Amden mountain church
The Bergkirche Amden is a Protestant - Reformed church in Amden above the Walensee .
History and architecture
The mountain church - built in the diaspora of Amden, which has been largely Roman Catholic since the Counter - Reformation - was inaugurated in 1972. The original plan was to build an ecumenical church on the site of the old St. Anna chapel (below the Schäfli restaurant). This failed because of the Reformed donors who wanted to donate their money to their own Reformed Church. In addition to an increase in the Reformed population, it was above all an increase in tourism that made the building of the church appear necessary.
In 2016 and 2017 the church was renovated inside and out.
Exterior
The striking exterior mimics the outlines of the surrounding mountains. At the same time, the appearance reminds one of the crown as a sign of the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the dignity that comes from Christ to every person. The cock on the west side of the church roof (above the nave and not above the tower) is gilded; under it are two time capsules .
inner space
The idea of God's reign also recurs in the interior, where the wooden cross on the choir wall has a gold-plated crown. The attachment of the crown was hotly contested, as the opponents feared too much that it would be confused with the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The glass windows were created by Albin Engeler in 2001. They address “day” (on the east side) and “night” (on the west side) in the field of tension.
During the most recent renovation, a prayer corner was created in the area below the gallery by the St. Gallen artist Hans Thomann, which takes up the motifs from the windows.
The pews were replaced by chairs. The old church pews are used as Zwingli pews in front of the mountain church, in Weesen am Linthspitz and under the sequoia tree at the harbor. Under the motto "Free Faith - Faith in the Open", former church pews for an interreligious prayer corner have also been set up at the harbor in Weesen (near the playground).
Church organization
Amden forms a pastoral community with Weesen . The church services alternate weekly in the mountain church and in the Weesner Zwinglikirche .