Ahlsdorf village church
The Protestant village church of Ahlsdorf is a stone church from the 14th century in Ahlsdorf , a district of the town of Schönewalde in the Elbe-Elster district in the state of Brandenburg . The church belongs to the parish area Schönewalde in the parish of Bad Liebenwerda the Evangelical Church in Central Germany .
location
The district road 6251 leads as Thomas-Müntzer-Straße in north-south direction through the place. In the historic center, Parkstraße branches off to the east towards Ahlsdorf Castle . The church is located northeast of this intersection on a property with a church cemetery , which is enclosed with a fence .
history
The building was built in the 14th century and was rebuilt in 1710 by the von Seyffertitz family of ministers. This year, the two south, north and east windows were enlarged rectangular. There used to be a patronage box on the north wall , but it no longer exists. In 1717 a west tower was added.
From 1907 to 1908 the church was restored on the initiative of Elise von Görz, wife of Georg von Siemens , under the direction of the Berlin architect Heinrich Schmieden . A gallery was created in the west of the building using older parts . The north gallery was rebuilt, under which a patronage chair was placed. The building received new windows and a hollow ceiling.
In the 1970s, some water damage was only temporarily repaired and the structure gradually deteriorated. In 2011 parts of the ceiling collapsed, so that the church had to be closed to visitors. A fundamental renovation took place between 2012 and 2014, which was concluded with a festive church service on August 31, 2014.
Building description
The building was made from field stones , which were then plastered . The choir is straight and has not moved in. At the end of the choir there are two large, tall rectangular windows, the shape of which is emphasized by plastered bottles . The same applies to the base and the corners, which also protrude with a thinly applied plaster. At the transition to the roof is a circumferential haunch .
The nave has a rectangular floor plan. On its north wall is another tall rectangular window; on the south wall two. In the middle there is a double-winged gate with an accentuated keystone .
The church tower has a square floor plan and is drawn in opposite the nave. It can be entered from the west through a large portal. Above it is an epitaph with a central protrusion , which was worked into a rectangular panel . The corners are decorated with a square plaster on the lower floor . On the north and south sides there are two small, transversely rectangular windows arranged one above the other, of which the deeper one on the north side is blocked. Above is a cornice that takes up the cove of the nave. The storey above is richly decorated. The corners are accentuated with pilaster strips , inside a large, semicircular panel with a centrally placed, rectangular sound arcade ; above it an ox eye . The tower ends with a curved tower dome with a tower ball, weather vane and star.
Furnishing
The wooden altarpiece dates from 1710, but includes panels from a winged altar from 1624. In the predella the Lord's Supper is depicted. Above are two twisted columns decorated with vine leaves, between which the crucifixion group is depicted in the altar panel . The decorated cheeks on the sides show the preaching of the Lord . The altar extract shows the resurrection of Jesus Christ , followed by the ascension in a crowned medallion.
The polygonal pulpit stands on a slender column decorated with putti . The Savior and the four evangelists are depicted on the parapets, and the apostles Paul , Thomas and Simon on the staircase . There is a picture of Moses on the back wall . The pulpit is connected to the east with a patronage box from 1907/1908. A simple, cup-shaped baptismal font, also from 1907/1908, is part of the church's furnishings . A wooden baptismal angel from the first half of the 18th century hovers above it .
Two baroque epitaphs from 1732 and 1736 are reminiscent of former church patrons. A portrait medallion hangs on the south wall in memory of Joachim Hennig von Seyffertitz, who died in 1736. Below his portrait there is a vitamin tablet, which is accompanied by putti and angels. It is adorned with war trophies; including another angel who bears the coats of arms of the deceased and his two wives. To the east of it, another epitaph commemorates Anton Friedrich von Seyffertitz, who died in 1732. It consists of a bust; underneath it also a Vitentafel, which is accompanied by the allegorical figures Faith and Hope. These also include war trophies, an angel and the coats of arms of the deceased and his two wives. An oval epitaph on the north wall below the gallery commemorates Anton Sigismund von Seyffertitz, who died in 1857. Further to the west, a tombstone with four coats of arms reliefs at its corners hangs on a person who died in 1683. A wooden death shield commemorates Wolff Heinrich, who died in 1699. The windows are decorated with six coats of arms, which show the family coats of arms of the patronage families. A forged chandelier with 18 arms dates from 1907/1908.
The organ is a donation from Marie Wiegang, née von Siemens. There are three iron bells hanging in the tower, which were made in 1921 by the Lauchhammer art and bell foundry .
On the east wall there are several, partly heavily weathered epitaphs. One reminds of H. v. Solver, who died in the late 15th century; another to a dead man from the 18th century. On the south wall of the nave is another epitaph from 1769 and an inscription tombstone from the 18th century. To the north of the building, a memorial commemorates those who fell in the world wars.
Appreciation
The Brandenburg State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and the State Archaeological Museum (BLDAM) pays tribute to the rich baroque furnishings, including in particular the wall epitaphs, which are “among the highest quality in Brandenburg village churches”. They reflect “the importance of the von Seyffertitz noble family residing in the castle”. The BLDAM continues to praise the “sensitive equipment” that was carried out under the patronage of the von Siemens family at the beginning of the 20th century. It combines "baroque pieces of equipment" with the "then modern room setting to create a formally and artistically convincing cohesion".
literature
- Georg Dehio (arr. Gerhard Vinken et al.): Handbook of German Art Monuments - Brandenburg. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-422-03123-4 .
- Christiane Rossner: Baptism angel on a silk thread , In: Monuments , edition 2/2020, p. 22ff.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 50 ′ 23.6 ″ N , 13 ° 13 ′ 10.6 ″ E