Evangelical Church (Bad Soden)
The Evangelical Church in Bad Soden am Taunus in Hesse is located in the old town, directly at the Quellenpark .
prehistory
The first construction of a church in Bad Soden dates back to 1482. Before that, the imperial village of Soden belonged to the Vogtei Sulzbach . In this there was only one church in Sulzbach . The villages of Neuenhain , Altenhain , Schneidhain , Hof Beidenau , the Rote Mühle and the no longer existing village of Dietzelshain near Schloßborn also belonged to the Vogtei itself .
In 1482 the people of Soden asked the Archbishop of Mainz for permission to build their own chapel. This chapel was first dedicated to Valentine of Terni . The property was donated by Count Johann von Solms Munzenberg zu Rödelheim. This plot also corresponds to the current location of the church.
Eight years later the church was completed and consecrated on August 29, 1490. In 1510 a sacristy was added, which still exists today. In 1525 Frankfurt joined the Reformation . This led to Sulzbach and Bad Soden also becoming Protestant, as they were under the patronage of the Frankfurters. In 1552 there was a great fire in Soden, devastating much of the city, including the chapel. Only the sacristy remained.
In 1622 the Thirty Years' War saw the battle of Höchst . After the Protestant Union under Christian von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel from Brunswick had lost the battle and was forced to retreat, Sulzbach and parts of Soden were set on fire on the way back. The chapel was damaged again. On April 30, 1626, the first Catholic service took place in the chapel.
New building of the church
In 1715 it was decided to build a new stone church . The foundation stone was laid on June 12th. Construction was completed in September of next year. The sacristy was integrated into the building from 1510. The construction was financed with their own church capital, but only with interest and collections. But despite a new church of its own, Soden has not yet become an independent parish. In 1722 the new organ was installed by Chief Commissioner Joachim Hoppe. In 1777 two new bells were added. Another bell was also added in 1808. In 1825 the interior of the church was redesigned, with a new altar made of marble slabs. New windows with mirror glass were also added.
In 1852 Soden finally became an independent parish . The previous chaplain Wilhelmi became the first pastor. On August 26, 1852, this was introduced into service. In 1859 a new organ was installed and inaugurated. The church tower was built in 1877 and the old wooden tower on the east side was removed a year later.
In 1904 a ditch with a wall was built around the church to drain the church. In 1907/08 the entire interior was renewed. A new heating system was installed, a new organ was installed (inauguration on April 11, 1908), new stairs were added to the side door, the interior was newly plastered and a new pulpit staircase was installed. During the Second World War , the windows and some parts of the interior were destroyed. Two of the three bells also had to be handed in. One of them was found in 1947 in the so-called bell cemetery in Hamburg . In 1951 the church tower and the roof were renovated. In 1957 there was another major interior renovation. The central window in the choir was broken, new windows by Heinz Hindorf were added, a new floor was laid and the heating was switched from coke to oil. In 1995/96 the church was extensively renovated, and old baroque panels from around 1720 were found. Furthermore, the central heating was switched from oil to natural gas. From September 2011 to Easter 2012 the roof construction with the associated board cladding and the slate shingles were renewed. During this measure it was found that the truss feet of the roof construction were statically weakened by moisture and also had to be replaced.
literature
- Rudolf von Nolting: History of the Protestant Church Bad Soden a. Ts. City of Bad Soden am Taunus 1995.
- 300 years of the Evangelical Church in Bad Soden. Festschrift, no year, ISBN 978-3-00-053306-8 .
Web links
- State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen (Ed.): Evangelical Parish Church In: DenkXweb, online edition of cultural monuments in Hessen
- Community website
- Website of the city of Bad Soden
Coordinates: 50 ° 8 ′ 34 ″ N , 8 ° 29 ′ 55.9 ″ E