Henri Arnaud Church

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Henri Arnaud Church

The Henri Arnaud Church in Schönenberg near Ötisheim was a Protestant Waldensian church and is now an Evangelical Lutheran church . It was built in the neo-Romanesque style and designed by the church builder Christian Friedrich von Leins . In the church there is the grave slab of Henri Arnaud . To this day, the Henri Arnaud Church is the only Protestant church in Württemberg with a French name.

location

The church stands on the eastern edge of the suburb of Schönenberg , directly on Henri-Arnaud-Strasse and Erlenbacher Weg.

history

Before the first church was built, the Schönenbergers were instructed to attend the services in the Peterskirche in Dürrmenz . The Schönenbergers strived for church independence and ultimately prevailed against the will of Duke Eberhard Ludwig and built their own church. Arnaud raised money for it abroad and the church was consecrated in 1719. He also planned to move the pastor's seat to Schönenberg, since more and more Waldensians were moving from Dürrmenz to Schönenberg and the Waldensian community in Dürrmenz was noticeably shrinking. Another reason was that there was no political autonomy in Dürmenz, as the Waldensians who lived there did not live on their own land.

In Schönenberg, on the other hand, the land was owned by the Waldensians and for Arnaud it was important that the Waldensians' identity be preserved. But in the end his efforts were unsuccessful and the church remained a branch of Dürrmenz. The half-timbered church at that time also served as a council chamber (town hall), which was in the attic, and under the stairs there was a small prison called the "penitentiary". In 1849 the council chamber became an apartment for the poor because the council chamber was moved to the newly built schoolhouse.

In a visitation report from 1858 it was stated: “The church in Schönenberg originates from the Waldensians, is barn-like, lightly made of wood, very dilapidated and without an organ. Altar and baptismal font is a… table. ”As early as 1807, Christian Heinrich von Mylius, after visiting Schönenberg in 1803, stated that the church was in a very bad condition.

In 1858 a church building committee was founded for the restoration of the church as well as for the "trampled" grave slab of Arnaud. But there was no restoration, not even when the Lutheran consistory put out a collection in 1863 . In 1878 the building plans were obtained from the architect Christian Friedrich von Leins, but in 1881 the church authorities insisted on a restoration instead of a new church. The church was to be renovated according to a design by the Duke's Ludwigsburg building council, as the building council was of the opinion that “there is no danger of the church collapsing”.

In 1882, after long negotiations, the decision was made to build a new church, so a year later, new plans and a cost estimate (36,000 marks) were applied for to Christian Friedrich von Leins. Construction began on May 31st and the inauguration took place on December 9th.

In 1894 a heater was installed and between 1896 and 1899 there were numerous repairs to walls, doors and roofing. In 1941 the interior was extensively renovated. Between 1973 and 1977 there was both an exterior and interior renovation under the architect H. Wiem from Stuttgart. Two doors on the north wall were bricked up. The church was rededicated on August 21st. In 1986 a plaque was put up in honor of Henri Arnaud.

style

The attached consoles and pillars with shaft rings on the neo-Romanesque church built of red sandstone refer to the Maulbronn monastery , which the architect von Lein had previously seen. The church tower refers to the Comburg collegiate church towers . In 1911, Rudolf Yelin created the illustrated glass window on the north side. In 1949 , Wolf-Dieter Kohler installed the “Michaelsfenster” in the choir .

Interior decoration

Certain principles are in the style of historicism and have remained in the neo-Romanesque church to this day or have not been changed.

Furnishing

The altar panel is supported among others by two columns which with leaf capitals are decorated. On the front of the altar, on the stipes , a Christ monogram can be seen and on the back a lying quatrefoil . The font is octagonal and made of sandstone. The hexagonal pulpit stands on a wooden column, supported by a stone column, and is adorned with a capital. The railing of the pulpit has blind arches , shamrock motifs and columns. The pews also refer to historicism.

The silver goblet dates from 1704. Among other things, it is noted on it that this and two others were donated to a church and given by a CharBonneaux. The remaining altar and baptismal items are made of tin and date from 1870 and 1891. The altar cross was carved in 1941 and shows a candlestick and the Waldensian coat of arms.

Grave slab

In the church is the grave slab of Henri Arnaud, on which, among other things, is written: "See there Arnaud's ashes, but his deeds and sufferings / And unbowed courage no one can describe ..."

organ

The organ was built in 1883 by Karl Schäfer from Heilbronn. It has eight registers , has been changed several times and most recently restored to its present state by the Plum organ building workshop ( Marbach am Neckar ), 1977–1976.

Bells

The bells were cast by Kurzt from Stuttgart in 1883 and 1902 and were tuned to the sounds h1 d1 f sharp . During the First World War , only the larger one, the "Arnaud Bell", could be saved. In 1926 and 1934 the missing bells were replaced by the same company. After the Second World War , only the medium-sized bell was left, so the Bachert bell foundry from Heilbronn cast two new bronze bells.

Names and sizes of the bells:

  • "Arnaud" or "prayer bell" (h1 + 5, diameter: 810 mm, 325 kg)
  • "Cross bell" (d2 + 4, diameter: 680 mm, 190 kg)
  • "Baptism bell" (e2 + 4, diameter: 610 mm, 130 kg)

See also

literature

  • Konrad Dussel: Ötisheim - through history to the present. regional culture, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89735503-3 .
  • Matthias Köhler: Evangelical churches in Ötisheim. Schnell Art Guide No. 1988, 1992.

Remarks

  1. ^ Konrad Dussel: Ötisheim - through history to the present. regionalkultur, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89735503-3 , pp. 131-133.
  2. ^ Matthias Köhler: Evangelical churches in Ötisheim. Schnell Art Guide No. 1988, 1992, p. 18.
  3. ^ Konrad Dussel: Ötisheim - through history to the present. regionalkultur, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89735503-3 , p. 136.
  4. ^ Konrad Dussel: Ötisheim - through history to the present. regionalkultur, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89735503-3 , p. 138.
  5. ^ Matthias Köhler: Evangelical churches in Ötisheim. Schnell Art Guide No. 1988, 1992, p. 18.
  6. ^ Matthias Köhler: Evangelical churches in Ötisheim. Schnell Art Guide No. 1988, 1992, p. 18.
  7. ^ Matthias Köhler: Evangelical churches in Ötisheim. Schnell Kunstführer No. 1988, 1992, pp. 18-20.

Web links

Commons : Henri Arnaud Church (Schönenberg)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 57 ′ 44.9 "  N , 8 ° 49 ′ 44"  E