Linthal Church
The reformed church in Linthal was built in 1782. Its predecessor from 1600 was in Ennetlinth (in another quarter of today's village of Linthal ) and was partially destroyed by floods in 1781. The new building was a joint effort by the village population. All male church members between the ages of 16 and 60, a total of 301 men, had to do 54 days of civil service. In 1883 the church was rebuilt and an organ was added to the choir . The 1982 renovation brought a second organ.
The first reformed church
Reformed services were held in the Catholic Church in Linthal by Fridolin Brunner, Reformed pastor in Betschwanden, from 1543 to 1556. Since the Catholic Linthaler could no longer find a priest for their community, they had decided to ask Pastor Brunner to look after their community as well. Brunner's successor in Betschwanden, Matthias Bodmer, was less adept at expressing himself than his predecessor and attacked the Catholic faith. His remarks sparked a protest that led to the end of the peaceful use of the church by both denominations. From 1556 the Reformed had to preach again in Betschwanden. That is why the larger Reformed village community in Linthal asked the council in 1595 whether they could not build their own church in the area of their village. But since the state treaty of November 21, 1532 Linthal “exclusively for the Catholic. Kultus claimed ”, the application was rejected. In order to still be able to build one's own church near the village, a reformed church was built in 1600 on the other bank of the Linth, in Ennetlinth, in the area of the neighboring village of Rüti.
In 1781, the church tower in particular was undermined by the floods of the Linth, which was not yet canalized at the time, so that, as a contemporary reported, "it collapsed by almost half during the night, causing a bell to sink and get lost."
Today's construction
The new church was built as a community project on higher ground in the village center itself. The "authorities of Glarus", the city and the state of Zurich, Mühlhausen, Schaffhausen and Neuchâtel city and state made significant financial contributions to the construction. The cornerstone was laid at the end of April 1782, and the church was consecrated on December 4th of the same year.
A section from the only known photo of the church before the renovation in 1882 is shown on the left. The roof is steeper and the outer walls less high. The extension on the east side (left in the picture) is not yet ready.
The original building was changed significantly in 1882 while retaining the original floor plan. In the minutes of the building commission at that time it can be read: First and foremost, the roof structure of the nave had to be demolished and altered ... if one wanted to proceed with certainty. ... Then the slightly pushed out side walls of the nave are to be brought into as correct alignment as possible and the whole nave is to be raised with about 1 meter high masonry to accommodate the new ceiling or Vaults, to be brought into a pleasing shape. "
In order to make space for an organ, the choir niche on the front wall of the church was broken out and an annex built especially for the organ. Possibly the pulpit was on the front wall and had to be moved to the north wall during this conversion.
In 1982 the church was restored. The changes in the interior of the church, made over 100 years since the last renovation, have been reversed, and the interior today largely corresponds to the picture after the renovation of 1882.
Organs
Kuhn organ 1882
The first organ was built when the church was rebuilt in 1882. To make room for the organ, the choir niche was broken out on the front wall of the church and an extension was built specially for the organ. “The work, built by Johann Nepomuk Kuhn as Opus 52, has mechanical cone chests. This wind chest system was built from around 1850 to 1935. Today it is generally accepted that the system of the sliding chest is more musically satisfying according to the current taste of the time. Therefore, no more cone shops are built today. "
The organ expert Jakob Kobelt, Mitlödi GL, wrote in his report of July 24th, 1980: The late romantic cone chest organ is “a unique testimony to the art of organ building in the second half of the 19th century in its original condition for the whole of Switzerland Art only survived unchanged in isolated cases. "
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- Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P.
- Playing aids : piano, mezzoforte, forte, fortissimo.
- Notes I.
- ↑ a b c d e f g wood.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l tin.
- ↑ prospectus.
- ↑ Natural cast material.
- ↑ Orig. Gemshorn.
As early as 1907, Theodor Buss wrote in his report on the organs in the Glarnerland that Linthal was not happy with the Kuhn organ after 20 years. He thinks that the organ is for the most part a defective instrument. Expert opinions from the builder company Kuhn, Männedorf, from 1966, 1975 and later also in 1980 came to the conclusion: All in all, a highly unpleasant situation for the organist and the singing community.
Mathis organ 1975
For the instrument, which has become more and more fragile, a small organ by Orgelbau Mathis was set up in 1975 for CHF 73,500 in the front right. In 1984, when today's organ was built, this instrument was taken back by Orgelbau Mathis for a credit of Fr. 70,000. Today it is in the Missione Catholica in Zurich.
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- Coupling : II / I; II / P; I / P.
- Notes II
- ↑ CH wood, continued metal.
- ↑ In the prospectus, made of tin 87%; Inside pipes tin 70%.
- ↑ tin 50%.
- ↑ tin 70%.
- ↑ CH merged with reed flute; Continuation of metal.
- ↑ metal.
- ↑ tin 70%.
- ↑ wood.
- ↑ Extension of Subbass 16 ′.
Mathis organ 1984
After the church renovation in 1982, with advice from Hans-Beat Hänggi, Niederurnen GL, an organ from Orgelbau Mathis , voiced by Niklaus Stengele, was installed in the gallery. Solid wood from an elm tree from Linthal was used for the housing. Their removal had sparked discussions in the village a few years earlier, which have now calmed down.
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- Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P
- Playing aids : chorale fore, introductory steps for mixture (HW) and trumpet (P).
Bells
1st bell: The largest bell rings today with the tone -cis'- and was cast in Aarau by IH Bar + Gewis when the church was built in 1782. This bell was tuned in 1969 from a lowered d 'to a raised c sharp'. The inscription bears the names of the church councilors and the pastor: Mr. Johann Jakob Steussi, Mr. Joachim Dürst, Mr. Haubtman Thomas Steussi, Mr. Thomas Steussi, Mr. Fridolin Legler, church bailiff [treasurer], Mr. Landvogt Melchior Steussi, Johann Rudolf Kubli, pastor.
3rd and 4th (+ 5th bell): These three bells were cast by the Rüetschi brothers in Aarau when the church was renovated in 1882 and 1883, respectively.
The third bell is the largest of these three bells and is tuned to f sharp '. It bears the inscription: "Glory to God on high."
The 4th bell is the smallest bell with the tone a 'today. "Peace on earth" is their inscription.
The 5th bell , a bad casting, with the tone e "was shut down in 1969, but still hangs in the tower. It proclaims the third part of the angel's Christmas message, namely:" A pleasure in people ".
2. Bell The bell, also cast in 1969 by the bell foundry H. Rüetschi AG, Aarau, weighs 1050 kg and is tuned to the tone e '. On one side there is a picture of John, the writer of the Revelation, and on the other side is: Evangelical Church Community Linthal 1969. At the top is the last word of the Bible from Revelation 22:20 in large letters: "I WILL COME SOON. AMEN, YES COME, LORD JESUS! "
With the retuning of the big bell and the addition of the second bell with the note e 'in 1969, the chime changed from the bent chord d' / f sharp '/ a' / e 'to today's ideal motif or Pentecost motif c sharp' / e '/ f sharp '/ a'. Other possible moods were discussed in 1968/69 by the bell expert Wilhelm Joos, Kilchberg ZH, the local church council and the bell foundry Rüetschi, Aarau AG. The decision for today's motif was made taking into account the bell of the Catholic Church in Linthal, so that the bell of the Reformed Church does not appear repeated or dissonant to that of the Catholic Church.
literature
- Buss, Theodor, “Report on the organist course in Glarus from October 1907 and the state of the organs in the canton of Glarus”, Hefti & Bartel, 1908.
- Gehm, Hans Jürg, "Bell inventory of the Canton of Glarus" in the yearbook of the Historical Association of the Canton of Glarus, pp. 204–248, issue 82, 2002
- Lord, Gottfried, "The Churches of the Canton of Glarus", 1890
Individual evidence
- ^ Board of the Linthal Tourist Office on the cemetery wall
- ↑ a b Herr, Gottfried, "The Churches of the Canton of Glarus", 1890
- ^ Protocol of the building commission 1881-1882 in the archive of the parish of Grosstal
- ^ Orgelbau Th. Kuhn AG: Expert opinion on the old organ in the reformed church Linthal GL. Männedorf, 1966
- ^ Correspondence about the renewal of the bells in the archive of the parish Grosstal, folder "Church Linthal - The Bells"
Coordinates: 46 ° 55 ′ 1 " N , 8 ° 59 ′ 46.5" E ; CH1903: seven hundred eighteen thousand six hundred forty-three / 197382