Evangelical Laurentius Church in Vielbrunn
The Evangelical Laurentius Church in Vielbrunn is the church of the Evangelical Church Community of Vielbrunn with Kimbach , in the Michelstädter district of Vielbrunn in the Odenwald. She was originally to Saint Lawrence of Rome ordained .
history
First mention
Probably the oldest piece of news about a church in Vielbrunn comes from a document in the Wertheim State Archives and dates from 1381. At that time, Vielbrunn was part of the Montat district in the archdeaconate of Aschaffenburg. The patronage was held by the Counts of Wertheim.
15th to 17th centuries
The oldest part of the church, the two basement floors of the fortified tower built in 1495, dates from the late Gothic period. This year and a stonemason's mark are carved on the right side of the tower. The visible loopholes in the tower, as well as the wall surrounding the church, still convey the impression of a medieval fortified church . Inside the inaccessible part of the tower room, exit hatches can also be seen, which formerly led to an outer, wooden battlement. The walled churchyard was not only used for burial purposes, but was also a refuge. Old documents (1437/1442) still testify to this today, which give impressive reports of fighting on this very square during the Hohenlohe Wars. Thus, the Laurentiuskirche Vielbrunn is one of the best preserved fortified churches in the Odenwald.
Particularly noteworthy are the wall paintings from the pre-Reformation period in fresco technique. The formerly whitewashed wall paintings are said to be at the beginning / middle of the 15th century. and are located in today's entrance area of the church. The ceiling frescoes in the late Gothic cross vaults symbolize the four evangelists : in the east the eagle (John), in the south the lion (Mark), in the west the winged man (Matthew) and in the north the bull (Luke). St. Lawrence can be seen on the north side, partially walled over by the gallery staircase, the depiction of a Pieta and next to it a so-called sacrament house . Furthermore, God the Father, the Archangel Michael, St. Christopher and St. Leonhard are shown.
On February 26, 1591 master Hans Vogel from Erbach i.Odw. commissioned to manufacture a clock for the church in Vielbrunn. This was the first known church tower clock in the Breuberg domain . Unfortunately, this old clock was not preserved and was replaced by a new one in the 19th century.
As already mentioned, only the lower two floors of the tower remained of the actual church. The original nave, which stood in front of today's main entrance, suffered so much damage during the Thirty Years' War that it fell into disrepair.
18th to 20th century
In 1729 the nave, which was badly damaged by the Thirty Years' War and partly dilapidated, was dismantled and a larger one on the east side of the church tower was built in four years. The weather vane on the eastern corner of the roof ridge still indicates the beginning of the new building in 1730. The previously two-story tower was given a third floor and a so-called Welsche Dome or onion dome in a simple baroque style. A tower cross was erected on the top of the church tower, which symbolically refers to St. Laurentius with its crossed diamond. The weathercock, as a symbol of vigilance, sits on top as a warning. He reminds Christians not to turn according to the wind, but, like Peter, to follow the Christian faith faithfully in his further life.
The main entrance now leads through the tower (and thus the former chancel) into the interior of the nave, a simple, flat-roofed hall with a three-sided choir closure. The staircase built in 1866 also leads from the tower to the lower and upper gallery . The cassette fillings in the lower gallery were made in 1770 and decorated with verses from the Sermon on the Mount .
Crucifix, altar, baptismal font and organ, like almost the entire interior, date from the 1830s and 40s. A 12-armed brass chandelier has been lighting the nave since 1886 and is still lit on special holidays today. Since a major interior renovation in 1926, a ceiling fresco depicting the Holy Trinity has adorned the interior. The originally colorful church windows were completely destroyed by an aerial mine during World War II and replaced by clear leaded glazing in 1949.
The oldest known news about bells in the Vielbrunn Church dates from 1769. Three bells were hung up at that time. After the turmoil of the two world wars, the Vielbrunner chimes have again consisted of three bells since the 1st of Advent 1949. They bear the inscriptions:
- “Land, land, hear the word of the Lord” (Jeremiah 22:29) - big bell
- “Comfort, comfort my people” (Isaiah 40: 1) - middle bell
- “Prepare the way for the Lord” (Isaiah 40: 3) - small bell
All three bells were cast from bronze by the Rincker bell and art foundry in Sinn (Upper Hesse) and each has a special task. The big bell rings in the morning (6:30 a.m.), at noon (12:00 p.m.) and in the evening (6:00 p.m.). The middle bell to school (7:30 a.m.) and before noon (11:00 a.m.), that's how farmers used to be called home from the field for lunch. The little bell rings during the Lord's Prayer at every church service and is also the death of the valley, which the congregation announces when a congregation member has been recalled from among them.
Equipment and special features
- Frescoes (15th century)
- Gravestones (18th century)
- Crucifix (1732)
- Altar and baptismal font by master Ahasver Müller from Erbach i.Odw. (1732/33)
- Pulpit (1747)
- Organ (1734 / prospectus and 2 registers original) by Johann Peter Schleich from Lohr am Main , renewed in 1970 by Werner Bosch Orgelbau
- Chandelier (1886)
- Tower clock (1895) from the Ritzert family of tower clocks from Groß-Umstadt, whose workshop can still be seen in Hessenpark today
Pastor
At the Ev. Laurentiuskirche the following pastors were active:
Pre-Reformation period
- Johann Feydichin (until 1381)
- Heinrich von Haybach (from 1381)
- Johann Hullweg (documented 1420)
- Heinrich Eschelle (documented 1427)
- Johann Kern (documented 1429)
- Jörg von Hartheim (until 1472)
- Parish administrator Wendelin Becker [Canon] (until at least 1525)
- Lorenz Aull (1526-1535)
After the Reformation was introduced in Breuberg (1537)
- Johann Stoltz (documented in 1541)
- Johannes Weitpoz (1543–1545)
- Johannes Scherpff (1545–1550)
- Hartmann Hartmanni (1553–1554)
- Philipp Sohm (1554–1555)
- Johannes Ulrich (1557)
- Johannes Würzburger (1557–1569)
- Daniel Lorsbacher (1569-1612)
- Johannes Nauta (1612-1617)
- Simon Enlin (1617-1625)
- Peter Schechsius (1626–1634)
- Tobias Krug (1634-1640)
- From 1640 to 1650 the parish was provided by Pastor Johannes Zollmann zu Höchst . Zollmann was the only clergyman in the entire Breuberg estate who survived the Thirty Years War . He was followed by the Sandbach pastor Johann Adolph Roselius in the vacancy representation. Roselius was deposed in 1653 on suspicion of heresy and moved to Michelfeld near Sinsheim. The last pastor who had to provide provisional care for the Vielbrunn parish was Friedrich Leo von Sandbach, who had spiritual care for the entire Breuberg estate until 1655.
- Johann Wolfgang Wernitzmüller (1655–1688)
- Johann Wilhelm Motsch (1688–1709)
- Adolph Friedrich Hennemann (1710–1714)
- Johann Philipp Henning (1714–1729)
- Johann Michael Kappelmann (1729–1741)
- Johann Andreas Cronenbold (1741–1742)
- Johann Philipp Günther (1742–1753)
- Karl Benjamin List (1753–1757)
- Johann Michael Neidhardt (1757–1787)
- Johann Conrad Friedrich Wehn (1787–1841)
- Gustav Simon (1841-1852)
- Georg Christian Dieffenbach (1852-1854)
- Georg Anthes (1854–1863)
- Georg Ewald, parish administrator (1863–1865)
- Matthias Köhler (1865–1906)
- Johannes Störmer (1908–1914)
- Otto Adam (1915-1922)
- Otto Stroh (1922–1927)
- Rudolf Karl Heinrich Scriba (1927–1936)
- Friedrich May (1936–1964)
- Willi Krügel (1964–1983)
- Eberhard Poetter (1983–1992)
- Johannes Keim (1993-2003)
- Micha-Steffen Stracke (2003-2014)
- Johanna Fröhlich (2016-2019)
Parish fair
The oldest known document pertaining to the celebration of a parish fair in Vielbrunn is in the Wertheim State Archives and dated September 1, 1468. It contains testimony in the dispute between Count Wilhelm von Wertheim and those of Eppstein over the rights of ban wine serving at the parish fair Vielbrunn.
Since time immemorial, the 'Vielbrunner Curb' has been celebrated on the last weekend in August. First a traditional village festival, starting with a festive service in the church - followed by drinks with music and dancing in the inns, the 'Vielbrunner curb' changed significantly after the Second World War .
The organization of this event was taken over by the KSG (culture and sport community) Vielbrunn 1946 eV, the local soccer club. Until a few years ago, the association organized the festival as a 'tent notch' on the 'Am Stutz' festival site, with a large festival tent, riding school , shooting gallery and other amusements. Today is notched at the local community center 'Limeshalle' celebrated. The main points of this event are the old men’s tournament on Friday and the happy hour in the Limes Hall towards evening. Furthermore, the service on Saturday evening in the church, followed by beer tapping and notch dance in the festival hall. In addition, on Sunday mornings in the Limes Hall, there is a large festival service, morning pint with brass music, lunch, children's afternoon and colorful evening. The curb ends with the craftsmen's morning pint and the after-work party on Monday.
literature
- Gerd Ohlweiler: Church of Vielbrunn - 500 years. Published by Stadt Michelstadt, Seeger Druck, Michelstadt 1997, ISBN 3-924583-28-7 .
- Hans Teubner, Sonja Bonin: Cultural monuments in Hessen. Odenwaldkreis. Published by the State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen , Vieweg, Braunschweig / Wiesbaden 1998 ( Monument Topography Federal Republic of Germany ), ISBN 3-528-06242-8 , p. 527f.
Web links
- Homepage of the parish
- State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen (Ed.): Evangelical Parish Church In: DenkXweb, online edition of cultural monuments in Hessen
Coordinates: 49 ° 42 '46 " N , 9 ° 5' 58.4" E