Holy Cross Church (Remscheid-Lüttringhausen)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Holy Cross Church Lüttringhausen

The Holy Cross Church in Remscheid - Lüttringhausen was built between 1925 and 1927. Originally this church was to be built on Kreuzbergstrasse. In ancient times there was a large wooden cross here, to which the believers from the Bergisches Land made a pilgrimage. The Lenneper pastor Schoenen bought this property in 1902. However, the mayor of Lüttringhausen Richard Gertenbach found the location more suitable for the new town hall. He therefore exchanged the property with the Catholic clergyman in 1907. For a long time there had been no Catholics in the city at all, because after the Reformation the citizens had converted to Lutheranism without exception.

history

In the 17th century - according to old church records - Catholics from Lüttringhausen were baptized and married by the Lennep Fathers for the first time . Only at the end of the 19th century did their number noticeably increase.

At that time they founded a church building association , the considerable savings of which, however, melted away by the high inflation by 1923 . As of May 1, 1915, due to the lack of a church, Holy Mass was celebrated on Sundays in the Jahn gymnasium and later in the prison church. In 1924 there was new impetus for building a church. In 1925 the Lennep architect Otto Christ (1883–1963) designed the plan for the church. The groundbreaking ceremony and the laying of the foundation stone were celebrated on August 23, 1925 . The church building was consecrated on July 25, 1927. On October 23, 1927, the bells donated by Catholic families were inaugurated. The new church was built in a "local mountain style according to the baroque character ". In 1934 a parsonage with a community hall was built on the west side. The church building was entered on May 7, 1987 in the list of monuments of the city of Remscheid.

Baptismal font in the Holy Cross Church

Interior

The glass pictures of the five large windows come from Wilhelm de Graaff (1912–1975) from Essen-Werden , who was a native of Lüttringhauser. The organ was made in 1954 by Johannes Klais from Bonn. The parish of Heilig Kreuz, formerly a Lennep branch, was elevated to a rectorate parish in 1953 and merged with the Lennep parish of St. Bonaventura and St. Andreas in Bergisch Born on January 1, 2010. Image: HeilgKreuz7.JPG | Baptismal font in the Holy Cross Church in Remscheid- Lüttringhausen

A striking feature is a large cross in the chancel that has been hanging there since 1989. It comes from the graphic artist and sculptor Ludek Tichy, born in Prague in 1925, who depicted Christ on the cross with a rose in his hand.

Marien Altar in the Holy Cross Church in Lüttringhausen

Church window

  • The first window from the left shows the apostle Peter :
The steeple indicates the importance of the apostle in founding churches. The big key is its classic attribute. You can also see the filled fishing net for Peter as a fisherman of men. The lower field describes the denial in the forecourt of the temple and the rooster that reminds him of it.
The cross indicates the death of Jesus on the cross. In his hand he holds a shell with which he draws baptismal water from the Jordan. Below is the beheading of the apostle.
  • The third (middle) window shows the Lamb of God on the book with seven seals.
The hands visible at the top left refer to his prayer during his stoning: "Lord receive my spirit!". Fish, cross and anchor stand for his belonging to Jesus. The stoning of the saint is depicted below. The red of the dying represents the love of the man.
  • The fifth window shows the apostle Paul :
His raised hand points towards Christ. The Star of David says that Paul was Jewish by his roots. The book is to be understood as the New Testament or "the book with the seven seals". The lamb and the wolf tell of the dramatic change from Saul as an angry persecutor of Christians to Paul as a disciple of Christ. The lower part tells of his conversion experience in which he falls from his horse.

The five oval medal windows above are also by him, and in the organ loft he artistically depicted Saints Cecilia and Saint Michael in glass.

Bells

Three bells hang in the tower:

  • The small bell weighs approx. 500 kg and rings in the tone: b ′ + 4.
Name and inscription read: "Heiliger Engelbertus , protect the Bergisches Land".
  • The middle bell weighs approx. 650 kg and rings in the tone: a flat + 4.
The name and the inscription read: "Holy Mary, Queen of Peace keep us the peace".
  • The big bell weighs approx. 1,000 kg and rings in the tone: f ′ + 1.
Name and inscription read: "Christ yesterday, Christ today, Christ forever".

Events

Bond between the churches as a symbol of ecumenism
  • Every two years, an ecumenical community festival is organized together with the two local Protestant communities . On this occasion, on Sunday, September 2, 2012, the custom of Beiern was cultivated for the first time in the church - initially in alternation with the Protestant town church - then together. At the beginning of the similarities, a long, colorful ribbon, put together by many helpers, was stretched between the two church towers in order to depict the ecumenical movement visually.
  • The Catholic parish of Heilig Kreuz has been the organizer of the biennial Bergisches 24-hour run, a running event around the church for a social cause, since 1981.
  • Regular concerts by the gospel choir
  • Children's carnival
  • Parish carnival session on Carnival Saturday (with its own program)
  • At the beginning of January, the parish takes part in the Epiphany singing. A number of groups, accompanied by adults, walk from house to house to bring blessings and at the same time to collect for the common purpose throughout Germany.
  • For decades, the community has been organizing a youth camp in the summer holidays in the form of a tent camp in the Westerwald or in Württemberg.

Web links

Commons : Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche (Remscheid)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 12 '34 "  N , 7 ° 14' 9.2"  E