Church of the Redeemer (Heidelberg)
The Erlöserkirche ( ) is a church in the old town of Heidelberg , which was built in 1723/24 as a monastery church of the "white nuns" ( Dominican nuns ). After the monastery was closed, it was used for various purposes and is today the parish church of the Old Catholic community. Besides the Jesuit Church , it is the only one of the originally numerous monastery churches in Heidelberg's old town that has survived.
history
In 1720 the Dominican Sisters founded a monastery on the corner of Plöck and Schießorstraße, and in 1723–24 the monastery church was built, which was consecrated to St. Catherine of Siena . In the course of secularization , the monastery was closed in 1802. The following year the Lutherans acquired the building and used it as a hospital until 1821 . A Catholic women's work school was then set up in the monastery building until it was demolished in 1901 to enable the extension of the higher girls' school (today: Hölderlin high school). The church, however, was made available to the English community. With the beginning of the war in 1914, when Germany and England became opponents, the "English Chapel" was closed. The church was now used as an auditorium by the school. In 1936 it was handed over to the Old Catholic community, which, after separating from the Roman Catholic Church, had used St. Anne's Church from 1876 to 1894 and then the choir of the Church of the Holy Spirit . On May 3, 1936, Bishop Erwin Kreuzer consecrated it as the “Old Catholic Church of the Redeemer”. In 1971 the English Congregation was re-established in Heidelberg, which has since shared the Church of the Redeemer.
description
The simple hall church , which is under monument protection, was rebuilt several times in the 19th and 20th centuries. Except for the baroque organ front, the furnishings date from the 20th century. The Old Catholics had taken a monumental cross from the former Capuchin Church from the Heiliggeistkirche, which has since been returned.
The colorful windows were created by Harry MacLean in 1962 and show the tree of life , the pouring grace, the baptismal water of the Jordan , the heavenly Jerusalem and the pillar of fire of the Exodus from Egypt. The tabernacle, the baptismal bowl, the bronze cross on the outer wall and the bronze portal are also by Harry MacLean. The portal represents the commissioning of the disciples according to Jn 20 : 20–22 EU , the cross with the gently rising arms and the crown of thorns, which becomes a halo, reminds that crucifixion and resurrection are inseparable as a matter of faith.
literature
- Hans Gercke: Churches in Heidelberg . Schnell und Steiner publishing house, Regensburg, 1st edition 2011 ( ISBN 978-3-7954-2413-8 )
- Adolf von Oechelhäuser: The art monuments of the district of Heidelberg . Verlag JCB Mohr, Tübingen 1913, p. 228 ( digitized version )
- State Office for Monument Preservation (publisher): Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany, cultural monuments in Baden-Württemberg, city district of Heidelberg , Thorbecke-Verlag 2013, ISBN 978-3-7995-0426-3
Web links
- Catholic diocese of old Catholics in Germany: Church of the Redeemer
- Heidelberg History Association: churches, chapels, monasteries, ecclesiastical institutions in Heidelberg south of the Neckar
Coordinates: 49 ° 24 ′ 33.4 " N , 8 ° 42 ′ 6" E