St. Boniface (Wiesbaden)

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The front of the Bonifatiuskirche on Luisenplatz
West side of the church at the blue hour
The first church of St. Boniface from 1830: it collapsed on February 11, 1831
View of Wiesbaden from the southeast in 1837, on the far left the ruins of the first church building that had collapsed six years earlier, watercolor by Fritz Bamberger
St. Bonifatius on Luisenplatz
Interior of the St. Boniface Church at Easter 2012
St. Boniface illuminated at night

The church of St. Bonifatius in the Hessian state capital Wiesbaden is the main Catholic church in the city. It is dedicated to St. Boniface . The neo - Gothic three-aisled hall church built by Philipp Hoffmann between 1844 and 1849 dominates the classicist layout of Luisenplatz with its two 68 m high towers .

Building history

Prehistory and first Church of St. Boniface (1488 to 1831)

The oldest church in Wiesbaden was built between 1488 and 1521 and dedicated to St. Mauritius . She stood in the place named after her today. After the Reformation , the Mauritius Church became Lutheran and in 1850 it fell victim to a fire. A Catholic parish was not established again until April 12, 1800. In 1801 a “Catholic prayer house” was built in the courtyard of the Schwarzer Rappen inn on Marktstrasse, which was also consecrated to St. Mauritius. After this church in the up-and-coming spa town and Nassau residence town became too small, a new building was considered. The northern end of the rectangular Luisenplatz, laid out in 1830, or the northern edge of the market square (today: Schlossplatz ) were considered as areas. However, both sites were also suitable for the new city ​​palace . The areas changed several times: first of all, Duke Wilhelm gave the Catholics the property of the former control courtyard on the market square and had plans drawn up for the castle on Luisenplatz. However, he then had the building that had meanwhile been erected there - the Kalbsche Haus - bought back in order to be able to incorporate it into the new palace area as a gentleman's house and gave the Luisenplatz property to the community.

The ducal Nassau building officer Friedrich Ludwig Schrumpf , who had already built the Jagdschloss Platte from 1823 to 1826 , received the order and built a representative central building according to strict classicist forms from 1829 to 1831 . This should give the square a uniform appearance, on which other important buildings of the Nassau royal seat were under construction. The coin was created on the east side , opposite the pedagogy ; Today the Hessian Ministry of Culture is housed in both buildings. The ground plan of the church was in the shape of a blunt cross with a central rotunda. On the side of the square there was a flight of stairs in front of a mighty portico with columns and two towers. However, the church collapsed shortly before its completion on February 11, 1831. The cause was probably the lack of foundations on the area in front of the former city fortifications, which was once covered by ponds.

The second church of St. Boniface (since 1849)

After there were briefly plans for a city palace on Luisenplatz again, which were then built on the market square from 1839 to 1841, the young master builder Philipp Hoffmann received the order for a new building on May 24, 1843 . Hoffmann had already distinguished himself through his involvement in the city palace. The cost estimate resulted in a construction cost of 137,000 guilders, but only 53,000 were available. The pastor then sought donations, including at a military concert in the Wiesbaden spa gardens .

Hoffmann designed a building that combined Romanesque and Gothic forms and, as a "Gothicizing round arch style", already showed forms of the later Art Nouveau in individual ornaments . The double tower facade facing Luisenplatz was dominant. The foundation stone was laid on the day of St. Boniface, June 5, 1845; the interior was consecrated on June 19, 1849 by Limburg Bishop Peter Josef Blum . However, due to a persistent lack of money, further construction work was delayed. The facade was not completed until 1856, the 68 m high towers only in 1866. With these towers it competes with the Protestant market church completed in 1862 and its 5 towers.

The church was badly damaged in World War II . During an air raid on February 2, 1945, all windows, the roof and part of the vault were destroyed. The damage was repaired in 1949, with the destroyed vault being replaced by a makeshift beam ceiling. In 1965 a thorough renovation took place during which the vault was restored. The interior was also completely redesigned according to the principles of the Second Vatican Council .

To this day the church is the main church and largest Catholic church in Wiesbaden. The pastor of the parish of St. Bonifatius is always also the Catholic city dean of Wiesbaden.

architecture

Floor plan and exterior

The church is a three-aisled hall church on the plan of a Latin cross . It has a double tower facade and a semicircular ambulatory choir. The total length is 62 m, the nave is 24 m wide and 18 m high. Due to its location on the northern edge of Luisenplatz, the portal is in the south and the choir in the north. Plastered quarry stone masonry was used as the material for the facade, and red sandstone for all structures and decorative elements . Stylistically, it describes a "Gothicizing round arch style", that is, it appears at first glance in (neo) Gothic forms, but the upper end of the large windows does not consist of a pointed arch, but a round arch. The floor plan is oriented to the north, the southern main facade, which closes off Luisenplatz, with a three-arched entrance is surmounted by two slim, 68 m high, pointed towers.

With the gable triangle and the two slender towers that are widely spaced apart, the architect was probably inspired by the Ludwigskirche in Munich , which was built from 1829 to 1844 by Friedrich von Gärtner , where Hoffmann had studied. However, the church looks more Gothic. The gable triangle originally contained a rose window , which was replaced by a clock in 1890. The towers close at the top with open lattice helmets based on the model of the Freiburg Minster .

Interior

Floor plan of the St. Boniface Church

The windows and rosettes that were replaced after the war were made according to designs by the painter and glass designer Johannes Beeck from Nettetal in the Derix glassmaker's workshop in Taunusstein . The interior, which appears very dark in spite of the bright windows, appears very wide due to its low height of 18 m. The 22 relatively thin and simple octagonal pillars make the room appear large. Through the red-blue windows and the red sandstone elements with the otherwise white plaster, it is immersed in a soft tone. The ceiling consists of a simple ribbed vault . There are richer decorations in the choir. The curve is round and not ogival.

During the thorough renovation in 1965, the old main altar, which until then had been in the choir closure, was removed. Since 1967 the new main altar has stood on a pedestal made of red marble in the crossing. In the choir, created by Karl Hoffmann , there are a crucifixion group and statues of Francis of Assisi and Teresa of Ávila .

particularities

  • The Catholic Church of St. Boniface was the largest church building in the Protestant residence city of Nassaus when it was built . It was only surpassed by the Protestant market church built from 1853 to 1862 , which was also known as the "Nassau State Cathedral".
  • St. Boniface is also the oldest and largest Catholic church in the city. In the Pallottine confession center located there, the priests are available for discussions and confessions.

organ

The organ of St. Bonifatius was built in 1954 by the organ building workshop Romanus Seifert & Sohn (Kevelaer) with 36 registers . In 1985 the organ building company Hugo Mayer rebuilt the instrument with an expansion of the disposition ; in 1995 three electronic bass registers were added to the pedal . The same company restored and expanded the instrument in 1998. Two registers and a few couplers were added, the intonation revised and the composing system expanded. The instrument has slide chests . The Spieltrakturen pedal and coupling are mechanically, the key action and electrically coupling Manual.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Gedacktpommer 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Gemshorn 8th'
4th Octave 4 ′
5. Reed flute 4 ′
6th Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
7th Schwiegel 2 ′
8th. third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
9. Mixture V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
10. Trumpet 16 ′
11. Trumpet 8th'
12. Trumpet 4 ′
13. Trumpet en chamade 8th'
14th Trumpet en chamade 4 ′
II threshold positive C-g 3
15th diapason 8th'
16. Darling Dumped 8th'
17th Prefix 4 ′
18th recorder 4 ′
19th Principal 2 ′
20th Nazard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
21st Scharff III-IV 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
22nd oboe 8th'
Trumpet en chamade 8th'
Trumpet en chamade 4 ′
III Swell C – g 3
23. Bourdon 16 ′
24. Principal 8th'
25th Wooden flute 8th'
26th Willow pipe 8th'
27. Beat (from c 1 ) 8th'
28. Principal 4 ′
29 Flute 4 ′
30th Night horn 2 ′
31. Seventh 1 1 ⁄ 7  ′
32. Sif flute 1'
33. Sesquialter II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
34. Fittings V. 2 ′
35. Basson 16 ′
36. Trompette harmonique 8th'
37. Clairon 4 ′
Pedal C – f 1
38. Double bass 32 ′ E.
39. Principal 16 ′
40. Sub-bass 16 ′
41. Violon 16 ′ E.
42. Fifth bass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′
43. Octave bass 8th'
44. Thought bass 8th'
45. Chorale bass 4 ′
46. Flat flute 2 ′
47. Back set IV 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
48. Bombard 32 ′ E.
49. trombone 16 ′
50. Bass trumpet 8th'
51. Schalmey 4 ′
Trumpet en chamade 8th'
Trumpet en chamade 4 ′
E = electrical register from 1995

Pastor

Pastors in St. Bonifatius and at the same time city pastor or city dean were among others the later Bishop of Fulda , Joseph Weyland , from 1863 to 1887 , from 1927 to 1930 the later Limburg Bishop Antonius Hilfrich (who also received the episcopal ordination in the church), prelate and Honorary Canon Georg Rompel (1954 to 1968), Werner Bardenhewer (1974 to 1996), Ernst-Ewald Roth (1996 to 2006), Johannes zu Eltz (2006 to 2010) and Wolfgang Rösch (2010 to 2014). Georg Hilpisch and Lothar Zenetti worked as chaplain at the church.

Church music

Choir of St. Boniface during an orchestra rehearsal in the church chancel
Dvořák: Stabat Mater , concert on October 26, 2019

Gabriel Dessauer has been Cantor of St. Bonifatius since 1981 . There he leads the choir of St. Bonifatius with approx. 105 members, which was founded in 1862, as well as the children's choir of St. Bonifatius and the Schola, which maintains Gregorian chant . The choir sings in church services, including regular orchestral masses by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert at Christmas and Easter.

Every year, often on October 3rd, the day of German unity , there is a choir concert with works such as Mendelssohn's Elias , A German Requiem by Brahms, and Verdi's Messa da Requiem . Choir and children's choir appeared together in Hermann Suters Le Laudi (1998 and 2007) and in 2004 in the German premiere of John Rutter's Mass of the Children . In 2006 Dessauer directed Karl Jenkins' Requiem . In 2010 works by Bach could be heard, his mass in G minor and choral movements from cantatas .

Dessauer initially continued the tradition of a monthly hour of church music and then organized Boni Music Weeks , a series of choir and organ concerts on one theme over two weeks. Jürgen Sonnentheil (St. Petri, Cuxhaven ), Kent Tritle (St. Ignatius Loyola, New York ) and Ignace Michiels ( Sint-Salvatorskathedraal , Bruges ) gave concerts at the Music Weeks 2010, Reger and more .

literature

  • Gottfried Kiesow : Architectural Guide Wiesbaden - Through the city of historicism . German Foundation for Monument Protection, Bonn 2006, ISBN 3-936942-71-4 , p. 75 ff.

swell

  1. ↑ Information board inside the church
  2. ↑ Gottfried Kiesow: Architectural Guide Wiesbaden - Through the City of Historicism , 2006, ISBN 3-936942-71-4 , p. 75 ff.
  3. ↑ Gottfried Kiesow: The misunderstood century. Historicism using the example of Wiesbaden. German Foundation for Monument Protection, 2005, ISBN 3-936942-53-6 , p. 128.
  4. ↑ Kiesow: Architekturführer Wiesbaden , p. 77.
  5. ↑ Information board
  6. ↑ Kiesow: Architekturführer Wiesbaden , p. 76 ff.
  7. ↑ Kiesow: The misunderstood century , p. 150 f.
  8. ↑ Description of the Church of St. Bonifatius on the website of the parish of St. Bonifatius Wiesbaden ( Memento from September 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ More details on the Mayer organ , accessed on July 29, 2016.
  10. ↑ Richard Hörnicke: A touching message of faith - Bach's Mass in G minor under the brisk direction of Gabriel Dessauer. (No longer available online.) In: Wiesbadener Kurier. October 5, 2010, archived from the original on July 19, 2011 ; Retrieved November 24, 2010 .
  11. ^ Richard Hoernicke: When friends make music. (No longer available online.) In: Wiesbadener Kurier. August 13, 2010, archived from the original on July 19, 2011 ; Retrieved November 24, 2010 .

Web links

Commons : Bonifatiuskirche (Wiesbaden)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 4 ′ 46 ″  N , 8 ° 14 ′ 22 ″  E