Hirsau Church
 The Hirsau Church near Offenbach-Hundheim |
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| Basic data | |
| Denomination | Protestant |
| place | Hundheim , Germany |
| Building history | |
| start of building | early 12th century |
| Building description | |
| Architectural style | Rectangular hall, choir tower |
| 49 ° 37 '0.7 " N , 7 ° 32' 29.9" E | |
The Hirsauer Church (or Hirsauer Chapel ) is an old church near Offenbach-Hundheim in Rhineland-Palatinate . It is located about 500 m upstream from Hundheim am Glan , was built in the early 12th century and was dedicated to St. Alban . The Hirsau Church was first mentioned in a document in 1289, but existing components date from the beginning of the 12th century. A first church is said to have existed there as early as the 7th century.
In an inscription on the base of the tower, which is said to have been visible until the 1840s, the year 1106 was given as the year of construction. The oldest component, the nave , dates from this time , as shown by traces of processing on some of the stones of the masonry. Roman spoils were also built into the outer walls . On the west side, cuboids with decorative fittings are built in. The windows on the south side date from the 16th century. They were built in 1507 together with the west portal.
Also in 1507 a side aisle was added to the north side of the nave . It was demolished after the Thirty Years' War and only rebuilt during a renovation in 1894. Access from the nave is through four pointed arches that rest on simple round pillars. A medieval sarcophagus and several Roman spolia are kept in the side aisle.
In the first half of the 13th century, the originally smaller chancel was converted into the choir tower that is present today . Around 1260 a ribbed vault was drawn in and a large tracery window was inserted. The entrance from the nave forms a Romanesque round arch.
The paintings in the chancel date from the 13th century and were uncovered in 1963/64. The painting on the ceiling is divided into four by the ribbed vault. In the eastern sector Christ is shown in a mandorla , the western sector shows the coronation of Mary. The apostles are depicted in the other two sectors. The Last Judgment is depicted on the west wall and the sacrificial scene of Cain and Abel on the east wall . The north and south walls show scenes from the life of Mary and the Passion of Christ . The wall paintings were whitewashed as early as the 14th century.
According to an inscription in the base, the sacristy was built on the south side of the nave in 1615 . Two lengths are carved into a corner cuboid in the outer wall: an Electoral Palatinate (53 cm) and a Brabant (56.5 cm) cubit .
The belfry was renewed in the 17th century. It still houses two Gothic bells : the older one was cast by Johannes Otto from Kaiserslautern in 1480 , the younger around 1500.
The cemetery extends around the church, the wall and the pointed arched gate from the 15th century.
In the Middle Ages, the Hirsau Church was the parish church for the parishes of the "Eßweiler Valley", which included the villages of Eßweiler , Oberweiler im Tal , Hinzweiler , Nerzweiler , Hundheim , Aschbach , Horschbach , Elzweiler and Hachenbach . Today the Hirsau church is a Protestant parish church and belongs to the parish of Hinzweiler.
literature
- Christian Schüler-Beigang (arrangement): Kreis Kusel (= cultural monuments in Rhineland-Palatinate. Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany . Volume 16 ). Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1999, ISBN 3-88462-163-7 .
Web links
- some pictures of the Hirsau church
- Church history of the parish in Hinzweiler ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive )