Cyriakus Church (Niederhofen)
The Cyriakus Church in Niederhofen , a district of Schwaigern in the Heilbronn district in northern Baden-Württemberg , is a historic church building with components from different eras.
history
Little is known about the early history of the church as well as of the entire place, first mentioned in 1332. In church registers there are indications that the church might have been consecrated to St. Martin , which would mean that the church would be old. It is possible that this assumption is based on a mix-up with the Martinskirche in the neighboring village of Kleingartach . There are also assumptions that the church could have been the burial place of the Lords of Leinberg who sat on the Leinburg before 1350 .
The patronage right of the Niederhofen church lay with the Wimpfen monastery . At the time of the Reformation , Niederhofen von Württemberg was pledged to Hans the Rich from Gemmingen zu Guttenberg from 1485 and to his descendants until 1571. Occasional Protestant clergymen also worked at the church, but the Reformation was not concluded until 1588 through a contract between Duke Ulrich von Württemberg and the Wimpfen monastery. Wimpfen Abbey finally sold its patronage rights to the Duke of Württemberg in 1677. The church was extensively renovated in 1961 and 1981.
description
A Gothic choir with cross vaults is attached to a Romanesque nave to the east . The half-timbered construction of the tower in the form of an octagon placed on the choir is more recent, as are various parts of the church, including the windows on the south wall and the pulpit , probably from the 1770s. Old frescoes in the choir show Christ as judge of the world and the evangelist John. The more recent frescoes in the nave with scenes from the life of Mary date from the 15th century. The gallery parapet from the 18th century is painted with depictions of apostles, biblical figures and portraits of reformers. Other historical furnishings of the church include three baroque panel paintings, the pulpit from the 18th century and a crucifix from the 17th century. The glass window in the choir was designed by Valentin Saile in 1961 .
literature
- Schwaigern. Homeland book of the city of Schwaigern with the suburbs Massenbach, Stetten a. H. and Niederhofen . City administration Schwaigern, Schwaigern 1994
- Heinz Rall: Historic churches in Zabergäu and the surrounding area . Forum-Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-8091-1088-4 , pp. 68/69.
Coordinates: 49 ° 6 ′ 40.2 ″ N , 8 ° 59 ′ 1.8 ″ E