Brother Klaus (Biel)
The Brother Klaus church at Alfred-Aebi-Strasse 86 in Biel is the second of the three Roman Catholic parish churches in the city after St. Maria and before Christ-König . Since it was built in the vicinity of a high-rise building, the architect Hermann Baur deliberately did not design it monumentally.
History and parish structure
In 1858, for the first time since the Reformation , a Catholic mass was celebrated in Biel . In 1870 the Church of St. Maria was consecrated as the city's first Catholic church. After the completion of the extensive expansion of St. Maria in 1928, preparations were made to build a second Roman Catholic church in Biel, but this was delayed by the consequences of the global economic crisis and the Second World War . In 1951 the Catholic parish assembly approved the purchase of the building site for the new church on Alfred-Aebi-Strasse. In 1955 there was an architecture competition among six selected architects, which Hermann Baur from Basel was able to win. On March 8, 1956, the parish assembly approved the construction of the church according to his plans. The building site was consecrated on September 8, 1957, and on December 14, 1958, the Bishop of Basel , Franziskus von Streng , consecrated the church and the parish center in honor of Niklaus von Flüe , who was canonized in 1947 .
Building description
Church tower and exterior
The Brother Klaus church is located at Alfred-Aebi-Strasse 86 in the Madretsch district , east of Biel train station . Because of the nearby high-rise, the architect Hermann Baur did without a striking exterior, so that the church does not have an actual church tower , but only a low bell carrier that is attached to the west side of the building. From Alfred-Aebi-Strasse, instead of a monumental façade, only a concrete skeleton structure can be seen that surrounds the square forecourt of the church building. A granite staircase takes the visitor to a raised loggia and from there into the church.
It was not until 15 years after the church was inaugurated that the five-part bells were raised in the bell bearer. The bronze bells were cast on November 9, 1972 by the company H. Rüetschi , Aarau. The bells rang for the first time on Christmas 1972.
| number | Weight | volume | dedication | inscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 885 kg | f ' | Trinity | Benedicta sit sancta trinitas atque indivisa unitas. = Praise be to the Holy Trinity and its undivided unity. ( Gregorian antiphon ) |
| 2 | 615 kg | as' | Jesus Christ | Qui manducat carnem meam et bibit sanguinem meum, in me manet et ego in illo. = Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (Jn 6, 56) |
| 3 | 413 kg | b ' | Mother of God Mary | Ave Maria. Gratia plena. Dominus tecum. Benedicta do in mulieribus. = Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with you. You are blessed among women. |
| 4th | 321 kg | c '' | Brother Klaus | Peace is always in God, because God is peace. Brother Klaus. |
| 5 | 176 kg | it'' | Guardian Angel | Angeli eorum in caelis semper vident faciem patris mei, qui in caelis est. = Your angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven (Matt. 18, 10). |
Interior and artistic equipment
The almost square church space is not designed as a path church , in which the believers are aligned in a longitudinally rectangular nave towards the choir . Instead, the conception of the Brother Klaus church anticipates the innovations of the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council , in that the faithful sit in four groups of banks in a semicircle around the altar area, giving spatial expression to the communion idea. The sparsely designed interior is determined by the floor-to-ceiling concrete lattice windows in which colored glass windows are inserted, which give the room its sacred character. The church is determined by a diagonal orientation towards the chancel, towards which the floor slopes slightly and the ceiling rises in return. Bright daylight falls into the choir through a skylight above the popular altar , underlining the importance of the liturgical area. A crucifix from the mid-15th century has been hung in the choir since 1966 . It is flanked by two contemporary paintings that give the otherwise colorless choir room two color accents. The altar, the ambo and the base of the tabernacle are carved from Ticino granite . The casing of the tabernacle stands out from the liturgical furnishings by its golden shimmering casing set with glass stones. On the choir wall next to the tabernacle is a statue of the church patron, St. Brother Klaus, appropriate.
organ
In 1977 the present organ was built by Orgelbau Geneva AG. It replaced an electronic instrument from the Honegger company, Zurich. The organ has 17 stops on 2 manuals and pedal. In 2015 there was an overhaul by the organ builder Emmenegger, Nenzlingen.
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- Coupling : II / I, II / P, I / P
literature
- Angelus. No. 51, December 18, 1988, pp. 120-122.
See also
List of Roman Catholic churches in the canton of Bern
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Angelus. No. 51, December 18, 1988, p. 121.
- ↑ a b Biel in the picture. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Section Catholic Church Niklaus von der Flüe . Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- ^ Parish archives Brother Klaus.
- ↑ a b Angelus. No. 51, December 18, 1988, p. 122.
- ^ Organ directory Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Section Brother Klaus Biel. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
Coordinates: 47 ° 7 '53.9 " N , 7 ° 15' 3.5" E ; CH1903: 585,763 / 220089