Finding the Cross (Elsig)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Catholic parish church Finding the cross in Elsig
Catholic Parish Church Finding the Cross, Console

The Catholic parish church finding the cross in Elsig , a district of Euskirchen in the Euskirchen district ( North Rhine-Westphalia ), has its origins in a Romanesque basilica from the 11th / 12th. Century back. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 14th and 15th centuries . The wall and vault paintings that date back to the 14th and 16th centuries have been preserved in the church. The most important piece of equipment is a winged altar from the late 15th century.

Patronage

The patronage of the discovery of the cross recalls the legend of the rediscovery of the cross of Christ by St. Helena , mother of Emperor Constantine . Another term for "finding the cross" is the "raising of the cross ".

history

The original building of the church will be in the 11th / 12th Dated century. The church was first mentioned around 1300 in the Liber valoris , the list of properties of the Cologne archbishops . In the 14th century the Romanesque apse was replaced by the present choir . In the second half of the 15th century, today's nave was built with the two side aisles and the central nave of the same height. In 1868 the west tower was built, and during the foundation work one came across remains of Roman walls. In 1954/55 the wall and vault paintings were discovered under the baroque whitewashing and exposed again.

architecture

The church is made of plastered quarry stone . The west tower is made of brick .

inner space

The current building is a three-aisled hall church with a retracted, three-sided closed choir. The triumphal arch and the lower parts of the western yoke are still from the Romanesque building. The two side aisles and the central nave are covered with ribbed vaults.

Paintings

Catholic parish church Finding the cross, vault painting around 1510/1520 depicting the mercy seat
Parish church Finding the cross, vault painting from 1510/1520 with the depiction of Our Lady of Sorrows, whose heart is pierced by seven swords

When the paintings were uncovered, three layers of images were found on top of each other. The lowest and best preserved layer was preserved. The oldest paintings are in the choir and date from the late 14th century. They are attributed to an anonymous master from Cologne. In the choir vault there is a representation of the mercy seat , a representation of the Trinity with God the Father, Christ on the cross and the dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. The symbols of the evangelists are shown in the four surrounding medallions, the fields below are the representations of the apostles. They are arranged around the altar and surround Christ at the celebration of the Eucharist .

The vault paintings of the eastern central nave yoke have the Seven Sorrows of Mary as their theme and are considered to be Dutch influenced. They are ascribed to a Cologne master and dated around 1510/1520. The central figure is the Mother of Sorrows, Mary, whose heart is pierced by seven swords. The round medallions represent the seven sorrows of Mary: circumcision of Jesus, flight to Egypt, the twelve-year-old Jesus among the scribes, Christ carrying the cross and crucifixion, deposition from the cross, burial.

On the south aisle wall, St. Barbara and St. Margaretha , on the north wall the Lamentation of Christ and the martyrdom of St. Sebastian . The latter has only survived in fragments and is reminiscent of the famous painting by Hans Memling .

Similar to St. Georg in neighboring Frauenberg , the four marshals of God are depicted, who were particularly venerated in the Rhineland and are also known as "Cologne marshals". On the north side: Antony and Quirinus ; on the south side: Hubertus and Cornelius . These paintings are dated around 1520/1530 and assigned to the influence of the Middle Rhine.

window

The first window in the south aisle shows the Archangel Michael defeating the dragon. It is dedicated to the fallen of the First World War. Two windows in the choir are made in the same style. The central choir window represents the Trinity in the upper field. The southern choir window represents St. Agatha of Catania , who is holding a palm branch in one hand and a pair of red pliers, symbols of her martyrdom, in the other. This window bears the signature of the glass painter Felix Xaver Reuter from Cologne and the year 1924.

In the entrance area on the north side, the devil is shown in a modern window.

The modern, ornamental leaded glass windows were made to designs by Paul Weigmann (1924–2009).

Furnishing

The north side altar has a triptych whose narrative style and colors refer to the Dutch influence that shaped Cologne painting of the late 15th century. It is dated to around 1485. When closed, scenes in grisaille painting depict the mercy seat and the coronation of Mary . The open reredos have a calvary in the middle . The passion scenes are depicted on the wings . On the left: Christ on the Mount of Olives, flagellation, crowning of thorns, nailing of the cross; on the right: Entombment, Christ appears to women, resurrection, Christ's descent into hell .

literature

Web links

Commons : Cross Finding  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 39 ′ 58.7 "  N , 6 ° 44 ′ 24.7"  E