Brother Klaus (Basel)

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Brother Klaus Church
View from the east
View from the Bruderholzallee

The Brother Klaus Church is a Roman Catholic church in Basel . It is located in the southernmost quarter of the city of Basel, the Bruderholz .

history

History and naming

The name Bruderholz is derived from the forest brothers ( hermits ) who lived in small strips of wood and forests on the steep slopes of the Bruderholz in the Middle Ages. According to legend, a barefoot monk is said to have left his order and moved to the woods outside the city. From then on he lived there alone. It is believed that the name Bruderholz could also come from this legend. The name Bruderholz has been known since the 13th century. From the beginning of the 20th century, the Bruderholz was expanded into a quiet district of Basel. With the arrival of Catholic residents, the building of a Catholic church became necessary.

The naming is explained by the veneration of Niklaus von Flüe in the years before and after the Second World War . The 1947 by Pope Pius XII. The canonized Swiss peacemaker served as a role model for politicians, especially in Catholic circles, but also for the attitude of Switzerland in general. There are quite a few Brother Klaus churches, especially in Switzerland. This also includes the world's first parish church that was built for St. Brother Klaus, namely the Brother Klaus church (Zurich-Unterstrass) built by Anton Higi , the father of the architect of the church Brother Klaus Basel .

Origin, construction and usage history

In 1949, the Roman Catholic parish of Basel acquired the area for the construction of today's Brother Klaus church as the client. In 1957, in a competition among Catholic architects who are Basel citizens, that of Karl Higi , Zurich, was chosen from 16 projects . Construction work began at the end of 1959 and the foundation stone was laid on April 30, 1960 . On August 20, 1961, the bells were consecrated by the Abbot of Mariastein , Basilius Niederberger , and then raised in the tower. On September 3, 1961, the Bishop of Basel , Franziskus von Streng , consecrated the church and established the new parish of Brother Klaus, which was separated from the mother parish Heiliggeist and was the 11th parish of the Basel Catholics. In the 1990s, the hall under the church was made lighter with the installation of two window fronts and a new kitchen and sanitary facilities were installed. Vischer Architekten, Basel, undertook this conversion. In 2010 the parishes of Brother Klaus and Don Bosco dissolved and were rejoined in the mother parish of the Holy Spirit. Since then, the united parish has been called Heiliggeist, Pastoral Area Grossbasel Ost , with the district parishes Heiliggeist, Don Bosco and Brother Klaus. Since then, the church has served Brother Klaus for special German-language services in a modern form. The English-speaking congregation and the Spanish-speaking mission celebrate their services every weekend in the Brother Klaus church.

Building description

Church tower and exterior

The 32 meter high church tower
Foundation stone by Albert Schilling

The church is located at Bruderholzallee 140 on a gently sloping south-facing terrain that forms a right angle. The free-standing bell tower has a height of 32.4 m and was built in the form of a concrete column. The tower is closed by a cross. The bell chamber hides a three-part chime, which echoes the Te-Deum motif with the notes d 1 -f 1 -g 1 and has a total weight of 2995 kg. The bells were cast by the company H. Rüetschi , Aarau. The bells have motifs designed by Albert Schilling , Basel. There is a cobblestone forecourt between the church tower, the rectory and the church. The stone sculpture Flowing Grace on the church square was made by Albert Schilling, as was the foundation stone on the outside of the northern aisle of the church. The foundation stone bears the year 1960 and a clover-leaf-like symbol that refers to the Trinity . The floor plan of the church consists of semicircular wall elements. Since the circle is considered a symbol of God, the floor plan of the church again refers to transcendence . The floor plan of the church is reminiscent of the shape of a heart. Karl Higi called the church vas spirituale - spiritual vessel. The copper roof of the church has an area of ​​820 m².

  • Foundation stone, side view

  • Flowing grace from Albert Schilling

  • Flowing grace , view from the east

Bronze portal

Bronze portal

The bronze portal of the church comes from Albert Schilling and shows three symbols in the middle part that refer to the spirituality of the church patron Niklaus von Flüe: Trinity, Cross and Madonna. In the center of the portal, the first thing that is visible is a large bowl that is turned inwards. This symbol says to the churchgoer who enters the house of God: “An inexpressible mystery is God, whom we face. But this mysterious God has revealed himself, which is represented here in three symbols. ”The first symbol is the burning bush (Ex 3), in which God first revealed himself and called his name YHWH: I am here. The second symbol is the seven bowls that refer to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isa 11: 1): wisdom and understanding, advice and strength, science and piety and fear of God. The third symbol is the bowl in the middle of the cross, which is turned outwards. It means: "The ineffable God has spoken and testified in Jesus Christ." In the diagonal of these bowls on the left side of the portal another bowl shows: It is the Virgin and Mother of God Mary , who herself is wide open, the abundance of other shells. Finally, trunks grow on the flanks of the portal, symbols of all living things.

Interior and symbolism

Chancel by Hans Christen
Preacher Carpet
Cross by Albert Schilling

Karl Higi designed this church shortly before the Second Vatican Council , i.e. before the liturgical reform . Nevertheless, thanks to its heart-shaped floor plan, the church has elements that followed the requirements of the liturgy constitution in Karl Higi's later church buildings : The congregation gathers on semicircular benches around the altar island, the center of which is the altar , but which after the liturgical reform through the Ambo was added as an equal table of the word . As a pre-Vatican church, despite the anticipation of the communion idea, the church was conceived as a church of the way. The architect Karl Higi writes about this: “You can enter the church via the quiet forecourt via a gorge-like portal. From the portal the view glides over the baptismal font to the altar. Preparation, cleaning and meal are the stages of experience for the churchgoer. ”The semicircular design of the walls of the church gives them a sheltering character. The rising dome with its height of 12 meters points beyond the assembled worship community into heaven, into the divine sphere. The 450 seats are aligned with the choir, which has an elliptical floor plan in which a rectangular room is separated from the rest of the church by a step. Architect Karl Higi describes the symbolism behind the interior design as follows: “The church is consecrated to the Swiss father, holy brother Klaus. His spirituality was shaped by the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. He saw and drew their symbol in the square and the wheel with the 2 × 3 rays or spokes. ... These thoughts, especially the threesome, we find again and again in various forms and images in our church (bells, gate, walls, bench fields, windows, preacher's carpet, foundation stone). "

Artistic equipment

The interior is a total work of art by the Basel sculptor Hans Christen . Natural limestone, raw wrought iron and tin were the materials with which the furnishings were created. The altar made of white Jurassic limestone forms the center of the chancel. It is designed as a communion table. It is not in the symmetrical axis of the room, but is shifted by approx. 30 cm to the right in the optical focus of the room. Behind the altar is a priest's seat flanked by the benches for the ministry. To the left of the altar is the so-called preacher's carpet . It was intended as a place for the preacher when the church was built. Its lead inlays consist of symbols of the Trinity and the four evangelists . In today's design, the preacher's carpet underlines the cohesion of the altar (table of the meal) and the ambo (table of the word). A special feature of the design of the chancel is the tabernacle , which was still attached to the altar in the pre-Vatican tradition, but not in the middle and not so dominant that it should have been removed in the post-Vatican use of the church. The tabernacle is clad in pewter, set with rock crystals and rose quartz. It has a lid that, in contrast to the usual design of a tabernacle, does not open the tabernacle to the front, but to the top. The church has two crosses, one is made of bronze and was created by Hans Christen, the other has a crucified man made of plaster, which is attached to a cross made of birch wood. This second crucifix was made by Albert Schilling. The baptismal font is by Hans Christen and consists of an egg-shaped limestone monolith that rests on a wrought-iron tripod. In its design it refers to the holy water fountain in the porch of the portal. The stained glass window is by Ferdinand Gehr and "wafts around like a transparent flag" the congregation gathered for the service. The blue lower frame and the reddish upper frame of the glass window capture the architecture of the church. Inside the window, Ferdinand Gehr depicts the three divine persons and their works in the world. God the Creator hovers in a light cloak above the choir. He carries the world in his arms. In the second picture the Holy Spirit appears from the flaming fire as a mighty dove . This picture refers to Pentecost . On the right, Jesus Christ steps into the world as the Lamb of God , made man (green color). In each of the three images, golden bowls carry and pour the blessing and grace of God into the earthly world.

  • tabernacle

  • Lecture cross

  • Baptismal font

organ

View of the organ from 1970
Dorothea Chapel

The organ is located on the left side of the chancel above a niche intended for the choir. The instrument was created in 1970 by Orgelbau Graf, Sursee and has a mechanical manual and stop action.

I Manual C-g 3
Principal 8th'
Reed flute 8th'
Octave 4 ′
Coupling flute 4 ′
Super octave 2 ′
Sesquialtera 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ and 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
mixture 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
II Manual
(swellable) C – g 3
Dumped 8th'
Principal 4 ′
Pointed flute 4 ′
Forest flute 2 ′
Sharp 1'
Schalmey 8th'
Pedal C – f 1
Sub bass 16 ′
Capstan whistle 8th'
Flute 4 ′

Dorothea Chapel

Chapel of the Dorothea Chapel

The Dorothea Chapel, named after Brother Klaus' wife, can be reached via stairs from the church. The chancel was designed by Hans Christen and has as a special feature an altar that rests on just three feet and into which the ambo is set in the form of a lectern. The chapel has seven windows that refer to the seven virtues and the seven sacraments. The lecture cross in the chapel is the original cross of the upper church. It is made of tin like the tabernacle of the upper church and represents the heart of Jesus. Branches of thorns refer to the martyrdom of Christ, the arms and hands are wide open. The crystals symbolize the fullness of salvation, fountain of life and holiness. The lecture cross is completed by a crown, which indicates the rule of God.

literature

  • Robert Lang: Brother Klaus Basel. Art Guide No. 753, Swiss Series No. 34. Schnell and Steiner Verlag, Munich and Zurich 1964.

Web links

Commons : Brother Klaus Basel  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Robert Lang: Brother Klaus Basel. P. 2.
  2. ^ Website of the parish of the Holy Spirit. Our Church section. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  3. ^ Robert Lang: Brother Klaus Basel. P. 3, 6 and 15.
  4. ^ Quotations from Robert Lang, in: Robert Lang: Bruder Klaus Basel. P. 7.
  5. ^ Karl Higi, quoted from Robert Lang: Brother Klaus Basel. P. 6.
  6. ^ Karl Higi, in: Robert Lang: Brother Klaus Basel. P. 7.
  7. ^ Robert Lang: Brother Klaus Basel. Pp. 6-13.
  8. ^ Quote from Robert Lang, in: Robert Lang: Bruder Klaus Basel. P. 11.
  9. ^ Robert Lang: Brother Klaus Basel. Pp. 10-11.
  10. ^ Robert Lang: Brother Klaus Basel. P. 15.
  11. ↑ Quotation: Robert Lang, in: Robert Lang: Bruder Klaus Basel. P. 12.
  12. ^ Robert Lang: Brother Klaus Basel. P. 12 and 15.

Coordinates: 47 ° 31 '55.39 "  N , 7 ° 35' 33.06"  O ; CH1903:  611,589  /  264603