Liebfrauenkirche (Westerburg)
The Church of Our Lady of the Reichenstein (Church of Our Lady) is a Catholic pilgrimage church on Mount Reichenstein (also Reichenscheid ) near Westerburg , Rhineland-Palatinate . The place of the church was already the destination of numerous pilgrimages in the Middle Ages . From 1925 to 1964 the church was also the parish church for Westerburg.
history
A Marienkapelle was first built on the Reichenstein in 1310. It was named Reinhardskapelle after its builder Reinhard I. von ( Westerburg ) . In 1350 a " Madonna Enthroned " was donated to this chapel . As late as the 14th century, this Madonna became a destination for local pilgrimages. In 1430 the miraculous image of the Sorrowful Mother ( Mater Dolorosa ) was erected in the chapel and is now in the chapel again. The miraculous image is similar to that of the Marienstatt Abbey . The chapel was enlarged in the late 15th century to become a church the size it is today. On February 15, 1498, the Archbishop of Trier, Johann II of Baden, carried out the consecration . At that time there were five brotherhoods at the Church of Our Lady : Brotherhood of Our Lady , Brotherhood of Priests , Brotherhood of St. Anna , Brotherhood of St. James , and Brotherhood of St. Sebastian and Mary Magdalene . The brotherhoods organized pilgrimages to Westerburg from all over the Rhineland .
In the course of the introduction of the Reformation in the County of Leiningen-Westerburg , the pilgrimage church was closed. The counts removed the miraculous image. The church building fell into ruin. However, the pilgrimages did not completely end.
From 1860 the Catholic Countess Seraphine von Leiningen , who came from Austria, built a Catholic church near Westerburg. The image of grace that had been removed from the old church was returned. The foundation stone of the new building was laid in 1898 by the Abbot Dominikus Willi , a few weeks before his appointment as bishop of the Limburg diocese . Today's church was consecrated on September 22, 1899. Two new brotherhoods, The Good Death and The Sacrament of the Most Holy Altar , were founded.
In 1925, the Church of Our Lady was elevated to a parish church by the Limburg diocese. In 1964, the newly built Christkönig church became the parish church for Westerburg, and the Church of Our Lady has only been a pilgrimage church since then. The medieval image of the "Enthroned Madonna" from the first chapel was placed in the new parish church. A colored copy of this miraculous image was set up by the Association of Friends and Patrons of the Church of Our Lady on May 12, 2013 in the chapel on the Reichenstein and the historic Marienquelle was inaugurated again by Abbot Andreas Range OCist.
Building description
It is a three - aisled neo - Gothic basilica . The aisles are slightly lower than the central nave. The church is oriented from west to east. The choir is located as an extension of the central nave on the east side. The portal on the west side is designed as a transept. The retracted tower is located above the transept and central nave like a crossing tower.
The interior of the transept is designed as an anteroom and is 5 steps above the level of the long aisles. It also takes up the entire width of the gallery . Inside the church there are around 140 seats and 4 confessionals.
The high altar in the central choir is a winged altar. When it is opened, it shows nine scenes from the life of Mary . When folded, it shows the five laws of the Sorrowful Rosary . The central picture with the crucifixion scene can be seen in both positions.
The left side altar is dedicated to St. Joseph . The one on the right shows the image of grace of the Sorrowful Mother. In a niche in the transept there is a statue of St. Anthony of Padua .
Church services and spiritual offers
The regular worship services are:
- Sunday 6.30 p.m. Holy Mass, Wednesday 9.00 a.m. Holy Mass, Saturday 8.00 a.m. Laudes followed by Holy Mass.
- Confessional opportunity: Sunday from 6:00 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m.
- Silent Adoration and Eucharistic Blessing: Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
- Rosary prayer before the Holy Masses on Sunday 5:45 pm and Wednesday 8:00 am.
The other offers (church coffee, prayer evenings, lectures, concerts, ...) are listed in the annual program (available from the Catholic parish office of Christkönig / Westerburg).
Pilgrimage masses and devotions for groups of pilgrims are possible after consultation with the Westerburg parish office with the pilgrimage director Pastor Ralf Hufsky or a member of the pastoral team.
Regulations for external weddings are available from the parish office.
Others
On October 27, 2013, the service was broadcast on ZDF from the Liebfrauenkirche.
literature
- Willy Mehr: The Church of Our Lady in Westerburg 1899–1979
Individual evidence
- ↑ Video church services: Catholic church service from Westerburg with Pastor Ralf Hufsky (October 27, 2013, 9:30 a.m., 44:36 min.) In the ZDFmediathek , accessed on February 3, 2014. (offline)
Coordinates: 50 ° 34 ′ 29 ″ N , 7 ° 58 ′ 13 ″ E