Church on the gun plan

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The second church on the rifle plan (1766/67)

The Catholic Church on the Gun Plan in Spandau was the first Catholic Church in Spandau and in the Kingdom of Prussia after the Reformation . It was located outside the Spandau city walls east of the Spandau Citadel on the Plan district (later: Gewehrplan und Pulverfabrik ) and was built in 1723 for the Catholic workers of the Royal Prussian Rifle Factory . In 1766/67 a new building took place in the same place, and after the construction of the larger church of St. Marien am Behnitz in 1848, the church was demolished at the beginning of the 1850s.

history

Foundation of the mission station and first chapel building

Location of the gun factory (1812)

With the establishment of the royal rifle factory by the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm I with the locations Potsdam and Spandau from 1722, skilled workers were recruited, mainly from the arms factories of the Catholic city of Liège in Belgium . They only wanted to move to Protestant Prussia if they were guaranteed free religious practice, including a pastor in their language and his support. By royal decree of 1722 they were assured of this, as well as the right to keep a few cows. However , the king had refused the request to be able to brew his own beer . Around 200 people - around 26 masters and several journeymen with their families - finally arrived, accompanied by the Dominican Father Ludovicus Belo (Belau) from the convent in Wesel . Belo was pastor in Potsdam between 1720 and 1731, and in Spandau from 1722 to 1727; his successors were only responsible for Spandau. Until the dissolution of the monasteries as a result of secularization around 1810, it was Dominicans, then diocesan priests who belonged to the diocese of Wroclaw from 1821 . The armaments workers and their families on the rifle plan did not belong to the city of Spandau, but formed a separate community politically and ecclesiastically, which was not part of the city's jurisdiction. was subject to the “ordinary city magistrate”, but “immediate” (directly) to the royal court , according to the king's order of September 2, 1722. Ecclesiastically, they were outside the jurisdiction of the evangelical pastors at St. Nikolai and formed a missionary station that served the Apostolic Vicariate of the North .

At the Potsdam location, the Catholic services for the armaments workers initially took place in a hall of the city palace until a church for the military craftsmen was built there in 1723. In Spandau, a first Catholic chapel , a small simple half-timbered building , a parsonage and a garden with a size of was built in Spandau in 1723/24 near the rifle factory in the area of Plan east of the citadel, on today's Zitadellenweg, next to half-timbered houses as apartments for the workers 38 square rods and 75 feet. The buildings were built and maintained with funds from the royal government. The pastor's income of 200 Reichstalers was also paid from the royal treasury.

Churches in Potsdam and Spandau were the first newly formed Catholic churches in Prussia after the Reformation, the construction of the Hedwig Church in Berlin began in 1747. The offices of the Dominicans in Potsdam and Spandau had orden law the status of a mission and had the Convention in Halberstadt assigned . The church in Potsdam had the patronage of Saints Peter and Paul ; Gunther Jahn suspects this patronage also for the church in Spandau, as the high altar with sculptures of these saints is recorded in a building photo from 1841 . The sculptures of these two saints are now in the church of St. Marien am Behnitz, where they probably came from the church on the gun plan.

No information is available about the appearance of the first chapel. The buildings were only half-timbered and not made of stone because they were in the citadel rayon ; In addition, they stood on swampy terrain and were very susceptible to repairs due to the moist air and their overall simple design. The church had to be restored as early as 1735. The rectory was also of poor structural quality, damp and at times almost uninhabitable. In 1784 a new rectory was built, but it was dilapidated again in 1784.

Church construction from 1766 and development of the community

Sketch of the church in the parish archive
Church floor plan

In 1742 the first chapel was so dilapidated that King Frederick the Great ordered it to be demolished and rebuilt. The project was delayed by the Silesian Wars . It was not until 1766 that the construction of a new church began, for which Father Albert Bockell is said to have laid the foundation stone on October 11, 1766 in the northeast corner of the factory premises. Gunther Jahn thinks it is conceivable that this was inevitable because of a fire or because the chapel was in an advanced state of disrepair. The foundation walls were completed in the same year, on February 14, 1767, carpenter Schulze began building the timber framework.

The new building was more of a simple prayer house than a church. Here, too, the construction quality obviously left a lot to be desired - only 17 years later the pastor at the time, Joseph Groß OP , complained in a letter to the king that the church “now looks much more like a desert than a house of worship”. A major repair then took place in 1804, which cost 541 thalers. In 1813, during the siege of Spandau by Prussian troops, the commanders of the French garrison, who had holed up in the fortress, threatened to burn down the church. The stalls and the organ were therefore removed from the church. In 1814, both were reinstalled by the Prussian government. The residents of the rifle plan, including Pastor P. Groß, had to leave their homes during the time of the siege and lived by Lake Tegel .

By the secularization edict of King Friedrich Wilhelm III. On October 30, 1810, the monasteries in the Kingdom of Prussia were largely abolished, the Dominican Joseph Gross became a priest of the diocese of Breslau and remained a pastor in Spandau until his death in 1825, his successors were also diocesan priests . Pastor Groß had an income from the royal treasury of 200 Reichstalers, plus free accommodation and use of the garden. Initially, he did not receive any stol fees , as the parishioners claimed freedom from stumbling. From 1816 he received a personal allowance of 8 thalers and 8 groschen and an annual payment of 200 Reichstalers from the Silesian secularization fund as well as around four to five thalers from collections . However, from his income he had to provide the sexton , the organist and the costs for the materials for the services. With the bull De salute animarum , Pope Pius VII undertook a reorganization of the dioceses and church provinces in Prussia in 1821 as part of the re-registration of the Catholic dioceses in Germany after the Congress of Vienna ; Spandau went from the Apostolic Vicariate of the North to the Prince-Bishop's Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania of the Diocese of Breslau , and became a parish; a church council had been in office since the 1820s .

Holy Mass took place on Sundays at 9 a.m., on workdays in summer at 7 a.m., in winter at 8 a.m. On Sundays there was also a service at 2 p.m. Pastor Joseph Jünger was pastor for the Catholics on the rifle plan and in the city of Spandau in the 1830s, as well as pastor for the Catholic soldiers stationed in Spandau. Four times a year he also held services in the penitentiary . In 1835, the community had 80 Reichstalers in expenditure, compared to 26 Taler 20 Groschen in income, which came from remuneration for military services (10 Taler), shared use of church equipment at church services in the penitentiary (2 Taler 20 Groschen), the leasing of the meadow at the rectory (6th floor) Thaler) and 8 thalers interest for a capital of 200 thalers. The difference had to be made up by donations. The personnel costs amounted to 8 thalers for the sexton, 12 thalers for the organist and 2 thalers for the bellower . In 1839 Pastor Jünger introduced stol fees, from which he provided the church servants with a higher income.

Grave cross of the last Dominican, Father Joseph Groß, today at the parish church Maria, Hilfe der Christisten

Immediately to the east of the church was the parish cemetery , which was reduced in size in 1813 to take account of the citadel's function as a fortress and where it was buried until 1834/35. The iron grave cross of the last Dominican, Joseph Groß, was preserved. It was initially located on the site of the powder factory, in 1912 it was set up at the newly built parish church Maria, Hilfe der Christisten, where it can still be seen on the eastern side wall today. Since the cemetery had become increasingly too small, the Catholics were also buried in the city cemetery, partly also in the garrison cemetery. Initially, the evangelical clergy charged fees for burials in the city cemetery; However, this was stopped in the 1830s at the request of the Catholic community.

Planning a church building in the old town

From about 1825 onwards there was renewed thought about building the church, including building it elsewhere. The Catholic community in the military town of Spandau had grown much larger in the meantime, primarily due to the influx of soldiers who had been recruited in Catholic parts of the country. The old church was not only dilapidated, but also out of place at the old location, as there were hardly any Catholic workers left in the rifle factory. In 1783 the community still counted 175 people on the rifle plan, in 1836 only 38 and 1840 30. Many of the original settlers had returned home, switched to other branches of industry and regions or moved to the city of Spandau. The living conditions on the damp rifle plan, criss-crossed by moats, were unfavorable and promoted rheumatism , gout and colds. One reason for the downsizing of the Catholic community on the rifle plan was the fact that many members entered into marriages with Protestant partners and consented to the Protestant upbringing of their children. In contrast, the number of Catholics increased within the walls of the old town of Spandau; In 1825 there were already around 200 people in 35 households. In 1833, of the total of 650 to 700 parishioners, around 520 were Catholic soldiers who came from Westphalia, the Rhineland, Silesia or Posen. In addition, the pedestrian bridge had been closed as a direct route between the city and the gun plan because it was dilapidated and the government and the owners of the factory could not agree on who should pay for the repairs. To reach the church, a detour of 5 km was necessary.

The construction of a church within the fortress paleon of the citadel was prohibited by law. Acquisition of the Moritzkirche , which was de-dedicated as a church and used as a warehouse, by the Catholic community was approved by the government in Potsdam, but not approved by the Spandau magistrate. Attempts to take over other houses in the old town or to use the Reformed St. John's Church simultaneously , as suggested by the Rent Office , were unsuccessful. In 1835, the church was threatened with building safety closure due to danger of collapse - "the prayer hut 'on the plan threatened the worshipers upside to overthrow" (Franz Kohstall). The church had to be supported inside and out, and repairs were made in 1835, 1838, and 1841. A petition by several workers living on the plan of May 31, 1836, as well as the sexton and the organist, who feared for their position, was directed against moving the church from the rifle plan to Spandau; However, this was rejected out of consideration for strategic defense reasons. In the 1840s, 19 men of the community who were married to Protestant women and raised their children Protestant, joined the German Catholic movement initiated by Johannes Ronge , but this group remained.

In 1845 King Friedrich Wilhelm IV approved the construction of a new church, for which the foundation stone was laid in 1847, within the city walls, at the so-called “ Behnitz ”, one of the two oldest settlement areas in Spandau. The Church of St. Mary at Behnitz was born on November 21, 1848 consecrated . Sunday services were now held in this new church, and some weekday services continued in the church on the rifle plan. The pastor initially stayed at the old church, as the construction of a new rectory on the Behnitz was delayed for financial reasons. When the living conditions became more and more unacceptable and Pastor Theodor Warnatsch even fell ill as a result, he moved into a rented apartment in the city, followed by Pastor Hanel. It was not until June 1852 that the church, rectory and garden on the rifle plan were given over to the military treasury for 1,560 thalers - less than the 2000 thalers estimated by government inspector Friedrich Wilhelm Butzke. From the proceeds, the rectory behind the church on the Behnitz was completed in 1852-1854. The buildings on the gun plan were then removed. There is now an industrial area at the site of today's Zitadellenweg.

The building from 1766/1767

According to two planning documents from 1804 and 1841, the church had a square floor plan with a side length of 12.55 m. A rectangular sacristy was built on the east side . As with the previous chapel, there was no church tower and no bells. It was a wooden half-timbered building with bricked-up compartments . The top of the tent roof of the church had a patriarchal cross and a weathercock with the year 1765, an indication of the construction time of the building. Inside, two beams resting on wooden supports carried the wooden ceiling at a height of 3.76 m. Suspended from the supports was a three-sided horseshoe gallery , which took up the entire width on the entrance side opposite the altar and more than halfway on the side walls. The standing height on and under the galleries was only 185 cm. The church offered space for a maximum of 350 crowded visitors.

In the middle of the front there was the main altar , raised by three steps, and two side altars in the corners of the front. Behind the main altar was the entrance to the sacristy, covered by a curtain. The pulpit was next to the left side altar. On both sides of a 1.90 m wide central aisle stood 10 rows of benches, of which the first and the last two were shortened to half the length to indicate a chancel or to provide space for the gallery stairs.

In addition to the tabernacle with a crucifix, the main altar carried two statues of saints made of limewood a little over a meter tall , Peter on the left and Paul on the right, the two patrons of the church. You are now in the St. Marien am Behnitz church, which was restored in 2001. In front of the altar, as in front of the side altars, there was an antependium , on the altar were two tripod candlesticks about 60 cm high. The pulpit was an octagonal wooden basket that was accessed via three steps. In addition, some paintings from the estate of Frederick the Great's confidante, Henri de Catt , and an Ecce homo sculpture are said to have been in the church.

Chaplain

  • 1723–1727 Ludovicus Belo (Belau) OP (pastor in Potsdam and Spandau)
  • 1727–1759: Bernhardinus Hunk (e) müller OP
  • End of 1759: Engelbertus Giesecke OP
  • 1760: Meinradus Meichlbek OP
  • 1760 – end of 1761: Ludovicus Härzkirchen (?) OP
  • 1762–1767: Norbertus (Albert) Bockell OP
  • 1768–1775: Franz Biesenbach OP
  • 1775–1825: Franz / Joseph Groß OP (* March 1, 1739 - April 4, 1825)
    until August 29, 1825 temporary help from chaplains from St. Hedwig , Berlin
  • August 1825 - end of 1832: Franz Schaar from Silesia; Parish administrator, later pastor; previously chaplain in Frankenstein / Silesia , from 1833 in Kamnig / Silesia
  • 1833 - late September 1840: Joseph Jünger (* in Potsdam); previously chaplain in Potsdam, later pastor in Welau / Silesia
  • 1844? –1849: Franz Xaver Teuber (* 1811 in election place in Silesia; † in Münsterberg )

literature

  • Gunther Jahn: sacred buildings. Catholic church on the gun plan. In: ders .: The buildings and art monuments of Berlin. City and district of Spandau. Gebr. Mann Verlag, Berlin 1971, pp. 142–145.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ King Friedrich Wilhelm I, September 2, 1722, quoted in: Franz Kohstall: History of the Catholic Parish of Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 28f.
  2. ^ Gunther Jahn: The buildings and art monuments of Berlin. City and district of Spandau. Berlin 1971, pp. 142–145, here p. 143.
  3. ↑ Martin Recker: The history of the community of St. Marien and its places of worship. In: Kath. Kirchengemeinde Maria, Hilfe der Christisten (Ed.): Festschrift 100 years Maria, Hilfe der Christisten Berlin-Spandau 1910–2010 . Oranienburg (WMK-Druck) undated [2010], pp. 11–14, here p. 11.
  4. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 29.33.
  5. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 35.
  6. ^ Gunther Jahn: The buildings and art monuments of Berlin. City and district of Spandau. Berlin 1971, pp. 142–145, here p. 143.
  7. ↑ Martin Recker: The history of the community of St. Marien and its places of worship. In: Kath. Kirchengemeinde Maria, Hilfe der Christisten (Ed.): Festschrift 100 years Maria, Hilfe der Christisten Berlin-Spandau 1910–2010 . Oranienburg (WMK-Druck) undated [2010], pp. 11–14, here p. 11.
  8. ↑ Helmut Kißner: The mother. The church of St. Marien am Behnitz. In: Kath. Kirchengemeinde Maria, Hilfe der Christisten (Ed.): Festschrift 100 years Maria, Hilfe der Christisten Berlin-Spandau 1910–2010 . Oranienburg (WMK-Druck) o. J. [2010], p. 23f., Here p. 23.
  9. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 36f.
  10. ^ Gunther Jahn: The buildings and art monuments of Berlin. City and district of Spandau. Berlin 1971, pp. 142–145, here p. 143.
  11. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 37.
  12. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 36.
  13. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 46f.
  14. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 42f.
  15. ^ Gunther Jahn: The buildings and art monuments of Berlin. City and district of Spandau. Berlin 1971, pp. 142-145, here pp. 144f.
  16. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 44f.
  17. ↑ Helmut Kißner, Cordia Schlegelmilch: The prehistory. In: Helmut Kißner, Cordia Schlegelmilch: The Church of St. Marien am Behnitz in Spandau. A forgotten work by August Soller. Berlin 2004, pp. 23-38, here pp. 33f.
  18. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 47.
  19. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 53.
  20. ^ Gunther Jahn: The buildings and art monuments of Berlin. City and district of Spandau. Berlin 1971, pp. 142-145, here pp. 143f.
  21. ↑ Helmut Kißner, Cordia Schlegelmilch: The prehistory. In: Helmut Kißner, Cordia Schlegelmilch: The Church of St. Marien am Behnitz in Spandau. A forgotten work by August Soller. Berlin 2004, pp. 23–38, here p. 28.
  22. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 48.50.
  23. ^ Gunther Jahn: The buildings and art monuments of Berlin. City and district of Spandau. Berlin 1971, pp. 142–145, here p. 144.
  24. ^ Gebhard Streicher, Erika Drave: Berlin city and church. More -Verlag, Berlin 1980, ISBN 3-87 554-189-8 , p. 240.
  25. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 57.
  26. ↑ Helmut Kißner, Cordia Schlegelmilch: The prehistory. In: Helmut Kißner, Cordia Schlegelmilch: The Church of St. Marien am Behnitz in Spandau. A forgotten work by August Soller. Berlin 2004, pp. 23–38, here p. 38.
  27. ↑ Martin Recker: The history of the community of St. Marien and its places of worship. In: Kath. Kirchengemeinde Maria, Hilfe der Christisten (Ed.): Festschrift 100 years Maria, Hilfe der Christisten Berlin-Spandau 1910–2010 . Oranienburg (WMK-Druck) undated [2010], pp. 11–14, here p. 11.
  28. ↑ According to the grave cross on the east side of the church Joseph Groß , on a certificate in the tower knob of the church on Behnitz from June 21, 1848 Franz Groß (printed by: Helmut Kißner, Cordia Schlegelmilch: The Church of St. Marien am Behnitz in Spandau. A forgotten work August Sollers, Berlin 2004, p. 318); first Dominican and after secularization diocesan priest; Franz and Joseph are possibly baptismal names or religious names .
  29. ↑ Franz Kohstall: history of the Catholic parish Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 46.
  30. ↑ Wohlau , Lower Silesia ?; Welau at Franz Kohstall: History of the Catholic Parish of Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 46.
  31. ↑ After Franz Kohstall: History of the Catholic Parish of Spandau. Spandau 1924, p. 61, Pastor Teuber officiated as early as 1841.

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