Liebfrauenkirche (Darmstadt)
Coordinates: 49 ° 51 ′ 28.7 ″ N , 8 ° 39 ′ 19 ″ E
The Liebfrauenkirche in Bessungen is a Catholic church in Darmstadt . Its distinctive church tower rises in an exposed position east of the orangery on Klappacher Straße. Around 4,000 Catholics belong to the parish .
history
The parish of Liebfrauen has existed as its own parish curate since 1901, initially under the name of Martinsgemeinde . Previously, on July 7, 1887, Bessungen was separated from the Darmstadt community of St. Ludwig as a subsidiary community . That was a year before Bessungen's political community joined the city of Darmstadt. There was no parish church of its own when the community was founded. The services were celebrated in a chapel (a former furniture shed) consecrated to Saint Martin in 1902 at Herdweg 28 (corner of Bruchwiesenstrasse).
In 1924 a lower church was built and consecrated on September 8, 1924. It was 2.50 meters in the ground and protruded 2.30 meters above the ground. It was later to serve as a parish hall, but was instead expanded in its current form in 1936/37 according to plans by the architect Jan Hubert Pinand with a sacristy , St. Mary's chapel and baptistery and finally the Church of Our Lady. The church was consecrated on May 2, 1937.
1987 was the sanctuary on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of consecration of the Church of Paul Brandenburg redesigned and the interior completely renovated. The apse mosaic designed by Edzard Seeger was preserved behind the main altar.
After the interior was redesigned, a new organ from the organ building company Hugo Mayer was installed in the church in 1989 . The previous instrument was built in 1954 by Klais (Opus 1042). Unlike today's instrument, which is in the back of the church, the previous organ was positioned in the front on the right side of the chancel.
In 2013 the interior of the church was again extensively renovated after the foundation masonry had to be refurbished a few years earlier due to damage caused by soil moisture.
Architecture and interior
The church with space for around 300 people is clearly structured as a three-aisled basilica . With its flat wooden ceiling, it is reminiscent of the style of early Christian buildings. The masonry consists of natural trachyte and shell limestone . Deviating from the “holy building line”, the church was built in a north-south axis. In the east wall there is only one window through which light falls into the chancel. Together with the six windows in the west wall, it shows the seven sacraments . In the north wall above the main entrance, a large window shows a representation of the Archangel Michael . It was created in 1952 by Annelise Reichmann .
An oil painting hangs in a niche at the rear of the west aisle. It is a gift from the Polish twin town of Płock to the Magistrate of Darmstadt and the Liebfrauengemeinde as a loan. The picture with the title Jesus, I trust in you is venerated in Poland as an image of grace . It goes back to a vision of the Blessed Sister Faustyna Kowalska .
Lady Chapel
At the northeast corner of the church is a rectangular side building. Of the three medium-sized, colorful pointed arched windows , one faces north and two face south. The motifs on the windows are symbols for Mary , Mother of God.
At the eastern end of the chapel is the Edith Stein Altar made of carved yellow Warthauer sandstone . This altar was consecrated in September 1999. At the front behind the altar there is a crucifixion group from the Baroque period.
At the entrance to the chapel there is a niche in the south wall. The confessional used to stand there and a figure of Saint Anthony from 1987 to 2013 . Today it houses an old pietà from the 17th century. In the course of the renovation in 1987, the altar plate made of red marble from the old high altar of the church was used to build the niche . In the altar plate there is a reliquary grave with the relics of five saints: Saint Ursula , Saint Fortunatus , Saint Biodarus, Saint Juciniculus and Saint Casta.
Sanctuary
The furniture in the sanctuary (altar, tabernacle column , ambo , sedile , sideboard and pedestal of the statue of the Virgin Mary) was carved from Anröchter dolomite . The altar houses relics of Saint Peter Canisius . The apse and the choir are dominated by a large mosaic that supplements the 14 Stations of the Cross around the central nave with an additional fifteenth. It shows the risen Christ. During the renovation of the church in 2013, the apse, which was previously painted white, was redesigned in color by the church painter Jörg Held.
Jude Thaddeus Chapel
According to the tradition adopted by the parish, the congregation had consecrated its own altar in a small side chapel west of the main nave to the apostle Judas Thaddäus - one of the 14 great helpers in need. The apostle is depicted on a mosaic at the front of the chapel. Just like the apse mosaic behind the main altar, it was designed by Edzard Seeger. West light falls through a colorful pointed arch window into the chapel. The motif of the window is an oil lamp with the Christ sign XP = chi + rho = Chr (istus). All pointed arch windows were designed by the artist Annelise Reichmann in 1956/58 . To the right of the archway in the chapel there are some historical votive tablets .
The chapel has been used as a confessional room since 2013. For this purpose, the pointed arches that were previously open to the main nave were closed. Figures of Saint Anthony and Saint Jude Thaddeus stand in the resulting niches. The altar has been removed.
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Baptistery
Another chapel to the right of the entrance, past the side chapel of the holy apostle Jude Thaddäus, is a round side extension. In the middle is the baptismal font , which is set two steps lower to indicate the descent into the water. Born again from the water and the Holy Spirit , the person to be baptized ascends again after being baptized . A small pointed arched window with two fish to the right and left of the cross illuminates the corridor to the baptistery and is reminiscent of the identification mark of the early Christians.
organ
Instrument by Klais (1954)
The Klais - Organ (op 1,042th) of the church from 1954 had electric play and register contractures and a free pipe front . It was dismantled in 1989 during the renovation of the church and replaced by a new instrument from Mayer.
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Instrument by Mayer (1989)
The Mayer -Orgel the church from 1989 has slider chests with mechanical play and electrical Register contracture . Limed oak was used for the prospectus and rosewood for the interior of the play cupboard . The instrument has 28 sounding registers , which are distributed over two manuals and pedal . The organ was completely overhauled in 2013 as part of the renovation of the church.
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- Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P
- Playing aids : Tutti, tongue holder, 2 free combinations
Tower and bells
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The 28 meter high church tower is separated from the church building on its southwest corner on the roadside. A metal relief of St. Joseph hangs in the entrance area of the tower . It was created by Paul Brandenburg and donated by Karlo Wolf (former pastor in Liebfrauen).
The first chiming of the church consisted of four steel chill cast bells and came from the year 1948. This was so badly damaged in the 1990s that it had to be partially shut down. In June 1999, a bearing pin even broke and a bell clapper crashed into the bell chamber without causing any major damage.
At the beginning of 2000, a donation to the community made it possible to purchase a completely new bronze bell and bell cage. The order went to the Eifel bell foundry KA Mark in Brockscheid. The bell was cast on March 17, 2001. The consecration of the bell was carried out by Auxiliary Bishop Wolfgang Rolly on May 1, 2001.
The sound motif of the bells consists of the tones c 1 , e 1 , g 1 and a 1 and thus forms the beginning of the Gregorian Salve Regina . It is coordinated with the bell of the neighboring Pauluskirche .
Bell 1 Marienglocke , tone c 1 , diameter: 1540 mm, weight: approx. 2400 kg
Inscription: In honorem Beatae Mariae Virginis + SALVE REGINA +
Bell 2 Martinus bell , tone e 1 , diameter: 1300 mm, weight: approx. 1300 kg
Inscription: In honorem Sancti Martini + CHRIST VINCIT +
Bell 3 Bonifatius bell , tone g 1 , diameter: 1060 mm, weight: approx. 800 kg
Inscription: In honorem Sancti Bonifatii + CHRIST REGNAT +
Bell 4 Edith Stein bell , tone a 1 , diameter: 960 mm, weight: approx. 550 kg
Inscription: In honorem Sanctae Teresiae Benedictae a Cruce OCD Edith Stein + CHRIST IMPERAT +
literature
- State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen (Ed.): City of Darmstadt. (= Cultural monuments in Hessen. Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany. ) Vieweg & Sohn, Braunschweig 1994, ISBN 3-528-06249-5 .
- Parish council Liebfrauen (Hrsg.): Catholic parish Liebfrauen Darmstadt. Status: 09/2008
- Parish Liebfrauen (Hrsg.): Liebfrauenkirche Darmstadt-Bessungen. Status: 11/2013
