Altfriedland Abbey Church

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Altfriedland Abbey Church is the former church of the Cistercian Sisters - Friedland Abbey in Altfriedland in the Märkisch-Oderland district , Brandenburg . The early Gothic stone church , which has been redesigned several times , is now used as a Protestant village church and is located in the northeast corner of the Märkische Schweiz nature reserve above the eastern shore of the Klostersee .

The church dedicated to St. Mary was built together with the monastery between 1230 and 1271. In addition to the ruins of the refectory and the remains of a cloister , the nave is the only surviving structure of the monastery which was secularized in 1540 . Along with Chorin, the church and the remains of the building are considered to be the most important medieval monastery buildings in the region in terms of architectural history and have been a listed building since 1978 . The nunnery on the edge of the Oderbruch served as the house monastery of the Barnim nobility; especially the unmarried daughters of the Brandenburg landed nobility were accepted here. With extensive land holdings, including ten villages, twenty individual estates and eight lakes, the abbey was one of the wealthy monasteries in the Mark Brandenburg region . The prosperity of the monastery is reflected, among other things, in three gilded communion chalices from the church treasury, of which the only preserved chalice contained a relic . The neo-Gothic church tower erected in 1864 was preceded by plans by Karl Friedrich Schinkel for an unrealized double tower. The rectory opposite the church from 1633 is the oldest house in Altfriedland and the oldest rectory on Barnim.

→ Main article: Friedland Monastery

East facade with inscription

Parish and current use of the church

The church is the church used for worship Altfriedland. The parish, in which Gottesgabe , Karlsdorf and Neufriedland are churched , has been part of the Neutrebbin -Oderbruch parish in the Oderland-Spree parish of the Evangelical Regional Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO) since 2007 . The parish has 108 members (as of 2012) In the church and in the refectory, concerts with sacred and secular music from the 16th and 17th centuries take place. The "Förderverein Klosterkirche Altfriedland eV", founded in 2010, also holds benefit concerts and events in the church building in order to raise funds for the renovation of the building.

In 1540, in addition to the monastery church, nine other churches were under the patronage of the nuns: in Sedes Strausberg the church of Bollersdorf and in Sedes Friedland the Liebfrauenkirche in Wriezen , the Romanesque stone church in Ringenwalde as well as the churches in Metzdorf , Batzlow , Reichenberg , Pritzhagen and today Wriezener district parts Lüdersdorf and Biesdorf.

Building history

During the time of the monastery, the building was named Klosterkirche Friedland . Since the place Friedland at the end of the 18th / beginning of the 19th century was expanded to include the colonist villages Karlsdorf and Neufriedland and renamed Altfriedland for better differentiation, the church also adopted the name Altfriedland.

Original building

South side with renewed windows

The monastery archive of the Ecclesia sanctae Mariae semper virginis in Vredeland (Vredeland = pacified land ) has been lost except for a few documents. The documents received do not provide any information about the monastery buildings, so that little is known about the original building. The church was most likely built together with the other monastery buildings in 1230 at the earliest and 1271 at the latest. The nave of the early Gothic stone building consists of granite blocks . Original floor stones and a rosette built into the floor are reminiscent of the monastery time of the church, which was later reshaped and changed several times .

According to the historian Matthias Friske's description, the simple, single-nave rectangular building is around 30 meters long and around 14 meters wide. Since the earth has grown by at least a meter in the meantime, the arch of the pointed north gate is just sticking out of the earth. Up to this height, the stone blocks are regularly bricked, above the brickwork becomes irregular. On the south side there was another portal , of which the granite walls on the side have been partially preserved. This door was converted in the late Gothic period and is walled up. All windows have been renewed over time. On the east side, a group of originally three-part windows can be seen; of this, the middle window is walled up (today with an inscription, see below) and the two on the sides have been changed. The north side had two arched windows to the west of the gate and four to the east . Of these, only the arches that are around 2.5 meters above today's ground level can be seen. Friske suspects that there were two windows west of the former south gate. Their shape can no longer be explored. To the east of the gate there are two walled up narrow windows with a pointed arch, which end at a height of approx. 2.5 m, downwards just above today's ground level . To the east of it there is a breakthrough covered with bricks.

Decay and repairs after secularization

After the Reformation, Elector Joachim II secularized the monastery in 1540 and moved his estates in 1546. In the same year he pledged what was now the domain property to Balthasar von Beerfelde from the Beerfelde family and in 1564 he sold it to Field Marshal Joachim von Roebel , who expanded the monastery into a representative Brandenburg estate . For about two hundred years the church stood empty and fell into disrepair. During this time, a half-timbered church served as the town church , which, according to Friske, was probably built in 1633 together with the rectory. This church was surrounded by a cemetery and was located at what was then the northern exit of Friedland. When this church became dilapidated in 1733, the Friedlanders decided to demolish it and in 1734 extensively repaired the desolate “court church” of the old monastery.

Inscription on the east gable from around 1937
Pillars of the gallery and section of the ceiling painting

With renewed work between 1814 and 1816, the monastery church was to receive two towers . The plans for the double tower very likely came from Karl Friedrich Schinkel . The project was not carried out because the community's financial resources were insufficient. Instead, a neo-Gothic brick tower was added in 1864 . Whether and to what extent this version was based on Schinkel's conception can no longer be proven, as the drafts were in the estate files that were lost in the Second World War. Between 1936 and 1938 the church was again restored inside and out on the initiative of Karl von Oppen and the parish office. The church building has been largely preserved in this condition to this day. However, it was badly damaged in 1945 at the end of the Second World War and was restored by 1957.

Bells and inscription on the east facade

When the monastery church was reactivated in 1734, the two bells were taken over from the town church, but melted down during the Second World War. In 1735, Margrave Karl Friedrich Albrecht von Brandenburg-Schwedt , who owned the estate at the time, donated a third bronze bell that has been preserved to this day. Around 1937, Karl von Oppen had the following inscription attached to the exterior plaster of the former central window above the field stones on the east gable:

“O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord. Around 1230 the church was built as the church of the Cistercian Sisters in Friedland and consecrated to the Virgin Mary. After the Reformation was introduced, the nunnery was closed around 1540 and the church fell into disrepair. Almost two hundred years later it was restored and on New Year's Day 1734 the first Protestant service was held here. From 1936 to 1938 it was renewed inside and out. For centuries the word of God was preached within these walls. May the Lord give this house protection and blessings for centuries to come. "

- Inscription on the east gable of the church.

Interior decoration and liturgical implements

Schuke organ and painted ceiling
Wooden gallery in the nave, south side

Interior and organ

The baroque interior dates back essentially to 1733 and has a painted wooden barrel vault and a pulpit altar inserted centrally into the circumferential gallery . The interior painting, the ceiling and the altar painting are from the restoration work after the Second World War. The seating was burned during the war and replaced after the end of the Second World War. The organ made by the Berlin organ builder Buchholz , which had fourteen registers and a manual , was also destroyed in the war. It was replaced in 1954 by a Schuke organ . The work of Hans-Joachim Schuke has eleven register and two manuals with pedal . The former Friedlander cantor Dorothea Blache, who was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2011 , reports on the renovation in the post-war period:

“The ceiling painting, which can still be admired today, comes from the last renovation of the church in 1936–1938. At that time Karl von Oppen was the patron saint of the church, and Mr. Schliephacke was the pastor. After the end of the war, in 1945, the church was looted. The windows and clock were broken from the bombardment, benches and altar were torn out, old, historically valuable church files were burned during the looting. In the rubble, the Altfriedland people found the baptismal bowl, 2 candlesticks, one of the three Holy Communion chalices that Fontane had once mentioned, a large Bible with handwritten entries from 1598, a large hymn book ( Spangenberg  1520, original print!). The two candlesticks that survived the war were donated by the Oppens in 1924 on the occasion of the death of a relative. Birthday and death day are engraved and can still be recognized today. [...] In 1957, the blue tones that can be seen on the ceiling were also transferred to the benches. We were able to get the gold leaf on the ornaments of the pulpit, which is still clearly visible today, from West Berlin; the painting company Balke applied the gold leaf to the pulpit. Before that, slight damage to the pulpit and baptismal font had been carved. "

- Dorothea Blache, cantor i. R .: Post-war memories.

Chalices and relic

The three Holy Communion chalices mentioned by Blache date from the church's monastery times and were already kept in the rectory in 1929. In the walks through the Mark Brandenburg (Band Oderland) Theodor Fontane described the gilded goblets as follows:

“All three are related in shape and only different in size. A tulip-shaped goblet rests on a broad base, but in the middle of the short stem that bears this goblet tulip, a hexagonal ornament is placed in a ring around the stem. One of these hexagonal ornaments is hollow and of openwork; within it rattles a relic , a piece of bone, or the tooth of a saint. The same chalice, one of the smaller ones, also bears the name: Martha. John. Welsickendorp. Another, the largest and most beautiful, shows instead of the names three neatly etched images of the Virgin Mary based on passages from Revelation and, alternating with these three etchings, three small gold sculptures, soldered onto the base of the chalice like a skin relief. These little gold figurines represent "Mary and John on both sides of the crucified", furthermore "St. Georg killing the dragon ”and finally a third one, which I was unable to decipher. The chalices are sufficient evidence that Friedland Monastery was one of the wealthier foundations in the country. It shouldn't come as a surprise: after all, the Barfus, Pfuels , Krummensee and Ilows, whose daughters we prefer to meet in Friedland Monastery, are among the wealthiest and most respected families in the country. "

- Theodor Fontane, Walks through Mark Brandenburg, Volume Oderland, 1863 :

According to Gustav Abb , the inscription on the reliquary chalice, which is the only one left, reads: Johanes Wenekendorp Margareta memoriali † . The parsonage also kept a large and three small godparents and, until 1945, a goblet from 1527, which depicted an embroidered Coronation of Mary, framed by the evangelist symbols. Also preserved from the church treasure is a brass baptismal bowl with a diameter of 53 cm, which shows the Annunciation in embossed representation, framed by arabesques .

Rectory

Rectory, built in 1633, here in 2011

The rectory from 1633 is opposite the church to the east. The listed half-timbered building is the oldest house in Altfriedland and is considered to be the oldest rectory on the Barnim (although the assignment of Altfriedland to Barnim does not correspond to the geomorphological plate , but rather follows the historical landscape ). According to Matthias Friske, it can be considered representative of numerous other lost rectories.

According to Rudolf Schmidt, in 1751 it was in such a miserable condition that it was no longer possible to live in it. It was then refurbished by 1757. At the end of the Second World War, fighting took place at the rectory. Trenches ran through the garden. The pastor at the time, Bernhard Schliephacke, reported on February 18, 1945: This is now the office of the anti-aircraft cartillery. There is a shoemaker's workshop in the plating room. In the kitchen they stew and cook all day. The soldiers fetch wood from the forest. This morning, I was in Ringenwalde, a Russian aviator shot a hole in the window of the guest's room. It was just not there ... . A soldier was shot down from a tree in the parish garden and buried behind the wall. In 1948 he was reburied with two other dead soldiers who were found in the reeds on Lake Kietzer See . The dog tags were given to the Red Cross . The wall around the rectory was almost completely destroyed after the fighting and was rebuilt in 1965. The rectory was extensively restored between 1991 and 1995.

literature

Web links

Commons : Klosterkirche Altfriedland  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Uta Puls, p. 52ff.
  2. ↑ List of monuments of the state of Brandenburg: Landkreis Märkisch-Oderland (PDF) Brandenburg State Office for Monument Preservation and State Archaeological Museum
  3. ^ Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. Directory of people and addresses. 4.7.17 Parish of Neutrebbin .
  4. ^ Cultural festivals in the state of Brandenburg. Music in the Altfriedland Monastery
  5. ^ Förderverein Klosterkirche Altfriedland eV Events, documentation .
  6. ↑ Gustav Abb (Germania Sacra), p. 357.
  7. ↑ Uta Puls, p. 56f.
  8. ↑ Gustav Abb (Germania Sacra), pp. 349f, 357.
  9. ↑ a b Uta Puls, p. 54
  10. ^ Brandenburg State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeological State Museum, Department of Monument Preservation: Expert opinion on the monument value. (PDF; 3.4 MB) Description: Manor complex with manor house, Roebelschem house, stable barn, roadside property fence and park. Zossen, November 19, 2011.
  11. ↑ Matthias Friske, p. 40f.
  12. ↑ Theodor Fontane, pp. 165f.
  13. ↑ Uta Puls, p. 57.
  14. ↑ a b Matthias Friske, p. 43.
  15. ↑ Schinkel Gallery. Altfriedland Abbey Church .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.schinkel-galerie.de  
  16. ^ A b c Förderverein Klosterkirche Altfriedland eV Klosterkirche.
  17. ↑ Quoted from Uta Puls, p. 54, supplemented and corrected according to the actual inscription according to the adjacent picture from April 21, 2004.
  18. ^ Alexander Schuke Potsdam Orgelbau GmbH, catalog raisonné. See op. 252. ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 69 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.schuke.com
  19. ↑ Doris Steinkraus: Music is her elixir of life . In: Märkische Oderzeitung , March 19, 2011.
  20. ↑ With the information 1520 Blache is very likely wrong. The original Spangenberg print in question should date to 1543/45. ( Memento from June 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  21. ^ Förderverein Klosterkirche Altfriedland eV, Dorothea Blache, retired cantor: Post-war memories.
  22. ↑ a b Gustav Abb (Germania Sacra), p. 358.
  23. ↑ Theodor Fontane, p. 167f.
  24. ^ Matthias Friske, p. 41f.
  25. ^ Förderverein Klosterkirche Altfriedland eV, Das Pfarrhaus.
  26. ^ Förderverein Klosterkirche Altfriedland eV, February / March 1945: Shortly before the end. Memories from Pastor Schliephacke.

Coordinates: 52 ° 37 ′ 27.7 "  N , 14 ° 12 ′ 29.9"  E