Heilig Kreuz Church (Langnau im Emmental)

Haldenstrasse in Langnau in the Emmental with the Catholic (in the foreground) and Reformed Church

The Church of the Holy Cross is the Roman Catholic Church of Langnau in the Emmental , Canton of Bern , Switzerland, named after the Holy Cross .

Church history

The first Catholic service in Langnau after the Reformation was celebrated in the Hotel Hirschen in 1900. From then on, Langnau was an outpost of the Maria Himmelfahrt parish of Burgdorf BE, founded in 1884, and as such was cared for from 1928 to 1938 by Louis Unternährer and then by Johann Ignaz Senn, until she got her own pastor on February 24, 1954 with Johann Maria Buholzer from Lucerne . On January 1, 1970, the Langnau Catholics became an independent parish by decree of the Bernese Grand Council . On August 20, 1982 Buholzer was replaced by Hans Bloetzer, who was born on December 20, 1930 in Ferden im Lötschental , and after his tragic accidental death on September 30, 1997 on a mountain tour in the Mont-Blanc massif , the parish became the first from 1996 to 2003 by a non-priest who is the German- born community leader Bernhard Mast.

Since 1960 the Catholic parish of Langnau (then still called Kultusverein ) has owned a rectory opposite the church at Oberfeldstrasse 6, and since 1984 a parish home at Oberfeldstrasse 8 that has been converted since 1984.

Building history

The simple hall by Ernst Mühlemann was consecrated on September 14th, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross , in 1932 and from then on, Holy Mass was celebrated here every Sunday . In 1941 electric lights shone in the church for the first time , on May 16, 1943 the organ was inaugurated and on August 26, 1945 the church was solemnly consecrated by Bishop Franziskus von Streng .

Stained glass window

In 1944 Leo Steck (1883–1960) created nine large glass windows. Seven of them represent the seven sacraments : Baptism , Confirmation , Eucharist , Confession , Marriage , Ordination , Anointing of the Sick . A three-part window on the right at the entrance shows the Fall of Man , the Lamb of God on the Paradise Mountain and Mary as Immaculate, and another three-part window on the gallery shows King David : Inspired by the dove of the Holy Spirit , he plays the harp , and two dance to his music Engel , the banners oscillate.

Bells

On March 30, 1963, Vicar General Dr. Lisibach from Solothurn inaugurated four bells, of which the as-bell after Christ as king , the c-bell (donated by the Reformed parish of Langnau ) after the Holy Cross, the es-bell after the mother of Jesus and the f-bell after the Holy Spirit is named.

Liturgical equipment

On April 5, 1974, five bronze sculptures by Remo Rossi were placed in the Heilig Kreuz church , and on September 8, the feast of the birth of the Virgin Mary , the altar was consecrated by the cathedral chancellor Edmund Meier from Solothurn. The sculpture group includes

a crucifix
the tabernacle , on the front of which the Apocalyptic Riders are overwhelmed by Christ as the victorious rider on the white horse and on the back of which the woman giving birth is threatened by the dragon (cf. John Revelation 12).
the altar , which is adorned with the images of the four evangelists Matthew , Mark , Luke and John ; Matthew and John wear a miter
the ambo , on the front of which a wreath of angels carries the word of God as "light of the world" into the darkness of the world
a statue of Mary taken into heaven