Christ Church (Leer)

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Christ Church in Leer

The Evangelical Lutheran Christ Church in Leer ( East Frisia ) was built in 1900 in the neo-Gothic style.

history

Initially, the Lutherans in the Reformed Leer were only allowed to worship outside the city. From 1639 they joined the parish in Logabirum . With the permission of Christine Charlotte , the first Lutheran church was built in 1675 with the Luther Church. The increase in the population towards the end of the 19th century made a second church in the east of the city necessary, which was consecrated on October 7, 1900 and was initially called the "New Lutheran Church". For financial reasons, bells and a church tower were initially dispensed with. An organ was not initially planned either, but one year later it was installed by P. Furtwängler & Hammer with twelve registers . 1500 parishioners belonged to the district of the new church. The church had 450 seats, which were rented out according to the custom of the time in order to secure funding. In 1905 the pastorate was built on Hoheellernweg.

In 1925, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, the church was given its current name after a window in the choir room that showed Christ in a red coat. The building was badly damaged during the Second World War . After the war damage had been repaired, a bell room with two bells was installed on an additional floor above the entrance area in 1952. Since 1957 a third bell has been added to the ringing. The number of parish members had grown to 6,000 in the 1950s, so that in 1953 a second pastorate was built in Bethelstrasse. A state superintendent lived here from 1954 until the superintendent was moved to Aurich in 1960. Since 1961 it has been the seat of the second parish office. Since 1958 the district has been an independent parish, which has since been attached to the parish office, the former rent office. Today a parish office is assigned to the Christ Congregation.

During the renovation from 1964 to 1966, the sacristy and roof, as well as the entire interior plaster inside the church, were renewed, as the church bricks destroyed every new painting due to their saltpetre content. The removal of the two choir additions made it possible to install five large choir windows that extend further down than before. The side windows have also been redesigned. A new, larger sacristy was added to replace it in 1963. The ringing now extended to a total of four bells was moved to a separate bell tower made of steel girders in front of the church.

Three rows of benches were removed to create sufficient space in the liturgical area, and the baptismal font, pulpit and lectern replaced with new furnishings. In addition, the last row of benches and the right side of the bench on the gallery were removed, so that the church has now had 330 seats.

In 1982 the entrance area of ​​the church was made barrier-free . In autumn 2000 the congregation celebrated the 100th anniversary of the church. In 2006 the interior was renovated and redesigned again. In the course of the work, the floor was tiled and the walls and pews were redesigned in color.

Building description

North side of the Christ Church

The hall church was built in the neo-Gothic style. The six red brick ribs of the vaulted polygonal choir converge in a keystone. Light falls into the interior through five pointed arched choir windows. The side windows have pointed diamonds on the left and rectangular diamonds on the right. The outer walls are structured by buttresses and stepped corner buttresses.

The entrance hall is characterized at the bottom by a large portal with a pointed arch made of lead glass, while the attached bell chamber has three small round arched sound arcades on each of the three free sides. Today the church is entered through two small annex buildings on the side of the entrance hall. The roof turret with an open lantern is crowned by a swan as a symbol of Lutheranism.

Furnishing

inner space

A gray cove ceiling made of wood is drawn into the simply designed interior , the beam construction of which is highlighted by the red paint. The ogival triumphal arch provides a view of the choir area. Gray and blue tones dominate the leaded glass windows.

The chairs have had a light paintwork since 2006, imitating the grain of the wood. In the choir there is a simple cafeteria made of brick, which is closed off by an oak panel. The wooden altar cross with body comes from the sculptor Arnold Rickert ( Bielefeld ) from 1953, the copper, 1.60 meter high Easter candlestick by goldsmith Wilhelm Sommer ( Weener ) from 1978.

The organ on the west gallery was built between 1963 and 1965 by the Hillebrand brothers with 17 stops on two manuals and a pedal . Above the console is the breastwork and above the main work, which is flanked by large fields for the pedals. Martin ter Haseborg carried out a thorough overhaul of the instrument in 1998.

See also

literature

  • Hans-Bernd Rödiger, Menno Smid : Frisian churches in Emden, Leer, Borkum, Mormerland, Uplengen, Overledingen and Reiderland , volume 3. Verlag CL Mettcker & Söhne, Jever 1980, p. 77.
  • Church council of the Ev.-Luth. Christ Church, Leer (Ed.): Festschrift for the 100th anniversary of the Evangelical Lutheran Christ Church in Leer. 1900-2000 . Leer 2000.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Church council (ed.): Festschrift for the 100th anniversary . 2000, p. 14 f.
  2. ↑ a b c Evangelical Lutheran Christ Church: The History of the Christ Church , accessed on April 4, 2018.
  3. ^ Church council (ed.): Festschrift for the 100th anniversary . 2000, p. 16.
  4. ^ Church council (ed.): Festschrift for the 100th anniversary . 2000, pp. 21, 23.
  5. ^ Church council (ed.): Festschrift for the 100th anniversary . 2000, p. 23.
  6. ↑ Evangelical Lutheran Christ Church: People , accessed on April 4, 2018.
  7. ^ Church council (ed.): Festschrift for the 100th anniversary . 2000, p. 24.
  8. ^ Church council (ed.): Festschrift for the 100th anniversary . 2000, p. 25.
  9. ^ Paul Weßels (local chronicle of the East Frisian landscape ): Leer (PDF file; 150 kB)
  10. ^ Church council (ed.): Festschrift for the 100th anniversary . 2000, pp. 21, 24.
  11. ↑ a b Church Council (ed.): Festschrift for the 100th anniversary . 2000, p. 27.

Coordinates: 53 ° 13 '52.9 "  N , 7 ° 27' 59.1"  E