Evangelical Lutheran Church Complex Bethanien
| Evangelical Lutheran Church Complex Bethanien | |||
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National monument in Namibia 
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| Monument type | Monument ( church ) | ||
| location | Bethany | ||
| Geographic coordinates : | 26 ° 29 '55.7 " S , 17 ° 9' 36.8" E | ||
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| Emergence | around 1814 and 1859 | ||
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Recognized by the National Heritage Council |
February 1, 1952 and August 17, 1952 | ||
| Deprivation | |||
| Sponsorship | Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia | ||
| Website | NHC Namibia | ||
The Evangelical Lutheran Church Complex Bethanien is a national monument in Bethanien in the southwest African state of Namibia . The complex includes the “Schmelenhaus” and the “Evangelical Lutheran Church with Cemetery”.
The Schmelenhaus, named after its resident Heinrich Schmelen , has been registered as a memorial since February 1, 1952, the church with cemetery since August 17, 1952. The entire complex was classified as worthy of protection because of its importance for the missionary work of the Nama by German immigrants.
Schmelenhaus
Around 1814, Johannes Heinrich Schmelen arrived as a missionary for the London Missionary Society in the area called Klippquelle by the locals . There he built a house made of stones, today's Schmelenhaus , and he named the place Bethanien after biblical models . Schmelen lived in the house until 1834 when he left the place. A little later the house burned down, but was rebuilt by Schmelen's successor Hans Christian Knudsen in 1842 and was inhabited by him until 1851. A little later it was donated to the Rhenish Mission Society and today belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia .
Although the house that still exists today was built by Knudsen, it is still known as the Schmelenhaus. It is the second oldest stone house built by Europeans in Namibia and the oldest stone house still in existence in the country.
Church and cemetery
The mission church in Bethanien was built by the Rhenish missionary Hermann Heinrich Kreft in 1859 and consecrated on June 26, 1859. Parts of the building were donated by the Nama leader David Christian Frederiks . The church was built in the style of a church from Germany with two steeples , which were later demolished. In 1899 a new stone church was built and the historic mission church was converted into a school. Next to her is a cemetery with the graves of former missionaries.
The white church was extensively renovated at the end of the 20th century and the two historic towers were rebuilt.
literature
- Andreas Vogt : National Monuments in Namibia. An inventory of proclaimed national monuments in the Republic of Namibia. Gamsberg Macmillan, Windhoek 2004, ISBN 99916-0-593-2 .