Illnau church
The Illnau Church is a Reformed parish church in Ober- Illnau in the canton of Zurich . It is dedicated to St. Martin and was built in the 12th century. The elongated church with its sturdy tower sits enthroned on a prominent hilltop above the Kempt .
history
The history of the parish church goes back to the Frankish times (500 AD). The Franks venerated St. Martin, therefore St. Martin's Church. At that time it was simply without a tower. A little bell may have been installed in a roof turret. The church was first mentioned in the second half of the 8th century. (Original in the St. Gallen Abbey Archives ). At that time, 2/5 belonged to the St Gallen Abbey . The assumption that it could have been built on the foundations of a Roman watchtower was refuted in 1954 during excavations during a renovation. In the 12th century the church came into the possession of the Benedictine Abbey of Schaffhausen , d. H. probably in 1125 Adalbert von Mörsburg handed over his property in Illnau together with the church to the monastery of All Saints in Schaffhausen. On September 18, 1347, Pope Clement V approved the incorporation of the church, which Bishop Ulrich von Konstanz carried out on July 3, 1348. Probably in 1529 the city of Schaffhausen took over the administration. In any case, Schaffhausen determined the history of our church until the Reformation. The pastors also came from Schaffhausen. From 1524 to 1834 it was gradually assigned to the State of Zurich.
In 1420 the church got its first bell, which is now the second largest. The church was rebuilt under the direction of Bailiff Felix Schwarzmurer. Tower renovations took place in 1584, 1625 and 1674. At a large youth festival on January 2, 1819 (in memory of Zwingli's assumption of office 300 years earlier ), the wooden gallery entrance , which was outside the church, collapsed. There were several injured and one dead. Then the church was extended by another piece and the stairwell built inside. Thus the Illnau church essentially received the exterior design that is visible today. A major renovation took place in 1851; the condition of the church was very poor. ('Poor and shameful green with moisture', as described in the Chronicle). In 1819 the desire for an organ was voiced, but the interest of the population was not so great; therefore the first organ was not available until 1847, from the Kuhn company. In 1942 it was replaced by a new one by the same company. Another major renovation took place in 1887: as the western gable wall had detached itself from the side walls and threatened to collapse, the facade was renewed. There were also solid windows, a new floor and new seating. After the renovations in 1852 and 1887, the Romanesque-Gothic substance of the nave appears Biedermeier-Neo-Gothic today, while the tower has retained its early medieval character. Inside, the gypsum ceiling in the nave and choir has a finely profiled stucco molding with corner tabs and a central, hexagonal star around a rosette (1852). The windows are by Christian Berbig (1887). Striking pieces are the parish chair (probably from 1651), a seat with lively shaped side panels, and the pulpit (1551). The hexagonal body rests on consoles on a column. (Around 1970, at the suggestion of a young pastor, the column was shortened considerably, but was reduced to almost its original height following intervention by the monument protection authorities). In 1954 there were new benches, the painted decor above the gallery was painted over or removed. Major renovations were carried out in 1963 (tower), 1967 (exterior restoration, heating system, etc.), and approx. 1993 the exterior was painted.
Illnau was originally the center of a parish that also included Kyburg , Rikon (Effretikon), Tagelswangen and Ottikon .
The bells of the Illnau church
The largest bell was from 1420. Due to a crack, it was cast in 1753 in Zurich. It weighs around 2046 kg (300 kg heavier than the old one). Your tone is 'it'. Their inscription reads: 'I call together the Christians until the general judge comes'. Further coins are the coat of arms of Salomon Hirzel (Landvogt zu Kyburg), the Giesserkartouche from M. Füssli, and on the lower edge the coats of arms of Johann Heinrich Seiler (then pastor in Illnau), Unterervogt Jakob Wegmann (Müller zu Mannenberg and Landrichter) and von Hans Jakob Egg (church caretaker and miller in the Thalmühle). In the pouring cartridge it is written: 'I flowed out of heat and fire, Moritz Füssli from Zurich poured me'. A hammer strikes the hours and half-hours on it. The second largest bell, the oldest, was probably cast in 1420 by the foundry family Klain in Rottweil. It weighs 1730 kg and has the tone 'as'. It is said to have been stolen in the meantime in connection with the Swabian Wars in Gailingen (BW). It has two reliefs as jewelry. One shows Saint Martin with the beggar, to whom he gives half of his cloak, the other shows Christ with a gesture of the hand. Inscription: 'In the name of the Lord. Amen. With this bell I mourn the dead, I decorate celebrations and I break lightning '. The third largest bell (468 kg) was cast by Hans Füssli in 1541 and is tuned to tone 'b'. Inscription: 'O rex gloria Christe veni nobis cum pace' (O King of Honor Christ, come to us in peace). The smallest bell (200 kg) was also cast by Hans Füssli in 1541. The inscription at the time was: 'Ave Maria gracia plena dominus tecum, Anno domini M CCCCC XXXXI' (Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with you). In 1853 it was cast over.
The ringing of bells is regulated in the ringing order. Some examples: If the funeral of a man is to be announced, the ringing begins with the largest bell, in the order 1,2,3,4; in a woman with bells 3,2,1,4; bells 4, 3, 2 ring a child. Until 1947, the bells were rung by hand-drawn ropes, which required a constant presence for the Sigrist, as they rang four times every day: at 5 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m. (summer) and 4 p.m. (winter), the vespers peal and at 7 p.m. the prayer bell rings. The electrification and the later automatic bell made work easier. In Illnau, too, the time changed: people from abroad moved in and complained about the morning bell. The church administration decided to ring one hour later in winter instead of 5 a.m.
Technology of the tower clock
In the 1960s, the 100-year-old tower clock in Andelfingen was shut down and replaced by an electric drive for the clock and bells. The clock was controlled with a high-precision radio clock. Approx. In 2006 the Muff company completely overhauled the mechanical watch and combined it with electronics. The hour strike is controlled again by the venerable clock. The only difference is that it is no longer the pendulum in the clockwork, but a small radio-controlled motor that drives the clockwork, thus ensuring maximum accuracy. A new electronic control of the bell motors enables the clapper to sound gently (due to the swing of the bells, the control calculates exactly the right switch-on and switch-off times for the motors.
literature
- Die Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons Zürich , Vol. III, Basel 1978, pp. 83–91.
- Walter Drack: New insights into the building history of the Illnau church in ZH. In: Our art monuments: Bulletin for the members of the Society for Swiss Art History 20 (1969), doi : 10.5169 / seals-393004
Coordinates: 47 ° 24 '52.4 " N , 8 ° 43' 4.8" E ; CH1903: 696,548 / 252 314