St. Jakobus Hospital Chapel (Oberlahnstein)
| St. Jakobus Hospital Chapel (Oberlahnstein) | |
|---|---|
 Rear view of the choir |
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| Data | |
| place | Oberlahnstein , Rhineland-Palatinate |
| Construction year | around 1330 |
| Coordinates | 50 ° 17 '59.2 " N , 7 ° 36' 20.4" E |
The St. Jakobus Hospital Chapel is a Gothic church building from the 14th century in Lahnstein ( Rhineland-Palatinate ) and was part of its medieval hospital for the poor . The city administration has been working on a comprehensive restoration since 1977. These efforts were further emphasized by the support group Hospitalkapelle St. Jakobus Lahnstein eV, founded on November 30, 1981. After three years of work, including archaeological excavations, the chapel was opened to the public on December 4, 1984. Today the chapel is mainly used for cultural events or weddings. Every year on July 25th, a festive service is celebrated in honor of the patron saint, the apostle James .
history
The history of the Lahnsteiner Jakobuskapelle is closely connected with the city hospital for the poor. Until a papal decree by Pope Clement V in 1312, only the church was allowed to run hospitals. The hospital in Oberlahnstein was probably founded shortly after the decree, even before Oberlahnstein was granted city rights in 1324 . In addition to the provision of food, accommodation and clothing for the poor in the community as well as the care of those in need of care and the sick, the accommodation of passing pilgrims was an essential task. By acquiring benefices , well-heeled citizens secured a care place in old age. At the same time, the hospital's assets increased, so that the operation and expansion were financially possible.
The hospital was first mentioned in a document dated November 24, 1330 about the sale of a vineyard in Kaub by the "provisor hospitalis pauperum in Laynstein" (hospital administrator), the priest Nikolaus. At that time there was already a smaller previous chapel, because in a still existing letter of indulgence from 1332, Pope John XXII. as well as other bishops, visitors to the hospital chapel as well as the Ulrich chapel of Lahneck Castle and the St. Martin church are given an indulgence of 40 days. A copy of the letter of indulgence can be seen in the Ulrich chapel, the original is in the Lahnstein city archive.
Excavations during the restoration work (January 29 to February 26, 1982) confirmed these assumptions. The grave of a pilgrim of St. James was discovered in the middle of the old chapel. Initially, there was a spatial separation between the hospital and the previous chapel, so that the sick were not able to attend the services. First a new hospital building was added directly to the old chapel. A larger chapel was soon to be built, but no suitable building site was available. So in the middle of the 14th century it was decided to build a new choir and connect it to the old chapel. Part of the hospital was still located in the left half of the nave today . Later this was moved around four meters to the north and a mighty wall was drawn in the middle of the hospital, which on the one hand represented the south wall of the hospital and at the same time the north wall of the chapel. With the broken off remains of the old hospital and old chapel, the new hospital chapel was completed with the construction of the west gable and the south wall and the addition of a roof.
The poor brotherhood responsible for running the hospital was confirmed on May 1, 1480 by the Archbishop of Trier and Elector Johann II of Baden , and at the same time granted an indulgence of 40 days. Several documents from around 1561 prove that the inclines with which the St. James altar in the hospital chapel was equipped had been reassigned several times (in 1689 the chapel was first referred to as the St. James Chapel). In the 16th century the heyday of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela ended and the hospital accommodated fewer and fewer foreigners.
The roof turret was probably removed in 1668 , at least it has been proven that the chapel bell was moved to the town hall. About a hundred years later the hospital and chapel began to decline. From 1778 onwards no more travelers were accepted. Until 1788 a daily mass was celebrated in the chapel, but two years later it was used as a horse stable by the Mainz hussars. The neglected buildings were sold in 1802 and remained in private ownership until the city of Lahnstein bought it in October 1981. The sale prevented the secularization by Napoleon and thus the taking over of the property by the state. The new owners first renewed the roof (albeit with a more moderate angle of inclination than before), put in two false ceilings and installed a cesspool. From then on, the chapel served as a storage room and horse stable, the feed troughs are still visible today. In the course of time it found other bizarre uses: coffee roasting, barn, laundry room, car garage, joinery, photo laboratory and greengrocer's shop.
The last remains of the hospital were demolished around 1950. It was not until 1977 that the city of Lahnstein entered into negotiations with the owners about a purchase on the initiative of city council member Johannes Knauf, which, however, could not be concluded until 1981. The purchase price was 100,000 DM. Restoration work began that same year and was finally completed three years later.
Furnishing
Choir
- In front of the central arched niche is the life-size statue of the Apostle James the Elder. Ä. Made of Verona marble in Roman costume with a walking stick and scroll, created by the Cologne sculptor Johannes Hillebrand.
- In the base of the statue, behind glass, is the scallop shell found during the archaeological excavations in the pilgrim's grave .
- In the neighboring niches, two high reliefs made of lime wood were installed, originally from the sacramental altar removed from the parish church of St. Martin in 1954. The pictures made by the Lahnstein sculptor and art carver Caspar Weis (1849–1930) show the wedding of Canaa on the left and the Last Supper on the right .
- On the left there is a tabernacle insert , made according to a design by Caspar Weis.
- In the center of the choir, under a grave slab with the inscription "Grave of an unknown pilgrim", the remains of the pilgrim discovered during the excavations found a new resting place.
- Wall painting depicting St. Catherine , the Mother of God and a crucifixion group on the south wall of the choir, including St. Anthony and an unknown saint in a niche . Another depiction can be seen on the northern wall of the choir, presumably depicting the church patron James.
Triumphal arch
- On the right flank wall there is a larger than life representation of Christophorus with Jesus on his shoulder (14th century).
North face
- Baroque altarpiece depicting the Holy Trinity (around 1710) with two large carved angels, which originally came from the high altar of the Rommersdorf Abbey near Neuwied and, after its dissolution through secularization in 1806, became part of the Lahnstein parish church of St. Martin.
South wall
- Church flags and banners from the 19th century (including the Barbarabruderschaft Oberlahnstein).
- Neo-Gothic tabernacle (beginning of the 20th century) from a destroyed altar by Caspar Weis in a medieval light niche,
- above it is a copy of a Gothic bust of Christ.
portal
- A tympanum made of tuff stone (1983), which comes from the workshop of the sculptor Hans Gerhard Biermann, is mounted above the portal . The apostle James sets the scene, he is dressed in pilgrim costume. A boat with three pilgrims symbolizes the necessary crossing of the Rhine in medieval Lahnstein on the way to Santiago de Compostela, whose cathedral is also a must.
- The door leaves are copper-clad and have a door handle in the shape of a shell. On the left is a round window, the bronze grille of which allows a view of the chapel. The grid itself is decorated with a hat, calabash and bag.
floor
- The floor in the nave is covered with tiles from the workshop of the Bad Ems ceramic specialist Ebinger, which were reconstructed after excavated finds.
gallery
Front view
portal
Tympanum
"Peephole"
Portal handle
James statue
James Lodge
James Lodge
literature
- City of Lahnstein (ed.): The hospital chapel "St. Jakobus" in Lahnstein . 1st edition. Lahnstein 1984 (editors: Paul Herbst, Willi Eisenbarth).
- Michael Hans Peter Eisenbarth: St. Jakobus Hospital Chapel in Lahnstein / Rhine . 1st edition. Imprimatur Verlag, Lahnstein 2010, ISBN 978-3-9813195-2-1 .
