsseldorf. JP Bachem Verlag , Cologne 2009, ISBN 978-3-7616-2219-3 , pp. 77ff.
5. ^ Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 4.
6. ^ Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 5.
7. ^ Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 10.
8. ^ ^{A b} Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 16.
9. ^ Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 11f.
10. ^ Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 13.
11. ^ Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 15f.
12. ^ Klaus Saeger: Basilica of St. Margareta Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-6355-7 , p. 23f.
13. ↑ St. Margareta Basilica, Gerresheim. Rieger Orgelbau GmbH, archived from the original on June 1, 2013 ; Retrieved October 5, 2014 . 
14. ↑ ^{a b} Gerhard Hoffs: Bells of the Catholic Churches in Düsseldorf, pp. 120–125 ( Memento from October 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive )

Coordinates: 51 ° 14 ′ 13.7 ″  N , 6 ° 51 ′ 46.6 ″  E