Betschwanden Church
The Reformed Church in Betschwanden , which is listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural assets as an object of regional importance, is essentially a late Romanesque building. The church was possibly built around 1300. The church is first mentioned in a trademark book of the Diocese of Constance in 1370. J. Davatz, long-standing cultural representative of the Canton of Glarus and curator of the historical museum in the Freuler Palace in Näfels, believes that the oldest building stock could date back to the first half of the 14th century. An archaeological excavation in the late summer of 1975 enabled the building history to be clarified, which took place in three phases.
First construction phase
The church is not directed towards the east, as usual, but towards the south. The reason for this is probably the different nature of the building ground: in the east soft building ground made of alluvial material and in the west quite stable soil. If the church had been built across the valley, it would have broken apart over time.
The size of the church - the nave is over 20 meters long and 12.5 meters wide - suggested for a long time that, like other churches in the area, it finally got its present shape from a smaller chapel through enlargements and extensions. The excavation has shown that no older building existed, unless it was outside the current facility. The floor plan and a large part of the masonry belong to the oldest complex.
The choir, which is now on the ground floor of the tower, was originally covered by a gable roof that was lower than the church roof, which was then flatter. The tower was only built in a second construction phase above the choir. The excavation could not provide a reason why the choir was moved 70 cm to the east.
The late Romanesque church was sparsely lit by three small, meter-high, round-arched windows with narrow openings in the longitudinal walls. One of these windows has been almost completely preserved. It is located behind the Bible verse to the left of the large window next to the pulpit and is still visible from the outside.
On the east side between today's third window and the choir wall, a plinth painting with a diamond pattern has come to light. This find suggests Emil Brunner: “Magnificent, colorful wall paintings and diamond wreaths on the wall base gave the interior a festive atmosphere”.
In the choir there were two arched windows in the south and east walls. Two simple niches were let into the front and west wall. The choir and nave were separated from each other by a stately wall, the height of which is difficult to determine. The choir was 60 cm higher than the nave and could be reached via two three-step stairs, each 1.20 m wide and 90 cm into the nave. The main altar stood 2.20 m in front of the front wall. Only later was a smaller altar placed in front of the choir screen, the dividing wall between the choir and the nave. The ceiling of the choir in the form of a monastery vault is part of the original structure.
All traces of the oldest ceiling in the ship have been blurred. A flat ceiling is to be assumed, which should have been at the height of today's wall crowns. This resulted in a rather compact and low church interior with a height of only 5.50 m and a width of 12.60 m.
Second construction phase
The tower was added to the original structure in a second construction phase in the first half of the 14th century. How high the original tower was can no longer be determined. However, it can be assumed that it did not protrude far beyond the sound holes of the current bell chamber with the two pillars. Apparently the two much smaller windows underneath represent the sound holes of the former bell storey.
Third construction phase
In a third construction phase in 1486/87 the flat roof was replaced by a steeper one, the roof structure of which is still largely preserved today. Along with the elevation of the ridge, the tower was raised.
Two new, larger windows were broken out in the southern part of the ship. The two small Romanesque ones next to the new windows were bricked up. These two windows illuminated the vestibule, which was separated from the nave by a wall and which was created in this construction phase. The choir area could be entered from the ship via two steps. The expansion of the choir area is probably due to an increased number of priests. The prechoir and choir were separated by a step. A side altar was built on the site of today's pulpit.
A new arrangement of the benches was part of the new prechoir system. An eastern bench area reached from the curtain wall to 4.70 m in front of the north wall. A major banking area only began at the height of today's west entrance and extended to the north wall. This arrangement of the pews indicates that the old pulpit was in the south-west corner of the church.
The new roof structure required a new ceiling: a late Gothic, carved flat ceiling that was only slightly installed over the current windows. With a height of almost 5.5 m, the church interior was rather depressed in relation to its length and width. Remnants of this ceiling are preserved on today's gallery parapet. According to a report from the restoration in 1857, the ceiling bore the inscription: "In the year when one pays after the birth of Christ MCCCCLXXXVI peter". It is possible that this Peter is Peter Winsdanner, who later carved the ceilings in Matt and Elm's churches.
Later changes and additions to Appendix Three
In the period between 1486/87 and 1857, a total of nine windows were knocked out in the nave: some are closed off with arches, the others with round arches. It is possible that the arched windows were created together with the renovation in 1857.
In 1491 a larger bell was placed in the tower with the inscription: “S. Joannes ora pro nobis. M.CCCC.LXXXXI ”(St. John prayed for us. 1491).
In the course of the Reformation, on March 29, 1529, the pictures were removed from the church and burned.
The basket of today's pulpit is a Renaissance work that was created in 1619. The staircase, back wall and cover were made in 1915 based on a design by the architect Streiff. The pulpit column was designed during the interior renovation in 1976.
Caspar Lang wrote in 1698 about an earlier picture of Christophorus on an outside wall of the church: “If you can still see the portrait of the h. Christophori with the portrait of Christ; then even if it has been crossed out several times, it cannot remain crossed out. "
Interior renovation from 1857
At the end of April 1856, the parish decided to build a gallery and organ as well as to make the necessary changes and raise the ceiling. Under the direction of master builder Caspar Leuzinger, Glarus, a gallery was created to accommodate the first organ. The parapet was decorated with a late Gothic frieze, which was taken from the wooden ceiling from 1486. A barrel vault was built above the nave, increasing the height of the room from almost 5.5 m to 8.5 m. Above the newly constructed gallery, three windows were broken out in the north wall and a round window was placed in the gable.
Werner Stöckli, who was entrusted with the management and implementation of the archaeological excavations, writes about the renovation of 1857: “The structural intervention of that restoration not only brought a new room, but also led the building to the edge of the building by sawing through all the trusses Catastrophe, the collapse ... "The excavation manager, Dr. Peter Eggenberger , who also wrote the archaeological excavation report, says: “There is a drama behind this sober list (i.e. the structural changes on the occasion of the renovation in 1857 with the creation of a plaster barrel vault). The 20 round beams that tied off the roof structure have been sawn through. This had a devastating effect on the east wall, which hangs around 40 cm to the outside. As a result, the impending collapse of the church could be prevented with a variety of aid measures ... "
Maintenance and renovations until 1915
It was during this period that the two iron bars were installed to secure the structure.
In 1879 new seating was installed in the choir.
A glass painting of the risen Christ by the glass painter Friedrich Berbig (Zurich-Enge) was installed in the southern choir window in 1890 .
The seating and wall cladding, which were used as models for today's design, were made between 1892 and 1894. In contrast to today, they were made with an oak wood grain.
The company Mäder, Andelfingen, delivered a new tower clock and four dials in 1899.
Interior renovation from 1915
“At the end of 1914, the church council commissioned the Glarus architects Streiff and Schindler, Zurich, to plan the interior renovation. The vault is newly plastered and sparingly decorated with stucco by the sculptor Kalb, Zurich. "When discussing the architects' cost estimate, however, the item for the stucco work Fr. 2000–3000 aroused quite astonishment," notes the minutes of the Council of Churches. The ornamental stucco is only used very sparingly as decoration for the choir arch and vault. The sculptor Kalb obviously did not use any casting molds, but instead modeled the repeating plant motifs artistically with all sorts of variations. The pulpit will be stripped of paint and restored; it gets a new staircase and sound cover. The parish chair (today standing on the pavement of the parsonage) is also being rebuilt . Attaching two candlesticks to the two anchoring rods. The choice of colors for ceilings, walls and wood is a lot to discuss in three sessions. The Council of Churches refuses to paint the ceilings and walls green; he decides for a white one.
On March 17, 1915, he came to the following conclusion at the woodworks: 'Blue and green don't like, just as little yellow and brown. So everyone present gets the impression that since the old paint (imitation oak) could no longer be retained, the original proposal recommended by the architects is still primarily recommended: red with black and possibly a little white, most likely acceptable. ' "
The church received art nouveau and neo-baroque elements, which were preserved during the renovation from 1975 to 1977.
Interior renovation from 1975–1977
As early as 1964, the parish of Betschwanden was considering the idea of a church renovation, but it was not until the parish assembly on June 18, 1967 that an initial project proposal could be obtained. In this phase, a project was created that provided for a major renovation: new, lower-mounted gallery and organ; Instead of the plaster vault, a polygonal, multi-part wooden ceiling to improve the intelligibility of the spoken word; the separation of the space under the gallery for a foyer with kitchen. This first project was refrained from for cost reasons as well as from a monument conservation point of view.
“The main thing was now [in a new project for the renovation from 1976 to 1977 with the architect Oskar Bitterli] to equip the interior, which was designed in a harmonious way by the architects Streiff and Schindler in 1914/1915 in the form language of the turn of the century , if possible. "
The archaeological excavation revealed that the outer walls lacked solid foundations. The roof structure had to be renovated and braced with the help of pull cables. (During the renovation in 2001 the roof structure was an issue again.) An insulation mat made of rock wool was placed on the plaster ceiling.
A slate floor was installed in the choir and in the corridors, and fir parquet on an insulated substructure under the benches. New benches based on the model of the old benches were installed at a greater distance than before and provided with cushions to improve the acoustics and comfort.
The wooden paneling in the choir, the seating, the parish chair and the font were removed from the choir. The choir, which has been raised by three steps and extended towards the nave, now offers space for a communion table and allows multiple use of the room for small church services or cultural events.
The canopy (sound cover), which was too narrow for the proportions of the pulpit, was extended to include an outer wreath with matching inlays made of stock burl and a wrought-iron rod at the top. The wooden pulpit base was replaced in keeping with the style of the column in the church in Maur, Zurich. The baptismal font was taken from the center of the choir and placed in front of the pulpit on the raised platform of the choir.
Lighting fixtures modeled on the lamps designed in 1914 were mounted on the side walls and the existing lighting in the choir was added. The opal glass with a slightly ribbed, bell-like shape was manufactured in the Glasi Hergiswil .
The civil engineer Hans Aschmann, the preservationists Dr. Josef Grünenfelder, Dr. Jürg Davatz and Dr. Hans Laupper.
Some particular results of the archaeological investigation
A grave and loose bones from earlier burials were found at the main entrance under the mortar floor of the third construction phase from 1487, which was probably broken up for the burial. The exposed skeleton in the still completely preserved grave was facing north. At that burial, an older adult grave was disrupted. A skull lay pressed lightly under the foundation of the north wall. Further bones lay further east of the Gab.
Among other things, the following objects were discovered during the excavation: four coins, ivory rings, slug discs, a spindle whorl . The coins include a Bern coin and the oldest medieval coin found in the canton, an Augsburger Heller from the second half of the 14th century.
An additional excavation, which was carried out after the actual archaeological investigation, showed that there was also a similar extension in the southeast as the sacristy in the southwest.
Renovation and cleaning in 2001 and 2002
In addition to repairs to the facade, roof and windows, the most important thing in the 2001 renovation was the restoration of the roof structure. Karin Gudenrath-Zeller writes in her building report: “The static problems caused by the renovation of the roof structure in the 19th century were already an issue during the last renovation in 1974. The tie rods are too weak to replace the previous girders of the flat ceiling [which were sawn through in 1857]. The cracks in the masonry over the top of the window reappeared. That is why the aim of the renovation in 1974 was to direct some of the roof loads onto the end walls. Tensioning straps in the roof plane should direct the forces into the walls via metal supports. However, the metal supports were not held in place with a pressure rod, so the tensioning straps relaxed again over the years. The compression bar, a beam made of glued laminated timber, has now been installed and the construction is tensioned again. "
Since 2001, four new dials, each 1.9 meters and 2.1 meters in diameter, have replaced the old ones from 1899, where the time was difficult to read. A red circle was painted in the center of the dial, which is surrounded by a white ring of numbers with black digits. The gold leaf-coated hands can now be clearly distinguished from one another in terms of shape and size.
In February 2002 the walls, ceilings, gallery, stucco work, organ, pulpit and windows were cleaned. Ceilings, walls and stuccoing were rubbed down with special cleaning rubbers. Unsightly fillings were removed in various places and replaced with lime mortar. After cleaning, the roller structure of the last coat of paint became visible on the wall and ceiling surfaces. To solve the problem, these surfaces were given a glaze. The succatures were not treated that way.
The organs
Scheffold organ 1858
"In 1858 the Lucerne organ builder Scheffold built the first organ for Betschwanden," reports Jakob Kobelt in his final report on the new organ in 1977. It was a work with a manual and pedal and had the following disposition:
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The purely mechanical instrument had a cone chests, and an “organ treadle” was needed for the two box bellows to generate wind.
Goll organ 1915
During the interior renovation in 1915, a new, second organ from Goll, Lucerne, was installed. It was a typical late romantic organ with 27 stops, 2 extracts and 2 transmissions on II manuals with pedal. The tin prospectus was installed on both sides of the gaming table and the central window on the gallery. The placement of the organ meant that the windows to the left and right of the central window were walled up again. The instrument was provided with a pneumatic playing and stop action, which proved to be imprecise and prone to failure.
The disposition of the organ:
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Mathis organ 1977
The Goll organ from 1915 was replaced in 1977 by an instrument from Orgelbau Mathis , Näfels GL. The new organ with 14 registers is smaller than the old instrument and was placed on the gallery in front of the central window with the stained glass of St. Fridolin . The stained glass was relocated to the east window of the choir and the middle window above the gallery was bricked up, and the windows to the left and right of it, which were bricked up in 1915, were broken out again.
The disposition of the organ with a mechanical sliding drawer :
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- Coupling: II / I, II / P, I / P.
- Playing aids : Organo pleno step, alternating step for trumpet.
The bells
As of September 1878
According to Lang's historical-theological outline 1698, vol. I., p. 921, "be on a glogging in Betschwanden these words":
S. Joannes ora pro nobis.
"This bell is no longer there, but there is an empty space in the belfry for a fourth bell, which was the second largest after the width of the latter."
“In Betschwanden, however, with regard to the fourth bell, which no longer exists ... one version of the legend says that the same purpose of buying bread was sold at a costly time for as many pfennings as the small bell there was able to hold. On the other hand, the other, less probable tradition reports that the ringing of all four bells in Betschwanden caused such a tremor in the church tower because of its mightiness that it fluctuated seriously and was therefore the largest for safety's sake? Bell had been sold. "
I. O rex glorie christe veni nobis cum pace. m.ccc.lxxxxi (1491) in Gothic minuscule
II. O rex glorie cste. veni cvm pace. Amen. in gothic majuse style.
III. Sant. mat. joh. luc. marc. in Gothic minuscule.
Bells from 1898/1899
According to the list of bells from the Theus foundry in Felsberg near Chur , the chime of Betschwanden was cast in 1899. On all bells on the knuckles you can read: CASTED BY GEBR. THEUS IN FELSBERG 1898. Two of the three old bells were melted down. The smallest bell, which is believed to have called for the battle in Näfels as early as 1388, was given to Braunwald as a gift.
- 1st strike note d ′,
- 2nd strike note f sharp ′,
- 3rd strike note a ′,
- 4th strike note d ′ ′
swell
- ↑ a b c Karl Hasler: Archaeological excavation in the Betschwanden church In: Neujahrsbote für das Glarner Hinterland 1977
- ↑ a b J. Davatz: The Betschwanden Church as a building. Newspaper clipping from an unspecified newspaper from April 1, 1975 in the archives of the Reformed Parish Grosstal, Betschwanden
- ↑ a b c d e f J. Davatz, The Betschwanden Church before the interior renovation , In: unknown newspaper in the church archive .
- ↑ (Glarner Volksblatt, November 13, 1975)
- ^ Gottfried Heer, Die Reformation im Lande Glarus, 1919, p. 48
- ^ Oskar Bitterli: Reformed Church Betschwanden building report. In: Text from October 14, 1977 in the archive of the parish Grosstal, Betschwanden.
- ↑ Veronika Feller-Vest: About money found and lost again in the canton. In: Südostschweiz from December 15, 2008.
- ↑ Karin Gudenrath-Zeller: Documentation on the exterior renovation of the Betschwanden Church in 2001. In the archive of the Grosstal parish, Betschwanden.
- ↑ Karin Gudenrath: Kirchenreinigung February 2002. In: Documentation on the work of the Fontana & Fontana AG company, Jona.
- ↑ Jakob Kobelt: Final report on the new building in 1977 of the organ in the Betschwanden church GL In: Archive of the parish Grosstal, Betschwanden.
- ^ A b Arnold Nüscheler-Usteri : The inscriptions of the bells in the canton of Glarus., Separate impression from the XV. Issues of the yearbook of the Glarnerischen historical association, Glarus, Buchdruckerei von Frid. Schmid, 1878, p. 19
- ^ Yearbook of the historical association of the Canton of Glarus. Fifteenth issue, Zurich & Glarus, Meyer & Zeller, 1878
- ↑ Hans Jürg Gnehm: The church bells in the canton of Glarus, Small Glockenkunde with excerpts from the bell inventory compiled in 2001 and 2002. In: Yearbook of the Historisches Verein Glarus, issue 82, 2002, p. 235 f.
literature
- E. Brunner: Older than the Swiss Confederation ...! In: Glarner Volksblatt. November 13, 1975.
- J. Davatz: The Reformed Church Betschwanden. In: Our art monuments. Volume 29, 1978, pp. 91-100.
- J. Davatz: The Betschwanden Church as a building. Newspaper clipping from an unspecified newspaper from April 1, 1975 in the archives of the Reformed Parish Grosstal, Betschwanden.
- J. Davatz: The Betschwanden Church from 1857 to 2002. In: Yearbook of the Glarus Historical Association. Issue 82, 2002, pp. 103-116.
- Peter Eggenberger: The building history of the Betschwanden church. In: Yearbook of the Glarus Historical Society. Issue 82, 2002, pp. 66-102.
- Hans Jürg Gnehm: The church bells in the canton of Glarus, little bell history with excerpts from the bell inventory compiled in 2001 and 2002. In: Yearbook of the Glarus Historical Society. Issue 82, 2002, pp. 204-248.
- Karl Hasler: Archaeological excavation in the Betschwanden church. In: New Year's Messenger for the Glarus Hinterland 1977.
- Gottfried Heer, The Reformation in the country of Glarus on the 400th anniversary of the Swiss Reformation , 1919
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 56 '43 " N , 9 ° 1' 29.2" E ; CH1903: 720,751 / 200573