St. Pankratius (Steinkirchen)

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Steinkirchen village church
South side with crypt
Tomb of the Houwald family

Sankt Pankratius is the Protestant church in the Steinkirchen district of the city of Lübben . The church is one of the oldest churches in Niederlausitz .

Architecture and history

The nave of the late Romanesque brick church was built in the first half of the 13th century. The stone construction method gave the whole place the name Steinkirchen . The rectangular choir was built in the second half of the 13th century and was later extended to the east by three transverse axes. The extension was carried out with regular blocks made of field stone. Based on the demolition points still existing inside the church, it is assumed that the former eastern end also included an apse . Today's east end of the choir is formed by a three-part window group, the individual windows of which are designed as narrow pointed arches. The other windows of the choir are also designed as narrow pointed arches. The nave was initially provided with small, narrow lancet windows in arched form, which were later partially extended downwards. To the east of the point where the extension of the choir begins, there is an ogival gate in both the north and south walls, with the north walled up.

Around 1700 the use of the church as a place of worship was given up and used as a granary. Only the front part remained in use as a cemetery chapel. In this part of the church, six services were held annually until 1945. From 1945 onwards, it was used more intensively. The hall was cleared, the interior of the church repainted and new seating was put together from a wide variety of sources, some of which still exist in this form today.

In the 18th century, a crypt was added to the outside of the south wall of the choir . The gravestone of Karoline Kunigunde Wend , who died in 1783, is set in the gable of the small extension . On the north side of the church there is a grave where several members of the von Houwald family were buried. There is also the tombstone of the poet Ernst von Houwald , who died at Neuhaus Castle in 1845 and was badly damaged in 1945.

To the west of the nave there is a wooden belfry covered by a tent roof with a weather vane , which was probably built in the 17th century, possibly around 1680. The portal leading from this tower to the nave is shaped as a pointed arch. The oak door leaf is fitted with iron fittings. The church was restored between 1991 and 1994.

Furnishing

In 1950 it was designed as a sober community room, which is characterized by a flat, pounded, boarded ceiling and modern seating. The triumphal arch was locked. A wooden crucifix hangs over the western entrance , which is dated to the second half of the 15th century.

The very long choir was originally covered by a wooden barrel ceiling. The now existing flat ceiling has a preserved baroque painting from the beginning of the 18th century with angels holding the instruments of suffering, Gloria Dei and clouds. There is a narrow gallery on the west side of the choir . During the restoration work in 1991, an acanthus painting in the gallery parapet was rediscovered and uncovered. The virtues of faith, love, hope and patience are shown from left to right. In the church there are also some remains of wall paintings from the late Gothic period . A depiction of Christ as judge of the world in the upper area of ​​the eastern wall and the tendril paintings preserved in two window reveals in the north and south walls date from the 15th century.

The wooden altarpiece and the pulpit were made at the beginning of the 18th century. The altarpiece shows a communion scene and a mount of olives scene framed by an oval wreath of leaves . The wooden, polygonal pulpit stands on a column on the south choir wall, covered by a simple sound cover . The parapets of the pulpit are painted with the images of the Savior and the four evangelists. To the right of the pulpit on the south wall is a carved Ecce homo figure from the 15th century . Two patronage chairs also date back to the 15th century. The patronage chairs with latticed sprouts from the late 15th century stand on the north and south walls of the choir. A small Gothic altar from around 1310 is now in the Bode Museum in Berlin.

The acoustics of the church are considered bad because of the renovations and fixtures.

literature

Web links

Commons : St. Pankratius (Steinkirchen)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 55 ′ 47.6 "  N , 13 ° 53 ′ 45.9"  E