Evangelical Church (Saarburg)
The Evangelical Church of Saarburg is a church of the Protestant parish in Saarburg , Rhineland-Palatinate , district of Trier-Saarburg . It was built at the end of the 19th century for the diaspora congregation , which has since grown to 1,800 members due to the continuous influx of people into the previously purely Catholic area , and is still its spiritual center today.
The church building, which was completed in 1893 in the historicist style , is, like the neighboring rectory, a listed building and is listed in the register of cultural monuments of the Trier-Saarburg district. Despite severe damage in the Second World War, the structure of the church is largely that of the time it was built. The altar and the pulpit have been preserved from the original furnishings .
Today the glass windows by the Trier artist Werner Persy are the main attraction of the church.
history
prehistory
On the middle Saar from 1575 by the brothers Philipp III. and Albrecht von Nassau-Weilburg introduced the evangelical creed in 1575. The county of Nassau-Saarbrücken, which had its centers in the cities of Saarbrücken, Ottweiler and Saar Werden, organized its own regional church. With the Congress of Vienna (1815), this fell like the entire state of the central Saar to Prussia and was incorporated into the Rhine Province . Under canon law it became part of the Rhenish regional church. The responsibility for new evangelical citizens in the previously purely Catholic areas of the central and lower Saar rests with the parish of Völklingen . Churches were founded first in Saarlouis , later in Mettlach and finally in Saarburg. The influx of Protestant residents into the newly established Merzig and Saarburg districts began in the first half of the 19th century. These Protestant residents were initially mainly Prussian administrative officials .
Foundation of the parish and church building
The establishment of an independent parish in Merzig, to which the evangelical residents of Saarburg were also assigned, took place in 1851. In the absence of a separate church in Saarburg, the services initially took place in the hall of the district court . It was not until 1893 that an own Protestant church was inaugurated in Saarburg, which was built according to plans by the government architect Natorp ( Bad Oldesloe ). The foundation stone was laid on May 8, 1892, and the inauguration took place on July 11, 1893. The locally responsible district architect Heudler was responsible for the construction management . Almost at the same time, the following Protestant churches were built in the area under similar conditions: The Evangelical Church in Konz-Karthaus , the Evangelical Church in Hermeskeil and the Evangelical Church in Wittlich.
Effective April 1, 1895, Saarburg was separated from the mother parish of Merzig and was raised to an independent parish, which, however, due to its low financial strength, could only employ one vicar until the turn of the century .
time of the nationalsocialism
In the period after the National Socialist seizure of power , tensions arose and ultimately a break between Pastor Degen and the presbytery . Pastor Degen had joined the Pastors' Emergency League and was also close to the Confessing Church . In contrast, the presbytery was loyal to the German Church, which was ruled by National Socialist ideology . The turbulence peaked in 1935. Several members of the presbytery resigned from their offices. When collecting signatures, over 90% of the congregation stood behind the pastor and against the presbytery. The presbyter and church master Würzner was removed from office on May 7, 1935 by the district synodal committee, reinstated on July 20 by the legal committee of the church province and again removed from the presbytery on May 15, 1937 by the district church committee.
Tired of the constant arguments, Pastor Degen accepted the appointment as pastor of the parish of Leun in the autumn of 1937 . He stayed there until 1951 and was then pastor in Wermelskirchen until his retirement . In 1968, 30 years after his resignation, Pastor Degen stood again in the pulpit of the church and preached as part of the festive service for the 75th anniversary of the church. After Degen had left the community, Pastor Schwalfenberg from Merzig, who never made a secret of his National Socialist sentiments, was commissioned to initiate a “pacification of the torn community”. On May 20, 1938 Pastor Heinrich Schmidt was appointed. He was a member of the German Christians. Tensions with the community did not ease. Parish life deteriorated more and more and the last presbytery meeting took place on July 20, 1939. Pastor Schmidt's political views had alienated the remainder of the church faithful in the community, which had fewer than 300 members at the end of the war.
In December 1944, the church suffered severe damage from air raids and was no longer usable.
post war period
Pastor Schmidt was banned from exercising his office on June 25, 1945 because of his National Socialist sentiments. However, he officially held the parish office until his retirement in 1950.
The new pastor Paul Druschke was entrusted with the administration of the pastor's office in July 1945 and was officially the pastor's office from 1950. Until then he had to share the rectory with his predecessor. This also refused to hand over the official business to him. Due to refugees, the number of parishioners doubled within a few years to over 600. After the war damage had been repaired, the church was consecrated again on April 10, 1949.
In 1966 the community center at 20a Kunoweiher Street was inaugurated. Due to the topographical location of the church and rectory on a narrow rocky ridge, it was not possible to build a community hall in the immediate vicinity. The parish hall was 850 meters, about 10 minutes' walk from the church. The community center was renovated in 1984 and 1992 and abandoned in 2013.
In 1971 the structures of the church district and parishes were adapted to the political structures. The Saarburg parish was affiliated to the Trier parish ; all parishes that were now in Saarland due to the change in political structures were assigned to the parish of Mettlach.
In 1983 the church underwent an extensive interior renovation. The stained glass windows were created in this context.
Due to increased requirements, including on thermal insulation and accessibility, the parish hall could no longer be renovated economically. The solution was to purchase the New Apostolic Church in the Niederleuken district, which had been vacant for three years, and to convert it into a small community center. It was put into operation in January 2014 and inaugurated on July 20, 2014 after the final completion. The new parish hall is 1 kilometer or 15 minutes' walk from the church.
architecture
The church building, which was built in the style of historicism , is not precisely geosted due to its location on the ridge. It is roughly oriented towards ONO and is divided from west to east into a tower with a pointed helmet , a three-axis nave and a five-sided polygonal choir . The tower, which is built in front of the narrow western side of the nave in the longitudinal axis, is laterally accompanied by a two-storey stair tower . The complex is completed by a sacristy extension on the south side of the choir. Yellow-red sandstone blocks were used as building material for the rising masonry .
The longitudinally rectangular nave closes inside with an open roof truss . The two crossbeams, the support beams and the planking are painted an almost black dark brown. A Bible verse is affixed to the bottom boards on the eaves . On the right (north side): the harvest is great, but few are the workers. Therefore asks the Lord of the earth to send workers into his harvest. Matth. 9 37 + 38 . On the left (south side): I in the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him brings much fruit, because without me you cannot do anything. Joh. 15,6 The choir, which is two steps higher than the nave, has a ribbed vault . There is a swinging gallery on the tower side . This can only be reached from the outside via a separate entrance in the stair tower to the right of the main entrance.
Furnishing
The church stalls consist of two blocks of straight transverse banks, between which a central aisle leads from the entrance portal in the tower to the choir. In the choir room, which has three tracery windows , is the neo-Romanesque altar table made of sandstone , on top of which is a metal cross. The baptismal font is to the left of the altar. On the south side of the triumphal arch , which separates the choir from the nave, there is a pulpit . This was originally raised on a pedestal and could only be reached from the sacristy. During the last renovation, the base was removed and the pulpit can now be reached directly from the choir. The altar and pulpit are still part of the original furnishings.
Stained glass window
In the course of the renovation in 1983, new windows were installed that were designed by the painter and graphic artist Werner Persy from ( Trier ). The windows in the choir have the main Christian festivals of Christmas , Easter and Pentecost as their motifs, while the rosettes above the side windows in the nave show representations of possible Christian beliefs that are currently being lived. The windows in the choir are a link to the late medieval tradition of Biblia pauperum .
| image | Location | Bible passages | description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Left window in the choir | It is a star out of Jacob rise ( 4 Mos 24,17 Lut84 ) | Christ, in the form of the child, comes as king: crowned and honored with a golden orb. The cross staff in his hand already indicates his death. Christ comes into our world with its modern skyscrapers. The light of his love, which emanates from the star of Israel, wants to enlighten all people. The shepherds, who already hint at the motif of the good shepherd - carrying his sheep - are the first to worship the Savior. |
 |
Middle window in the choir | Praise be to God who reborn us to a lifelong hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ( 1 Petr 1,3 Lut84 ) | The joy of Easter characterizes the window in the middle. Like the rising sun, this joy shines out of the rosette and envelops the risen One. He's still wearing the linen towels. The dark grave still wants to hold on to him, but the spirit surrounds him with new life. The powers of the world, indicated in the soldiers, lie defeated on the ground. May they turn away or even rise threateningly, they cannot stop the living Christ. The stigmata testify that the risen One is the one who died on the cross. |
 |
Right window in the choir | I want to pour out my spirit on all flesh ( Joel 3,1 Lut84 )
If we live in the spirit then let us also walk in the spirit ( Gal 5:25 Lut84 ) |
Starting from the dove in the rosette, the love of the spirit fills the right window. Like tongues of fire, the Spirit comes upon the apostles. It comes as a gift from God and sets people in motion. In the lower part of the window a crowd of pilgrims, equipped with the spirit, goes into the world to give a testimony of God's actions. |
 |
Rosette in the nave on the right in front | Bread is given to a starving child. The world's hunger will not leave Christians idle. | |
 |
Rosette in the nave in the middle right | Father and mother have gathered their children around them. Child love and protection for the little ones is the mandate of the Gospel, because all people can feel accepted by God. | |
 |
Rosette in the nave on the right rear above the organ gallery | Here the fraternization between former enemies is shown: One forgive the other. | |
 |
Rosette in the nave on the left behind above the organ gallery | The Christian task of nursing the sick is remembered here. | |
 |
Rosette in the nave in the middle left | A coat is put on a needy; an indication that the sacrifice is an act of faith. | |
 |
Rosette in the nave on the left in front | A man - wounded himself - kneels in front of the ruins of the destroyed city and plants a tree. The hope of a new life becomes a warning for peace and a protest against war. |
organ
In the church plan , a place on the gallery was provided for the organ and a position in the financing plan for the church building . The money was not available for this, so that the church singing had to be supported by a harmonium for decades. In 1929 the Wipperfürth parish had the opportunity to buy their organ for 2000 RM. Due to a lack of funds, the option could not be realized because the parish was not able to pay the costs for dismantling and reassembly as well as transport.
In 1964 the regional church offered the community to borrow an organ positive for 5 years for a monthly fee of 30 DM. In the following year an organ building association was founded. Its chairman Willi Hoffmann visited many organs in the area. An organ made by Hermann Eule Orgelbau Bautzen in Saarlouis convinced him that this company should build the new organ. Because the headquarters of this company was in what was then the GDR , the contracts and payment had to be processed through the responsible foreign trade company of the GDR and the necessary import permits had to be applied for on the West German side.
The one-manual organ from the organ building workshop Hermann Eule Orgelbau Bautzen , inaugurated on April 10, 1968, is the masterpiece of the organ builder Eckhard Pietsch and has a mechanical action without registration aids . The organ's disposition is:
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- Pairing : I / P
Bells
At the inauguration of the church, two bells from the Mabilon bell foundry rang in G sharp and c. The smaller bell was confiscated in World War I, the larger bell in World War II. Today the ringing consists of three bells in the Te Deum motif in g sharp 1 (580 kg), h 1 (430 kg) and c sharp 2 (240 kg), all from the Mabilon bell foundry in Saarburg. The bells hang on the upper floor of the tower and can be reached from the gallery via two long and steep ladders.
| No. | image | Casting year | Foundry, casting location | Mass (kg) | Chime | inscription | further fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1893 | Mabilon, Saarburg | 537 kg | g sharp 1 | Confiscated and lost during the First World War. | ||
| 2 | 1893 | Mabilon, Saarburg | 218 kg | c 2 | Confiscated and lost during World War II. | ||
| 3 |
|
1925 | Mabilon, Saarburg | 430 kg | h 1 |
|
hangs in the tower |
| 4th |
|
1961 | Mabilon, Saarburg | 580 kg | g sharp 1 |
|
hangs in the tower |
| 5 |
|
1993 | Mabilon, Saarburg | 240 kg | c sharp 2 |
|
hangs in the tower |
Pastor and community leader
The first parish administrator for Saarburg was Wilhelm Figge. On July 27, 1850 he was appointed administrator of the Merzig-Perl-Wadern-Saarburg parish association. The official seat was initially Saarburg, from 1851 Merzig. His successor was Friedrich Gotthard Schneider from 1880. In 1895 Saarburg was detached from this parish association and was given its own parish office. For financial reasons this was only occupied by a vicar in the first few years.
| Surname | Term of office | annotation |
|---|---|---|
| Rudolf Sander | 1895-1898 | Parish vicar |
| Friedrich Wilhelm Spieker | 1898-1900 | Parish vicar |
| Otto Wilhelm Lentze | 1900-1902 | First Protestant pastor in Saarburg. Swapped pastors with his successor. |
| Friedrich Flick | 1902-1928 | Celebrated its 25th anniversary in Saarburg on June 29, 1927 with great sympathy from the Saarburg population of both denominations |
| Herbert Degen | 1929-1937 | During the ten-month vacancy period before his election, he worked as a substitute and religion teacher. Confirmation classes were also given to him. As a pastor, founded the church choir and an evangelical youth association. The parsonage was robbed the day before his wedding. |
| Hans Schmidt | 1938-1945 | Came to Saarburg as a problem pastor . Due to his close proximity to the National Socialist rulers, he was banned from exercising his office on June 25, 1945. But officially remained the pastor until his retirement in 1950. |
| Paul Druschke | 1946-1957 | Was entrusted with the administration of the pastor's office in July 1945 and officially held the pastor's office from 1950. Due to refugees, the number of parishioners doubled within a few years. During his tenure, the church, which had been destroyed in the war, was rebuilt, the rectory was renovated and the construction of the church in Orscholz began . |
| Rudolf Siedow | 1959-197 | During his tenure, the (former) parish hall at Kunoweiher 3 and the chapel in Orscholz were built and the parish was reclassified from the parish of Völklingen to the parish of Trier. At the same time, however, she lost part of her municipality in Saarland. |
| Heinz Schröter | 1979-2003 | During his term of office the church renovation and the design of a bright and colorful church fell. Died shortly before retiring. |
| Elke Füllmann Easter Day | 2004-2011 | First pastor. |
| Peter Winter | 2012– | During his term of office, the development of the cooperation with the parish in Konz and the construction of a new community center at the address Erdenbach 3 fall. |
use
Service is celebrated at 10 a.m. on almost every Sunday and public holiday. The church celebrates their worship after the Evangelical Worship Book - Liturgy for the Union of Evangelical Churches in the EKD and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany and is a member of the church district Trier the Uniate Evangelical Church in the Rhineland . Around monthly, in cooperation with the Evangelical Church Community of Konz-Karthaus, an alternative service is offered on Sunday evening under the title “Service differently”.
The church is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and has received the “Open Church” seal of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland. It can be viewed individually or as part of a city tour. Information - also in Dutch - and a guest book are available.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Informational directory of cultural monuments, Trier-Saarburg district On: denkmallisten.gdke.rlp.de (Rhineland-Palatinate, General Directorate for Cultural Heritage), accessed on April 23, 2014
- ↑ Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, Church District Völklingen, Who we are. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014 ; accessed on October 31, 2014 (history of the church district Völklingen).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Directory of new Protestant church buildings in the Rhineland 1860 - 1914 (1927), No. 113 Evangelical Church Saarburg, p. 231/232 (PDF) On: duepublico.uni-duisburg-essen.de, Retrieved April 23, 2014
- ↑ Heinz Schröter: Light of the world and house on the rock . History and stories of the Protestant parish Saarburg. Ed .: Presbytery of the Evangelical Church Community Saarburg. Saarburg 2002, p. 34-45, 118 .
- ↑ Heinz Schröter: Light of the world and house on the rock . History and stories of the Protestant parish Saarburg. Ed .: Presbytery of the Evangelical Church Community Saarburg. Saarburg 2002, p. 132-134 .
- ↑ Heinz Schröter: Light of the world and house on the rock . History and stories of the Protestant parish Saarburg. Ed .: Presbytery of the Evangelical Church Community Saarburg. Saarburg 2002, p. 52-55 .
- ↑ a b About us at: www.ekir.de, accessed on April 23, 2014
- ↑ Inauguration of the new parish hall. P. 7 , accessed on November 1, 2014 (community letter of the Protestant parish Saarburg, issue 160, June to August 2014).
- ↑ The new meeting place for many believers. Retrieved November 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Evangelical Church Community Saarburg: The windows in the Evangelical Church in Saarburg . information sheet available in the church. Saarburg.
- ↑ a b Heinz Schröter: Light of the World and House on the Rock . History and stories of the Protestant parish Saarburg. Ed .: Presbytery of the Evangelical Church Community Saarburg. Saarburg 2002, p. 128-131 .
- ↑ Heinz Schröter: Light of the world and house on the rock . History and stories of the Protestant parish Saarburg. Ed .: Presbytery of the Evangelical Church Community Saarburg. Saarburg 2002, p. 94-104 .
- ↑ Evangelical Church District Trier, farewell to Pastor Füllmann-Ostertag. August 8, 2011, accessed October 31, 2014 .
- ↑ Church districts of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland On: www.ekir.de, accessed on April 23, 2014
- ↑ The parishes of the Evangelical Church District Trier On: www.ekir.de, accessed on April 23, 2014
Coordinates: 49 ° 36 ′ 31.6 ″ N , 6 ° 33 ′ 13.6 ″ E