Jakobus Church (Breckerfeld)

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Jakobus Church in Breckerfeld
Side view

The Jakobus Church is the church of the Protestant parish of Breckerfeld , a small town in the northern Sauerland . With the exception of the tower, which was built in 1923, it was almost completely preserved in its late-medieval state and to this day heralds the importance of Breckerfeld at the end of the Middle Ages .

Since 1985 the building - as well as the neighboring Catholic St. Jakobus Church - has been entered on the Breckerfeld List of Monuments .

location

The high central nave and the mighty tower (from 1923) of the basilica still shape the cityscape of Breckerfeld today. The church is clearly located in the middle of the city center on a small hill sloping to the north, east of Frankfurter Straße. All that remained of the former churchyard were three old grave slabs, which were placed on the west side of the south aisle as a memorial. The "church hill" is surrounded by a wreath of old houses.

prehistory

The parish of Breckerfeld is mentioned for the first time in 1252: According to a document from the St. Severin Monastery in Cologne , the knight Godfrid von Hövel had the right to raise the tithe in Breckerfeld . After a financial settlement he gave this right back to the pen. From the facts and from some documented text passages it can be concluded that a parish must have existed before 1252. There are only imprecise ideas about the appearance of the parish church at that time. Soil examinations suggest that the previous building was a hall church of the South Westphalian type with a total length of only 14.90 meters. It became too small for the up-and-coming community and at the end of the 14th century a decision was made to build a new, larger basilica that could be used by both the community and pilgrims on the Way of St. James . From 1390 it was built in one go, presumably first the construction of the choir, after which the old parish church was demolished.

building

Look into the vault

The Jakobus Church is the only late Gothic basilica in Westphalia; What motivated the Breckerfelder to choose the somewhat outdated design for their church is unknown. It rises in clear forms, the rubble stones are not plastered, in the churchyard. The high central nave and the much lower aisles are cut through by a mighty transept . Together with the unusually large choir , the crossing emphasizes the eastern part of the church. It used to have its own entrance, the so-called pilgrims' gate, which suggests that the transept was used as a pilgrimage church on the Way of St. James. The keystone of the southern cross yoke with St. Nikolaus is the only one who is oriented towards this portal.

The sacristy on the south side of the choir was originally two-storey and on the upper floor opened up to the choir. The original opening can still be seen from the outside. From the outside, the hatches in the gables of the crossing are also visible, through which in earlier times grain could be brought into the roof with a crane that was stored there.

The tower was the problem child in the history of the Church. As early as the 18th century, a pastor from Breckerfeld went on a collection trip because the tower showed cracks and should be renovated. In 1805 lightning struck and the tower had to be demolished. It wasn't until 1838 that the money for a new tower was raised, but this was so dilapidated that as early as 1862 it was considered a “ modern work ”. Several times the damage had to be repaired, corner buttresses were added. In 1911 it had to be dismantled again, which again threatened to collapse the west gable of the north aisle. Due to the First World War, however, the construction of a third tower could not begin until 1922. Its bulkiness is based on the first, at the same time its simplicity appears modern and fits in well with the entire ensemble. Today it is a landmark of the city of Breckerfeld.

Furnishing

The carved winged altar of the Jakobus Church is one of the most outstanding altars in Westphalia. Due to the expressiveness of its figures, the finely worked details and the balance of the overall composition, it is considered a masterpiece of its time. In the middle shrine stands Mary with the child, flanked by Saints James and Christophorus . Six female saints are depicted on each of the two side wings (from top left to bottom right): Maria Magdalena , Amalberga von Gent (uncertain), Appollonia , Elisabeth of Thuringia , Barbara of Nicomedia , Dorothea , Catherine of Alexandria , Lucia of Syracuse , Catherine of Siena , Clare of Assisi , Sunniva and Margaret of Antioch . At the bottom, the predella shows two reliefs, impressive in their wealth of tension, depicting the Last Supper and the washing of Christ's feet . Art historical comparisons in recent years suggest that the Breckerfeld winged carved altar was created in Lübeck around 1510 by the so-called master of the rosary altars.

The unusual baroque oak pulpit was bought in 1740 by the parish of the Lutheran church in Schwelm . The Gothic crucifix dates from the 14th century. The modern baptismal font and the gospel desk, both cast in bronze , were purchased in 1980 and 1979 respectively.

Whale rib

A special feature hangs on the west wall of the church: the rib of a huge whale . It is believed that it was brought to the city by Breckerfeld merchants in the Middle Ages to show the amazed citizens what huge animals lived in the north. Also nearby is a replica of a Coventry cross of nails calling for reconciliation in commemoration of the World War II air raids.

organ

View of the organ

The organ dates from 1960. It was built by the organ builder Paul Ott from Göttingen. The purely mechanical grinding loading -instrument has 19 registers on two manuals and pedals.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Principal 8th'
2. Reed flute 8th'
3. Night horn 4 ′
4th Nasart 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
5. octave 2 ′
6th Mixture II-VI
7th Spanish trumpet 8th'
II Rückpositiv C – g 3
8th. Dumped 8th'
9. Principal 4 ′
10. Sif flute 2 ′
11. Tertian II
12. Zimbel II
13. Krummhorn 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
14th Sub-bass 16 ′
15th Bass flute 8th'
16. octave 4 ′
17th Gemshorn 1'
18th Mixture III
19th trombone 16 ′
  • Coupling: II / I, I / P, II / P

Bells

The ringing of the Jakobuskirche consists of three historical bells:

No. Surname Nominal Weight diameter Casting year Caster
1 James Bell e′-4 1,600 kg 132 cm 1558 ?
2 Marienbell f′-2 1,000 kg 118 cm ?
3 Nicholas bell as ′ 600 kg 104 cm 1751 Christian Wilhelm Voigt

Events

The Jakobus Church is open all year round: Sunday to Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (winter) and 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (summer). In addition to the various church services, including golden confirmations and ecumenical parish festivals , the cemetery with the Jakobus Church has become a special attraction thanks to the Christmas market that takes place on the weekend of the 2nd Advent . It was held for the first time in 1980 and quickly developed into an event that was also perceived nationwide. During this time, ecumenical devotions, organ concerts and Advent music by the trombone choirs and men's choirs take place in the Jakobus Church.

literature

  • Presbytery of the Evangelical Church Community Breckerfeld: 1252–2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001
  • Presbytery of the Evangelical Parish Breckerfeld: The Evangelical Jakobus Church Breckerfeld. Design and photography: Christof Wippermann, Breckerfeld 2007.

Web links

Commons : Evangelische Jakobus-Kirche (Breckerfeld)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wilfried G. Vogt: The first documentary mention of the Breckerfeld parish in 1252 . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001, p. 15ff.
  2. ^ Roland Pieper: The old parish church in Breckerfeld . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001, p. 45ff.
  3. ^ Roland Pieper: The old parish church in Breckerfeld . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001, p. 54; Wilfried G. Vogt: The console sculptures and keystones of the Jakobus Church. Faces from the past - made to last . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Published by the presbytery of the Evangelical Church Community in Breckerfeld. Essen 2001, pp. 75-103.
  4. ^ Wilhelm Lotz: Art Topography of Germany 1: Northern Germany . Kassel 1862, p. 106.
  5. ↑ Andrea Zupanic: The carved altar in the Evangelical St. James Church . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001, p. 105ff.
  6. ↑ The Protestant Jakobus Church Breckerfeld . Edited by the presbytery of the Evangelical Church Community Breckerfeld, Breckerfeld 2007, p. 10.
  7. ↑ Wilfried G. Vogt: The Breckerfelder pulpit - a masterpiece from second hand . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001, p. 123ff.
  8. ↑ Wilfried G. Vogt: The Breckerfeld Crucifixus . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001, pp. 145ff.
  9. ^ Gisela Lagemann: The choir room . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001, p. 169ff.
  10. ↑ Presbytery of the Evangelical Church Community Breckerfeld: The Evangelical Jakobus Church Breckerfeld. Design and photography: Christof Wippermann, Breckerfeld 2007, p. 23
  11. ^ Gisela Lagemann: The choir room . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001, p. 181ff.
  12. ↑ More information about the organ
  13. ^ Presbytery of the evangelical parish Breckerfeld: The evangelical Jakobuskirche Breckerfeld . Ed .: Presbytery of the Protestant parish Breckerfeld. Breckerfeld 2007, p. 20 .
  14. ↑ Uta Jakob-Friedrich / Norbert Friedrich: A living community life . In: 1252-2002. 750 years of the church in Breckerfeld . Essen 2001, p. 317ff.

Coordinates: 51 ° 15 ′ 38 ″  N , 7 ° 28 ′ 1 ″  E