Heilig-Geist-Spital (Mainz)

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The building of the former Heilig-Geist-Spital in Mainz

The Heilig-Geist-Spital in Mainz was a charitable medieval hospital foundation for the care of the elderly, the poor and the sick based on the model of Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome . The late Romanesque hospital building originally dates back to 1236, making it the oldest community hospital in Germany and one of the oldest hospital buildings in Europe . From 1804 it was used as a warehouse , a correctional facility for young women and a gym , and since 1863 it has served as a restaurant to this day.

history

The Heilig-Geist-Spital was founded during the tenure of Archbishop of Mainz Siegfried III. von Eppstein (* around 1194; † 1249) built on what was then the banks of the Rhine and served as a replacement for a smaller hospital building that was right next to the cathedral . The building was handed over to its intended use in 1236 and was initially subject to the cathedral monastery . In 1244, when Mainz became a Free City , the hospital came under city supervision. The south side and the east side of the building facing the Rhine were integrated into the city wall, so that those seeking help could still get into the hospital through a gate on the Rhine side when the city gates were closed.

The Heilig-Geist-Spital around 1633 (marked in red), left in the picture the Mainz Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady

When Mainz lost its city freedom again in 1462 after its defeat in the Mainz collegiate feud , the Heilig-Geist-Spital fell back to the cathedral monastery , which it now used as a retirement pen for women. At the end of the 15th century, the late Romanesque building was fundamentally rebuilt: Among other things, the originally seven-aisled hall on the ground floor was expanded. For this purpose, four naves were converted into a two-aisled high hall in the Gothic style by breaking through the ceiling and combining the ground floor with a hall above. In addition, the Romanesque windows were replaced by Gothic tracery windows .

With the occupation by French revolutionary troops and the establishment of the Republic of Mainz in 1792 and with the annexation by France in 1797, the hospital came back into the possession of the city. In 1804 it was closed as a care facility. After that, the hospital building was initially used as a warehouse . Later it also housed a correctional facility for young women and served as a gym . In 1861 the east portal on the Rhine side was moved to the north transept of the Mainz Cathedral to decorate the entrance to the Gotthard Chapel, and later replaced by a simplified copy.

In 1863 the city sold the hospital building for 32,000 guilders to the German Catholic community in Mainz , which renovated the building by 1864 at a cost of 70,000 guilders. At the same time, some of the additions built on the outer walls of the hospital in earlier centuries were removed. While a restaurant opened on the ground floor, the congregation held its services on the upper floor. In 1888 the German Catholic community sold the building to the Brey'schen Bierbrauerei , later it became the property of the successor companies (from 1960 Binding Brewery , since 2002 Radeberger Group ).

The former Heilig-Geist-Spital, on the right in the picture an extension from the 19th century

The building was badly damaged in the Second World War , but was restored soon after the war. In the 1950s, the Holy Spirit was a popular dance venue. From 1975 the building was completely renovated and partially restored to a Romanesque state. The Gothic tracery windows from the 15th century were removed again. In addition, other additions from earlier centuries that had been built on the outer walls of the hospital were removed. Only in the southwest corner of the building has an extension from the 19th century remained until today. In 1999 the hospital building was renovated again and it is a listed building .

In the basement there is still a restaurant under the name Heiliggeist . Until 2018, the upper floor was used by the Schlaraffia Moguntia men's association. In 2017 the building was bought by the Mainz entrepreneurs Batu Aslan and Tilman Au.

  • North portal of the hospital

  • East portal of the hospital

  • South portal of the hospital

  • inside view

Appearance

The east side of the former Heilig-Geist-Spital with the little choir

The Mainz Heilig-Geist-Spital was built mainly from red sandstone in the late Romanesque style. The cubic building has a floor plan of 33 by 19 meters and its two storeys are crowned by a hipped roof . There is a large step portal on each of the four sides of the building , some of which are richly decorated. In addition, the four facades are structured by arched windows, but in very different ways due to renovations over the centuries: While the south front is windowless apart from two narrow, high openings next to the portal, there are windows on the north and west side First floor. The east facade facing the Rhine, on the other hand, has windows almost only on the upper floor - including some in a Gothic choir . All four facades are finished with a crenellated wreath .

The interior of the hospital building was also changed several times through renovations. On the first floor there was an originally seven-aisled vaulted hall , of which only three aisles have survived today. Where the four other naves were until the end of the 15th century, there is now a two-aisled hall with a Gothic cross vault up to twelve meters high. In the southern part of the upper floor there was a chapel, the apse of which still protrudes from the east facade of the building as a choir. There used to be a gate under the choir, through which those seeking help could still get into the hospital when the city gates were closed.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Heilig-Geist-Spital  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Report in the general newspaper Mainz: Holy Spirit in new hands

Coordinates: 50 ° 0 ′ 1 ″  N , 8 ° 16 ′ 32 ″  E