Church of Grace to the Holy Cross
The Gnadenkirche zum Heiligen Kreuz is an Evangelical Lutheran church on Lehrter Platz in Hanover-Mittelfeld . Originated after the Second World War and initially shaped by expellees , its name refers to the grace churches in Silesia . So there was also a long-term partnership with the evangelical community in Militsch , whose church of grace gave its name.
history
During the Second World War, the then Wülfel pastor Hermann Simon had already started to celebrate church services in Mittelfeld and to gather the congregation. They met in a shop on Ahornstrasse. The police station is located there today. After the war, many people settled in Mittelfeld, especially those who were displaced from their homeland from the formerly German eastern regions. There were many Catholics among them, but the Protestant community also grew. In 1951 the kindergarten and a staff house with a church hall were built on Rübezahlplatz. On November 1, 1953, the parish with Dr. Christian Vasterling on his first pastor. With him, the parish was dissolved and made independent on October 1, 1955 by the Matthäi parish in Wülfel. Since the previous premises were no longer sufficient, the foundation stone was laid in 1959 for the construction of a new parish hall and church. On December 16, 1962, the 3rd Sunday in Advent, the church was consecrated by Regional Bishop Hanns Lilje .
Church building
The church is entered through a low vestibule, in which the baptismal font is also located. There is an opportunity for silent prayer in the tower chapel. A book lists the names of members of the community who were buried in the distance. On the right side there are 6 glass pictures of the old Silesian grace churches, including the one to which the name of the Mittelfelder church goes back. The large main room consists of the nave with the seating for the worshipers. On the side walls there are 14 depictions of the Way of the Cross . There are 12 candles on the pillars as symbols for the apostles. Simple windows in the upper area symbolize the 12 gates of the heavenly Jerusalem. They are complemented by two angel windows in the front area of the church. Countless eyes look at the congregation in a network of lines and shapes. The path leads to the sanctuary under the floating triumphal cross on which Jesus conquered death. In the south wall there is a house-high window with the title “The Cloud of Witnesses”, which symbolizes the people who have walked the path of faith before. In the east wall above the altar there is a colorful round window with a representation of Christ. Opposite it there is another round window with a red rose window on the west gable.
organ
The organ was built in 1965 by the organ builder Alfred Führer (Wilhelmshaven). The slider chests -instrument has 28 registers on three manuals and pedal . The key action is mechanical, the key action electrically.
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- Coupling : II / I, III / I, I / P, II / P, III / P
Bells
The bells of the church were cast by the bell founder Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling on December 13, 1962. They cost 14,565 DM. This money was raised in the years 1958–1962 by the church service congregation through thanksgiving offerings. The church builder Spangenberg from Hanover-Wülfel donated the wedding bell.
The individual bells have names. They are tuned to the tones of the " Te Deum " and are also rung individually on certain occasions according to a predetermined ringing order:
| No. | Surname | Weight | Nominal | Inscription, ringing occasion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christ | 790 | f sharp 1 | "Behold, the Lord of the rulers, hallelujah! - Maranatha, Yes, come, Lord Jesus" . It rings (except from 2nd to 4th Advent) on all Sundays and public holidays with different other bells. |
| 2 | Sanctuary | 520 | a 1 | “Holy, holy, holy is God, the Lord of hosts!” . It rings at every altar sacrament celebration during the Sanctuary song. |
| 3 | Death bell | 360 | h 1 | "Lord, grant them eternal rest and eternal light shine upon them!" . It rings at 6 p.m. and after the death of a congregation member at 11 a.m. |
| 4th | Dominika | 230 | d 2 | "The Lord has risen, He has truly risen!" (Also: Sunday bell) |
| 5 | Prayer bell | 165 | e 2 | "You Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us!" Is always posted on the 7 requests of the OUR FATHER in addition to the prayer. |
| 6th | Wedding bell | 120 | f sharp 2 | “What God has put together, man should not divide!” . At weddings it rings together with the baptismal bell. |
| 7th | Baptismal bell | 114 | a 2 | “Whoever believes and is baptized there will be saved!” It rings for baptisms and, together with other bells, for children's worship. |
The sound of the seven bronze bells is coordinated with the ringing of the neighboring congregations, so that it is also valid for the bells that they “praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, with one accord” (Rom. 15: 6). That is why the day-and-time prayers are also rung in the same hours so that all bells remind all Christians of the prayer at the same time. As already mentioned, the bells also ring together in various combinations. The sound of all seven bells can only be heard at the same time at high festivals. Only the Marktkirche and Matthias Church in Hanover have a more extensive bell.
On the old church hall, today's day care center, there is still a single bell in the roof turret. It is rung when a deceased parishioner is buried in the Seelhorster cemetery.
literature
- Wolfgang Puschmann : Gnadenkirche zum Heiligen Kreuz , in: Hannovers Kirchen. 140 churches in and around town . Edited by Wolfgang Puschmann. Hermannsburg: Ludwig-Harms-Haus 2005, pp. 12–15, ISBN 3-937301-35-6 .
Web links
- The parish on the Internet
- The Way of the Cross of the Gnadenkirche with the possibility to download
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 52 ° 19 ′ 55.8 ″ N , 9 ° 47 ′ 40.1 ″ E