Holy Spirit (Zurich-Höngg)
_Eingang_mit_Kirchturm.JPG)
_Eingang_von_Brunnwiesenstrasse.JPG)
The Church of the Holy Spirit is the Roman Catholic parish church in Zurich's Höngg district . It is located at Limmattalstrasse 146 in the immediate vicinity of Meierhofplatz .
history
A church in Höngg was first mentioned in a document in 870. The noble Landeloh handed over his church in Höngg to the monastery of St. Gallen on February 8, 870 for the health of his soul and his ancestors . The monastery in turn handed over the church of Höngg in the year 890 to the St. Mangs (Magnus) church, which under Solomon III. , Bishop of Constance and Abbot of St. Gallen, outside the city of St. Gallen. The church in Höngg was consecrated to St. Mauritius after the seals of the people priests from 1297 and 1390 . Above the main entrance of today's Reformed Church of Höngg, the slogan could be read until 1819: "The Church of Höngg was called St. Moritz from ancient times." The church belonged to the Diocese of Constance , in the Archdeaconate Zurich, in this to the deanery Kloten . On June 28, 1376, the parish church of Höngg was on the orders of Pope Gregory XI. the Monastery Wettingen incorporated what had until 1837 inventory. The parish of Höngg also included the chapel of Regensdorf , in 1364 of Niederhasli , St. Ottilien in Watt and on the northern Hönggerberg the chapel of St. Theodul (Theodor) and Herhard. Also Affoltern was kirchgenössig to 1683 after Höngg. The Höngg church was burned down by the Confederates in 1443 and rebuilt by the Hönggians in 1446. As part of the Reformation in 1523, the Catholic cult was banned in the canton of Zurich and the church in Höngg continued to be used for Reformed services.
The Edict of Tolerance of the Zurich Government Council of September 10, 1807 allowed a Catholic community in Zurich for the first time. The so-called First Zurich Church Law in 1863 recognized the Catholic parishes in Zurich as well as in Winterthur , Dietikon and Rheinau (the last two were traditionally Catholic places). On the basis of association law, Catholic branches could then be established throughout the canton. With the help of support associations such as the Piusverein (founded in 1857) and the Catholic Society for Domestic Missions (founded in 1863), further pastoral care stations and later parishes in the canton of Zurich were established in quick succession in the 1860s: Männedorf (1864), Gattikon-Thalwil / Langnau (1864), Horgen (1865), Pilgersteg-Rüti / Wald (1866), Wald and Bubikon (1873), Uster (1876), Langnau (1877), Rüti (1878), Wädenswil (1881), Bülach (1882) , Wetzikon (1890), Bauma (1894), Adliswil (1894), Pfungen (1895), Dübendorf (1897) and Küsnacht (1901). So it came about that by 1900 there were already 20 Catholic parishes in the canton of Zurich, including today's parishes of St. Peter and Paul (Aussersihl) , Liebfrauen , Herz Jesu Oerlikon and Heilig Kreuz Altstetten .
When the first Catholics since the Reformation moved to Höngg at the end of the 19th century, their children initially received religious instruction from the parish of St. Peter and Paul (Aussersihl). In 1890 Höngg was assigned to the parish of Heilig Kreuz (Altstetten) and on October 3, 1935, by episcopal decree, to the newly founded parish of Guthirt (Wipkingen) . Thus the parish of the Holy Spirit in its current form is a daughter parish of Guthirt. Heilig Geist was elevated to a parish vicariate on October 1, 1940, then to an independent parish on December 13, 1942, and separated from Guthirt. The parish of St. Mauritius in Oberengstringen, built in 1964, is itself a subsidiary of the Holy Spirit. Oberengstringen was raised to a parish by an episcopal decree in 1963 and separated from Heilig Geist Höngg. Both the parish of St. Mauritius Oberengstringen and the parish of St. Mauritius Regensdorf are named after St. Mauritius, because in the Middle Ages both places belonged to the parish of Höngg, which was the patron saint of this saint.
The first Holy Spirit Church
Building history and naming
In the 1930s, the Guthirt Zurich-Wipkingen mother parish founded a building fund for a church in Höngg, which should also be responsible for the Catholics in Oberengstringen. In times of need and the economic crisis , the fund grew thanks to begging sermons by the clergy from Wipkingen in Central and Eastern Switzerland , but also thanks to charity events and donations. As early as 1933, the building site for the first Heilig Geist church was acquired in Höngg on Brunnwiesenstrasse, which was then "built during the war from August 1, 1939 to September 30, 1940." On September 17, 1939, the foundation stone was laid for the first Church of the Holy Spirit, which was built according to plans by the architect Anton Higi . At the same time, Higi built the Church of St. Martin Zurich-Fluntern , which is why he handed over the construction to Karl Strobel, who had already built the Church of the Redeemer in Zurich-Riesbach in 1936–1937 . Because of the Second World War , the construction and equipment of the church were initially not secured; Thus the delivery of the marble from Italy for the church altars did not take place for a long time. On October 6, 1940, the completed church was consecrated by the Chur bishop , Laurenz Matthias Vincenz . In 1942 the church received another altar, which came from Guthirt's lower church.
The naming of the Church of the Holy Spirit is closely related to the historical events of the late 1930s. Hermann Odermatt writes in the commemorative publication for the church, which was built in the middle of World War II: "A Heiliggeist-Kirche! Can a church be given better protection today? Consecration to the spirit of truth, in these times when error triumphs and even run after the will-seeking wisps of wisdom. To the spirit of love, where hatred rests like a thundercloud on the peoples ... To the father of the poor, who today by the tens of thousands cry out to heaven, homeless and homeless. To the comforter of the abandoned, who weep for the dead and fear for the living ... Heiliggeist-Kirche! Whoever stands in their area will not be lured by the will-o'-the-wisp, they will not be eaten by hatred, they will not be destroyed by misery ... Veni, Sancte Spiritus! "
Building description
On the basis of a preliminary project by architect Anton Higi , Karl Strobel designed a simple church building that was located on a building site between the quieter Brunnwiesenstrasse and the busy Limmattalstrasse near the post office building and the Bläsi schoolhouse in Höngg. The roof of the church was decorated with a ridge for a bell. The plan was to replace this turret with a slim church tower and to build a new rectory on the southern area on Limmattalstrasse, but neither of these was carried out. The two-storey church was built along Brunnwiesenstrasse and divided the property, which fell to the south-west, into two different levels of terrain. The higher part on Brunnwiesenstrasse formed the upper church forecourt, the lower church square provided space for the outside area of the church kindergarten, which was originally located in the basement of the church. In the basement of the church building there was also a weekday chapel with its own sacristy. A staircase led from the lower sacristy to the upper sacristy. The upper floor of the building consisted of the actual church. The church interior was divided by simple concrete columns and spanned with a slightly arched wooden ceiling that ran uniformly over the choir and nave. Three-part windows provided light and contained glass windows by the painter Scardezzini. The open and raised choir was raised from the nave by the pulpit and communion bench. The altar was made of Verde Issorie marble. The tabernacle cladding and the altar candlesticks were designed and made by goldsmith O. Zweifel. At the rear of the church there was an organ loft, which was made of wood as a temporary solution, as it was originally planned to extend the church backwards by a yoke in a second construction phase, but this was never carried out.
Heiliggeist Church, view from the south around 1940
The tabernacle
Church window from 1940
The old rectory (left) and the new rectory (right) in 1972
Demolition of the old church in 1971
The second Holy Spirit Church
Building history
When the first parish church in Höngg became too small for the steadily growing community, a discussion began in the parish in the 1960s about building a new church, including a parish center and a new rectory. In 1967, the first building project by the architect Karl Higi (1920–2008) was accepted with only a wafer-thin majority and remained controversial in the community even after the vote. After the architect had revised the project and redimensioned it, a second vote took place in April 1970, in which the majority voted in favor of building the new parish center. On January 31, 1971, the last service was celebrated in the first Holy Spirit Church. After demolition, excavation and piling work, construction began. The foundation stone was laid on October 3, 1971, and the topping-out ceremony on October 6, 1972. The newly built church, including the parish center and rectory, was inaugurated on September 2, 1973 by Bishop Johannes Vonderach . The old rectory was located directly on Limmattalstrasse and initially remained and was inhabited during this construction work. When the new rectory built immediately next to it was ready to move into on August 12, 1972, the old rectory was demolished and a small garden and parking spaces were set up in its place on Limmattalstrasse.
Between 2004 and 2005 the center was renovated and expanded by the architect Beat Kuchten (born 1954). The artist Thomas Rutherfoord (born 1956) set up a “room of silence” on the ground floor as part of this renovation of the center. In 2013 the interior of the church was redesigned by the artists Mundy Nussbaumer, Luzern and Toni Egloff. On December 1, 2013, Auxiliary Bishop Paul Vollmar consecrated the newly designed church and placed relics of Brother Klaus and St. Mauritius in the new altar .
The parish of the Holy Spirit, with 6,135 members (as of 2017), is one of the medium-sized Roman Catholic parishes in the city of Zurich.
Exterior, church tower and bells
From both Limmattalstrasse and Brunnwiesenstrasse, the parish center appears a bit compact and discreet despite its size. The lack of a church tower that can be seen from afar reinforces this impression. The design reluctance to build the second Heilig Geist church can be explained by two facts: On the one hand, the intention was to deliberately design the church , which was built in the diaspora area, to be discreet. On the other hand, the churches came under general pressure from the 1960s, which is why church buildings were wanted to be built without a dominant effect in the settlement image. The warm color scheme in ocher and the renunciation of architectural dominance gave the church an inviting, community-building character, which corresponded to the requirements of the Second Vatican Council . The cross on the church tower at the lower entrance and the cross next to the upper entrance to the church refer to the Christian character of the building.
A noticeable feature of the Heilig Geist parish center is that the church tower is lower than the church building. The reason for this is that it was only after the planning application was submitted that a decision was made to build a steeple next to the church. A renewed building application including a higher church tower would have delayed the construction of the church, which is why this was not done. In the church tower there is a ringing of three bronze bells, which was cast in 1973 by the H. Rüetschi bell foundry in Aarau and consecrated on June 30, 1973. The bells were arranged one above the other in the narrow church tower.
| number | Weight | diameter | volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 325 kg | 82 cm | H |
| 2 | 195 kg | 68 cm | d |
| 3 | 145 kg | 62 cm | e |
Because the restrained architectural design made it difficult to find the parish center, since the renovation of the parish center in 2005, a strikingly dark blue painted wall has led from Limmattalstrasse to the building. At the same time, the church tower, which was originally gray, was given its current dark blue color. The fountain on the forecourt of the church between the parish center and the rectory was designed by the Ticino artist Pierino Selmoni in 1973 and is therefore part of the original furnishings of the parish center.
In the immediate vicinity of the fountain and next to the arcade including the main entrance to the parish center, the Holy Spirit sculpture by the artist Hans Loretan (1920–2008), which was previously installed in the church, has been located since 2013. This bronze sculpture addresses four works of the Holy Spirit: Above the spirit of God is depicted at creation (Gen 1,2), on the left the vision of Ezekiel , who tells how God's hand grabbed him by the hair and brought him to Jerusalem (Ezech 8 , 1ff.). On the right the Pentecost event is shown with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2,3ff.), And finally below the sending out of the disciples (Acts 1,8).
At the upper entrance to the church there is a cross that was created by the artist Paul Stöckli in 1973 and takes up the square elements of the original design of the church interior.
Church tower, parish center and rectory from 1973
The bells in front of the elevator in the tower
Cross by Paul Stöckli on the facade from 1973
Furnishing
Original interior
As with the All Saints Church in Zurich-Neuaffoltern, built by Karl Higi from 1963 to 1964, the original interior design of the church area also caused quite a stir in the Heilig Geist church in 1973: the church is not a traditional longitudinal, but a transverse building. Instead of benches, there are chairs in the church that are grouped in a semicircle not around an altar, but around a simple communion table and wooden ambo. The walls of the church are made of exposed concrete, on the ceiling and on the wall behind the altar were large squares divided into triangles in subtle blue, gray and yellow on a blue or yellow background, which were painted on simple wooden elements. These represented the Pentecostal roar in an abstract way , which filled the whole house like a violent storm (Acts 2,2). This wall and ceiling design, the tabernacle, the window design and the apostle crosses made of wrought iron, which were grouped in the shape of a fish, came from the artist Paul Stöckli and formed a unit with the cross at the church entrance on Brunnwiesenstrasse. The sacrament table was made of wood and mortised without nails or screws. It was designed and made by Hans Stöckli, an art carpenter in Ibach (Schwyz). On it stood an altar cross and two candle holders made of wrought iron, which were enamelled in white and designed by Paul Stöckli.
Paul Stöckli's square shapes also influenced the design of the organ's prospectus, which is on the left side wall. Another special feature of the church is that the tabernacle was not attached to the wall behind the altar, but in a niche under the organ prospect, freely accessible to praying believers. As in other churches newly built or remodeled after the Second Vatican Council, the tabernacle was attached decentrally in order to make the celebration of the Eucharist at the Lord's Supper table clear as the center of the community. Paul Stöckli's tabernacle had the shape of a column, which consisted of four twelve-sided bodies arranged one above the other. The frame and some of the panels were made of rough-forged iron, the translucent panels were as-cast glass plates. The ciborium designed for this special tabernacle, a goldsmith's work by Josef Caminada, was enamelled in white and was located in the second uppermost body, completely closed with glass. In the body below was the eternal light. Behind the tabernacle there was a church window, which optically took up this tabernacle design and consisted of opalised blown glass. In the niche for the tabernacle, there was also a Madonna and Child from the transition from the 17th to the 18th century, next to it a stand for candle offerings.
Since the church has no large windows, the daylight falls mainly through large light shafts from the ceiling into the church. In order to make it clear that the church interior could be separated into a sacred and a profane room with a sliding wall, discreet lamps were placed in the light shafts in the left half of the church, but large, spherical light bodies hung from the ceiling in the left half of the hall. The unity of the whole room was emphasized by the light stone floor, which consists of Jurassic limestone and inclusions of petrified ammonites and the like. a. contains.
Interior view of the church in its original state from 1973
Interior view from the north-west
The altar from 1973 to 2013
Tabernacle and windows from 1973 to 2013
Ceiling design by Paul Stöckli, status 2013
Changes between 1974 and 2005
Soon after the church was built, a series of changes began that changed the original, simple character of the church interior over time. The first thing to do was to put a cross on the concrete wall behind the ambo to show the Christian orientation of the building. In 1986 a way of the cross, which was designed by the Valais artist Hans Loretan, was attached to the walkway on the back wall of the church. In 1990 the church received a monumental bronze sculpture on the wall behind the altar area, which was also designed by Hans Loretan and represents the Whitsun event. This sculpture refers to the consecration of the church to the Holy Spirit and replaced the simple wooden cross on the wall behind the ambo. At the same time, the wooden wall with the square shapes behind the altar was removed, behind which the elements of the partition wall for dividing the church into a sacred and profane hall were located. When the parish center was renovated and expanded between 2004 and 2005, the original light fixtures of the church were finally replaced and the original two-part church space was thus unified.
Way of the Cross by Hans Loretan
Jesus takes the heavy cross on his shoulders
Jesus meets the weeping women
Jesus on the cross
Redesign of the church interior in 2013
Due to the numerous changes in the years 1974 to 2005, the originally simple interior of the church had lost its intended character. In 2013 the church interior was completely redesigned by the artists Mundy Nussbaumer, Luzern and Toni Egloff in order to harmonize the space. The original altar and ambo as well as the sculpture of the Holy Spirit on the wall behind the altar were removed, as were the remaining original wooden wall elements throughout the church. The base of the chancel was slightly changed and instead of the two previous high steps, three flatter steps now lead from the floor of the church to the higher chancel, which refer to the Trinity in their three numbers. Similar to the church of St. Konrad (Zurich-Albisrieden) , attempts were made to express the equality of the word service and the celebration of the Eucharist by means of two identically designed tables (table of the word, right, and table of the meal, left). On the left side of the altar is a newly created lecture cross. As a replacement for the original tabernacle in the niche under the organ, there is a newly created tabernacle on the back wall of the sanctuary. In the southeast corner of the church, a second sacred area has been created, which serves as a place of worship for smaller devotions and weekday services as well as for baptism celebrations. For the first time, the Heilig Geist church received a baptismal font , which is located next to the weekday altar and, with its round shape, is reminiscent of a fountain. To the right of the baptismal font is a newly created candlestick for the Easter candle. A third sacred area was also created, which serves as a prayer corner and is located on the southern wall of the church. A cross was placed on the wooden wall of the prayer area with the names of the deceased in the parish. To the left of this design is the Madonna sculpture, which was placed in the tabernacle niche in the original church design. On the wall of the prayer area, on the right wall of the weekday chapel and behind the chancel there are new wooden elements that create a relationship between the three sacred areas with the uniform design and at the same time take up the original concept of architect Karl Higi with regard to the choice of materials and design language . The windows of the church were covered with frosted glass to allow the daylight to enter the church more gently. The original squares created by Paul Stöckli are located on the ceiling of the church, so that the distinctive design of the organ prospect is still reflected in the interior design. The color scheme of the wooden ceiling was matched to the color concept of the newly designed sacred areas. The originally dark green walls around the back wall of the church as well as in the stairwell to the basement were redesigned in a subtle color scheme and thus integrated into the harmonization of the church space from 2013.
Devotional corner
Baptismal font
tabernacle
crucifix
Liturgical vessels
Stairs to the church
organ
The organ was built in 1954 by Gebr. Späth from Rapperswil for the first Heilig Geist church in 1940. The two-manual organ at that time had the following disposition:
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P
- Storage: Mixture 2 ′, Gedackt 16 ′, Zimbel 1 ′, Trumpet 8 ′
When the Heilig Geist church center was rebuilt in 1973, the existing organ from the old church was taken over and placed on the left side of the chancel. With this positioning the architect Karl Higi assigned an important design function to the organ prospect. The arrangement of the organ pipes took up the original design of the church through the square shapes of the artist Paul Stöckli. By positioning the organ near the altar area, an optical and acoustic relationship between church music and liturgical events was created.
In terms of sound, the organ was changed in 1974 by the organ building company Gebr. Späth as follows:
- Transfer of trumpet 8 ′ from Manual II to Manual I.
- Installation of a Schalmey 8 ′ in Manual II
- In the pedal:
- Replacement echo bass 16 'by principal 16'
- Replacement of flute bass 8 ′ by principal 8 ′
- Replacement covered bass 8 ′ by Pommer 8 ′
- Replacement chorale bass 4 ′ by octave 4 ′
- New: Mixture 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′
- New: bassoon 16 ′
In 1993 a new gaming table was installed as part of an overall renovation by the Hubert Senn company from Unterengstringen . In addition, the two registers Gedackt 8 'and Gedackt 16' were extended from the swell to the pedal and two registers were renamed.
At the time the church interior was redesigned in 2013, the organ by Heilig Geist was presented as follows:
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Coupling: II / I, I / P, II / P
- Storage: Schalmey 8 ′, trumpet 8 ′, bassoon 16 ′, echo bass 16 ′
See also
literature
- Hermann Odermatt, Josef Rupf and Karl Strobel: Heiliggeist-Kirche Zurich-Höngg. Festschrift. Zurich 1940.
- Anton Camenzind: Catholic Parish Center Heiliggeist Zurich-Höngg. Benziger Verlag, Einsiedeln 1973.
- Episcopal Ordinariate Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese of Chur. Chur 1980.
- Franz Bösch: Wipkingen. Its churches over time. Splinters from Guthirt's parish life. Zurich 1983.
- Anton Camenzind: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Zurich 1986
- Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Zurich. Zurich 1989.
- Parish Holy Spirit (ed.): Open doors. 25 years of the Catholic Church Center Heilig Geist Zurich-Höngg. A snapshot of parish life in the anniversary year. Zurich 1998
- Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. New Year's Gazette Industriequartier / Aussersihl, Zurich 2012.
- City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development (Ed.): Catholic Churches of the City of Zurich. Inventory of Monument Preservation of the City of Zurich. Zurich 2014.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Hermann Odermatt, Josef Rupf and Karl Strobel: Heiliggeist-Kirche Zürich-Höngg. Festschrift , p. 4
- ^ Josef Rupf: Geschichtliches , in: Hermann Odermatt, Josef Rupf and Karl Strobel: Heiliggeist-Kirche Zürich-Höngg. Festschrift , p. 4
- ^ Felix Marbach: Zurich-Höngg , in: Bischöfliches Ordinariat Chur (ed.): Schematismus des Diocese Chur. , P. 272
- ^ Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Parishes of the City of Zurich. Zurich 1989, p. 192
- ^ Christian Renfer: Catholic Church Bülach. Pp. 4-5
- ↑ Bischöfliches Ordinariat Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese Chur , P. 272.
- ↑ Bischöfliches Ordinariat Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese Chur P. 205
- ^ Josef Rupf: Geschichtliches , in: Hermann Odermatt, Josef Rupf and Karl Strobel: Heiliggeist-Kirche Zürich-Höngg. Festschrift , p. 6
- ↑ Document in the foundation stone of the second Heilig Geist-Kirche from 1973, quoted in Open Doors. P. 6
- ↑ Guido Kolb: 100 years of St. Peter and Paul. Zurich 1974, p. 197.
- ^ Franz Bösch: Wipkingen. Its churches over time. Splinters from Guthirt's parish life. Pp. 113, 120-121
- ^ Hermann Odermatt, Josef Rupf and Karl Strobel: Heiliggeist-Kirche Zürich-Höngg. Festschrift , p. 3
- ^ Josef Rupf: Geschichtliches , p. 7 and Karl Strobel: Building description , p. 8–9, in: Hermann Odermatt, Josef Rupf and Karl Strobel: Heiliggeist-Kirche Zürich-Höngg. Festschrift.
- ↑ Marlies Wahrenberger: 25 years of the Center of the Holy Spirit , in: Open Doors , p. 6
- ↑ Bischöfliches Ordinariat Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese Chur , P. 272
- ^ Archives of the parish of the Holy Spirit
- ↑ Forum. Parish journal of the Catholic Church in the Canton of Zurich. No. 24 from 2013, p. 24.
- ^ Catholic Church in the Canton of Zurich. Annual report 2017. p. 84.
- ↑ Brentini: The Catholic Church of St. Martin in Zurich-Fluntern. Bern 2013, p. 36
- ↑ Bischöfliches Ordinariat Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese Chur , P. 272
- ↑ Information on Hans Loretan. Homepage of the Alfred Grünwald Foundation. ( Memento from November 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Parish Holy Spirit (ed.): Biblical content of the Holy Spirit sculpture. Flyer on the occasion of the inauguration on September 16, 1990.
- ^ Archives of the parish of the Holy Spirit
- ^ Archives of the parish of the Holy Spirit
- ↑ Anton Camenzind: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Zurich 1986, p. 32.
- ^ Organ in Heilig Geist, Zurich-Höngg , accessed on December 21, 2013.