Evangelical town church Mainbernheim
The Evangelische Stadtkirche Mainbernheim is a church building in the old town of Mainbernheim .
history
In the Middle Ages donated landlords often on private property churches, private churches are called. They took care of the pastoral care of the subjects and the building of the church, but had the use of tithe and property as well as the prayers for the salvation of their families. "At the beginning of the Casteller rule there were the four own churches Castell, Groß- and Kleinlangheim, Mainbernheim and Marktsteft." This independent church system is documented "1104 in the deed of Count Lienhart zu Castell" in Mainbernheim.
When the Mainbernheimer Kirchplatz was redesigned, foundations of a previous building were discovered during the rescue excavation. Remains of a Gothic polygonal choir were found, which appears to be turned at right angles to today's church and points exactly to the east. To the west, the foundations of the nave join, across under the current church. Today's tower is centrally located in the west.
The naming of St. Johannis means that outstanding witnesses of Jesus' life and work are the focus of the design:
The date of the church consecration indicates the patronage of John the Baptist and thus the origin as a very early baptismal church.
The crucifixion group above the side entrance portal from the previous church points to the apostle John , Jesus' favorite disciple, who stands under the cross with Mother Mary.
There are two half-reliefs behind the altar. On the one hand, they could show the Evangelist John and his symbolic representation, the eagle. As the presumed author of the Revelation , he appears again on the old altarpiece above the sacristy door. On the other hand, the representation of the person could also be a Johanness bowl. This would represent the martyrdom of John the Baptist. The eagle symbol would also be conceivable as a documentation of Prussia's rule in the city.
A document in the Mainbernheim parish archive tells in detail about the laying of the foundation stone for today's church on September 12, 1732. The house of God was consecrated just a year later.
Cornerstone
When the foundation stone for today's St. John's Church was laid, the builders gave the following reason for the new building in the certificate, which is a copy in the chancel:
“Stand still! You who see this now and will see it in times to come, and see the wonders of God! A church previously filled with darkness now stands in full light. About two hundred years ago it was freed from the darkness of the Pope and shone with the light of heavenly truth, but today it is September 12th of this day. In the current 1732th year, the dark part of the building would have to be lost as the foundation for this light-built church had been laid by the present stone. the father of light be proclaimed that the present congregation in this church does not follow any other light than the independent and true one, which enlightens people to bliss. for we recognize the enlightenment of the Spirit of God no other head of the congregation of the orthodox than Jesus Christ, no other divine and sanctifying rule than the veste and prophetic word of God; no assurance other than the cross of Jesus; no purification other than the blood of Jesus; no other merit than the death of Jesus; no other life than the life of Jesus. "
The names of the important personalities, the current population figures and the passage of the Salzburg emigrants then follow as witnesses.
architecture
The new church was built in the margrave style. This was an expression of the Evangelical Lutheran faith, which took shape in the exterior and interior design, as the builders explained in detail in the document.
Relief of the crucifixion scene from the previous building
Access to the manor via a stair tower
View of the chancel
organ
A visitor can discover numerous features of the new architectural style in Mainbernheim:
Exterior view
The nave is a rectangular hall with a hipped roof . The simple facade is structured by pilaster strips . Large, high windows let in plenty of light. The relief above the side entrance and the tower stump come from the previous church. He was increased and wears a Welsche hood with a lantern .
Interior design
The equivalence of the two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper, with the word of the Scriptures are shown in the assignment of the baptismal font, altar and pulpit. Therefore these moved closer together, but did not yet form a unit, the pulpit wall, which later also included the organ.
Since baptism is the beginning with God, the baptismal font was moved from its usual location at the entrance to near the altar. It found its place in the main aisle between the altar and the first pews. In this way, the congregation always had in mind that the believer can only access the altar through baptism.
At the altar there is prayer and the Lord's Supper is distributed as a sign of God's presence. During the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the congregation members first went to the left side of the altar as seen by the observer, received the bread there, then went around the back of the altar to receive the wine on the right side. From the representations on the altar, the visitor can read what moved the believers in the place when they were redesigned, like in a picture book in three stations one above the other: the altar is dominated by a painting depicting the Easter events. The light, which was particularly important to the builders in the certificate of laying the foundation stone, illuminates the scene of the resurrection very clearly as an oval, bright glow and allows the viewer to experience the event directly. It was probably particularly important to the people of Mainbernheim not to focus on the judgment of God, but on the victory over death and thus hope. Jesus practically floats out of the grave. Triumphantly he raises his right hand in a blessing. In his left hand he waves the "defeated cross" with the flag. His legacy, the Lord's Supper, is shown exaggerated on the right and left. These are the gifts at the Lord's table: ears of wheat for bread and grapes for wine. The altar is crowned by the raised lamb again with a cross and a victory flag. The lamb with the flag of victory rests on the book with the seven seals. In the 5th chapter of Revelation, which points beyond death, this vision of the Evangelist John is reported: The Lamb, Jesus, who died for men, is alone worthy to take the book from God's hand, to break the seal and that To find a book that contains the future.
The constant reference to the striving for life in eternity and the threatening world judgment shaped the lives of people up to the Reformation. The stay of the Salzburg exiles, for whose belief it was very important that there is no permanent city here and that they are looking for the heavenly Jerusalem, also had an impact on the thinking of the local population. The new resurrection hope pushed this aside and pushed it aside. That may also have moved the people of Mainbernheim to replace the "old altarpiece" and to give it a place above the entrance to the sacristy. The illustration shows “The Eternal Adoration of God” and the “ Heavenly Jerusalem ” of the seer John and points to communion with God in eternity.
The light that illuminates the choir room falls through three windows. This number is reminiscent of the Trinity , which is discussed in detail in the charter.
The pulpit should be clearly visible from all seats, because the sermon was now a determining element. Here the word of God came to life, God gave the believers guidance, pointed out mistakes and healed with encouragement.
Sufficient seats had to be created in the church for all parishioners, as the sermon often lasted an hour or more. Like outstretched arms, the gallery encloses the community in the ship in a horseshoe shape . In the church there was only a double gallery with the organ on the west side. A separate, upholstered mansion was also created on the gallery opposite the pulpit, with separate access via a spiral staircase.
Congregational singing and church music were key elements of Protestant worship. The organ showed the congregation that they belong together in common complaints, thanks and praise. How important this was to the believers is evident from the structure of the musical instrument, which is unique in Lower Franconia. The organ was created in 1735 or 1747. The organ prospectus is a variant of the Thuringian prospectus.
builder
Under the supervision of Carl Friedrich von Zocha and with the help of Johann David Steingruber , the foundation stone for today's church, which was consecrated a year later, was laid on September 12, 1732 after the previous church had been demolished. The above-mentioned builders also added heights to the tower.
The similarity of the altars from Mainbernheim and Mainstockheim led to the name of the master carpenter Högemer from Mainbernheim. He was named in the Mainstockheim Council Minutes of November 10, 1757 as the creator of the pulpit and altar.
The supervisor of the city archives, Joachim Klatt, discovered the invoice from 1747 and the names of the artists. Georg Jakob Högemer, citizen and carpenter in Mainbernheim, created the pulpit and altar. The sculptor Hornung, wood sculptor and designer Paul Amadeus Biarew and Mahler Erdmann von Ansbach were also involved.
The altar is marked by the heyday of the Rococo . His altarpiece was created in the style of the time of the new building. The gold rim speaks for this. The ornaments and the sacrament offerings, ears of wheat and grapes are also golden.
Later refinements
Prayer room in the former bell room of the tower
Angels in the prayer room
In 1936 Michael Russ donated a "Annunciation Window" next to the pulpit. From this place the preacher Johannes spoke to the people in the picture and referred them to the Messiah through the baptism of Jesus at the Jordan. On July 12th of that year the stained glass windows were opened Consecrated from the Munich court glass painting Zettler to a design by Academy Professor Adolf Schinnerer Today the window is in the chancel to create a pictorial unit in the choir.
In 1948, painter Unger enlivened the ceiling of the nave and the choir with scenes from the life of John the Baptist, after whom the church was named:
- Trailblazer Johannes
- Herod's death sentence
- Martyrdom
- Return to God
In 1993, the Golden Confirmands donated pictures by Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon to the parish.
In 1994, the new sculpture of John the Baptist found its place at the church fair to the left of the choir. The work of art was by the couple Alfred and Tilde Graßel, née Will, on the occasion of the Golden Confirmation in 1993. Hans-Joachim Seitfudem from Bad Kohlgrub created the figure from limewood, designed it and decorated it with gold leaf.
In 1995/96 a prayer room was created in the basement of the tower. As the sign at the entrance documents, when the ground floor, which was walled up in 1732, was opened on February 1, 1995, the ropes of the former bell from 1493 were clearly visible. Architect A. Konnerth from Mainbernheim donated the expansion. The sculpture was created by Irene Dilling from Frickenhöchstadt in the Steigerwald in 1995. Your “angel of Jacob's ladder” gives comfort to the visitor: “I am with you, I want to protect you. ... I don't want to leave you ... "(Genesis 28)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Walter Scherzer: Castell - county and deanery . In: Portraits of Bavarian deanery districts . 1991, p. 21 .
- ↑ Robert Neussner: Pictures from history Main Bernheim . Ed .: City of Mainbernheim. Hügelschäffer printing works, Mainbernheim 1982, p. 40 .
- ^ Office for Excavations & Documentation Heyse: Press release on the Mainbernheim excavation – church square renovation . Ed .: Evangelical Parish Office Mainbernheim. 2010.
- ↑ Churches - Expressions of Faith . Exploring a margrave church . 1996, p. 10-11 .
- ↑ Martina Franz: Altar representations of some Protestant churches in the Kitzingen district . 2005, p. 64 .
- ^ Evangelical Lutheran. Parish Office Mainbernheim (Ed.): Visiting Mainbernheim . 2001, p. 15 .
- ^ Continuatum Mainbernheim, April 22, 1747, Mainbernheim City Archives
- ↑ Evangelical Parish Office Mainbernheim
- ↑ Irene Dilling: Secret of Faith . Upper Franconian Postcard Publishing House Bouillon, Bayreuth 1999, p. 19 .
literature
- Castell - county and deanery . Portrait of a deanery district . In: Georg Güntsch (Ed.): Portraits of Bavarian deanery districts . Verlag der Ev.-Luth. Mission, Erlangen 1991, ISBN 3-87214-246-1 .
- U. Busley, U. Distler, G. Eckart, I. Franz, B. Mestel, H. Preiß, W. Schauer, Dr. G. Schröttel: Churches - expressions of faith . Exploring a margrave church . Ed .: Religion Zentrum Heilsbronn (= books to regional church history . No. IV ). Freimund print shop, Neuendettelsau 1996.
- Martina Franz: Altar representations of some Protestant churches in the Kitzingen district (= first state examination for teaching at secondary schools ). Würzburg 2005.
- Evangelical Luth. Parish Office Mainbernheim (Ed.): Visiting Mainbernheim . Upper Franconian postcard publisher Bouillon, Bayreuth 2001.
Coordinates: 49 ° 42 ′ 40.8 ″ N , 10 ° 13 ′ 4.9 ″ E