Kilian's Church (Heilbronn)
The Kilianskirche at the Kaiser street in Heilbronn is the Church of Kilian parish Heilbronn in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg . It is a Gothic hall church made of Heilbronn sandstone , the origin of which goes back at least to the 11th century. Your west tower by Hans Schweiner is considered to be one of the first important Renaissance buildings north of the Alps . In the church is the altar by Hans Seyfer from 1498, which is considered to be a masterpiece of carving in the German late Gothic period. The Monument Foundation Baden-Württemberg named the complex Monument of the Month December 2016 .
Building history
First mention
When the diocese of Würzburg was founded in 741, the new bishop in the East Franconian area received 24 churches with all parish rights and income. This also included a “basilica” in “villa Helibrunna”. This church was previously a royal church dedicated to the archangel Michael , who was popular at the time and who has been venerated at mountain shrines since the 5th century. This is documented by a donation dated to 741. This document is of historical importance because it proves that there was a royal court and a church in Heilbronn in 741. This Heilbronn Michaelsbasilika was built in the time of the Franks near the fountain that gave the city its name and was mentioned again in a document in 889.
Romanesque church, around 1100
Around 1100 there were two churches in Heilbronn. It is believed that the St. Michael's Basilica from 741 stood on the site of today's Kilian's Church. Even if there are some arguments in favor of it, this assumption could not be proven until today. The fact that there was already a sacred building at this location before or around 1100 is considered to have been secured by excavations from 1880. This Romanesque early church was about 10 by 11 m in size and had an apse to the east.
Early Gothic church, around 1280
Around 1280, instead of the small Romanesque church, there was a much larger early Gothic church, the exact time of construction is unknown. This church was in the shape of a basilica with low aisles, a short, single-nave choir and two side choir towers. In the 13th century, at the instigation of the diocese, the church was consecrated to Saint Kilian , who had worked in Würzburg. The building was first mentioned as Kilian's Church in a letter of indulgence in 1297.
West porch, around 1400
Since another pair of towers was planned on the west side of the church, a three-part west porch was added around 1400. This vestibule had a south portal (to today's Kirchbrunnenstraße) and a north portal (to today's Kaiserstraße) and is about 18 m high. However, the planned west towers were not built at this time.
Reconstruction of the nave and choir in the 15th century
Hans von Mingolsheim , a master builder, stonemason and later councilor , built the side aisles between 1447 and 1454 and again from 1458 to 1460 converted the nave of the basilica into a hall church. Subsequently, a larger and higher, now three-aisled hall choir was added as an eastern closure until 1487. The three choir naves were covered with a roof and had apses with tall, slender windows. The height of the choir was unusual for buildings in southwest Germany at the time; the vault was built by master builder Aberlin Jörg . Two chapels were built on the north inner side of the choir, and two sacristies were added to the south outer wall of the choir. The choir windows were fitted with beautiful stained glass panes in 1487, which were probably made in a workshop in Speyer. In the choir is the two-winged main altar by Hans Seyfer from 1498, Johann Kröner was the preacher at that time .
West tower by Hans Schweiner, 1508 to 1529
The original plan for two west towers was dropped as this no longer corresponded to the zeitgeist. From 1508 the characteristic west tower was therefore built by Hans Schweiner from Weinsberg . For this it was first necessary to rebuild the west vestibule, which was designed for two towers, which took place from 1508 to 1513.
The execution of the building was determined by the Reformation ruling from 1524 in Heilbronn under pastor Johann Lachmann . The almost 64-meter-high Kilian Tower, completed in 1529, is considered to be “one of the most original works of the early Renaissance in Germany.” It is characterized by rich Reformation architectural decorations: monkeys in monk's robes, birds with the heads of monks and nuns, bishops with tongues of animals, etc. His The tip is adorned with a purely secular symbol: a banner-bearer of the imperial city, the “Stone Man”, now popularly known as the “Männle” or “Kiliansmännle”.
The largest part of the visible structure was built from typical Heilbronn sandstone . The net vaulting of the ceilings was created as a non-load-bearing ornament around 1580.
Further remodeling and renovations
In the following three centuries only minor additions were made. From October 1805, the building served briefly as a French prison camp for Austrian and Russian soldiers and then had to be renovated because they had burned part of the stalls.
During a more extensive renovation between 1886 and 1894, the building master of Ulm Minster August von Beyer redesigned the building in a neo-Gothic style. The choir received three individual roofs, the hall church from 1587 was converted back into a basilica, and the east towers were given pointed helmets. This renovation prepared the handover of the civic church to the parish of Heilbronn: On June 14, 1867, the Württemberg government decided, after other processes, to establish parishes in Württemberg as corporations under public law and, among other things, to transfer the administration of the church property to them . By March 1893, all ecclesiastical assets were to be separated from the municipal ones. On April 1, 1893, the city handed over to the parish of Heilbronn the Kilian Church, the Nikolaikirche, the rectory at Herbststrasse 21 (where the pastor Reininghaus last lived) and the dean's building at the corner of Gartenstrasse and Turmstrasse (most recently the official and residence of Dean Dr. Rauscher). The other church claims were settled by the city with a promissory note for 330,000 marks, interest-bearing at four percent and repayable in 35 annual installments. At the beginning of April 1893, the land register was corrected ex officio and the parish of Heilbronn was registered as the new owner of the four properties, and thus also of Kilian's Church .
Between 1930 and 1938 there was another renovation.
Destruction in 1944
Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the valuable figures of the Seyfer Altar were housed in the Friedenskirche . Later, on the initiative of the conservationist Richard Schmidt , they were transported to the Kochendorf salt mine together with some of the glass windows in the choir . The other art treasures - such as the shrine of the altar or the sacrament house - were partially secured in the church itself by walling. On September 10, 1944, the roofs of the choir, the north aisle and the sacristy were destroyed by fire bombs during an American air raid. On October 12, 1944, an aerial mine destroyed the windows, parts of the tracery of the choir windows, the southern spiral staircase and the demolition of the high altar. On December 4, 1944, the church was almost completely destroyed in the air raid on Heilbronn . The west tower and the north choir tower burned out, as did the central nave. The choir with its net vault, the gallery and the organ were completely destroyed. In April 1945, heavy artillery fire from the American army caused further damage, particularly on the Western Front.
Reconstruction from 1946 to 1974
The reconstruction was carried out according to plan in several construction phases from 1946 to 1974. After the rubble had initially been cleared away in 1946 and 1947, reconstruction began in 1948, which was headed by Professor Hannes Mayer . The central nave and the side aisles were given a common, high roof again. The choir towers were given their old appearance from before 1886 by means of copper hoods instead of pointed helmets. Overall, the neo-Gothic elements of the renovation of the 19th century were largely dispensed with, so that the exterior of the church is now back in its original Renaissance splendor.
The rededication of the choir with the windows by Charles Crodel took place on November 28, 1965. Franz Albert Bauer donated the window of creation in the choir. In addition, the text written by Pastor Hans Dieter Bechstein appeared: The Kilian Church in Heilbronn, History-Destruction-Reconstruction .
In 1967, Crodel completed the work on the nave windows and after the inauguration of the choir organ, the work was completed according to plan with the rebuilding of the high altar on December 1, 1968: the altar will be re-erected at its old location, with the window and altar forming a unit. (Dean Dr. Siegel, 1960)
The official completion of the entire restoration work inside and outside was November 17th 1974. This included the repair of the west tower with the renovation of the tower vestibule until 1971, the northern choir tower until 1972 and the southern one until 1974. - including the second edition of Hans's book Dieter Bechstein 1975 under the title Heilbronn. The Kilian's Church: the center of the city took place.
The entire church space is characterized by the window work created by Charles Crodel in close connection with the citizenry, churches and monument preservation , which is visually connected to the water of the "Heilbronn", which feeds the baptismal font. The seven-tube fountain belonging to the church ensemble is shown in the northern choir window.
Further renovations from 1984
Further renovations were necessary as early as 1984, when one of the sandstone grimaces fell from a height of 44 m. Therefore, around 100 stones on the tower were renewed by 1987 and renovation work was carried out on the main portal by 1992. In 2000, the association for the Kilian Church in Heilbronn e. V. was founded with Lord Mayor Himmelsbach as a member of the board, chaired by Lothar Späth and, from 2003, by Hans Hambücher . This initiative has "the ideal and financial support for the preservation of the monument Kilianskirche in Heilbronn". From summer 2003 to summer 2005 extensive renovation work was carried out on the west tower of the church. Special methods such as shell limestone conservation and the use of a new type of stone adhesive were also used . In the latter process, not complete stones were exchanged, but only parts, so-called crossings, which were glued in with a newly developed silicate stone adhesive.
Building description
West tower
In 1507 Hans Schweiner was commissioned to build a single west tower. The original plan of a double tower, which was a characteristic feature of episcopal churches, was dropped. Although Kilian's Church was under the patronage of the Bishop of Würzburg at the time of Schweiner, the curator of the saints was responsible for the construction and maintenance of the church building. This was ordered by the city council from around the middle of the 14th century. The single west tower was therefore an essential symbol of worldly power; the imperial cities of that time tried to outdo each other with the construction of the largest church tower.
The Kiliansturm is essentially divided into:
- the two-storey, rectangular substructure,
- the two-storey square tower and
- the three-storey tower octagon with tower top and stone man.
The city council gave Hans Schweiner a free hand to implement his ideas about the tower. In the art-historical publications dealing with the architecture of the 16th century, the Kiliansturm - especially the Turmachtck - is described as one of the first Renaissance buildings in Germany, along with the Fugger Chapel near St. Anna in Augsburg . According to art historians, Schweiner has created something new and noteworthy with the west tower of Kilian's Church. What is special about art history and Schweiner's achievement is that he fused elements of the Romanesque, Gothic and Italian Renaissance and developed his own coherent style that still exerts a peculiar, exotic charm today. Form elements of the Romanesque were then considered to be evidence of the ancient architectural style.
Substructure
The tower ground floor consists of three cross-vaulted rooms, which lie in the axes of the nave. This tower hall, built in the 14th century, with north and south portals to Kaiserstraße and Kirchbrunnenstraße, serves as the entrance hall of the church. Today there are historical tombstones and original sculptures from the characteristic west tower, including the monk's head with a double tongue, which was significant for the Reformation. The southern tower portal shows a tree of life that grows out of the body of the crucified, the northern tower portal shows the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise. The portals were designed by Franz Gutmann . The former west portal is now closed with fixed glazing. This art glass window in the archway was created by Raphael Seitz . On the stairs of the south main portal is a metal and marble sculpture by Jürgen Goertz from 1988 showing Christophorus.
Access to the upper floors is via stair towers which are located in the corners of the west buttress. The southern stair tower is accessible from below, the northern one only from the second floor. The small foundation inscription is located on the northwest corner buttress at a height of about 9 m. The high, four-lane windows on the north and south fronts and the rose window on the west side are characteristic of the second floor . Towards the central nave, the light from this round window falls through the high, slender pointed arch onto the newly built organ gallery.
The large foundation inscription can be seen on the west side of the substructure at a height of about 6 m directly under the cornice. In this the year of the completion of the tower foundation “five hundred and fifty place und drewzehen” (= 1513) and “des maysters name”, namely “hans Schweyner”, is mentioned. The second floor is closed at a height of 18 meters by a southern and northern platform - an arbor - which is bordered by a baluster .
above : “(f) unffzehundort und drewzehen mer is under disser schrifft dug ain gut vest fundament das dragen (thut)”
below : “(ayn) commendable advice thet befelhen the hans schweyner des maysters name what got give us (our sunden ablas) "
Square tower
Between the continuation of the two stair towers is the two-storey tower square, which ends at a height of 35.5 m with the square platform. Its upper floor - the fourth in total - forms the large bell chamber. The tower square is artistically designed with Romanesque and Gothic elements.
Tower octagon
The three floors of the tower octagon rise above the square platform : the tower's apartment, the small bell room and the “dance floor”. The pillars and arches of the small belfry, which is no longer in use, are decorated with rich ornaments. Among them are mythical creatures, some of which are arranged in pairs, for example the naked woman with a necklace and the cleric with a stole, maniple , biretta and glasses. Both figures have predatory forelegs, wings, and scorpion-like hindquarters. Also mentioned are the otherwise similarly shaped sphinx-like hybrid creatures with crown-like headgear or the bird-headed bishop. These representations - so-called drolleries - take up the main part of the figurative decoration and are certainly to be understood as a criticism of the conditions at that time: for example the bird-headed monk with a forked tongue who symbolically speaks with a double tongue. Among other things, Schweiner criticizes the dissolute and offensive way of life of the monks and nuns. The depiction of grimaces and demons goes back to the medieval idea that like can be driven out with like, i.e. This means that demons attached to the tower would keep them out of the church. The frequently presented musical instruments and music tapes can on the one hand be interpreted in a Reformation, on the other hand an apotropaic interpretation is also possible.
An approximately 10 m high, fragile stone spiral staircase leads from the tower keeper's apartment to the “dance floor” on the northwest side of the octagon. The steps and the railing of the staircase attached to the outside of the tower are supported by three slender columns. At the foot of the spiral staircase there is a portrait of a master craftsman, which may be a self-portrait of Hans Schweiner. At the top of the stairs, about 45 m high, the larger-than-life sculpture of a tower guard in a mercenary uniform with sword, halberd and bugle kneels . This tower guard represents the playful conclusion of the staircase, which ends there suddenly and without further handrails, and points to the seventh floor, the so-called “dance floor”. This has a baluster parapet approach and, like the bell room below, is decorated with mythical creatures and gargoyles on the tower corners. The name, which has been in use since the 19th century, goes back to the idea that the city's patricians met here to dance over the roofs, but this is not historically proven.
Above the “dance floor” - at a height of 50 m - is the two-storey, strongly structured tower tower. At its core is an iron, open spiral staircase that leads to the top floor. Before the destruction in World War II, this staircase was also made of stone. On the upper floor of the tower spire is a small platform with a wrought-iron railing at a height of 58 meters, which represents the highest vantage point of the tower. At this height, the small and large completion inscriptions were carved on the central pillar. The small completion inscription says: “Started building in 1513 under Emperor Maximilian. Completed in 1529 under Emperor Charles V. ”The round pillar widens to a capital-like base on which the 2.35 meter high stone man stands; a city soldier in a mercenary uniform with a feather beret and sword. In his right hand he carries the lance with the imperial banner, the tip of which is 63.7 meters high.
The gargoyle bird with a goat foot and 2 human heads (1525) has so far been interpreted as a monk and a nun and is supposed to mock the church: “... in the figures from the west tower of the evangelical Kilian church there is also the mockery of the new faith builder at the representatives of the old faith, especially to the Catholic clergy and especially to the monks and nuns in the monasteries. In the ... bird with the double head of monk and nun, a deliberate mockery of monasticism or the religious order of the Catholic Church can be seen ”. The gargoyle exhibited in the Haus der Stadtgeschichte (Heilbronn) , however, shows a man's head who (according to the description) has no tonsure .
Choir
The late Gothic choir is visually and colorfully combined into a spatial unit by the choir windows created by Charles Crodel: the main choir with the main altar by Hans Seyfer, the northern side choir as the Last Supper choir and the southern side choir as the baptismal choir (with the baptismal font fed from "Heilbronn" ).
Main altar by Hans Seyfer
The two-winged main altar by Hans Seyfer from 1498 in the exceptionally high choir of the church is considered a masterpiece of carving. It contains numerous figures, relief scenes and decorative accessories. The altar is 11.64 m high, 7.86 m wide and consists of three parts (predella, shrine with wings, cracks).
- Predella (lowest part): two church fathers each on the left ( Pope Gregory and Cardinal Hieronymus ) and on the right (Bishops Augustine and Ambrosius ), in the middle Christ with John and Mary.
- Sculpture shrine or corpus (middle part): in the middle Maria, flanked by St. Peter with church keys (left) and St. Kilian with sword (right), the two martyrs Laurentius with rust (far left) and Stephen with stones on the Bible (far right). Above in the niches: The two male half-figures represent the companions of St. Kilian: Kolonat and Totnan . In the two female busts are Apollonia of Alexandria and Margareta St. Mapped.
- Crucifixion in bursts (upper part).
- The altar wings show the birth of Christ at the top left and the miracle of Pentecost at the bottom left, the risen Christ in front of the empty grave at the top right and the death of Mary at the bottom right.
The altar was dismantled and stored during the Second World War. The figures and relief panels on the wings survived the war in the salt mine in Kochendorf bombproof at a depth of 200 m, whereas the cracks and shrines walled up in the west tower of Kilian's Church burned up. The decision for a reconstructive reconstruction was made after long deliberations with the approval of the responsible monument conservator, Count Adelmann ; In seven years of work, the destroyed parts were reconstructed by restorer Walter Hammer and sculptor Josef Wolfsteiner .
Soon after his death, the artist of the altar was forgotten, so that the altar was still attributed to the Würzburg sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider at the end of the 19th century . Through research and stylistic comparisons, the opinion prevailed that a Hans von Heilbronn must have created the altar. In 1909 Moriz von Rauch found the full name of the sculptor: Master Hans Seyfer, citizen of Heilbronn in the documents of the Heilbronn archive. The last uncertainty was dispelled when the restorer Walter Hammer uncovered the name "Hans Syfer" during the restoration in 1963. In the upper right wing (resurrection) the year 1498 is carved on the grave slab on the top right - upside down when viewed from the viewer. This year will certainly refer to the year the altar was completed.
Sculptures in the shrine
Crucifixion group in the burst (above the shrine)
Pope Gregory and Cardinal Hieronymus (Predella left)
Resurrection (right wing, top)
Reticulated vault
After its destruction in 1944, the historic reticulated vault by Aberlin Jörg was reconstructed over many years according to historical templates and provided with modern keystones. The choir windows are handcrafted and signed works by Charles Crodel. The designer of the side portals was Ulrich Henn (see other works of art ).
Central nave
The central nave of Kilian's Church is characterized by the mighty columns that divide the room into three parts and that support the roof structure.
The nave, which was given a neo-Gothic plaster vault at the end of the 19th century, was restored with a wooden coffered ceiling after the destruction of the Second World War, as it was probably already there in the 13th century.
The side windows are part of the window work created by Charles Crodel with the date and signature of the handwritten work.
The wrought iron railing of the outside staircase and the organ gallery were created by Werner Holzbächer. It shows angels moving up and down, making music.
Gothic window panels
In addition to the Seyfer altar, there is another treasure in the Kilian's Church. There are 19 late-Gothic window panels that have been preserved from the former medieval glazing. They have been in the windows of two chapel niches in the north choir wall since the church was rebuilt in 1965. These color plates could be the remains of a much larger number of glass windows from the hall choir, which was completed in 1487. What remains are ten figurative representations, six canopy images and three coats of arms, which may have been made by a master from Speyer.
The following are shown on the glass panes (the number in brackets means the counting of the glass windows from east to west): (1) A coat of arms disc with the black imperial eagle and the year 1487 on a golden yellow background (this coat of arms is said to be the oldest evidence act for the colors of the city's coat of arms), (4) a royal person in a purple cloak (possibly from a cycle of the Adoration of the Magi), (6) half-length of the Archangel Michael, (7) half-length of the Mother of God in the ears of corn, (9) deacon Totnan, one of the companions of the Holy Kilian, (10) the Holy Burkhard, the first Bishop of Wurzburg, (11) the Holy Kilian, patron Heilbronn Kilianskirche and (12) the kneeling donor John of Allendorf (1400-1496), provost from St. Burkhard in Würzburg, from 1475 parishioner of St. Kilian in Heilbronn.
The four western panes are canopies (or parts of them) made of yellow branches with black shading on a blue background (13 to 16). The remaining three panes are raised in the middle side window. Two of them are also branch canopies (17 and 18) and the highest disk represents St. Andrew (19).
- Gothic window panels
Old city coat of arms from 1487
Our Lady in the ears of corn
archangel Michael
Royal person in a purple coat
More works of art
Sacrament House
The two filigree, late Gothic tabernacles in the main and north choirs, which were damaged in the Second World War and later not restored, have been preserved as fragments .
The sacrament house in the main choir is located on its north wall and is connected to the sacrament house in the north choir via a wall breakthrough that forms the sacrament shrine. The builder of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Anton Pilgram, is believed to be the creator of the sacrament house in the main choir , but this is not supported by the latest research.
The sacrament house in the north choir could come from his pupil Bernhard Sporer , which has also not been proven.
Mount of Olives
In the north choir there is a relief from the Mount of Olives depicting Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane with three disciples. It is believed that this relief was created by Hans Seyfer himself or by one of his students due to similarities to the resurrection in the wing of the Seyfer altar. These similarities exist, for example, in the depiction of the wickerwork fence or the city in the background of the two works mentioned.
The depiction of the animals is also interesting, for example the frogs below and on the left, which could also indicate Seyfer.
Baptismal font and altar
The font and altar in the south choir were completed in 1965 by the Stuttgart sculptor Gottfried Gruner . The baptismal font with a hexagonal cross-section is fed from the old healing fountain that rises under the church. The baptismal altar vividly depicts the words of Jesus: “Let the little children come to me”.
pulpit
The old Gothic pulpit with a high sound cover , which was formerly located on the south side of the central nave, was destroyed in the Second World War and not restored in this form. The pulpit, newly created by Karl Hemmeter from Munich in 1965, is now on the north side of the central nave not far from the middle altar. The sandstone pulpit shows as deep reliefs on five sides: the Good Samaritan, the Last Judgment, the return of the prodigal son, Christ with Mary and Martha, the stoning of Stephen.
On the right above the pulpit on the choir arch there is an imperial city coat of arms, which is carried by two angels. This was probably made around 1485 and is attributed to Anton Pilgram.
Epitaphs
Various epitaphs can still be found in Kilian's Church, suggesting that indoor burials took place here. Originally stone slabs were used as lying grave slabs with inscriptions and relief representations. Later bronze or wooden panels were used, which were hung on the walls. A few bronze epitaphs have been preserved in the northern and southern choirs and stone epitaphs in the tower hall of the west tower. One of the epitaphs is that of Johann Kröner , who was a preacher at Kilian's Church from 1493 until his death in 1520.
window
The window work by Charles Crodel determines the lighting of the entire church space and only creates the spatial unity of the nave and hall choir . The person entering from the tower hall already perceives the entire space as a hall church and sees how the tracery windows lead to the communion choir in the north and the baptismal choir in the south. This two-lane bright light guide bridges the large gap between the windows and emphasizes the character of the nave as a sermon church.
The glazing of the choir hall directs the side room light onto the high altar and catches it through the central dense ornamental window. The imagery of the high altar has been taken up by Crodel and shows the act of redemption of Jesus Christ in the middle window, the story of creation in the north window and the Revelation of John in the south window . The two windows in the north choir show motifs according to its function as the Last Supper choir. In the windows of the southern side choir - the baptismal choir - are scenes from the New Testament (northern window: the Annunciation to Mary, the birth of Jesus, adoration, the flight into Egypt, Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem) and the Old Testament (southern window : the expulsion from paradise, Cain's fratricide, altar and rainbow, Abraham under the starry sky, Jacob's ladder to heaven).
In the north aisle of the nave, the series of images, largely donated by the booth , shows , among other things, the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins as well as the parable of the good Samaritan . Prefigurations are shown in the windows of the south aisle . This means that a belief is not only represented figuratively according to the New Testament, but also in its "preliminary design" according to the Old Testament.
In 2011 Xenia Hausner presented five representational designs for the windows of the south aisle, which are controversial. The controversial works are now to be realized alongside the six designs for the choir windows by Bernhard Huber .
Portals
The north central portal to Kaiserstraße was restored in 1963 by the two sculptors Ludwig Herold from Gundelsheim and Heinz Mann from Ilsfeld. They recreated the pointed arch, the two canopies , the finial, the pinnacles and the two gargoyles, lamb and billy goat, based on the originals . The tympanum shows Mary with the Christ child in her arms. The bronze door was created by Ulrich Henn from Leutersdorf in the Eifel and shows in the left wing the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and in the right the abandoned cross-bearer who took the guilt of humanity upon himself.
The southern central portal facing Kirchbrunnenstrasse was rebuilt in 1965 by the sculptors Heinz Mann from Ilsfeld and Karl Dietrich from Heilbronn. In the tympanum, St. Kilian is depicted with a miter , sword and crook , which is framed by vine leaves and grapes. The bronze door, like the one in the north central portal, was created by Ulrich Henn from Leutersdorf in the Eifel and is intended to symbolize Jesus' mandate to people to “go and teach, baptize and heal”. It shows the sending of the disciples into the world, the stoning of Stephen and the burning Sodom and Gomorrah.
Others
Furthermore, there are some remains of various older works of art, such as the Adoring Angels in one of the northern choir niches or the Three Kings below the south tower , which were probably originally part of a Christmas group to the right of the high altar in the Sedilien niche . The Sedile niche was not restored after being destroyed in World War II.
A cross of nails has stood on the north side altar since 2008 .
Organs
Up until the Second World War there was a large organ on the western gallery of the central nave , which was built between 1843 and 1847 by the organ builder Eberhard Friedrich Walcker from Ludwigsburg and rebuilt in 1888 by Karl Schäfer from Heilbronn. The cone shop instrument, which was destroyed in World War II, had 50 stops (2889 pipes ) on three manuals and pedal and was placed in a neo-Gothic case .
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Main organ
Today's main organ was also built in 1959 by the Ludwigsburg organ building company Walcker . The instrument has 62 registers on four manuals and a pedal. The key actions are mechanical, the stop actions are electrical. The instrument was renovated and expanded until 2002.
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Coupling: I / II, III / II, III / III (sub and super octave coupling), IV / II, IV / III, I / P, II / P, III / P (also as super octave coupling), IV / P
Choir organ
The choir organ in the southern choir was built in the Rensch organ building workshop in Lauffen . The slider chest instrument has 14 stops on two manuals and a pedal. The actions are mechanical. The breastwork can be pulled out of the instrument with the console.
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Coupling: II / I, I / P, II / P
Bells
The old bells, which came from the Middle Ages, had withstood all wars and destruction for centuries until December 4, 1944. The bells did not have to be handed in for war purposes in 1917 or 1942, as was customary elsewhere. These historically valuable bells were partly from the Heilbronn foundry Daniel Eger and his successor Bernhart Lachaman the Elder. Ä. been poured. During the air raid on Heilbronn on December 4, 1944 , the west and north towers burned down, the bells fell and almost all of them were destroyed. Only two of these bells - the chime and fire bells and the storm and fire bells - are still preserved today. The first is only rung on December 4th to commemorate the destruction of the city of Heilbronn.
In the 1950s and early 1960s it was only possible to gradually cast new bells, as the reconstruction of Kilian's Church was associated with high financial costs. The first bell was cast in 1953, the almost four-ton Dominica by the A. Bachert bell foundry in Heilbronn - a subsidiary of the well-known Bachert bell foundry family from Bad Friedrichshall . This bell was to serve as a memorial bell for the dead of December 4th, 1944. Their solicitation was celebrated on October 13, 1953.
Two bells were cast in 1958 and four more in 1963, which were consecrated with the Pentecost service in 1964. The bronze from the old, destroyed bells was used for the new bells. With the last four bells, the total ringing of the Kilian's Church, weighing over 14 tons, was complete. This means that there are nine bells in Kilian's Church today. Eight of them are hung on two levels of chairs in the nine-meter-high and approximately 50-square-meter belfry. Another bell that cannot be rung - the striking bell - is located in the north-eastern tower under the "Männle".
The bell expert of the Evangelical Church in Württemberg, Claus Huber, described the bell of Kilian's Church in 2001 as "one of the most beautiful in the country."
|
No. |
Surname |
Founder, year of casting |
Percussive ( HT - 1 / 16 ) |
Weight (kg) |
Ø (cm) |
inscription |
Ornamental |
Remarks |
| 1 |
Gloriosa ("The Glorious") |
Bachert bell foundry, 1958 | b 0 −8 | 5112 | 192 | Your kingdom come, your will be done. | Isaiah vision (Helmut Uhrig) | The deepest clay bell in town, donated by the Ernst Friedrich Tscherning family |
| 2 |
Dominica ("The consecrated to the Lord") |
Bachert bell foundry, 1953 | c 1 −6 | 3940 | 178 | All flesh is grass, but the word of the Lord endures forever, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John | Christ monogram and crown | Memorial bell to commemorate December 4, 1944. All other Heilbronn post-war bells of the Protestant churches match the chime of the bell. |
| 3 | Prayer bell | Bachert bell foundry, 1958 | it 1 −5 | 2108 | 143 | Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. | Christ with hands raised, Gethsemane motif | |
| 4th | Cross bell | Bachert bell foundry, 1963 | f 1 −6 | 1448 | 126 | See that is God's Lamb who bears the sin of the world. | Crucifixion group (Helmut Uhrig) | |
| 5 | Sign and arbitration bell | g 1 −6 | 1026 | 113 | I want to sing of the Lord's grace. | Kilian's Church with the Holy Spirit (dove) | ||
| 6th | Baptismal bell | b 1 −6 | 584 | 94 | Look, I have drawn you in my hands. | Cross on ocean | ||
| 7th | Storm and fire bell | 14th century | h 1 −8 | 581 | 96 | no inscription | The bell rings on December 4th to commemorate the destruction of the city - does not belong to the general bell | |
| 8th | Evangelist and country fire bell | Daniel Eger, 2nd half of the 15th century | it 2 −2 | approx. 270 | 74.5 | s matheus + s iohannes + s lucas + s marcus | 2005 hung from below the "Männle" in the bell room | |
| Chime bell | Stefan & Johann Arnolt, 1691 | d 2 +1 | 175 | 66 | Lt. Johann Davit retired castle master Michael Glandorf Johann Georg Pfizer Currently Stewrverwalther zu Heilbrun 1691 | Decorative elements (flowers, angels, cross, in the frieze dragon animals in flowers, hands) | Former gate or harbor market tower bell, replaced the Daniel Eger bell in the tower spire in 2005 - does not belong to the overall bell |
Heilbronn measures of length
Since the imperial city of Heilbronn had its own length dimensions, the Heilbronn control measure is located on the northern main portal directly opposite the market square. Outside the church to the left of the main portal, these dimensions were intended as a control for local and foreign traders. They've probably been there since the second half of the 15th century and were renewed in 1969.
The individual dimensions are as follows:
- 1 measuring rod = 286.5 cm (= 10 Wirtembergian feet of 28.65 cm each)
- 1 Wirtemberg cubit = 61.42 cm
- 1 shoe = 27.71 cm
Former parish cemetery
From Kiliansplatz around the church there was once the parish cemetery , that is, the cemetery belonging to the church . The main part of the cemetery lay on the south and east sides of the church, but it also ran along the north side. Clergy and higher-ranking people were buried in the church itself, the simple church people were buried in the churchyard. The cemetery has probably existed since the church was founded and was first mentioned in 1290 when a Volmar Lemlin was donated to Maulbronn Monastery to maintain an eternal light on that cemetery. An ossuary and two smaller chapels once stood in the cemetery .
Since the space in the medieval city was cramped, the churchyard served not only as a burial place but also as a meeting place, where, among other things, the results of vineyard and field inspections were announced or alms were distributed. Near the north central portal there is a stone plaque that refers to the alms that was previously given to 13 people in need. This “alms for the poor people” was donated by the city council in 1449 and then given out on every Sunday and apostle day . In the place of the stone tablet there used to be the alms house, where alms were distributed until 1830. The inscription on the plaque says: "Anno Domini 1449 there was this everlasting alimus to 13 poor people". The fact that the churchyard was also a meeting place harbored various potential for conflict. Around 1500, the city council forbade standing around and chatting in the churchyard on Sundays and public holidays. In 1507, the busy job market developing in the cemetery between job seekers and job bidders was relegated to the neighboring market square.
The space in the Kilianskirchhof has always been cramped, so that burials often had to go to the other two churchyards in the city, even if the graves in the churchyard were not fortified and were re-occupied within a few years. In times of the epidemic, all three churchyards in the city were insufficient, so that epidemic victims were often buried outside the city walls. Gradually one saw a health hazard in the inner-city cemetery, also close to the important church fountain. As early as 1441, the city council tried to limit the use of the cemetery and divert it to the other cemeteries by drastically increasing the burial fees at St. Kilian, but initially failed because of the resistance of the church lord of St. Kilian, who was also responsible for the many burials benefited. In 1495 the council tried to limit the burials at St. Kilian to honorable personalities, but because of the plague that was prevalent at the time and the continued resistance of the church lord, there were still a large number of burials around the church. It was not until 1530 that the council was able to enforce a ban on funerals around the church. In future, the dead were buried in a new cemetery (today: old cemetery ) located outside the city walls . Until 1834, a garden on the east side of the Kilian Church reminded of the Kilianskirchhof.
Indoor burials in Kilian's Church continued to take place regularly until the early 18th century. The last indoor burial was after a break of several decades on December 31, 1781. The buried was Benedicta Charlotte von Schlotheim (1699–1781), who had received the right to this burial from the city council as compensation for the fact that she was around 1760 had refused an apartment in the syndicate building near the town hall.
literature
- Christhard Schrenk (Hrsg.): The Kiliansturm: Tower of the towers in Heilbronn. Heilbronn City Archives, Heilbronn 2005, ISBN 3-928990-94-2 .
- Simone Farys: Building in the Imperial Reformation Heilbronn. An exemplary analysis of the work of Hans Schweyner von Weinsberg (1473–1534). Münster 2004, ISBN 3-8258-7778-7 .
- Stephan Hoppe : Northern Gothic, Italian Renaissance and beyond. Toward a 'thick' description of style. In: Monique Chatenet (ed.): Le Gothique de la Renaissance. Actes des quatrième Rencontres d'architecture européenne, Paris, 12 - 16 June 2007. Paris 2011, pp. 47–64 ( digitized version ).
- Stephan Hoppe: style discourses, architectural fictions and relics. Observations in Halle, Chemnitz and Heilbronn on the influence of the visual arts on Central European master craftsmen around 1500. In: Stefan Bürger, Bruno Klein (ed.): Werkmeister der Spätgotik. Position and role of architects in construction from the 14th to 16th centuries. Darmstadt 2009, pp. 69–91. Online version on ART doc
- Klaus D. Koppal: On three problems in Heilbronn's city history: The place name - the Rosenberg - the churches. In: Historischer Verein Heilbronn, year book 26 (1969), p. 79ff.
- Handbook of German Art Monuments. Baden-Württemberg. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1979, ISBN 3-422-00360-6
- Andreas Pfeiffer, Karl Halbauer (eds.): Hans Seyfer - sculptor on the Neckar and Rhine around 1500. Städtische Museen Heilbronn, Edition Braus in the Wachter-Verlag, Heilbronn 2002, ISBN 3-930811-95-2 .
- Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: the center of the city. Publishing house of the "Heilbronner Voice", Heilbronn 1975.
- Hans Koepf : The Heilbronner Kilianskirche and its masters. City archive of the city of Heilbronn, Brok & Feierabend, Heilbronn 1961.
Individual evidence
- ^ Evangelical Kilian Church Community Heilbronn: About us
- ^ The west tower of Heilbronn's Kilian's Church in art historical literature. Heilbronn City Archives , archived from the original on February 13, 2013 ; Retrieved February 13, 2013 .
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, p. 11.
- ↑ a b c Christhard Schrenk: House of God with a changeful fate . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, p. 15.
- ↑ Christhard Schrenk: House of God with an eventful fate . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, p. 17.
- ^ Thieme-Becker, artist lexicon. Bd. 33. Leipzig 1936, quoted from Der Westturm der Heilbronn Kilian's Church in art historical literature. Heilbronn City Archives , archived from the original on February 13, 2013 ; Retrieved February 13, 2013 .
- ^ W. Steinhilber, Who built the Kilian's Church and who did it once belong to? The building owner of St. Kilian was the city of Heilbronn, Heilbronner Voice, September 29, 1962.
- ↑ Christhard Schrenk: House of God with an eventful fate . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, p. 27.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, pp. 47-50.
- ↑ http://www.stimme.de/storage/med/pdf/archiv-ticker/1960/november/3514_HSt-Stadt_10.11.1960.pdf Dean Dr. Seal: Restoration is only carried out in the spirit of Hans Seyfer.
- ↑ Christhard Schrenk: House of God with an eventful fate . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, pp. 29–30.
- ↑ https://sites.google.com/site/charlescrodel/home/kilianskirche/Ch-Crodel-Fensterwerk-Kilianskirche.pdf
- ↑ Christhard Schrenk: House of God with an eventful fate . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, p. 31.
- ^ Albert Kieferle: Renewal and Conservation . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, pp. 156–160.
- ^ Karl Halbauer: Of daring flights of stairs and bizarre creatures . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, pp. 55–56, 77–78. Hoppe, Stephan: Style discourses, architectural fictions and relics. Observations in Halle, Chemnitz and Heilbronn on the influence of the visual arts on Central European master craftsmen around 1500. In: Bürger, Stefan; Klein, Bruno (ed.): Werkmeister of the late Gothic. Position and role of architects in construction from the 14th to 16th centuries. Darmstadt 2009, pp. 69–91.
- ^ Karl Halbauer: Of daring flights of stairs and bizarre creatures . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, pp. 57–60.
- ^ Karl Halbauer: Of daring flights of stairs and bizarre creatures . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, pp. 79–80.
- ^ Karl Halbauer: Of daring flights of stairs and bizarre creatures . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, pp. 60–61.
- ^ Karl Halbauer: Of daring flights of stairs and bizarre creatures . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, pp. 61–81.
- ^ Helmut Schmolz and Hubert Weckbach: Heilbronn - history and life of a city . 2nd Edition. Anton H. Konrad Verlag, Weißenhorn 1973, p. 48, no. 66–73 [ Gargoyles on Kiliansturm, around 1525 ].
- ↑ https://sites.google.com/site/charlescrodel/home/kilianskirche/
- ↑ a b Christhard Schrenk: House of God with an eventful fate . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, p. 18.
- ↑ Ulrike Plate: Long struggle for the right form. Discussion on the reconstruction of the interior of the Kilian's Church in Heilbronn . In: Stratigraphy and Structure. Festschrift for Hartmut Schäfer on the occasion of his 65th birthday (= research and reports on medieval archeology, vol. 28). Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 2008, pp. 269–275.
- ^ Karl Halbauer: Hans Seyfer - Artistic Origin - Works - Effect . In: Hans Seyfer - Sculptors on Neckar and Rhine around 1500 , Heilbronn 2002, pp. 23–24.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, p. 77.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, pp. 60–63.
- ↑ Two-page accompanying text in a showcase below the window panels in the western of the two chapel niches in Kilian's Church.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, pp. 89-90.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, p. 90.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, pp. 95–96.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, p. 65.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: center of the city. Heilbronn 1975, pp. 97-101.
- ^ Kilian Krauth: A composition of color and light . In: Heilbronn voice . February 1, 2012 ( from Stimme.de [accessed on May 5, 2012]).
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, pp. 69-72.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, pp. 63-65.
- ^ Matthias Driver: Farewell to the obvious . In: Heilbronn voice . November 16, 2011 ( from Stimme.de [accessed on November 22, 2009]).
- ↑ red: Kilian's Church: City gives the green light for new windows . In: Heilbronn voice . November 22, 2011 ( from Stimme.de [accessed on November 22, 2009]).
- ^ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, pp. 101-102.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, pp. 102-104.
- ↑ Main organ at kirchenmusik-heilbronn.de
- ↑ More information on the Walcker organ from 1847
- ↑ More information about the main organ
- ↑ More information about the choir organ on the website of the builder company.
- ↑ Norbert Jung: Peace be her first peal . In: The Kiliansturm: Tower of the Towers in Heilbronn , Heilbronn 2005, pp. 173–181.
- ↑ Hans Dieter Bechstein: Heilbronn - The Kilian Church: Center of the City , Heilbronn 1975, pp. 104-105.
- ^ Source for the section on the churchyard: Wilhelm Steinhilber: The Heilbronner Pfarrkirchhof zu St. Kilian . In: Swabia and Franconia. Local history supplement of the Heilbronn voice . 6th year, no. 10 . Heilbronner Voice publishing house, October 29, 1960, ZDB -ID 128017-X .
- ^ Wilhelm Steinhilber: The last interior burial in St. Kilian . In: Swabia and Franconia. Local history supplement of the Heilbronn voice . 12th year, no. 6 . Heilbronner Voice publishing house, June 11, 1966, ZDB -ID 128017-X .
Web links
- Information on the “Kilian's Church in Heilbronn” in the German Digital Library
- Building information and preservation of monuments 1447–1454 Construction of the side aisles at Kilian's Church
- Description of the windows by Charles Crodel (PDF; 8.5 MB)
- Bells of Kilian's Church: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK0h3wG8QnE
- Karl Halbauer: The west tower of the Heilbronn Kilianskirche. Description and art-historical classification
- Abendschau - Kilian's Church in Heilbronn (TV report from November 27, 1965) via ARD media library . Retrieved October 30, 2019.
Coordinates: 49 ° 8 ′ 30 ″ N , 9 ° 13 ′ 9 ″ E
