Christ Church (Heidelberg)

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Christ Church

The Protestant Christ Church in Heidelberg is a historicist church building in the west of Heidelberg .

history

In 1890, construction planning for the Weststadt district began in Heidelberg . Initially, the Protestant church of the Weststadt belonged to the Providence Congregation , which is still in the old town today. Around 1894, the PJ Landfried family made a piece of land available in the middle of the district on which the Protestant Christ Church was to be built in order to spare the Protestant population of Heidelberg from having to attend church services in the gym of the local country school. The two new Weststadtkirchen were under construction at the same time, but the Catholic Church of St. Bonifatius (1898–1903) was completed three months earlier than the Christ Church, whose architect was Hermann Behaghel . The groundbreaking ceremony took place on September 24, 1900, the foundation stone was laid on Ascension Day 1901, the inauguration took place on January 3, 1904. The foundation stone can still be found behind the steps of the pulpit, on the so-called triumphal arch . The striking 65 m high tower, the tallest church tower in Heidelberg, together with the towers of St. Bonifatius, shape the image of the western city.

Behaghel built several churches in the Heidelberg region, such as the Friedenskirche in Handschuhsheim , the Kreuzkirche in Wieblingen , the Johanneskirche in Neuenheim and the Melanchthonkirche in Rohrbach . Behaghel also planned the old synagogue in Heidelberg-West, which no longer exists today, as well as church buildings in Mannheim.

architecture

The architectural style of the Christ Church is a mixture of Art Nouveau , Renaissance styles and Gothic elements, thus corresponds to the so-called typical masked ball of the styles of historicism. The unusual roof of the church tower appears enormous, the shape and design of which is the only one of its kind. As a conclusion, five jagged decorations adorn the copper tip, on which there is another 4–5 m high cross and on which a golden cock shows the direction of the wind. The four clocks, which were designed very elaborately, are particularly attractive. Under the clocks there are dates that remind of the stages in the history of the Reformation . Above are the respective cities: Wittenberg , Worms , Speyer and Augsburg . Also under the clocks, four large gargoyles, which represent the four evangelists , protrude diagonally against the sky . Such a design - with gargoyles, figures and other elements - no longer exists on this scale in any Heidelberg church. The floating angel by Hans Fries (1872–1955) above the main portal of the church is of particular value . He wears a crown with a star on his head.

It was built on a granite foundation from 1900 to 1904; the church has 1200 seats, a total length of 38 meters, a crown height of 15 meters, the tower is 65 meters high.

Walcker organ

The church has an organ that was built in 1903 by Eberhard Friedrich Walcker (Ludwigsburg). The instrument has 41 sounding registers on three manuals and a pedal. In accordance with the times at the time, it was equipped with a romantic disposition and pneumatic controls : the pipe valves were controlled by air currents (pneumatics). For this procedure, many hundredweight of lead pipes were laid in the organ case.

In 1955, the Walcker organ was converted to electrical control of the pipe valves and the stop slides. Despite this change, the Walcker organ of the Christ Church is a testimony to the organs of the turn of the century.

Disposition 1954

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Coarse 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Covered 8th'
4th Transverse flute 8th'
5. octave 4 ′
6th Reed flute 4 ′
7th Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
8th. Small octave 2 ′
9. Forest flute 2 ′
10. Large mix V-VI
11. Glöckleinton II
12. Trumpet 8th'
II Swell C – g 3
13. Gemshorn 8th'
14th Quintad 8th'
15th Willow pipe 8th'
16. Wide principal 4 ′
17th Salicional 4 ′
18th Nasard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
19th Piccolo 2 ′
20th Septcornett III
21st Spicy Mix IV
22nd bassoon 16 ′
23. Trumpet harm. 8th'
24. Tromba acuta 4 ′
Tremulant
III Positive C-g 3
25th Reed flute 8th'
26th Quintad 8th'
27. Principal 4 ′
28. Nasat 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
29 recorder 1'
30th Terzian II
31. Cymbal III – IV
32. oboe 8th'
Pedal C – f 1
33. Principal bass 16 ′
34. Sub bass 16 ′
35. Octave bass 8th'
36. Salicetbass 8th'
37. Choral bass 4 ′
38. Super octave 2 ′
39. Intoxicating Bass II
40. Backseat III – IV
41. Bombard 32 ′
42. trombone 16 ′
43. bassoon 16 ′
44. Clarine 4 ′

Disposition from 2011

In September 2009 the organ building company Gerhard Lenter began restoring the organ. With the exception of minor changes, the organ was brought back to its original state. The restored organ was consecrated on April 24, 2011.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Principal 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Covered 8th'
4th Double flute 8th'
5. Viola di gamba 8th'
6th Gemshorn 8th'
7th Synthematophon 8th'
8th. Octav 4 ′
9. Reed flute 4 ′
10. Intoxicating fifth II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
11. Mixture IV-V
12. Trumpet 8th'
II Swell C – g 3
13. Drone 16 ′
14th Principal 8th'
15th Transverse flute 8th'
16. Quintatön 8th'
17th Salicional 8th'
18th Dolce 8th'
19th Octav 4 ′
20th flute 4 ′
21st Piccolo 2 ′
22nd Mixture III-IV
23. Trumpet (1954) 8th'
24. Clarinet 8th'
III Echowerk (swellable) C – g 3
25th Lovely covered 16 ′
26th Violin principal 8th'
27. Reed flute 8th'
28. Aeoline 8th'
29 Vox coelestis 8th'
30th Transverse flute 4 ′
31. Fugara 4 ′
32. Oboe (1954) 8th'
Pedal C – f 1
33. Principal bass 16 ′
34. Violon bass 16 ′
35. Sub bass 16 ′
36. Covered bass (from II) 16 ′
37. Quintbass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′
38. Octavbass 8th'
39. Cello bass 8th'
40. Salicetbass (from II) 8th'
41. Octav 4 ′
42. trombone 16 ′
43. Trumpet 8th'
  • Pairing :
    • Normal coupling: II / I, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
    • Super octave coupling: II / II, III / III
  • Playing aids :
    • Piano Pedal III, Piano Pedal II
    • Tongue holder
    • Hand register to the roller
    • General coupling
    • two free combinations
    • Crescendo roller
    • four fixed combinations: p, mf, f, ff
    • electronic setting system
  • System:
    • pneumatic cone store
    • pneumatic play and stop action
  • Wind pressure:
    • 100mm WS
    • Game table: 125mm WS

Krämer organ

A second organ has been in the Christ Church since Easter 2018. With the Krämer organ from 1790, there is now a late baroque instrument here, which enormously expands the tonal and liturgical possibilities in the Christ Church. As a lighter counterpart and stylistic addition to the Walcker organ, the new organ brings its very own color to church services and concerts and enables exciting dialogues. The two-manual Krämer organ was built in 1790 for the Ladenburg St. Gallus Church . In 1865 it came to the St. Sebastians Chapel there , where it was played again until the 1960s and - after a makeover - from 1982 to 2008. After the chapel was closed and deedicated, the instrument has now found a new home in the Christ Church.

Bells

Our Father Bell

The four bronze bells arrived half a year before the festive dedication of the Christ Church. They were cast by the A. Hamm bell foundry in Frankenthal. The bells weighed a total of 125 quintals and were tuned to B, C, D and F and thus coordinated with the chimes of the Church of St. Boniface at that time. In 1942, three of the four bells had to be handed in during World War II. In 1951 the church was fitted with new bells. They are cast steel bells that were cast by the Bochum Association. They have the notes c, es, f, g and thus result in a completed minor motif. They bear the inscriptions: "Christ vivit", "Christ regnat", "Christ vincit" and "Christ triumphat" (Christ lives, rules, conquers and triumphs). The full peal is pleasant and has a soft sound.

Window / stained glass

Christ Church inside

In the church there are three large windows in the choir area , which are also the most valuable. The windows show the stations from the life of Jesus and the Beatitudes of Jesus. The left window of the choir shows the birth of Jesus and the adoration of the wise men from the east. In the middle: The Passion of Jesus ; on the right: the apparition of the risen Christ to Paul before Damascus. The windows are quite colorful and are among the most beautiful church windows in Heidelberg. There are two more colored windows in the aisle of the church. They represent an anointing and miraculous healing of Jesus. On the east side, in the medallions of the arched fields, Philipp Melanchthon (1497–1560), Martin Luther (1483–1546) and Jan Hus (1369–1415) are depicted, above the west gallery Huldrych Zwingli ( 1484–1531) and Johannes Calvin (1509–1564) in memory of the Reformation movement of the 15th and 16th centuries. All windows are decorated with neo-renaissance architecture.

renovation

In 2004/05 the entire structure was renovated. The tower got a new gold leaf as well as a new lightning protection, pigeon defense, partial replacement of the tower helmet and maintenance work inside the tower. Inside, measures were taken for the upcoming organ renovation. Lead windows and church vaults got a new coat of paint.

gallery

  • South-east side with main portal

  • North side

  • Eastern side portal

  • Facade of the tower

literature

  • 100 years of the Christ Church in Heidelberg . Anniversary book.
  • Johannes Wilhelm: Conversions of church buildings. Evangelical Church in Bretten-Gölshausen and Evangelical Christ Church in Heidelberg. In: Preservation of monuments in Baden-Württemberg , 32nd year 2003, issue 1, pp. 105–112 ( PDF )

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ On the dispositions of the Walcker organ ( Memento of the original from 23 August 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / walckerfreunde.de
  2. ↑ An organ through the ages. Festschrift for the rededication of the Walcker organ in the Christ Church in Heidelberg. Edited by Christ Church (Evangelical District Community of Heidelberg), Regional Culture Publishing House, Heidelberg 2011.
  3. ↑ Christ Church in Heidelberg: external repair , website of the architecture office, accessed on December 3, 2010

Web links

Commons : Christ Church  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 49 ° 24 '7.9 "  N , 8 ° 41' 7.4"  E