Johanneszentrum (Bremgarten near Bern)

Johanneszentrum Bremgarten

Johanneszentrum

The Church of St. Johannes in Bremgarten near Bern has been the Roman Catholic parish church of the Heiligkreuz parish in the entire parish of Bern and the surrounding area since 2018 . The church, consecrated to St. John the Baptist, was built in 1972 as a branch church of the Heiligkreuz parish by the architect Alois Egger. The catchment area of the parish extends over Bremgarten, Tiefenau , Herrenschwanden , Ortschwaben , Uettligen , Meikirch , Wahlendorf and a part of Worblaufen .

history

In the area north of the Aare with Bremgarten, demands for better teaching and worship options soon arose because of the spatial distance to the parish Heiligkreuz Bern, which was founded in 1962. 1958 was a first St. Mass in the basement of the primary school celebrated by Vicar Hans Stark. But the room was too narrow and they looked for another option. Persistent negotiations with the entire parish and the neighboring parishes to acquire land and build their own church followed and for the time being did not lead to any result. The Catholic Association, founded in 1965, continued to negotiate as a new contact and in 1969 obtained approval for the purchase of land at the Chutzegut at the foot of the "Hoger" hill, but only after the shooting clubs had left the area. At the parish assembly on September 28, 1970 in Tiefenau, the project, estimated at CHF 1,266,790.00, was presented. Until moving into the new church, the Catholics were able to use rooms in the Aarwyl estate with private support. At that time the time was not yet ripe to plan a community center together with the evangelical-reformed parish and so the reformed parish hall was built next door, which was abandoned in 2017 and sold to the local community. The Johanneszentrum as a branch church of the Catholic Heiligkreuz parish of Bern was inaugurated on November 5, 1972 by Bishop Anton Hänggi .

Recent history

The first pastor Angelo Rovere resigned shortly after the opening of the Johanneszentrum. Pastor Hans Baur was appointed as his successor on February 18. He looked after both churches until his resignation in 2001 and died on April 6, 2005. The maintenance of two churches and the dwindling number of visitors, especially the Holy Cross Church, led to their abandonment and sale to the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2017. From then on, the parish should have its center in the more frequented Bremgarten. That required an expansion and renovation of the existing Johanneszentrum. In addition to the urgently needed energy-related renovation of the church, offices, the parish hall and meeting rooms were also planned. In a one-year renovation period, the parish hall and a kitchen were added to the basement, which was extended to the west. The civil defense rooms that are no longer required are now used as classrooms, workrooms and storage. A new entrance leads from the parking lot directly to the offices. The integration of three offices for the rectory of the Reformed parish of Bremgarten is remarkable, giving up its own rooms and renting it in the Johanneszentrum. On December 17, 2017, the renovated church was inaugurated by Auxiliary Bishop Denis Theurillat and at the same time elevated to the parish church of the parish Heiligkreuz Bern and Bremgarten. On January 14, 2018, the ecumenical opening ceremony of the Johanneszentrum took place under the motto “Everything under one roof”. With St. Franziskus Zollikofen, both parishes have formed the pastoral area of Bern-Nord since 2012. On May 15, 2018, Bishop Felix Gmür built the pastoral area of Bern from the five pastoral rooms in the region.

Architecture and equipment

Johanneszentrum, the church interior

The St. Johannes church, a structure made of wood and glass, was built in 1972 according to the design by Alois Egger. A square cube is placed in the center of the flat roof building to allow light to enter. As a replacement for the missing bell tower, a four-sided double cross made of square steel tube is visible from afar next to the church. The entrance to the church is in the right side wing and leads after a vestibule and cloakroom area around the organ to the diagonal central aisle. The architect created a church space according to the new, post-conciliar views. Four steel supports at the corners of the altar pedestal support the wooden paneling ceiling. Above this, the light shaft opens in the middle of the church. Around the altar, which stands on a two-tier pedestal, the visitor chairs are lined up at an angle on the front and on the left. By opening the sliding wall behind the altar, a separate room can be added, thereby realizing the original idea of the polyvalent use of the church. The room is used as a rehearsal location for the church choir, for lessons and children's events or for aperitifs and theater performances. A place of devotion to Mary is now set up in the right part. The crowned Madonna and Child, in the South German Baroque style, was originally donated for the former Heiligkreuz church and after the move found a place in the newly appointed parish church.

Works of art

Tabernacle by Othmar Zschaler, picture Yin & Yang by Peter Somm

The Bernese goldsmith Othmar Zschaler designed the cross, the tabernacle, the baptismal font and four candle holders made of light metal with glass inlays and liturgical vessels. Next to the tabernacle on the right front wall hangs the mural Yin-Yang by Peter Somm from Herrenschwanden.

organ

Ebell organ of the Johanneskirche

For the first nine years, a positive organ served as a temporary arrangement in the Johanneskirche. After a competition among organ builders, Peter Ebell from Affoltern am Albis was awarded the contract. He built an organ with 13 registers on two manuals and a pedal with a mechanical action and registration and with a slider that could be easily inserted into the relatively low room thanks to a few closed pipes. The instrument was inaugurated on August 16, 1981.

I Manual C-g ³
Principal	8th'
Dumped	8th'
Octave	4 ′
Fifth	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Octave	2 ′
Mixture III	1 ³ ⁄ ₅  ′

II Manual C-g ³
Wooden dacked	8th'
Reed flute	4 ′
Principal	2 ′
Fifth	1 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′

Pedal C – f ¹
Sub bass	16 ′
trombone	8th'

Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P

literature

Emil Leutenegger et al .: Johannes-Zentrum Bremgarten b. Bern, 1972-1997 . Festschrift. Johannes Center Bremgarten b. Bern. Johanneszentrum Bremgarten near Bern, Bremgarten near Bern 1997.
Gabriela Hanke, et al .: Catholic Bern from 1799 to 1999 . A stopover. Total Roman Catholic parish of Bern and the surrounding area, Bern 1999.