St. Johannes Baptist Church (Mosbach)
The St. Johannes Baptist Church in the Mosbach district of the Hessian community of Schaafheim is a church building , the oldest construction phases of which date back to the 13th century.
history
Before 1218
The location of today's St. Johannes Baptist Church is not only a place of ancient Christian worship, but was also a place of worship in pagan times. During demolition work in 1906, two Roman stone fragments were found in the quarry stone masonry. On the one hand, there is a four-god stone with the images of the gods Minerva, Victora and Hercules. The side of the inscription bears a dedication to Jupiter: IN H (ONOREM) D (OMUS) D (IVINAE) I (OVI) O (PTIMUS) M (AXIMO) L (UCIUS) QUINTIUS VITALIS ET QUINTI (US) ANTISTI (US) RESPECTUS AVI (Translation: In honor of the divine imperial house as well as Jupiter, the best and greatest (have) Lucius Quintius Vitalis and Quintius Antistius Respectus (had this base set up)). On the other hand, it is a consecration stone with the inscription: MERCURIO (translation: consecrated to Mercury ). In addition to the stone fragments, Roman pottery shards were also found. It can be assumed that the remains of the pagan cultural site were still there when the first Christian missionaries came to what is now the Rhine-Main area around 700. According to Pope Gregory's orders, pagan sanctuaries should not be destroyed but converted into Christian shrines. The fragments of the Roman cult stones found a second use in the construction of the first Christian church in Mosbach.
In 828 AD, Einhard, the confidante of Emperor Charles, transferred the relics of the holy martyrs Peter and Marcellinus from Steinbach near Michelstadt to Obermühlheim, today's Seligenstadt. In a translation report on this occasion, a miracle healing of a nun from the Machesbach monastery is reported. Apart from Einhard's report, nothing has been handed down about the Machesbach monastery, which was probably occupied by Benedictine nuns. It was probably a small branch that was only of regional importance. How long the nunnery existed is not known. The buildings of the old monastery are said to have been used by the Johannites in 1564. When the Johanniter in Mosbach became patron saint in 1218, there was already a parish with its own church. This suggests that a church organization was established between 900 and 1200. It is not known who the founder of the parish was, and nothing is known about the appearance, construction time and owner of the first church. It can be assumed that the foundation of the parish and the construction of the first church originated from the monastery.
Building description
The church tower , the sacristy on the north side and the old choir, which has become the side aisle , still date from the time of the Johanniter .
Exterior view
After some changes over the centuries, a new nave was built across the existing one in 1906 . The new building is 36 meters long and 17 meters wide. The room area without the choir is around 380 square meters. The old choir, today's transept and the modern nave are the same height in the ridge. The red sandstone from the surrounding region was built using the same building material as the original building.
During this renovation, the square tower was increased to 36.5 meters. He received a gable roof with an eight-sided ridge turret and a cross with a cock as a top. Over the light slits and the old and new sound openings for the bells , gold-colored hands on a circular dial indicate the time on the south and north sides. Two doors lead into the barrel vault of the basement of the tower, a simple round-arched one from the outside and a right-angled one from the inside of the church.
The three -part neo - Gothic windows are the defining elements of the external structure and are made in simple tracery. The sparsely painted glass panes were donated by Mosbach families or associations whose names are inscribed.
The large windows extend from the sandstone eaves to the narrow pent roofs of the niches built in front, which leave space between the pillars for the Way of the Cross carved in stone in the nave. The noticeably protruding outer pillars made of smooth sandstone are sloping upwards and merge into the high ashlar wall. The corner cuboid extends to the gable ends . Further characteristics are the multi-throat cladding of the main portal, the eaves and belt cornices around the transept and the sloping plinth. A stone cross stands on the gable of each end.
inner space
Ribbed vaults at different heights span the interior . Yoke ribs structure the large ceiling of the nave. The large sanctuary contains a free-standing celebration altar and the old high altar with two wings. The choir room has four large stained windows, two of them with scenes from the New Testament. In the triumphal arch one depends Maltese cross . The pulpit and the stations of the cross in the arcade niches of the side walls as well as the intricate parapet of the gallery are stone carvings.
The current transept of the modern church is still two-story. A round stone cornice separates the lower and upper floors; the latter is said to have been a hospital ward at the time of the Johanniter. The coarse ribbed vault of the basement in the interior is supported by 3/4 round columns. A simple iron-studded arched door on the north wall leads into the sacristy, which is also old. A coat of arms stone is embedded above it : shields, sickles, Maltese cross and inscriptions indicate the presence and work of the Johanniter in this place.
An iron-barred sacrament niche in the east wall with the year 1520 and other real symbols is another sign from the time of the Johanniter. The coats of arms and grave slabs fitted into the north and south walls are testimony to commendants and conductors , religious of high qualifications.
The original crucifixion group of the Johanniterkirche is in the Hessisches Landesmuseum in Darmstadt . In Mosbach, a facsimile hangs on the north wall of today's transept.
Peal
The new four-ring bell from 2001 is based on the “Westminister motif” as, des, es and f . The largest bell weighs 324 kilograms and has a diameter of 770 millimeters, its inscription reads "In honor of our patron + John the Baptist". Another bell weighing 221 kilograms with a diameter of 683 millimeters bears the inscription “Ave Maria + Madonna + full of graces”. The third largest bell weighs 135 kilograms, the diameter is 584 millimeters and the inscription reads "She is ringing + for peace + in the world". In short, the four bells are called: John the Baptist, Christ Bell, Mary Bell and Peace Bell. Above every inscription is the year of the bell casting "+ ANNO 2001+". The bronze alloy of the bell is clean and appealing from the outside, the cast skin is completely smooth and has a dense structure, judges an expert.
local community
The monks of the Order of St. John worked in the Mosbacher Kommende from 1218 to 1806. After the order was dissolved in 1806, the Catholic community became an independent parish with its own pastor and in 1817 it was incorporated into the State of Hesse.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Dörr: Mosbach and his Johanniterkirche . Pfungstadt 1983, pp. 9-12.
- ↑ Hans Dörr: Mosbach and his Johanniterkirche . Pfungstadt 1983, pp. 13-16.
Coordinates: 49 ° 53 '35.8 " N , 9 ° 1' 37.1" E