Wassen Church

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Church of Wassen (2011) Church with Railway (2004)
Church of Wassen (2011)
Church with Railway (2004)
Interior of the St. Gallus Church
High altar by Jodokus Ritz

The Church of Wassen ( colloquially s'Chileli vo Wasse in Switzerland ) is the Catholic parish church of Wassen in the Swiss canton of Uri .

history

The current church was completed in 1734 and is a cultural asset of national importance. It is dedicated to St. Gall . The consecration of the new church was carried out in 1742 by the Constance Auxiliary Bishop Franz Karl Josef Fugger . The altars come from the workshop of the Valais sculptor Jodokus Ritz (1697–1747) and are characterized by turned columns arranged in perspective, as are typical of the Upper Valais and Uri Baroque .

The current church is not the first church on this site, although an archaeological investigation is still pending. The mention of a church hall in 1287 allows the conclusion that a dependent branch church already existed in Wassen at that time . This branch church certainly existed in 1349, when it was mentioned as a branch church of Silenen . It was documented in 1458 with a foundation each from Katharina Kluser and Cueni Kluser. With the confirmed indulgence , which was probably issued in 1471 and confirmed by the Vicar General of Konstanz in 1480, the patronage of Gallus can be proven.

The circular cemetery chapel in front of the church dates from 1742 and is crowned with an onion helmet.

Gotthard Railway

The church became known throughout Switzerland after the opening of the Gotthard Railway in 1882 because you can see it three times from different perspectives when taking the train. This is due to the fact that the railway line around Wassen overcomes around 200 meters in altitude in a short distance with the help of two spiral tunnels (Wattinger Tunnel and Leggistein Tunnel). The tracks cross the Meienreuss three times , with the first bridge still below the church of Wassen and the last about 200 meters above it. On the middle level between the two spiral tunnels, the tracks run against the original direction of travel past the former Wassen train station and out of the valley to the north. This means that three views of the church, which is prominently enthroned on a small rocky promontory, are possible from different sides. For generations of Swiss people, the church of Wassen was always there on every train journey across the Gotthard, with countless passengers moving from one side of the car to the other and back.

With the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016, the Gotthard Railway's mountain route will only be used by regional trains. Accordingly, it is no longer possible to see the church in long-distance traffic.

Church in popular culture

Based on the popularity of the church due to the Gotthard Railway, it has found its way into various cultural genres in recent decades. In the 1970s, cabaret artist Emil Steinberger dedicated the play “S Chileli vo Wasse” to the church. In it, Steinberger, as an excited train passenger with a hat, explains to a Belgian tourist that you can see the Chileli von Wassen three times because of the spiral tunnel. The piece enjoys cult status in Switzerland and was last performed by Emil Steinberger for the opening of the Gottbahn base tunnel .

The spiral tunnels and the church also play a role in the film adaptation of the Swiss classic for young people, Mein Name ist Eugen . On a boy scout trip, a 25-liter syrup bottle is hung between the wooden benches of a third-class SBB car as evidence of the spiral tunnels , but which, to the delight of the children, breaks.

In 2018 the Swiss rappers Lo & Leduc released the song Chileli vo Wasse on their free album Update 4.0 . In it they use the Church of Wassen as a metaphor for an interpersonal relationship that doesn't really get going. The song was heard around a quarter of a million times on Spotify alone within three months and remained on the Swiss charts for 12 weeks .

literature

Web links

Commons : Parish Church St. Gallus (Wassen)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ One tunnel, four festival areas, thousands of visitors - and Emil SRF.ch. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  2. ↑ Lo from Lo & Leduc tells why he raps about the «Chileli vo Wasse» luzernerzeitung.ch . Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  3. ↑ LO & LEDUC - CHILELI VO WASSE Swiss hit parade. Retrieved May 14, 2018.

Coordinates: 46 ° 42 ′ 25 "  N , 8 ° 36 ′ 4"  E ; CH1903:  688 894  /  173517