French Church (Bern)

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The French Church
The former preacher's monastery (1898).
Western front
inside view

The French Church ( French Église Française ) is a Reformed church building at Zeughausgasse 8 in Bern .

history

The former monastery church was built in the last two decades of the 13th century by the Dominicans who had lived in Bern since 1269 (they were also called preachers - hence the old name Predigerkirche ) and was originally under the patronage of Peter and Paul . The rood screen , which was built at the same time as the church, was decorated with paintings from the circle of the Bernese Carnation Masters in 1495 . After the introduction of the Reformation, the choir and the altar house were converted into a granary in 1534 . The choir was separated by a wall on the rood screen and an organ was built on the rood screen gallery. In 1753 the church was given a baroque western front. 1909–1912 the choir was restored by architect Karl Indermühle and at the same time a sacristy was added on the north side in neo-baroque style. Between the choir and the nave separated by the rood screen, there is a cross passage with the entrances to the two church rooms. On the southern wall of the monastery were the frescoes of Niklaus Manuel's dance of death , which were created before 1520 and destroyed when the wall was demolished in 1660 .

Services in French have been held in the former Dominican church since 1623 , and after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, the church became a center for Huguenot exiles . The current name comes from this, and from the fact that the church building is still used by the French-speaking Reformed parish.

From 1849 to 1864 the unused choir housed the collections of the Bern Art Society and the State of Bern, which were combined in the "Bern Art Museum" .

The church is often chosen by the Bern choirs to perform great works. Concerts take place regularly on the Goll organ , which was built in 1991 .

organ

The organ was built in 1991 by the organ builder Goll in an existing historical case , which was created in 1828 by Franz Josef Remigius Bossart . The slider chest instrument has 66 stops on four manual works and pedals . The playing and stop actions are mechanical. The registers are equipped with loop magnets for a 128-fold electronic setting system.

I Grand Orgue C – a 3
1. Bourdon 16 ′
2. Montre 8th'
3. Flute 8th'
4th Bourdon 8th'
5. Gros Nasard 5 1 ⁄ 3  ′
6th Prestant 4 ′
7th Flute 4 ′
8th. Big Tierce 3 1 ⁄ 5  ′
9. Duplicate 2 ′
10. Fittings IV – V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
11. Cymbals III – IV 2 ⁄ 3 ′
12. Cornet V 8th'
13. Bombard 16 ′
14th Trumpets 8th'
II positive C – a 3
15th Principal 8th'
16. Suavial 8th'
17th Flûte à fuseau 8th'
18th Salicional 8th'
19th Prestant 4 ′
20th Flûte à cheminée 4 ′
21st Nasard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
22nd Duplicate 2 ′
23. Quarte de Nasard 2 ′
24. Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
25th Larigot 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
26th Petite doublette 1'
27. Fittings IV – V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
28. Cromorne 8th'
29 Trumpets 8th'
30th Clairon 4 ′
Tremblant
III Récit expressif C – a 3
31. Quintaton 16 ′
32. diapason 8th'
33. Flûte harmonique 8th'
34. Bourdon 8th'
35. Viol 8th'
36. Voix céleste 8th'
37. Prestant 4 ′
38. Flûte octaviante 4 ′
39. Nasard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
40. Octavine 2 ′
41. Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
42. Plein jeu V 2 ′
43. Basson 16 ′
44. Hautbois 8th'
45. Trompette harmonique 8th'
46. Clairon 4 ′
IV Echo expressif C – a 3
47. Bourdon 8th'
48. Flûte conique 4 ′
49. Cor de chamois 2 ′
50. Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
51. Petit quinte 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
52. Sifflet 1'
53. Voix humaine 8th'
Tremblant

Pedale C – g 1
54. Flute 32 ′
55. Principal 16 ′
56. Soubasse 16 ′
57. Principal 8th'
58. Flute 8th'
59. Octave 4 ′
60. Flute 4 ′
61. Fittings IV – V 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
62. Contre-Bombarde 32 ′
63. Bombard 16 ′
64. Trumpets 8th'
65. Clairon 4 ′
66. shelves 4 ′
  • Coupling : II / I, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P

literature

  • Berchtold Weber: Historical-topographical lexicon of the city of Bern . French Church (Places \ Sch \ Schweiz (CH) \ Bern (Canton) \ Bern (BE) \ F). Ed .: Burgerbibliothek Bern (=  publications of the Berner Burgerbibliothek ). Bern 2016 ( archives-quickaccess.ch [accessed on March 14, 2018]).
  • Bernhard Furrer , Charlotte Gutscher, O. Roulet and others: Eglise française réformée de Berne. (Swiss Art Guide, Volume 608/609). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1997, ISBN 3-85782-608-8 .
  • Hans Gugger: The Bernese organs. The reintroduction of the organ in the reformed churches of the canton of Bern by 1900 , Bern 1978 ISBN 3-7272-9265-2 , p. 178.
  • Hugo Wagner: The former high altar of the Predigerkirche in Bern by Niklaus Manuel. To its reconstruction. In: Journal for Swiss Archeology and Art History, Vol. 34 (1977), pp. 280–293. doi: 10.5169 / seals-166759
  • C. Gutscher-Schmid: Carnations instead of names. The late medieval painting workshops of the Bernese carnation masters . Benteli, Bern 2007, ISBN 978-3-7165-1461-0 .

See also

Web links

Commons : French Church  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Daniel Spanke: 200 years of Feu Sacré. The Bernese Art Society and its significance for the Bern Art Museum . In: Matthis Frehner, Annick Haldemann (ed.): Feu Sacré. For the 200th anniversary of the Bernese Art Society . jovis Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-86859-254-2 , p. 11-30 .
  2. ↑ http://www.goll-orgel.ch/de/orgeln/orgel-portraits/franz-kirche-bern
  3. ↑ Report Organ Friends St.Gallen (PDF; 2.2 MB)
  4. ↑ Comprehensive information on the organ (PDF; 2.2 MB) p. 32 ff.

Coordinates: 46 ° 56 ′ 56 "  N , 7 ° 26 ′ 47"  E ; CH1903:  600.59 thousand  /  one hundred and ninety-nine thousand seven hundred fifty-six