Evangelical Reformed Church (Marienheim)
The Evangelical Reformed Church Marienheim the same Neuburger district Marienheim in Upper Bavarian district Neuburg-Schrobenhausen was the only reformed parish in Bavaria, which had a royal privilege.
history
The first settler in the village was Tobias Kroll in 1809. He was a Calviner , as the name used to be, today it means "evangelical reformed". Kroll founded the place in the middle of a purely Catholic area; however, there was no church. Therefore, the evangelical believers visited the church in Untermaxfeld , more than eight kilometers away. At that time it was a walk of almost two hours. In addition, the Untermaxfelders were Evangelical Lutheran believers. Tensions arose because of the religious differences.
Almost forty years had passed, and the desire for a church of their own grew louder and louder. The money was scarce and should be covered by a collection fund. The Marienheimers vouched for any shortfalls and promised to do manual and clamping services. In addition, they were willing to pay 80 guilders a year to pay the pastor. With this promise, the senior consistory agreed to found a “reformed” parish near Neuburg.
A royal parish
September 23, 1848 is the historic date for the new parish. Maximilian II, King of Bavaria, signed the founding document of the "Reformed Parish of Marienheim" on the island of Ischia . The church seal had the inscription: “Kgl. Bayer. Protestant Reform Parish Office Marienheim ”. Marienheim thus became the only Reformed parish in Bavaria that had a “royal” privilege.
On May 24, 1849, the first pastor, Samuel Christoph Clöter, moved in. He was given the great commission to build a church. He himself had to be content with a small room for the time being, as there was no parsonage yet. The Marienheimers quickly went to work and built the rectory.
Church building and its problems
From 1831 the schoolhouse was also used for church purposes and was also the church space. On February 12, 1850, the church members committed themselves to hand and tension services. These were Reformed people from all over the area, not only from Marienheim, but also from the surrounding places such as Heinrichsheim , Rödenhof , Altmannstetten , Isenhofen , Kreut, Gietlhausen , Maxweiler , Kochheim, Jägersbühl , Schornreut, Untermaxfeld , Obermaxfeld , Stengelheim , Grasheim , Ludwigsmoos and Königsmoos .
At the same time, the state was reminded of its promise and obligation that every Bavarian citizen belonging to a recognized denomination had the right to a church. “We do not require expensive buildings and facilities for our services, but only a shelter in which we can hold our services. And at best we want a bell to ring to give the signal for the service ”, is recorded in the letter of July 17, 1850.
On October 3, 1850, Pastor Clöter wrote to the building authorities that, in his experience, one church would be enough for 180 members. Many of them have to travel too far and therefore do not always come to worship.
And the other wishes: The church should consist of a not too large square, plus a church tower with three bells. A pulpit, an organ and a stone altar table are required in the church.
For the pastor and church builder Clöter, however, the great concern was the tinkling coin. He became active and sent countless begging letters to government and church bodies throughout Germany. Clöter also undertook collecting trips to southern German cities, to Switzerland, to Wuppertal, Dresden, Berlin and Leipzig to raise funds . Friedrich Wilhelm IV even granted the church beggar an audience and a collection all over Prussia. Another audience followed with King Maximilian II. It was a success. Thereupon there were grants from the district president from Augsburg. Finally, the Gustav Adolf Foundation also supported the construction of the church in Marienheim.
For the new parish in Marienheim there was a collection from all of Bavarian Protestantism with a share capital of 2,830 guilders. Well-known donors also supported the plant financially. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. Of Prussia donated 991 guilders, His Royal Highness, the Prince of Prussia added 55 guilders, but 700 guilders also came from a Protestant support organization from Zurich. Hamburg was also represented from the far north, with the two presbyteries donating 105 guilders. A court preacher brought 210 guilders from Berlin and 794 guilders from Ebersfeld. But the funds were still insufficient. An application has now been submitted to the Neuburg District Office. The authorities granted 2000 guilders each for the years 1851/52 and 1852/53.
The financial resources came from all sides, but not always in the amount hoped for. Now another problem arose and split the Marienheimers into two camps: One opted for a prayer room in order to reduce costs. The others insisted on a church with a tower, arguing that the funds had been given for building a church and not for a house of prayer. In the end, with the resolution of September 29, 1853, the building of a church remained.
On Pentecost Tuesday, June 6, 1854, construction finally began. 15 masons and eleven henchmen were now working on the work. On July 18, 1854 it was already Hebauf . It was moving fast. After almost four months of construction, the Royal District Court was informed that the building of the church was completed.
The interior design was no longer so quick, the funds were insufficient. On March 26, 1856, before the church was completed, Pastor Clöter had to leave the parish of Marienheim again.
The church builder and his departure
From 1853 ran through the pastor Clöter the royal upper consistory complaints again and again. It was denounced that the clergyman was using a false creed, so the children were no longer allowed to take part in religious education. But the allegations were baseless and declared null and void. In 1855 Clöter had to endure a nine-day examination. This time it was found that the clergyman adhered to the Reformed cult.
The disagreements went so far that even the first synod of the Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria had to deal with the Marienheim case. On March 26, 1856, Clöter left the parish with the agreement of the senior consistory without having a new pastorate. The shepherd of souls still got no rest. He was repeatedly suspected and accused of wrongdoing, but all allegations turned out to be defamation.
The church builder could not witness the church consecration himself. Today the work of the first pastor is valued, which is why a “Christoph-Clöter-Straße” was dedicated to him and thus a memorial was set.
The 24-year-old parish administrator Carl Gottfried Gerhardt now had the difficult task of completing the building project and preparing for the consecration. A multi-day visit in 1857 brought the construction to a close. Peace also returned to the church.
Solemn church consecration
May 3, 1857 is the historic date of the church consecration and the day of joy over the unique event. Three triumphal arches, one of them in Rödenhof, the other two in Marienheim, heralded the event. A last church meeting at school and a pageant to the new church with bells ringing, then the key handover, the local pastor Gerhardt opened the church door. With the sound of an organ and choir singing, they moved in followed by a festive service.
Coordinates: 48 ° 43 ′ 0 " N , 11 ° 12 ′ 51.9" E