Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross (Berlin-Wilmersdorf)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Holy Cross is a Berlin church of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK) and is located in Nassau 17-19 in the district of Wilmersdorf of the district Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf . The associated congregation is the second daughter congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Berlin of the Evangelical Lutheran (Old Lutheran) Church . The parish belongs to the Berlin-Brandenburg church district .
history
In 1817 King Friedrich Wilhelm III. of Prussia merged the Lutheran Church and the Reformed tradition into a Union Church . As a result of the new agend in 1830, there was a dispute over the agenda , with resistance first arose in Silesia and then throughout the Prussian state - especially under the leadership of Johann Gottfried Scheibel . The king turned against the Old Lutherans with severe persecution. The persecution only ended under his son, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV .
The Confessional Lutherans of Berlin initially belonged to the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation Berlin-Mitte . The steadily increasing number of parish members due to immigration, including from Silesia, made it necessary to establish new independent parishes. For the Charlottenburg Lutherans, Lutheran services have been held every fortnight since 1897 in the assembly hall of the community school at Joachimsthaler Strasse 31. Since 1903, the catchment area included the western and northwestern part of Berlin: Charlottenburg , Wilmersdorf, larger parts of Schöneberg , Friedenau , Schmargendorf , Steglitz , Dahlem , Lichterfelde and Zehlendorf . The parish was recognized as an independent parish on May 4, 1904 by the Upper Church Council in Breslau .
Construction history of the church building
The foundation stone of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross was laid on October 12, 1907. The estimated construction costs were 500,000 marks (adjusted for purchasing power in today's currency: around 3,045,000 euros). The architect Heinrich Straumer was entrusted with the implementation of the construction project . The church consecration could be celebrated on October 11, 1908. The church has a facade fitted into the street alignment with a nave at right angles to the street, which can accommodate almost 700 people. Originally, the front of the church stood out from the community houses on the right and left with a sandstone portal , a large crucifix in the entrance area and a wide tower crowned by two points. The church and houses form an architecturally interesting building ensemble . The inner courtyards with their rich Art Nouveau elements survived the Second World War unscathed and have been preserved in their original form.
On December 29, 1943, during World War II , the church was damaged by an explosive device. The two church towers fell victim to a stick fire bomb on January 30, 1944 . Further air strikes near the church finally destroyed the facade. After the war, the building was temporarily repaired. In 1958 the facade, originally assigned to the late Art Nouveau , was given a simplified form. Above the entrance portal was a twelve-meter-high copper-clad cross that refers to the name of the church. In 1999 the church was completely renovated again. In 2015 the church tower was completely renovated with the aim of making the large portal from 1908 visible again. The Art Nouveau facade, however, remains hidden, but is hinted at on the new facade.
The nave was originally built by Heinrich Straumer with a raised chancel , baptismal font , altar and pulpit and should refer to the heavenly King Jesus Christ . In 1908 the interior walls of the church were painted a light color, the pews and the galleries were kept dark. The nave closed with a ribbed vault, the ribs of which were kept in green on a gold background. The original painting was done by the then famous artists Paul Rößler ( Dresden ) and Gotthold Klemm ( Munich ).
The first renovation, carried out by the architect Richard Oertwig , became necessary as early as 1938 . Between 1944 and 1948, due to the war and after the war, services were held in the large parish hall below the church. First of all, the nave was provisionally restored after the war. The remains of the vaulted ceilings were removed, glass blocks were walled up and the roof was renewed. In 1952 the provisional ceiling made of pressed panels was replaced by a solid ceiling, and a new vault was omitted for financial reasons. Instead of the double top, the church was given a simplified and lower steeple. The interior was given a smooth ceiling, but it was painted again in color and the altar window was glazed in color. On August 2, 1953, the first service after the third renovation took place in the church. In 1970, Karl Wilhelm Ochs , church builder of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia, redesigned the interior of the church, so that today there is little reminiscent of the church originally planned by Heinrich Straumer. Almost 50 years after the side windows on the gallery were closed with glass blocks, windows were re-installed there in 1995.
Furnishing
altar
The altar is the center of the church space, which is underlined by the stained glass window. The altar window shows the heavenly Jerusalem and was redesigned by Renate Strasser. In the middle is the lamb, symbolizing the sacrificed Christ ( Agnus Dei ). The other pictures show scenes from the desert range of the people of Israel . This is to make it clear to the viewer that the Christian grows through the Holy Spirit, he lives according to the Lutheran doctrine of the sacrament of Christ's sacrificed body and blood, and will ultimately have visible fellowship with the exalted Christ. The original altar table was made of sandstone, the current table is made of wood. According to the Lutheran doctrine of the Lord's Supper, communicants at Holy Communion receive Christ's true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, which is made clear in a special way by the paraments , which all come from the original time.
Baptismal font and pulpit
The first baptismal font created by the Berlin sculptor Richard Kuöhl was made of sandstone and richly decorated. Today's baptismal font has the Passover lamb on its floor. On the frieze, the Egyptians drown in the Red Sea , while the Israelites can move on as saved. This symbolism clarifies the theological meaning of baptism according to Lutheran understanding, in that baptism brings about deliverance from sin through the blood of the Lamb, Christ. A dove adorns the lid of the stone as a symbol of the Holy Spirit . The new baptismal font was made in 1973 by the artists Eva Limberg and Renate Strasser, who also designed the altar cross.
The original pulpit was also made of sandstone. To improve the acoustics, there was a sound ceiling above the pulpit. Today's pulpit in the chancel is made of wood in simple forms.
organ
An organ has also been in the church since the church was built. The original instrument was badly damaged by its destruction in World War II. The current organ was made by the organ building company Alexander Schuke in Potsdam using the remaining pipes on behalf of the parish.
Bells
Until the middle of the 19th century, the Old Lutherans were forbidden to build church towers and use bells in the Hohenzollern region . The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross is the first church in Berlin to be built by the Old Lutherans with a bell tower and bells. The two largest bells were melted down in both the First and Second World Wars. Since 1963 three bells, which were manufactured by the foundry Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock , have been ringing again .
| Chime | Weight (kg) |
Diameter (cm) |
Height (cm) |
Crown (cm) |
inscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| g sharp ′ | 550 | 97 | 84 | 15th | A SOLID CASTLE IS OUR GOD. |
| H' | 310 | 81 | 72 | 14th | KEEP US LORD BY YOUR WORD. |
| cis ′ ′ | 215 | 71 | 59 | 13 | GOD BE PRISONED AND GIVEN. |
The bells ring - according to the chimes of this parish - on Sundays on the previous Saturday, ring directly before the services, and every noon at 12 o'clock they invite you to prayer. The sacrament bell rings during the divine service at the consecration words to which the congregation kneels.
Use of the church
The church has been used for worship by the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation Zum Heiligen Kreuz since it was built. Every Sunday there is a confession service at 9:30 a.m. and a service at 10 a.m. with celebration of Holy Communion. The pastor also wears the chasuble as a religious regalia . Except for the Old Lutherans , this is not to be found in any of the other Protestant churches in Berlin.
Plaque
A Berlin plaque is attached to the building at Nassauische Strasse 17 in memory of the publicist Franz Pfemfert , who lived in the church's own apartment block until he emigrated in 1933 before the National Socialists .
literature
- Gerhard Hoffmann: Your cross is our consolation . Festschrift of the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation for the Holy Cross. 100 years. Hanover 2004.
- Karl-Heinz Metzger: Churches, mosques and synagogues in Wilmersdorf . In: District Office Wilmersdorf (Ed.): The Blue Series . tape 2 . Verlag Wilhelm Möller KG, Berlin 1986.
- Klaus-Dieter Wille: The bells of Berlin (West). History and inventory . In: Landeskonservator (ed.): The buildings and art monuments of Berlin . tape 16 . Gebr. Mann, Berlin 1987.
Web links
- Internet presence of the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation for the Holy Cross
- Architecture Museum of the Technical University of Berlin: Original drawings by Karl Wilhelm Ochs and black and white photos before the renovation in 1970
- Church noon bells (video), 4:22 minutes
Individual evidence
- ↑ Internet presence of the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation Zum Heiligen Kreuz, Berlin-Wilmersdorf; Retrieved February 26, 2010
- ↑ Brief information on the Lutheran Church “Zum Heiligen Kreuz” on the website of the District Office Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, accessed on February 25, 2010
Coordinates: 52 ° 29 ′ 26 ″ N , 13 ° 19 ′ 35 ″ E