Georgenkirche (Wismar)

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St. Georgen (south transept and choir)
Rebuilt George Church with surrounding roof landscape (July 2009)
Interior of the church (October 2011)
St. Georgen: facade of the transept

The Church of St. Georgen belongs next to St. Mary and St. Nicholas to the three monumental Gothic sacral buildings of Wismar's Old Town. Based on the building size and the enclosed space, the George Church, begun in 1295, is the largest of these structures. It is also the youngest.

The Georgenkirche was the place of worship for the sovereigns and craftsmen of Wismar. The church, which was badly damaged in the Second World War and further deteriorated during the GDR era, was largely rebuilt by 2010 . As part of Wismar's old town, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2002 . St. Georgen and St. Marien together form the Evangelical Lutheran Church Community Wismar St. Marien / St. Georgen in the Propstei Wismar, Mecklenburg parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany .

history

The St. Georgen was the parish church of the Neustadt, it belonged to the second phase of the city's foundation, which was completed by 1250. It is not known exactly when St. Georgen was founded. The oldest surviving document dates from 1255, in this a Godfridus plebanus sancti Martini is mentioned as a witness. Saint Martin is mentioned in later documents as the second patron, and Godfridus was mentioned several times as a pleban until 1296. It is not certain whether the church building mentioned was on the site of today's church, as an old churchyard of St. Georgen in front of the city is occupied. The church was probably moved later.

Dimensions

  • Height of the tower stump: 36 m
  • Length: 78 m
  • Width: 44 m
  • Transept width: 57 m
  • Vault height of the transept and main nave: 35 m

First church

Construction of the first building at its current location is believed to have started in the early 1270s. The first documentary mention can be found in a document from 1269. In 1270, Prince Heinrich von Mecklenburg transferred patronage to the Teutonic Order in Riga. At that time, the parish did not yet have a rectory, as evidenced by a parish that was still young at the time. The space at the (old) city wall was allocated for the construction of the church, which was replaced in the 1270s by a new city wall enclosing the old and new towns. It is not known when construction of the church was finished in 1286. A church tower is mentioned for the first time in 1286. Some remains of the first church building are visible in the choir of the current church.

Second church

Floor plan (1896)

The three-aisled choir, just closed in the east, is part of the second church. It was later extended on the south and north sides by a sacristy and chapels . The start of construction will have been after 1320. The choir of the previous church was retained within the building until it was completed. After the roofs had been covered, the new choir was vaulted. This work began around 1340 because the timber found in the roof structure could be dated to this year. A mass, an indulgence and a jubilee were mentioned for the year 1350. There are indications in documents from the second half of the 14th century for the further extension of chapels. The crowned chapel in the northeast corner of the choir, which still exists today, was mentioned in a document in 1394. A no longer existing chapel stood in the middle, it was used as a ducal choir or princely gallery. The construction of the choir ended with the beginning of the third construction phase, which began in 1404 with the construction of a new tower in the west of the church. Originally there were two chapels on the south side, the east one was demolished in the 19th century, the one on the west side has been preserved as a ruin. A new sacristy was built in 1495.

Third Church

George Church around 1840

After a name in the tower hall in the north, construction began in 1404. The new building began with the tower and was continued piece by piece towards the choir, while the hall church was being demolished. The work turned out to be tedious, the two chapels on the tower were probably not finished until 1469. One chapel was called the Wollenweberkapelle, the other the Marienzeitenkapelle. The greatest delays were probably in the 1540s. Master's marks have been handed down that prove that the vaults were completed before 1497. With the third construction phase, you got just enough to demolish the first hall church and then you came across the choir of the second construction phase. At this point we can see columns and arches of all 3 church building sections from 1270 to the final completion of the construction work in 1594. In a book about architectural and historical monuments in Mecklenburg is mentioned: The year 1594 but at the end of the east wall of the new building above the oldest Chorfirstes shows that at that time the idea of ​​completing the great plan was given up and at the same time they were willing to permanently leave part of the half-timbered building, which originally was without question only a preliminary conclusion. St. Jürgen has become a symbol of the rise and fall of urban conditions during the Middle Ages. The west tower with bell chamber was also completed in 1594. However, as early as 1487 the north-eastern side chapel was bought from a Herder Krempe family and redesigned as the entrance area of ​​the church. A crenellated eyelash was placed above the door and towards the market square. Obviously, it was already known at that time that it was not possible to complete the entire large-scale structure. In the period from 1877 to 1905, extensive renovation and repair work was carried out. The walls and pillars in the interior had to be stabilized, the floor was given colored tiles and the medieval wall frame was reapplied. The organ got a new case and the stalls were rearranged. Between the old choir and the building from the Gothic period there was still a provisional half-timbered wall (see above), which was replaced by a triumphal arch wall made of brick.

At the end of the Second World War , the building was hit and damaged by two air mines. The vaults of the choir, the sacristy and the roof showed slight damage, and the organ in the tower burned. Planning for the restoration began in 1949, and the construction of an emergency church was suggested. A new roof structure was built over the nave in the 1950s. Since he was never covered, he collapsed in later years. The unprotected buildings deteriorated more and more, and the demolition of the new and old sacristy was deemed necessary in 1961. In the same year a contract on the spiritual uplift was concluded between the Rostock district, the city of Wismar and the regional church in Schwerin . After the Marienkirche was blown up, the city ​​undertook to rebuild the Church of St. Georgen, secure the tower of St. Marien, restore the Holy Spirit Church and then return it to the parish as its property for use. In return, the community renounced land, especially in Wendorf. The city of Wismar and the parish of St. Marien / St. Georgen signed an agreement in 2014 on the common use of the Georgenkirche.

architecture

Like the other larger Wismar churches, St. Georgen was built in the style of the north German brick Gothic , but is not based as much on the archetype of the Lübeck Marienkirche as those other buildings.

The church , initially built as a hall church , is a three-aisled basilica with insert chapels , a large transept , a lower choir and a flat end of the choir . The west facade is a tower that has not been completed for financial reasons , of which only the tower shaft was built. Last but not least, the low tower stump, in addition to the unusual room layout and the huge transept, ensures the unconventional and unmistakable appearance of the building, which rises high and visible from afar above the roofs of the old town.

Shortly before the end of the war, the building was opened on 14./15. Badly damaged by two air mines in an air raid by the British Royal Air Force in April 1945 . The tower massif burned out completely, the church interior partially. The vaults and roof structures of the nave , transept and tower collapsed. The surrounding walls were preserved. In the period that followed, signs of deterioration appeared on the entire structure, including the preserved choir area. Since it was founded in 1987, the St. Georgen Association has campaigned for a rescue and then the reconstruction of the church. On January 25, 1990, the gable of the north transept was torn down by hurricane Daria and hit two houses opposite. There was pressure to act, it was at the time of the Peaceful Revolution and the Wismar Round Table sent out calls for help. Fast support came from the West German side, local businesses took on the task, and as a result the reconstruction of the Georgenkirche was implemented.

reconstruction

Interior shot of St. Georgenkirche in 2017

The reconstruction of the Georgenkirche from 1990 cost 43 million euros up to 2017. Committed support and money came from various sources, 15 million from the German Foundation for Monument Protection alone . For them, the St. Georgen Church was the first and largest aid project in the eastern federal states. The project took until 2010 to be completed. One of the most important brick Gothic churches was preserved for posterity.

The future use of the Georgenkirche should lie in a combination of a church and a cultural church . But the work continues. A viewing platform was planned on the tower, which was opened in May 2014. The annual maintenance costs of the church are estimated at 40,000 euros. On May 8, 2010, a ceremony was held in the church to temporarily conclude the work.

Furnishing

Organ, recorded by Karl Eschenburg in 1934

The most important pieces of equipment were relocated during the war because of the air raids and were initially saved, but some were lost after the war. This included a life-size equestrian figure of Saint George, which was willfully destroyed. In the church there was also a Gothic high altar retable from around 1430 . The restoration of the high altar was done by the St. Georgen zu Wismar eV donation funds of over 760,000 euros. There was a controversy about whether the altar should be in its old location in the choir (eastern part) of the church (regional church, ministry of culture, support group, monument preservation, restorers) or in a side niche (former mayor) after its return to the Georgenkirche. In addition, around 11,000 citizens have already spoken out in favor of the installation at the historic location in a signature campaign by the support group. It is uncertain whether the main altar and the remaining pieces of furniture (including the medieval stalls and the triumphal cross) will return. An argument that speaks against it is the underfloor heating in the St. Georgenkirche, which was installed in the course of the restoration. This should not only ensure that the building dries slowly, but also ensure a minimum temperature of> 12 ° C during events. The St. Georgen zu Wismar Organ Foundation was founded in November 2010. Their goal is to replace the organ that was completely destroyed in the war with a new one and to support its maintenance and use after installation.

Bells

The George Church had a ringing of four bells in the west tower; the two larger ones were cast by bell founder Peter Martin Hausbrandt in Wismar in 1859, the third bell in 1591 by Gerdt Bincke and the fourth bell in 1670 by Abraham Grot. The two bells from the 19th century were melted down at the beginning of the Second World War; the fourth bell also had to be delivered later and survived the war at the Hamburg bell cemetery , but was melted down in 1963 to cast a bell for the Nikolaikirche . The third bell was the only one left in Wismar, crashed in the tower in 1945 when the church was destroyed and smashed.

In contrast, the clock chime in the roof turret cast by Gerdt Bincke in 1581 and the small quarter bell from 1489, originally also from the roof turret and currently in the village church of Zurow, have been preserved .

Altars around 1500

A list has survived in which the altars that were in the church around 1500 are listed and described. At the end of the Middle Ages there were at least 30 side altars, 17 or 18 of which were outside chapels.

Main altar

Detail of the high altar retable

The main altar dates from around 1430. When opened, it is about 10.5 meters wide and 4.42 meters high with the predella and crown and is the largest of its kind in the entire Baltic Sea region. The retable is wider than the clear inner dimension between the pillars of the choir. The retable has 42 figures of saints on the front and 16 painting panels on the back. The altar walled in during the war in the south aisle was rediscovered by chance in the 1950s. After the restoration, it was installed in the south porch of the St. Nikolaikirche in 2008 . Since then, devotions have been held in front of the high altar every Thursday at 6:05 p.m., in which the individual saints are introduced.

Rood screen

A rood screen was described in an account of Duke Magnus's funeral in 1504 . It was built in the same way as the barriers and not bricked. The choir barriers reached up to the crossing pillars in the east, the rood screen stood in between. This is also confirmed in a floor plan from the 19th century. The rood screen was dismantled in 1833.

Cross altar

The cross altar was probably consecrated in 1478 ( infra testudinem ) This is interpreted as a place under the crossing vault . In a visitation protocol it is mentioned as an altar on the first pillar in the middle of the church . The altar was demolished in 1580.

Altar in front of the Likhus

This altar was probably in the north transept in front of the east wall. The Konrad Buck Chapel probably stood here. … De Vicaria D.Cunrhadi Buckes thom altare in front of the likkenhuse funderet… Buck died in 1407.

Nikolaialtar

The Nikolaialtar stood in front of the Kladow Chapel, the patronage was probably with the sailors, the vicarie was donated by the Koegel.

Five Mass Altar

The Rampe family owned the altar and was dedicated to St. Consecrated to Erasmus. The early masses were read on him. The altar of the five masses was also called the five mass altar or Erasmus altar, and the Vicarie Ringelmann belonged to it. It probably originally stood in the north choir aisle on the east wall. It was relocated when the corridor to the Fürstenhof to the Kempe chapel was built. The councilor Odbertus Leuberstorp and the mayor Johannes Vrese decided in 1447 that the vicarages of Eghard Slemmyn and Johannes Frese should be assigned to the altar. Johannes Ringmolen, a canon from Ratzeburg founded a vicariate for this altar in 1466 ... ad altare retro summum altare in quo prima missa haberi solet ... One year later the episcopal confirmation followed. In the same year, John Vick's Vicariate was confirmed by Bishop John IV. … Ad altare in honore sancti Erasmi martitris… erectum et consecratum voratum altare prime miss as the ramps altar… .

Altar of the Bol children

The altar of the children of the Bolen family was mentioned in a document in 1353. In 1533 it stood in the central nave of the choir on the eastern wall. The vicariate of Ulric Kalsow belonged to him. Presumably it was torn down in 1582, in a document it is written: the altars behind the choir, the two in front of the confessional chapel cleared away .

Woolen weaver altar

The woolen weaver altar was also called St. Anne's altar. … Ubi commenda vel vicaria Claus Krögers… . It stood in the south aisle of the choir on the east wall, behind that was the bone carving chapel. The bone cutter Klaus Weitendop determined for this altar in his will in 1518: Claus Weitendorp carnifex dedit in suo testamento ad missam S. Anne in Ecclesia S. Georgio ante capellam carnificiúm decantare solitam, hummuletum ... The St. Anne's altar listed by Friedrich Schlie was probably identical to this one.

Jug altar

The altar of the Vicariate of Nikolaus Kruge stood in front of a crossing pillar or a pillar in the nave. Kruge was a priest, he founded a vicarie in 1450, shortly before his death. This was confirmed in August 1450 by Bishop John II, Henning von Dale was appointed vicar.

Altar in front of the fur chapel

Bishop John IV confirmed in 1475 the union of two vicarages on this altar; the vicar was Jacob Lan. The altar was probably built in 1465.

Former chapels

Information about former chapels has been preserved from tradition.

Chapel of Droste von Stove

The Droste von Stove had a chapel built on the south side of the first church building before 1371 and set up the vicarie founded by his father Marquard here. … Capelle de meo proprio structe, annexum versus meridiem ecclesie sancti Georgii in Wismar… This chapel was the first historically documented. It was replaced in the 15th century by an insert chapel, which was named the Prince Chapel.

Chapel of Andreas Hosang

The vicar and priest Andreas Hosang built a chapel in 1371 and founded a vicarie. ... perpetuam vicariam in capella quadam ipsius ecclesie per eundem dominum Andream hoc annoconstructo in honorem die ... A pension belonging to the vicarie was attested in 1373 by the caland . ... una missa tenenda et celebranda in perpetuum in Capella dicti domini Andree Hosangh in Ecclesia sanct Georgii per ipsum fundata et edificata ...

Chapel of Albert Grope

In his will, Albert Grope determined the donation of 400 marks for the construction of a chapel in St. Georgen and the establishment of a vicarie. Of this amount, 100 marks were earmarked for the building. … Sed cum C marcis de predetictis CCCC marcis debet edificari capella in Ecclesia predicta… . In 1449, in a contract between the foreman Hermann Münster and the vicar Konrad Böddeker, it was recorded that the chapel was on the south side of the building.

Chapel of Konrad Buck

The chapel of Konrad Buck was mentioned in 1419 and two vicarages were resident in it. … In capella dicti Dominis Conradi… Konrad Buck was mayor of Wismar in 1397 and was mentioned in a document for the last time in 1407. The Vicarie des Buck was in 1533 at an altar in front of the likhus and no longer in its original chapel, which was probably on the north side. This was attached to church building I and was demolished when the new building was built.

Chapel of the Hagemeister

Albert Hagemeister bought a chapel for 50 Marck in 1392 and had it built . In a document from 1454, a chapel of the Hagemeister was named, which had already been demolished at that time. The chapel had to give way to building III and was probably to the west of today's choir.

Wollenweberkapelle

The Wollenweberkapelle was first mentioned in 1406 in a will of the clergyman Konrad Vesperde. … Missa celebrari debunt…… ad capellam lanificum in Ecclesia sancti Georgii… in Dicta capella… The Wollenweberkapelle was a southern tower chapel.

Marientidenkapelle (Böddekerkapelle)

The north side chapel of the tower was used to hold Marientides and was the result of a generous donation from Bishop Nicolaus Böddeker from Wismar , whose brother Konrad was vicar at St. Georgen. In 1449 Konrad Böddeker had signed a contract with the foreman of the church for the construction of the chapel, which should also serve as a family burial place. It was completed in 1458/59. The chapel was decorated with a monumental full-screen representation of the bishop kneeling under the cross as the donor; it was brought into discussion in literature as a model for the later pictorial program of the triumphal cross in Lübeck Cathedral . The painting was lost due to the weather in the post-war period.

Image of Mary

A miraculous image of the Virgin Mary was venerated around 1500; there is evidence that it still hung in the sacristy in 1534. There was such a picture in the Marienkirche. The bishop Nicolaus Böddeker had consecrated it in 1444. He granted indulgences to anyone who would worship in front of the picture.

Pastors

literature

  • Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4
  • Friedrich Schlie : The art and history monuments of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Volume II: The district court districts of Wismar, Grevesmühlen, Rehna, Gadebusch and Schwerin. Schwerin 1898, reprint Schwerin 1992, p. 69 ff. ISBN 3910179061
  • Ingo Sens, Hans Martin Hackbarth: Dare to do the impossible - The St. Georgen zu Wismar sponsorship group from the beginning to the present. Kiel 2013, ISBN 978-3-86935-204-6
  • Herbert Müller The true secrets of the Wismar church builders . Ed .: Friends of the Wismar City Library, 1st edition 2011, ISBN 978-3-00-035494-6
  • Hans Christian Feldmann, Gerd Baier, Dietlinde Brugmann, Antje Heling and Barbara Rimpel, Dehio-Handbuch Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Deutscher Kunstverlag 2000, ISBN 3-422-03081-6

Web links

Commons : Georgenkirche  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information on the community
  2. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , pp. 15 and 16
  3. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , pp. 16 and 17
  4. ^ A b c d e f Aufbauverein St. Georgen eV - building history. Retrieved October 17, 2013 .
  5. ^ Church services ( Memento from March 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ a b Arno Krause: Wismar . In: Fate of German Monuments in the Second World War . Ed. Götz Eckardt, Henschel-Verlag, Berlin 1978. Volume 1, pp. 88-89
  7. ↑ Website of the Förderkreis St. Georgen zu Wismar eV ( Memento of the original from March 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.georgenkirche.de
  8. ↑ Damage from a hurricane
  9. ↑ Dorothee Reimann: The miracle of Wismar. monuments. Magazine for monument culture in Germany. Edited by the German Foundation for Monument Protection. 20th year no. 3/4. April 2010. pp. 8-17
  10. ↑ Reconstruction
  11. ↑ Use for concerts
  12. ↑ Gottfried Kiesow: The great work is completed . monument 3 / 4-2010, p. 3
  13. ↑ Joachim Grehn: The altar belongs in the middle of the Georgenkirche. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (letter to the editor), February 19, 2009
  14. ^ After Claus Peter: The bells of the Wismar main churches. Stock and sources. In: Jahrbuch für Glockenkunde 5/6 (1993/94), pp. 69–94.
  15. ↑ a b c d e Ludwig, Steve: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , p. 174
  16. ↑ Ludwig, Steve: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , p. 175
  17. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , pp. 175 and 176
  18. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , p. 176
  19. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , pp. 176 and 177
  20. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , p. 177
  21. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , p. 46
  22. ↑ a b c Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , p. 47
  23. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , p. 48
  24. ^ Horst Ende: Churches in Schwerin and the surrounding area . 1st edition. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-374-00840-2 , p. 195 .
  25. ^ Friedrich Schlie : The art and history monuments of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin . Volume II, pp. 105-108.
  26. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar: the history of a medieval parish church from the 13th to the early 16th century. Kiel: Ludwig 1998, ISBN 9783980548076 , p. 89
  27. ^ Uwe Albrecht , Ulrike Nürnberger, Jan Friedrich Richter , Jörg Rosenfeld, Christiane Saumweber: Corpus of medieval wood sculpture and panel painting in Schleswig-Holstein. Volume II: Hanseatic City of Lübeck, The Works in the City Area. Ludwig, Kiel 2012, ISBN 978-3-933598-76-9 with reference to Max Hasse and Hans Arnold Gräbke .
  28. ↑ Steve Ludwig: St. Georgen zu Wismar. Kiel 1998, ISBN 3-9805480-7-4 , p. 177
  29. ↑ Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Mecklenburg: Kirchliches Amtsbatt der Evangelisch Lutherische Landeskirche Mecklenburgs No. 9 (1962), p. 46 and No. 3 (1971), p. 1. Accessed on October 27, 2019 .


Coordinates: 53 ° 53 ′ 27 "  N , 11 ° 27 ′ 38"  E