Wetzlar Cathedral

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The Wetzlar Cathedral
Aerial view of the cathedral in the old town
Dom from Kalsmunt from
The cathedral in the middle of the old town with the old Lahn bridge in the foreground

The Wetzlar Cathedral , also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady , is one of the landmarks of Wetzlar and at the same time the city 's largest sacred building . The former collegiate church and today's parish church is subordinate to the Marien patronage . It is not a cathedral in the strict sense of the word, as it was never the seat of a bishop . The name cathedral became established at the end of the 17th century after Archbishop Karl Kaspar von der Leyen also took over the post of provost of the abbey in 1671 . Wetzlar Cathedral is the oldest simultaneous church todayin the area of ​​the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland and is one of the oldest churches in Germany that is shared by Catholics and Protestants.

From 13th to 15th In the 19th century, the Romanesque church building of the Wetzlar cathedral was to be replaced and expanded by a Gothic successor building, which was usually done by building a new building around the previous building that had not yet been removed. A special feature of the Wetzlar Cathedral is that the building remained unfinished in this phase of renovation and the various nested building sections were partially preserved.

history

The first church and foundation of the monastery

At an unknown point in time, people had settled on the elevation south of the Lahn . It can be assumed that there was also a fortified courtyard there around the year 800. It was built either by the Rupertines or the Konradines as a Franconian street festival. Presumably a parish church also existed from the middle of the 9th century, as Wetzlar had become the seat of an Archipresbyterate due to the new Trier deanery constitution .

On October 6, 897, Gebhard , Count in der Wetterau, and from 904 Duke of Lorraine , had a Salvator Church consecrated by the Conradin Bishop Rudolf von Würzburg . This church was built as a basilica , similar to the Einhards basilica near Michelstadt . It had a three-aisled floor plan with side chapels. The naves were each closed with an apse. Furthermore, the church building was dedicated to the early Christian martyrs Marcellinus and Peter . It is unclear whether this patronage existed before or after the consecration as the Salvator Church.

At the beginning of the 10th century, the Marienstift was founded as a collegiate monastery . The foundation of the monastery was a process that took decades. The Conradin dukes Udo and Hermann were named as donors in the 1389 necrology . Udo was probably a direct descendant of Gebhard, probably his son Udo I. von der Wetterau . Hermann III. was the second donor. The church was rebuilt and enlarged several times. The first reconstruction probably took place around the year 1000. A second reconstruction was carried out at the time of Friedrich I. Barbarossa .

The late Romanesque basilica

Around 1170/80 a late Romanesque pillar basilica with a two-tower west building was built. The floor plan of the previous church was adopted. A new middle apse with two side apses was created. The pillars in the nave were moved and adapted to the seven bays . The transept was probably preserved. The exact design of the transept is not known. Excavations revealed that the west wall of the nave was just under two meters in front of the new double tower facade. The double tower facade with semicircular stair towers had therefore moved away from the actual church building. To the east of the facade was an entrance hall. On the west wall of the nave was a gallery with a triangular gable.

Cathedral construction from the 13th to the 15th century

Domenico Quaglio , 1820/22

Construction of today's cathedral began around 1230. First the side chapels were demolished. A new, higher high choir was built around the old choir apse with a St. Stephen's Chapel to the north and the Chapel of Our Lady to the south. An apse with a 3/6 end was added to the east. A St. Nicholas chapel was completed in 1240/1241, which adjoins the apse to the south. Between 1240 and 1275 the south facade with the transverse arm and the aisle were built. The south portal was completed around 1250. Then the north transverse arm and the north aisle, which were completed after 1292, were built. At the beginning of the 14th century, work on the nave was unfinished. Contrary to the plans, only three, and not four, yokes were built. The ridge turret over the crossing was built in 1334. The bell there is marked with the same year. Construction work on the new west facade with two high towers began around 1336. The construction was carried out through two huts . The planning and the essential work can be traced back to the first hut. First, the foundations and the west portal were completed. The second hut built the south tower portal and the arbor of the south tower. It was presumably directed by the builder Tyle von Frankenberg .

Presumably in the course of the construction of the west facade, a rood screen was built from the second cathedral building in the 14th century , which separated the choir from the nave. On top of it was an altar dedicated to St. Erasmus of Antioch . Its purpose was to read the gospels. There were several sculptures on the west side. St. Barbara stood on the left with a tower and palm branch. In the middle were the three kings with Mary . The four figures were attached in pairs to the left and right of the central pointed arch. On the right side was the sculpture of Saint Catherine of Alexandria . She held the book and sword in her hands. In addition to angels and prophets, there were eight sculptures that were designed in the shape of gargoyles. The motifs were knight, noblewoman, death, dragon and winged sphinxes. Later the small Bicken organ of the Catholic community was moved to the rood screen.

The dean of the Walpurgis Foundation in Weilburg renewed the statutes of the Wetzlar Marienstift on behalf of the diocese in 1433. A greater discipline of the canons for worship and their way of life was established. Archbishop Raban von Trier also had the benefices of the monastery reduced.

By 1485 the south tower of the west facade had been completed with three storeys. He received a mechanical tower clock. The pointed helmet roof was put on around 1490 . Again and again, numerous construction stoppages prevented the expansion, so that the south tower could not be completed until 1490. This was due to the financial hardship of Wetzlar, which had been caused by the plague years, feuds with the Solms counts and finally the city bankruptcy.

The cathedral as a simultaneous church

Photo from the southwest, around 1870

The Reformation reached the city as early as 1524. However, the Marienstift was placed under imperial protection in 1522, which is why it took a very long time before the Reformation took hold in the imperial city. It was not until 1561 that a dispute arose between the citizens and the collegiate chapter over the "domiciliary rights" in the cathedral. In the previous two decades, the chapter had shrunk from ten canons and 14 vicars in 1540 to seven canons and three vicars. On September 8, 1561, a contractual regulation was set for the shared use of the church by the Catholic canons and the Lutheran citizens. In the following years, however, there were repeated disputes. A short time later, the canons forbade Lutherans from entering the church. In return, the Protestant community occupied the nave in 1567. From 1571, the canons no longer celebrated mass in the choir of the Marienkirche. The church choir was retained as a Catholic institution, as the Archbishop of Trier intervened. At the end of the 16th century, an agreement was finally reached on the rights of use of the new Protestant community, because the majority of Wetzlar's citizens were now Protestant and there was no longer a Catholic community.

A lightning strike caused a fire in the south tower in 1561, which destroyed the wooden spire, the tower clock and the tower house. The spire was replaced by a baroque, copper-covered tower dome. The magistrate paid the repair costs for the clock and the apartment alone. As a result, the tower keeper was always commissioned by the citizenry. Construction of the north tower began, but was never completed. Around 1667 a Catholic parish was established again with around 50 members.

The Archbishop of Trier took over the post of provost in 1671 . Since then, the Marienkirche has been referred to more and more often as the "cathedral". After the Reich Chamber of Commerce moved from Speyer to Wetzlar in 1689 , this designation prevailed. At the same time, the number of Catholics in Wetzlar increased.

With the secularization of the monastery in 1803, the provost property went to the Imperial Arch Chancellor Karl Theodor von Dalberg and the magistrate. Around 1812, the monastery property came to a Catholic church and school fund Dalberg. The Protestant cathedral parish had the interior renovated in 1837. The 21 side altars and the sacrament house were removed . Twelve years later, in 1849, the vault was restored.

The 20th century

Elevation of the north side before and after the renovation in 1904/1905

After the masonry had been repaired several times in the 19th century, the cathedral was in poor condition at the beginning of the 20th century. The main reason for this was the pollutants from emissions from the iron processing industry. In particular, the decomposing acids of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide attacked the sandstone. The building authorities of the Rhine Province therefore advocated a total renovation. In October 1901, the "Wetzlar Cathedral Building Association" was created in this way, which set itself the task of preserving the cathedral and tried to collect the necessary funds. Generous donations and even a "cathedral lottery", which was played nationwide in 1902, ensured that the restoration could begin as early as 1903. It was headed by the district building inspector Ernst Stiehl. In addition to the renovation, he had planned to complete the Gothic west facade. According to Stiehl's plans, the towers were given a shape similar to that of the Freiburg Minster . But this was not implemented. The renovation was completed in 1910.

The building was badly damaged during World War II . On March 8 and 9, 1945, aerial bombs destroyed the choir, the high altar, the rood screen, as well as both organs and the stained glass windows in the cathedral. After the end of the war, the building could be restored. This work lasted until 1955. Nevertheless, the rood screen with the organ of the Catholic community there and the high altar were finally lost. However, the figures of the rood screen have been preserved and are kept in the Wetzlar municipal collections . The pulpit was also damaged by the bombing and could not be fully reconstructed until 1984.

In 1978 the rights of the two cathedral parishes were finally clarified. At the land registry there was an entry that they are "jointly and equally" owners of the Wetzlar Cathedral. The interior of the church was renovated again between 1981 and 1989 and the roof was renewed in 1990. The cost of the roof work was 1.5 million German marks and was taken over by the cathedral building administration, the Wetzlar cathedral building association and the State Office for Monument Preservation .

Architecture and building description

Floor plan of today's church

Essentially, the Wetzlar Cathedral was built in three main construction phases. The first marks the remaining part of the Romanesque west facade with one of originally two towers with a Byzantine-looking helmet in the style of Romanesque spiers in Rheinhessen; the second construction phase is marked by the hall church of the 13th century and the third by the unfinished late Gothic west facade of the 14th and 15th. Century. It is a three-aisled, rib-vaulted hall church with a double tower facade. The three-storey red sandstone tower on the southwest corner of the nave is dominant. Inside, the mighty, decorated pillars play a dominant role. But because of its construction time, which lasted over the centuries and its never completed western facade, the Wetzlar Cathedral is both a unique image of the development of building culture from the 12th to the 16th century, as well as the changeable economic history of an imperial city during this time.

The respective construction huts were influenced by the construction technology and design methods of the Frankfurt Imperial Cathedral of St. Bartholomew and the Cologne Dombauhütte . But they were mainly based on the Trier Liebfrauenkirche and the Paderborn Cathedral as well as the nearby church buildings, the Limburg Cathedral and the Elisabeth Church in Marburg .

Choir

Choir

The late Romanesque choir was the first construction phase of the new building from 1230. On the outside, the choir windows were built with two pointed arches and five-pass arches . The model of the Bauhütte was probably the Liebfrauenkirche in Trier , but the ornamentation is designed as a six-pass. Three arcade-shaped gables were inserted into the folding roof of the apse. The base is surrounded by a console frieze. The choir is flanked on the west side by two round towers with spiral staircases that protrude over the roof. Inside, the vestibule consists of two narrow bays. The apse was built as a single yoke with a 3/4 polygon . The choir windows were in the early Gothic style . Major work was done on the windows in 1588 and 1592. At least since then, they have depicted large-format saints until they were replaced by small-format windows with neo-Gothic representations in the course of the renovation in 1903 . After the destruction of the choir and thus also its windows in World War II, colored choir windows were to be used. The artist Ludwig Baur from Telgte designed three new choir windows in the expressionist style in 1958/1959 as well as a large and a small ornament window in 1962. They were set by the Hein Derix company . The choir windows show motifs with events from the joyful, painful and glorious rosary .

Due to the large chapter in the first half of the 13th century, the choir stalls offered space for around 75 to 80 canons. The choir square housed a large Marien high altar and the high grave of the donors. Presumably only parts of the bones were located here. Initially, the choir and nave were separated by a choir screen. Around 1350 it was replaced by a rood screen. In 1706 the grave was moved to the floor of the choir, as the canons needed enough space for their services.

Transept and nave

The 13th century building combines elements of the Rhenish late Romanesque with high Gothic architecture. Also inside the nave and transept are partly Romanesque and partly Gothic styles. Presumably, a Romanesque plan was started, which was continued in Gothic forms without taking back what had already been built. The vaults, pillars and tracery windows are due to the influence of the Marburg Elisabeth Church, which was decisive for the development of Gothic hall churches in Hesse. However, the tracery has already been further developed.

The south transept was built with two tall windows on the south side. You have three pointed arches and three three-Passe . A gable with three pointed arcades and a walkway was built above it . The south front was closed off by two corner turrets with a rhombic roof, the design of which is based on Limburg Cathedral . The narrow west side of the south transverse arm shows a small window with two pointed arches and a circular pass. Below is the attached St. John's Chapel. The east side of the south transept was built with two tall windows. The windows each show two pointed arches and a circular pass. The inner window was bricked up. On the inside there is a window walkway above the base zone. The struts are open in each case.

North transept (left) and north aisle (right)

The north transept is very different from the south transverse arm. The strut system is not laid inwards and the buttresses end with pegs . Above the base zone, a window walkway with three-pass decoration on the parapet runs around the cross arm. The corners are flanked with tabernacles . The parapet shows a modified tracery, a quatrefoil. The four identical windows on the north transept each consist of four pointed lancet windows , two small quatrains and one large quatrefoil with three-quarter circular arcs. The windows are also crowned by eyelashes, which overlay a tracery parapet on the transept roof. The interior is similar to an apse with a four-part ribbed vault and the indented keystone .

The nave has three completed yokes, the fourth yoke is present in the approach on the south side. On the north aisle, the design of the windows from the north transept is continued in a simplified manner. The eyelashes are omitted and are replaced by slanted gable . The south aisle has tapered buttresses with pyramid-like pinnacles. The windows consist of two pointed lancet windows. The middle of the three completed windows has a five-pass as a tracery. The two outer tracery are designed as a circular pass. Inside, the building's hut was oriented towards the Paderborn Cathedral with capitals and wall templates in the southern area. In the works from around 1260 onwards, these elements are mainly influenced by the Elisabeth Church in Marburg. Finally, the Cologne Dombauhütte is stylistically incorporated into the design of the capitals and window tracery in the north aisle. The vault in the nave is supported by round pillars with a four-part, slender service bundle. The pillars of the north aisle are stronger.

Stephanus chapel and sacristies

Evangelical sacristy

The Chapel of St. Stephen is on the north side of the choir. At first the side chapel was under the patronage of St. Peter . The artist Ludwig Baur formed a mosaic in 1942 that portrays Mary with child and has been in the Stephanus Chapel since at least 1965. In 1983 the chapel was renovated. Today she is used for confession . To the east is the Catholic sacristy . The chapter used the space as a library and archive. It was not until 1954 that the Protestant sacristy was added to the north aisle. This is where the scholar's “school door”, mentioned in 1482, was located , which presumably led directly to the collegiate school .

Nikolauskapelle

The Nikolauskapelle, located south of the choir, was only created in its present form by merging with the Chapel of Our Lady. This was built before 1230 and thus forms the older area of ​​the chapel. The space initially served as the sacristy of the monastery chapter. The canons also held their meetings here from time to time.

Since 1907/1908 there have been three windows by Friedrich Stummel on the east wall of the Nikolauskapelle . Maria was depicted in the middle window. The left window showed Johannes and on the right there was Joseph . The windows were replaced in 1953 by the Marburg artist Erhardt Klonk . Today, on the east wall, St. Nicholas of Myra can be seen in a violet robe on the middle of the three lancet windows . There are three boys on his right. Their representation is based on the legend of the "raising of the slain scholars". On the left is the legend of the “equipment of the three virgins” with three women, each holding a golden ball in their hands. In addition to St. Nicholas, three sailors are also depicted in the middle, looking up at him. Klonk chose this motif because Nikolaus von Myra is also the patron saint of sailors. St. Nicholas holds an anchor and a crosier in his left hand. He also wears a bishop's cap , which is surrounded by a halo .

The three-part ornamental window on the south wall of the Nikolauskapelle also comes from Erhardt Klonk and is in the colors blue, white and red. It shows the letters Α and Ω in the middle and a cross above. The left and right windows show a white and red cross with two red fish above.

There is a bronze cross on the altar in the area of ​​the former Mother of God chapel. It is 162 cm tall and was made by Hans Mettel . It shows a block-like figure of Christ with a simple royal crown. There is also a Romanesque baptismal font made of tuff basalt in the chapel .

The Gothic west facade

Tympanum of the west portal

The Gothic west facade was not completed. The temporary solution is approx. 22.5 meters wide and has a high base due to the sloping space. The color of the west facade is also set off from the nave through the use of red sandstone . In addition, green scarf stone was used, especially in the construction of the entire basement. The right-angled buttresses on the south tower are strong and divided into four storeys. Only the basement of the new north tower was built. The ceiling plate and cornice are missing. A chapel was also planned inside the new north tower. Presumably it was to be consecrated to the Evangelist John and used as a baptistery . The fact that the second tower was left unfinished and the façade became asymmetrical did not disturb the aesthetic sense of the Middle Ages.

The west portal is a step portal with a central pillar and eyelashes . The Wimperg leads into the tracery , but does not close. The eyelash tip was not completed. Mary stands on the central pillar with the naked baby Jesus on her left arm. It is crowned by a tabernacle . The tympanum is divided into two registers that run horizontally. The adoration of the Infant Jesus by the Magi shows the lower relief , which is divided by the tabernacle of the Trumeaumadonna . The upper relief shows the coronation of Mary by God the Father. In the inner arch step under canopies there are four figures of the wise virgins on the right and four of the foolish virgins on the left. The arch run is designed for five sculptures each. The top two seats are not occupied. The two groups meet at the top of the Christ head with a nimbus. The outer arch shows ten prophets. The tympanum of the west portal was created in a Hessian workshop under the influence of the Middle Rhine.

Tower portal

Tower portal
Facade above the tower portal

The south-facing tower portal shows six sculptures that stand on ornate columns, each with a tabernacle above their heads. There is a Madonna on the trumeau of the tower portal. The apostles Paul and Andrew look over at her from the left . On the right side of the portal, the apostles Peter and John are facing her. Next to John stands James the Elder with the pilgrim's shell as an attribute. This figure does not fit into the symmetrical structure of the portal and probably did not belong to the original program. At the feet of James a kneeling man was depicted next to his horse and a coat of arms with three shells. It is probably the coat of arms of a man who went on a pilgrimage and donated a statue to James as the patron saint of pilgrims to thank for his happy return. Above the entrance, Christ as the judge of the world is depicted in the tympanum, flanked by Mary and John the Baptist.

Above the tower portal is the arbor with the group of Sorrows . It originated in the first quarter of the 15th century. Today the group consists of four large sculptures, each of which stands on a console and has a canopy. The middle figure of Christ with nimbus shows some wounds. The side wound with a cluster of blood is intended to indicate the Lord's Supper . Its canopy is larger than the others. To the right of Jesus stand Mary in a gesture of prayer and an angel figure, to his left one sees the mourning evangelist John . As a fifth sculpture, an angel figure was probably also planned next to him, as the alone hanging canopy on the right side bears witness to. A console was no longer attached for this figure, as it had obviously become clear that the figure of John, projecting far to the right, left too little space for another angel.

North tower with pagan portal

The late Romanesque north tower of the previous church, also called Heidenturm , is surrounded by the newer, Gothic building. It is a total of 29.50 meters high and set back a little. The north tower has four floors, each tapering by about 20 to 30 centimeters. It ends with an octagon between four gables and a pointed helmet roof. Until the renovation in 1903, the tower was covered with an octagonal, stone dome. The north tower is flanked by a round stair tower.

The Heide portal, a Roman nave portal with Trumeau is as stepped portal with double arcade executed. Above the central column there is an unexplained tympanum motif that resembles a ram's head . The portal is 4.47 meters wide. Presumably several steps led up to the portal before the Gothic west facade was built.

Heidenportal in Wetzlar Cathedral

South tower

The main tower of the cathedral is 50.68 meters high on its longest side. This makes the cathedral the seventh highest building in the city of Wetzlar.

Main portal

Main portal

The early Gothic main portal is in the middle of the south aisle. The entrance is at ground level and has a double clover leaf arch , leaf frieze and sculptural decoration. The Bauhütte was probably based on the paradise portal of Paderborn Cathedral , which shows great similarities.

The plastic decoration of the portal symbolizes the struggle between good and evil. Christ appears as judge in the gable above the door. Two angels above him hold a banner with the words Alpha and Omega . Outside the pediment, on the right of Christ Abel is placed, holding a lamb as an offering, on the left, Cain is carrying his offering , a basket with the fruits of the field, here in the form of ears of grain. Abel embodies good, Cain, as his murderer, embodies evil.

The conflict between good and bad is continued between Mary and the devil. In the portal arch below Christ there is a Mother of God with child on a console , which shows a person who is clasped from behind by a devil. Presumably the person was initially a nun. A saying that was common in the area around Wetzlar as early as the 17th century relates to this form of representation: At Wetzlar on the cathedral, the devil sits on the nun. Only with the renovation of the cathedral in 1903 did the nun become a Jew, recognizable by his pointed Jewish hat . This development was connected with the emerging hostility towards Jews . In 2011 an explanatory plaque was placed next to the portal.

To the left of the door stand two saints under canopies in tabernacles formed by columns. There are James the Elder and Mary Magdalene facing the door. Magdalena kicks down a horned devil as a sign of victory over her desires, which she has renounced. To the right of the door we find St. Catherine of Alexandria in the same arrangement , looking at the door, and next to her a sculpture of the Apostle Peter . Katharina tramples Emperor Maxentius, who killed her and over whom she triumphed inwardly. The four figures are replicas that were created during the restoration at the beginning of the 19th century. The originals are inside the church. The sculpture of Mary can be seen in the original, as are the two angels over Christ, while the console and the statue of Christ as Judge are casts.

Furnishing

Altars and wall paintings

Wall painting in the north transept
catholic altar
The Protestant altar in the middle of the nave

As a simultaneous church, the cathedral has two altars, both kept simple and plain. The Catholic altar is in the apse, the Protestant one is placed in the crossing. The benches in the vestibule can be folded down so that they can be oriented towards the Catholic or Protestant altar as required.

The west wall of the nave was given a large-format Last Judgment as a mural at the beginning of the 14th century. Christ judges the dead who rise from their graves in the presence of Mary and John the Baptist. Behind the organ gallery, Mary, angels with trumpets and three saints have been preserved. Another depiction of the Last Judgment could be seen on the crossing arch until it was destroyed in World War II. It was based on the description of the Apocalypse of John and showed Christ with sword and lily on a rainbow, flanked by Mary and John the Baptist as intercessors. While the blessed entered Paradise on Christ's right hand, the damned entered a dragon's maw on his left. Several wall paintings were created in the church interior in the second half of the 14th century and were restored in 1987. A rectangular field in the north transept shows a large cross and five saints. The right saint figure represents Christophorus . This small painting was the painted reredos of a former side altar. In the south transept above the epitaph of Hulderich von Eyben, a mural shows several scenes from the life of Maria Magdalena . On the south wall, the three wise men are depicted on two equal parts of a mural. Both wall paintings probably belonged to two side altars.

pulpit

Pulpit

The pulpit with sound cover is located on the south-western pillar of the crossing. It dates from the Baroque era and was probably built towards the end of the 17th century. Christ as Salvator mundi and the four evangelists are depicted on the inlays . In the Salvator mundi motif, it is noteworthy that Christ blesses with his left hand instead of his right hand and holds the globe in his right hand. On the sound cover is a baroque wooden sculpture of John the Baptist with a cross staff and a lamb .

Christ carrying the cross

In the north transept there is a sculpture of Christ carrying the cross . It shows him together with a statue of Simon of Cyrene on the way to Golgotha . The hardwood figures on a substructure were created in the first third of the 15th century and are of Upper Rhine origin. The sculpture is 160 cm tall and has a multicolored shape on a chalk background.

In 1995 the restorer Peter R. Pracher from Würzburg preserved Christ Carrying the Cross . The investigations also showed that Jesus' robe was originally white to symbolize innocence. Later the robe was first painted with red-brown oil paint, before finally a dark brown oil paint followed. During the preservation, the white coloring was not restored. Nevertheless, damage could be repaired and the wooden figure protected.

The original statue of Simon of Cyrene was stolen in the second half of the 20th century. In 1996 the sculptor Karl-Heinz Müller from Brühl created a replica based on photographs of the original. In October 1997 the stolen original was found after more than 16 years. It is now in the Wetzlar City Museum.

Pietà

Pietà

The most important work of art among the surviving pieces of the cathedral is a Pietà , which dates from around 1370/1380 and can be seen in the St. John's Chapel. Over the centuries, the work of art was placed in different places in the interior of the cathedral. It shows the dead body of Christ lying diagonally on Mary's lap. The Vesper picture is probably of Middle Rhine-Hessian origin.

The seated Mary is depicted with a blue dress and white cloak, which is decorated with rich braids . Her headscarf is pulled over her head like a veil. Sitting upright on the backless stone bench, she supports the dead body of Jesus with her right hand . In reality, this support posture would hardly be possible, as it only holds him by the head and he would normally pull it forward due to his weight. Although she is looking at him, Maria's face is turned towards the viewer. She presents her son to him in this pose, which is also shown in Jesus' loincloth, which only has ruffle-like folds on the narrow lower hem and otherwise lies flat on the body.

Crescent Madonna

In the choir there is a wooden, late Gothic crescent moon Madonna . The crowned, smaller than life-size sculpture wears a beige robe with a gold border and a blue, wide cloak with a gold border and a golden lining. She also holds the child on her right arm. It is probably not the original version of the figure.

Mary chandelier

Mary chandelier

The late Gothic chandelier is located in the central nave of the cathedral and is also known as a guild chandelier . The main component is a carved crescent moon Madonna about one meter high. The crowned figure carries a naked baby Jesus on the right hand, and holds a scepter in the left. Seven smaller angel figures with banners in their hands surround the statue. They are attached to the base and Maria's feet by curved iron bars.

The child looks up past Maria, has both arms spread invitingly and raised the right hand in a gesture of blessing. With her hair open, Maria wears a golden lily crown and is clad in a red undergarment and a golden, rose-lined cloak. The figure is closed at the back by a halo. The current condition of the chandelier is very different from its original shape. Photographs before the bombing of the cathedral in March 1945 do not show how it was supposed to have served as a candlestick, as there are no mounting options for candles or other light sources.

Epitaphs

Epitaph of Hulderich von Eyben
Epitaph of Heydenreich von Dernbach

A total of 52 epitaphs and gravestones have been preserved in the cathedral . They are reminiscent of the people buried in the church, but most of them are no longer at the respective burial sites today. The epitaphs are distributed over the apse, Nikolauskapelle, transept, nave and the south tower and stand upright on the walls or are embedded in them.

The epitaphs are made of different materials. 21 pieces are made of red sandstone , 28 stones were made of Lahn marble and one epitaph was made of wood, lava stone and scarf stone . The sandstone epitaphs come from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance , while the Lahn marble was used in the time of the Reich Chamber of Commerce.

The medieval stones were originally grave slabs and therefore have only a slight relief. The oldest epitaph is the tombstone of the Wetzlar lay judge Richolf Reige from 1362. It was discovered in the floor during the cathedral renovation in 1906 and then moved to the wall of the north aisle.

Originally, all epitaphs in the cathedral had inscriptions. These are partly weathered today, like the epitaph of an unknown woman who died in 1599 in the basement of the south tower. Mainly epitaphs with Latin inscriptions have survived. Only three stones are in German.

Different forms of representation were chosen on the epitaphs. Six epitaphs show life-size representations of the deceased. An example is the tombstone of the knight Anselm called Hun. It is located on the north wall of the apse and shows a knight with a smock and sword. Two epitaphs have biblical motifs. The announcement of the birth of Christ is shown on the epitaph of the Pussel couple. Another shows the adoration of Christ crucified. Most epitaphs, however, do not have any special depictions of the deceased, but are provided with the respective family coat of arms or use symbols. On the epitaph of Johann Christoph von Schmitz, for example, a skull can be seen as a symbol of transience.

The deceased are mainly members of the Imperial Chamber Court , such as Hulderich von Eyben , Erich Mauritius and Valentin Ferdinand Gudenus . There are also epitaphs for deans and canons of the Marienstift as well as nobles of the Lahngau . In addition, three epitaphs are also dedicated to Wetzlar citizens.

organ

Wetzlar cathedral organ

An organ in Wetzlar Cathedral was first mentioned in documents in 1279. It was located in the south transept and was renewed in 1474. In 1510 an organ was added to the west facade of the nave. This donated the family von Bicken . The Protestant community that emerged with the Reformation used the organ in the transept, the Catholic community the so-called "Bicken organ". In 1648 the Bicken organ was relocated to the south transept in order to build a new organ on the west facade. The new organ was completed in 1655 and cost around 1000 guilders with the organ gallery. In 1686 the small Bicken organ was placed on the rood screen. A Scholaster eventually donated in 1758 a new organ on the choir screen. The organ on the west wall was replaced by a larger instrument by the Stumm brothers from Rhaunensulzbach as early as 1785 .

Today's organ on the west gallery of the nave is used by both the Protestant and the Catholic community. It was donated by the Leitz industrialist family from Wetzlar in the 1950s after the organs of the respective communities were destroyed in the Second World War . In 1953, Rudolf von Beckerath from Hamburg received the building contract for the new cathedral organ . Together with the Frankfurt organist Helmut Walcha , they planned a disposition with 49 sounding voices (3394 pipes) in the style of the North German Baroque . The registers are divided into three manuals and a pedal. The action mechanism is mechanical, the stop action pneumatic. Pre- game registrations can be called up during the game using four pneumatic combinations . The instrument was installed in early 1955 and finally inaugurated by Walcha on May 14, 1955. Even Albert Schweitzer recorded the cathedral organ several times.

Disposition

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
Principal 16 ′
Octave principal 8th'
Playing flute 8th'
octave 4 ′
Night horn 4 ′
Nasat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
octave 2 ′
Flat flute 2 ′
Mixture VI – V
Zimbel III
Trumpet 16 '
Trumpet 8th'
II Rückpositiv C – g 3
Principal 8th'
Reed flute 8th'
Quintadena 8th'
octave 4 ′
recorder 4 ′
Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
octave 2 '
third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
Scharff IV – VI
Dulcian 16 '
Hopper shelf 8th'
III Breastwork C – g 3
Wood-covered 8th'
Wooden principal 4 ′
Reed flute 4 ′
Forest flute 2 ′
Sif flute 1'
Terzian II
Scharff III – IV
Krummhorn 8th'
shawm 4 ′
Pedal C – g 1
Principal 16 ′
Sub bass 16 ′
Quintbass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′
octave 8th'
Covered 8th'
octave 4 ′
Reed flute 4 ′
Night horn 2 ′
Rauschpfeife III
Mixture VI
trombone 32 ′
trombone 16 ′
Dulcian 16 ′
Trumpet 8th'
Trumpet 4 ′
Cornet 2 ′
  • Coupling : III / I, II / I, II / P.
  • Playing aids : 4 free general combinations, 3 free combinations for pedal, 3 free combinations for Hauptwerk, 3 free combinations for Rückpositiv, 3 free combinations for Brustwerk

Technical specifications

  • 49 registers, 3394 pipes.
  • Body length of the largest pipe: approx. 7 m.
  • Body length of the smallest pipe: 10 mm.
  • Housing / brochure:
    • Material: oak wood and organ metal .
    • Height: approx. 10 m.
    • Depth: approx. 4 m and Rückpositiv approx. 1.5 m.
  • Wind supply :
    • Wind pressure: approx. 66–68 mm water  column .
    • Blower: Electric wind machine.
    • Bellows: magazine bellows and bellows per movement.
  • Game table (s) :
    • Detached.
    • Pedal : parallel, slightly rising towards the outside.
  • Action :
    • Tone action: mechanical.
    • Stop action: Pneumatic.
    • Pairing: Barker machine .
  • Mood :
    • Altitude a 1 = Hz: 440 Hz at 14 ° C.
    • Equal mood.

Bells

The Wetzlar Cathedral has a seven-part bell. The bells are subject to the chimes of both parishes and are rung according to their specifications on certain days with different combinations. Four bells are located in the south tower and form the main ringing in a completed major triad . The three other bells are located in the roof turret above the crossing and form a major sixth chord . They thus form a “double choir”.

The main peal consists of Dammerich , Our Father Bell , Elfuhrglocke and Neunuhrglocke . It rests on a steel belfry . The yokes are also made of steel. The base bell is the Dammerich , cast by Buderus , which is the only bell made from cast steel. The origin of the name Dammerich is unclear. It comes from the previous bell from 1568, which was provided with the following slogan: Proditur his signis latro, fur, mors, hostis et ignis (these signals make robber, thief, death, enemy and fire public). This bell cracked in 1775 and was re-cast in 1782. After being cast a second time in 1845, the bell was expropriated for war purposes in 1917. Today's Dammerich was built in 1920 . The chime comes from the Herford electric motor works (HEW). The other three bells of the main ring are made of bell bronze . The founder of the Our Father's Bell was Dilman Schmid from Asslar . The Elfuhrglocke was Guido Mongiot from Levécourt cast and the Neunuhrglocke is unmarked.

The roof bell , consisting of the prima , ecumenical bell and secunda , is hung in a three-way wooden post chair. All three bells are made of bell bronze. The founder of Prima and Secunda is unmarked. The ecumenical bell was not cast until 1998. It was created by the Rincker in Sinn bell and art foundry . Its predecessor was mentioned as the Dechantenglocke without detailed descriptions .

The eighth bell is the clock chime in the lantern of the south tower . It was cast from bell bronze by Hans Bader from Frankfurt am Main in Kröffelbach in 1615 .

Up until 1779 there was a small bell made of bell bronze above the roof of the choir, which was called the "silver bell" because of its bright sound. It was only rung when a canon died. After it was stolen in 1779, it was returned but not hung up.

No.
  		Surname
  		Casting year
  		Percussive
( HT - 1 / 16 ) 		Weight
(kg, approx.) 		Diameter
(mm, approx.) 		Brass knuckle
(mm) 		inscription
 
1 Dammerich 1920 d ′ −12 1,700 1,640 91 As a replacement for the bell sacrificed to the fatherland in the war year 1917, the Buderus'schen Eisenwerke 1920 poured and gave me / Glory to God in the Heights
2 Our Father Bell 1686 f sharp ′ −7 1,400 1,275 110 I wake the sleeper - I weep the dead - I remember the judgment - In God's name I flowed - Dilmann Schmid von Asslar gos me 1686 / Omnia cum deo et nihil sine eo mille et sexcentis octoginta… Et ex elapsis annis post partum virginis campana tonantis / I urge the Wetzlar subjects to go to the church
3 Elfuhr bell 1660 g ′ −3 650 1.002 73/71 Anno domini MDCLX. Schurgius et molitor eum repararer erant. / Haecce in cultum summi fusa acceptarima me Guido Monginot artis ac noviter dexteritate suae ad sacra voco. / Aediles templi diderieus staussius atque nime undecimas dili horas alstivo tempore significo.
4th Nine o'clock bell around 1500 a ′ −11 550 960 66 * Lucas ** Marcus ** Matheus ** Iohannes *
5 Fine 1334 h ′ −5 350 852 59/49 O Rex. Glory. XpE. Veni. Cum. Pace. M. CCC. XXXIIII
6th Ecumenical bell 1998 d ′ ′ +2 264 728 55 Ecumenical bell 1998 Ut omnes unum sint / Donated by “Globus” Wetzlar-Dutenhofen
7th Secunda around 1200 g ′ ′ +1 149 567/570 45 [without inscription]
Clock chime 1615 - 400 970 - Hans Bader zu Frankfurt gos me - From the Fier I flow - In the name of Jesus Christ / Johannes Mappus Deis Burg Beit Lord Mayor. Anno Domini 1615. / To Kreftelbach I was gos - There I flosed out of the fire - When master already showed me my fine tone - Wetzlar, the worthy city - Also to an honorable wise advice - Register the clock for true - This and many more years .

Cathedral treasure

In addition to a crucifix made from a wooden reliquary bust of St. Stephen from the 15th century and a female reliquary bust from the 16th century, there is also a relic book that was made around 1500. The former cathedral treasure also includes three monstrances , including a baroque monstrance from 1690 in gold-plated silver. Seven measuring goblets , including a rococo goblet with paten (1746), as well as a small travel goblet and a neo-Gothic goblet with spoon have been preserved. The treasure also includes three ciborias , a custodia and two incense barrels with boats . Furthermore, some storage vessels from different eras have been preserved. One of the most valuable pieces is a lecture cross from the early 12th century. The cross beams originally consisted of a Malagasy quartz - monoliths and was replaced by wood of 2006. The body is 13 cm tall and made of fire-gilded cast bronze. The cathedral treasure is now partly in the Wetzlar city museum.

Todays use

The Wetzlar Cathedral is still used simultaneously today. The church interior and all side chapels are used equally by both parishes. The congregations also hold ecumenical services in the former collegiate church. A joint intercession and blessing service has been held every year on Whit Monday since 1995. There is also an ecumenical carnival matinee . Until 2006, a joint light vesper took place every year on the 1st of Advent , which since then has only been organized by the Catholic side. The cathedral offers space for over 1000 people and is therefore also used for concerts. Mainly organ concerts and Christmas oratorios are organized. At times, part of the Wetzlar Festival is also performed in the cathedral.

Domplatz, Kirchhof and Michaelskapelle

Michael's Chapel

The Domplatz is the largest open space within the old town. It was the focal point of the citizens of Wetzlar and is still the marketplace of Wetzlar today. This also gave the square its nickname Butter Market . Until 1757 the churchyard south of the cathedral had been used as a burial place. Only with the dissolution of this area as a cemetery area did the cathedral square emerge in its present form. The “small churchyard” is located on the north side of Wetzlar Cathedral. The "cathedral staircase" leads up to him from Hauser Gasse . The monastery buildings on the north side have not remained standing, but the monastery mechanics have been preserved east of the cathedral.

The Michaelskapelle is located southeast of the cathedral choir on the former cemetery area and is a double chapel . The basement served as an ossuary , the upper floor was dedicated to St. Lawrence of Rome . The chapel was first mentioned in a document in 1292 as an " ossuary " and was probably built around 1250. The eponymous Michael altar was located in the basement, while the cathedral chapter's legal transactions were carried out on the upper floor . Sometimes the canons held their meetings there as well. The last burial took place in the ossuary in 1758. The ceiling between the floors was removed in 1854. A renovation followed in 1900.

literature

in alphabetical order by authors / editors

  • Eduard Brüdern: The Wetzlar Cathedral. 2nd Edition. Langewiesche publishing house , Königstein im Taunus 2001, ISBN 3-7845-5191-2
  • Oda Peter: Wetzlar Cathedral - works of art from five centuries . Wetzlarer Dombau-Verein eV (publisher), Wetzlar 1999.
  • Franz Schulten: The Wetzlar Cathedral - legacy and duty . Wetzlarer Dombau-Verein eV (publisher), Wetzlar 1995.
  • Eduard Sebald: The building history of the collegiate church St. Marien in Wetzlar . Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft , Worms 1990. ISBN 3-88462-930-1
  • Eduard Sebald: The cathedral to Wetzlar . 2nd, revised edition. Langewiesche publishing house, Königstein im Taunus 2001. ISBN 978-3-7845-5291-0
  • Gerhild Seibert: The Wetzlar Cathedral - choir window . Wetzlarer Dombau-Verein eV (publisher). Wetzlar 2004.
  • Heinrich Gloël : The cathedral to Wetzlar . Wetzlar 1925.

Web links

Commons : Wetzlar Cathedral  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ City of Wetzlar: City history: An unspectacular beginning. Accessed July 30, 2020 .
  2. ^ Eduard Sebald: The building history of the collegiate church St. Marien in Wetzlar , pp. 17-18.
  3. ^ Rüdiger E. Barth: The Duke in Lothringen in the 10th century. Retrieved March 1, 2010 .
  4. ^ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 8.
  5. ^ Eduard Sebald: The building history of the collegiate church St. Marien in Wetzlar , p. 30.
  6. ↑ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , pp. 10-11.
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Georg Dehio: Handbook of German Art Monuments , Volume Hessen I, edited by Folkhard Cremer, Tobias Michael Wolf u. a., Deutscher Kunstverlag Munich, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-422-03092-3 .
  8. ^ Eduard Sebald: The building history of the collegiate church St. Marien in Wetzlar , p. 41.
  9. ↑ Eduard Sebald: The building history of the collegiate church St. Marien in Wetzlar , p. 54.
  10. ↑ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 14.
  11. ↑ Eduard Sebald: The building history of the collegiate church St. Marien in Wetzlar , pp. 191–192.
  12. ↑ Heinrich Gloël: The Cathedral of Wetzlar , p. 41.
  13. ^ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 74.
  14. ^ A b c Matthias Theodor Kloft: The Mariendom in Wetzlar , In: Limburg. History of the diocese V: The cathedral churches: Limburg Bishop's Church, Kaiserdom Frankfurt, Simultankirche Wetzlar. , Strasbourg 1994 ( List of sources ; PDF; 2.1 MB)
  15. ^ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , pp. 60–62.
  16. ↑ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 63.
  17. ^ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 62.
  18. ↑ a b Gerhild Seibert, p. 1.
  19. ↑ Gerhild Seibert, pp. 2–3.
  20. ↑ a b Franz Schulten, p. 22.
  21. ↑ Franz Schulten, p. 21.
  22. ↑ Gerhild Seibert, pp. 36–38.
  23. ^ Eduard Sebald: The building history of the collegiate church St. Marien in Wetzlar , p. 169.
  24. ^ Eduard Sebald: The building history of the collegiate church St. Marien in Wetzlar , pp. 170–171.
  25. ↑ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 47.
  26. ^ Eduard Sebald: The building history of the collegiate church St. Marien in Wetzlar , p. 186.
  27. ^ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , pp. 66–67.
  28. ^ Heinrich Gloël: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 54.
  29. ^ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , pp. 69–73.
  30. ↑ Heinrich Gloël: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 63.
  31. ↑ Heimat to Lahn and Dill, No. 322 , October 1996.
  32. ^ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 48.
  33. ↑ ( Gen 4.3  EU )
  34. ^ Heinrich Gloël: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 27.
  35. ↑ Karsten Porezag: ... then the stones have to talk! The Wetzlar synagogues, the mikveh and the Jewish cemeteries in recent times . Writings on the history of the city - special edition. 1st edition. Magistrate of the City of Wetzlar, Wetzlar 2004, ISBN 3-9807950-2-0 .
  36. ↑ Photos of the memorial plaque and the depiction of the devil .
  37. ↑ Memorial plaque on the cathedral portal , accessed on July 30, 2020.
  38. ^ Heinrich Gloël: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 28.
  39. ^ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , pp. 34–35.
  40. ^ A b Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral , pp. 73–74.
  41. ↑ Eduard Sebald: The Wetzlar Cathedral - Works of Art from Five Centuries , p. 68.
  42. ^ Heinrich Gloël: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 76.
  43. ↑ Oda Peter: The Wetzlar Cathedral - Works of Art from Five Centuries , pp. 16-17.
  44. ↑ a b Oda Peter: The Wetzlar Cathedral - Works of Art from Five Centuries , p. 3.
  45. ↑ Oda Peter: The Wetzlar Cathedral - Works of Art from Five Centuries , p. 5.
  46. ↑ Oda Peter: The Wetzlar Cathedral - works of art from five centuries , pp. 31–33.
  47. ^ Oda Peter: The Wetzlar Cathedral - Works of Art from Five Centuries , pp. 34–35.
  48. ↑ Oda Peter: The Wetzlar Cathedral - works of art from five centuries , pp. 39–40.
  49. ↑ Oda Peter: The Wetzlar Cathedral - works of art from five centuries , p. 41.
  50. ↑ Oda Peter: The Wetzlar Cathedral - works of art from five centuries , p. 42.
  51. ↑ Oda Peter: The Wetzlar Cathedral - works of art from five centuries , p. 50.
  52. ^ Wetzlar Cathedral Building Association: Historical first mention in 1279. Retrieved on March 27, 2010 .
  53. ↑ a b c d e f Correctness of the information confirmed by the Diocese of Limburg via OTRS ticket
  54. ^ Wetzlar Cathedral Building Association: Renovation of the cathedral organ. Retrieved March 27, 2010 .
  55. ↑ Church Music in the Diocese of Limburg , Edition 2/2006, Section Church Music in the Diocese of Limburg (ed.), Hadamar 2006, p. 53
  56. ↑ a b Gerhard Best and Theo Halekotte: The former bell foundry Albert Junker - formerly Heinrich Humpert - in Brilon / Westphalia 1918 to 1957 . In: Stiftung Deutsches Glockenmuseum (Hrsg.): Yearbook for Glockenkunde . tape 3rd / 4th . Waldemar Kramer, Frankfurt 1992, p. 37, 61 .
  57. ^ A b Heinrich Gloël: The Wetzlar Cathedral , p. 79.
  58. ↑ Bell expert Wolfgang Nickel, Department of Church Music, Hubert Foersch: Limburger Glockenbuch , Limburg 1997.
  59. ↑ Catholic Cathedral Community: Virtual Cathedral Museum - Catholic inventory. Retrieved March 31, 2010 .
  60. ↑ Catholic Cathedral Community: Virtual Cathedral Museum - Lecture Cross. Retrieved March 31, 2010 .
  61. ^ Catholic cathedral community: From the ecumenical movement at the Wetzlar cathedral. Retrieved March 31, 2010 .
  62. ↑ State Office for the Preservation of Monuments Hesse (ed.): Cathedral stairs with wall sections In: DenkXweb, online edition of cultural monuments in Hesse
  63. ^ State Office for the Preservation of Monuments Hesse (ed.): Goethestrasse 1 (chapel) In: DenkXweb, online edition of cultural monuments in Hesse
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on May 21, 2010 in this version .

Coordinates: 50 ° 33 ′ 20.9 "  N , 8 ° 30 ′ 6.8"  E