Evangelical Church Xanten

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Protestant church
Pulpit and altar table

The Evangelical Church in Xanten, which is located at the confluence of Kurfürstenstraße in Markt, is the main church of the Evangelical Reformed community in the North Rhine-Westphalian town of Xanten , Wesel district . It is a protected architectural monument that is entered on the city's list of monuments.

history

The historical beginnings cannot be exactly traced, but presumably in 1572 a Protestant congregation was established in Xanten .

When Xanten fell to the Electors of Brandenburg after the Jülich-Klevian succession dispute as part of the Duchy of Kleve with the Treaty of Xanten , the Evangelical Church was equated with the Catholic Church , in 1647 a church was built on the Great Market and in 1662 with a steeple expanded.

Church building

The church is very simple, as is typical of Reformed churches.

Exterior

Entrance portal of the church

The three-axis facade has large, ogival windows facing the market. A baroque portal under the central window leads into the interior. An angel's head and the year 1648 adorn the arch. This is probably a reminder of the Peace of Westphalia , the end of the Thirty Years War . On the northern narrow side of the church interior, three large windows also provide sufficient lighting for the hall.

inner space

The interior is dominated by the wooden pulpit, which is attached to the right long side of the rectangular room. In front of it is a wooden communion table with a simple cross. Pictures and sculptures are missing in this reformed church. The organ, which stands on a wooden gallery opposite the pulpit, creates a counterweight to the pulpit. She comes from Wesel.

tower

The church originally did not have a tower. But since the bell, presumably housed in a roof turret, had shaken and damaged the masonry, the tower on the west side was raised in 1662. It was a gift from the elector.

organ

Organ from 1786

During a renovation in 1785/86 - for which King Friedrich II had raised donations - the dilapidated church received not only new roof tiles, but also an organ. It probably does not come from the organ builder Courtain in Emmerich. Because the contract was signed with Ludwig König und Sohn and thus the organ comes from Cologne. In 1792, König also repaired the familiar organ for the first time.

Other equipment

Further pieces of equipment are a bible stand made of brass, two chandeliers and the chandelier from the 16th century. Next to the pulpit there is a memorial plaque to the church building in honor of the Great Elector .

Crypt

Since the space at the church was too small for a cemetery, a cellar was placed under the church when it was rebuilt, creating a large crypt. For 130 years almost all of the deceased found their final resting place in these separate vaults.

literature

  • 350 years of the Evangelical Church on the market in Xanten. 1649-1999. Edited by the presbytery of the Evangelical Congregation Xanten and Mörmter. Kleve 1999.
  • Xanten in one day. A city tour. Edited by Max Lehmstedt. Leipzig 2018.

Web links

Commons : Evangelische Kirche Xanten  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Xanten in one day. A city tour. Edited by Max Lehmstedt. Leipzig 2018. pp. 11–13
  2. ^ The organ of the renovated church from 1786. In: 350 years of the Protestant church on the market in Xanten. 1649-1999. Edited by the presbytery of the Evangelical Congregation Xanten and Mörmter. Kleve 1999. pp. 47/48.
  3. ↑ 350 years of the Evangelical Church on the market in Xanten. 1649-1999. Edited by the presbytery of the Evangelical Congregation Xanten and Mörmter. Kleve 1999. pp. 16-25

Coordinates: 51 ° 39 ′ 40.7 "  N , 6 ° 27 ′ 11.4"  E