Holy Trinity (Brandenburg an der Havel)
The Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity in Brandenburg an der Havel is the parish church of the parish of the same name. It is located in the medieval town center of the Neustadt in the immediate vicinity of the former St. Pauli monastery .
Building
history
Elector Joachim II introduced the Reformation in the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1539 and in 1560 secularized what had previously belonged to the church. In the 17th century, the practice of Catholic religion was banned, and parish life no longer took place. It was not until Friedrich Wilhelm I allowed that the Catholic faith to be practiced again in the 18th century. The newly formed community in Brandenburg initially used the Sankt Johannis Church in the old town of Brandenburg and from 1810 the Sankt Petri Chapel in Brandenburg Cathedral . After the chapel had to be closed by the building authorities in 1848, the property at Neustädtische Heidestrasse within sight of the Paulikloster was acquired by a doctor Schiebler and made available to the community. The construction of the Holy Trinity Church was then financed with donations. The foundation stone of the new church building was laid on October 28, 1849 by Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler , who at the time was provost of St. Hedwig's Church, today's St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin. On August 12, 1851, the new building was inaugurated by Provost Leopold Pelldram .
Already 17 years after completion of the church, the first damage occurred to the structure, which had to be repaired for 2500 thalers at the time . In 1903 the first fundamental renovation took place and three years later a new high altar was consecrated in the Holy Trinity . In 1913, the facade was finally redesigned and the windows replaced. Another fundamental renovation of the interior of the church took place in 1939. On this occasion, a heater was installed for the first time.
A few days before the end of the Second World War , the Holy Trinity Church and the neighboring Paulikloster were largely destroyed in fighting between the Wehrmacht and the advancing Red Army . Like the Pauli monastery, it burned down to its foundations. Two years after the war-related destruction, the reconstruction of the parish church began and as early as 1948 the topping-out ceremony for the new roof structure was celebrated. Another year later, the church was prepared so that it could be fully used again. From 1972 to 1973 necessary renovation work was used for a redesign, which was led by the architect Franz Klinger. In 1974 a memorial was erected in the church for numerous priests and laypeople who were murdered in the Brandenburg penitentiary between 1942 and 1945. The names of the individual victims were engraved on a copper plaque. During the last renovation of the church between 2005 and 2006, the previous windows were replaced with paintings by the London artist Graham Jones and three new windows were installed in the area of the apse .
Exterior fittings
The unplastered neo-Romanesque church was built from red clinker bricks. In contrast to the usual east-west orientation of churches, the Holy Trinity stands in a north-northwest-south-southwest axis. The arched main portal is in the north-north-west outer wall, while the apse of the choir is opposite it. The portal is located in a tower with a flat pyramid roof that extends slightly above the height of the building . A simple double-leaf steel door with a skylight was installed in the round arch. In the glass of the skylight there is the saying “Praise the Triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”. A cross-lattice-like relief field can be seen above the arch. In the area of the designed base of the church, four-part panels stand out. Also noticeable are three arched panels on the front. Two are located on either side of the tower and one above the entrance. The round-arched sound opening of the bell cage can be seen over the latter panel . Toothed friezes and other friezes were used as horizontal elements . Over the edges of the church building, pillar-like corner pilaster strips are extended crenellated over the eaves over all four corners . The northern gable is designed as a stepped gable . A gable frieze with a classic meander runs parallel to the verge . At the top of the tower is a double gold cross.
In the side walls of the church you can see five high arched windows. There is also a small round arched side portal with its own roof and flat gable. The panels in the area of the base, tower and friezes as decorative decorations can also be found there. The apse in a roughly southward direction shows similar elements as the rest of the building. The central bull's eye is a noticeable feature . There are single-storey extensions on both sides of the apse, the sacristy is housed in the east .
Interior
The interior of the church is simple and modern. The high altar from 1973 contains relics of martyrs . These are said to come from a saint Pope Sixtus and a saint Felicitas. The reliquary grave is closed with a fragment of a grave slab that is said to have come from the catacombs in Rome . In the center of the apse is a cross from 1962 with a crucifix . This crucifix comes from the district of Langenstein in Halberstadt . It was made between 1510 and 1520 and has been in Brandenburg's Catholic parish church since 1973. A monstrance from 1976 is of more recent origin .
Striking artistic details inside the church are a modern depiction of the Stations of the Cross created by the artist Josef Krautwald and the church windows created by the British artist Graham Jones. The Way of the Cross is shown on 15 relief-like cast aluminum panels. They were installed in the church in 1979. The twelve arched church windows and the ox-eye of Graham Jones represent the creation of the world or God's creation, the central theme of Genesis .
literature
- Fast. Art Guide No. 2263: Catholic Churches: Brandenburg / Havel . Schnell & Steiner GmbH Regensburg 1998.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The new church window . Accessed January 17, 2014
- ^ "Creation" - creating the world; Short lecture on the occasion of the completion of the windows . Accessed January 17, 2014
Coordinates: 52 ° 24 ′ 20.2 ″ N , 12 ° 33 ′ 44 ″ E