Katharinenkirche (Neipperg)
The Katharinenkirche is a Protestant parish church in Neipperg , a district of Brackenheim in the Heilbronn district in northern Baden-Württemberg .
history
The church goes back to an older chapel consecrated to Saint Catherine , which was a branch chapel of the Martinskirche in Meimsheim and which was raised to an independent parish church in 1476. The patronage was up after the First World War in the former local government, the Lords of Neipperg that in 1530 the Reformation had performed within their sphere of influence. The church remained Protestant when the Neipperg barons and later counts became Catholic again around 1717. In the course of mediatization at the beginning of the 19th century, the parish came first to the dean's office in Heilbronn, and in 1812 to the dean's office in Brackenheim .
The tower received its characteristic helmet cap during a renovation in 1745, at the same time the entire church was repaired and an organ was procured. The church has been renovated several times since then. Significant changes took place in particular during the renovation of 1938/39 by the architects Behr and Oelkrug, the result of which is described as "very tasteful" and gave the interior of the church its current layout. In 1980 the outside of the church was thoroughly renovated, and in 1989 the inside was renovated.
description
The church is a simple choir tower church in the late Gothic style . It is located in the west of the historic center in the old cemetery, its square choir tower faces east and the nave connects to the west . A sacristy is attached to the tower to the north . The stone west gable decorated in the Gothic style should be mentioned on the external architectural decoration.
The choir has a reticulated vault , the nave has a wooden barrel vault , as does the sacristy. In the choir there is a Gothic stone sacrament house . The pulpit from the 18th century on the south wall of the building shows stucco reliefs from biblical history, on the parapet of the wooden gallery surrounding the west and north are stucco pictures of the twelve apostles. The wooden crucifix above the altar dates from the early 16th century, the font was mentioned as early as 1700.
Various historical epitaphs of the Lords and Counts of Neipperg have been preserved in the church, including a painted epitaph dated 1606 and several sandstone tombs. A particularly ornate grave monument for Eberhard XI. von Neipperg († 1591) was demolished in 1886 due to disrepair.
An organ was purchased on the occasion of the renovation work in 1745, the organ front of today's organ goes back to the historical instrument that was moved to the west gallery in 1939. The instrument was overhauled in 1933 and retuned in 1949, but was so damaged by worms that it was inevitable to replace it in 1962. In 1964 a new organ was inaugurated with the restored organ front of the historical instrument.
A historic clock from 1751 served as the tower clock until 1965, after which there was an electric clock for a few years until the current radio-synchronized electronic main quartz clock was installed in 1987.
Bells
The church originally only had one bell , but a second bell was added in 1732. Both bells were renewed during the 19th century, and a third bell was added in 1895. In 1917 the two larger bells had to be delivered; they were replaced by new bells in 1920, which in turn had to be delivered in 1942.
After the Second World War, a new three-part bell was purchased, for which, in addition to two new bells, the remaining old bell from 1824 was cast over. The new bells were cast by Heinrich Kurtz in Stuttgart in 1953. The little bell weighs 165 kg and has the sound of it ''. Its diameter is 64.2 cm, it bears the inscription O country, country, country, hear the word of the Lord . The middle bell weighs 226 kg, has a diameter of 71.8 cm and the sound of the ''. Its inscription reads: I am the vine, you are the branches . The largest bell has a diameter of 86.7 cm, weighs 396 kg, is tuned to B 'and, like an older bell, bears the inscription Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth .
Individual evidence
- ^ Norbert Jung: hilf got vnd maria, contributions to the history of bells in the city and district of Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2008, pp. 38–41.
literature
- Gerhard Häcker: The Church . In: Neipperg. The story of a village and its inhabitants . City administration, Brackenheim 1989, ISBN 3-9806667-2-7 .
- Heinz Rall: Historic churches in Zabergäu and the surrounding area . Forum-Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-8091-1088-4 , pp. 66-67.
- Julius Fekete : Art and cultural monuments in the city and district of Heilbronn . 2nd edition, Theiss, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-8062-1662-2 , p. 132.
Coordinates: 49 ° 6 '18.4 " N , 9 ° 2' 55.3" E