Marienkirche (Bremerhaven-Geestemünde)
The Marienkirche is an Evangelical Lutheran church in the Bremerhaven district of Geestemünde .
shape
Apart from some boulder masonry on the tower base, the Romanesque started and Gothic completed St. Mary's Church is built from brick in the format of a monastery . The church interior consists of a single nave and a retracted choir , both of which are covered with ribbed vaults. The nave is divided by pointed belt arches , but the triumphal arch to the choir is rounded. The somewhat squat, almost square tower sits with its east wall on the west gable of the ship and wears a pyramid helmet . Apart from a biforium near the western corner of the north wall, the arched sound openings are well below the top of the wall.
The interior design is simple, but not bare. The walls are whitewashed, but vaulted ribs and partition arches are highlighted in color. The wooden beams in the organ loft and the pews are rather darkly stained . The windows are fitted with "antique" lead glazing. The altar consists of a simple sandstone slab on a base. There is a bronze crucifixion group on the altar.
history
The exact time of the foundation of a church in Geestenthorp (Geestendorf, today Geestemünde), first mentioned in 1139, is not known. However, it is believed that the local farmers built a small chapel in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the beginning of the 13th century .
A capella in Gesztendorppe is mentioned in the Stader Kopialbuch from 1420 . This seems to have been in very poor condition. In a certificate of indulgence from Pope Eugene IV dated September 20, 1436 , the chapel is described as a ruin. At some point around this time, the nave was enlarged or even rebuilt. When the church tower was built is unknown. In contrast, the large boulders that form the foundation of the tower are clearly visible .
The church was badly damaged in the Thirty Years War . The church was restored in 1663. The anchor pins above the sound hatches above the tower entrance testify to this. From 1729 to 1770 Martin Mushard was pastor of the church. In 1742 a sundial was installed on the south side of the church . A mechanical clock on the Marienkirche had been around for a long time.
The church was extensively restored in 1872–1875 based on plans by Conrad Wilhelm Hase. The main portal and most of the windows received new arcatures . Finally, in 1907, a sacristy and boiler rooms were added to the choir.
The church burned down in the heaviest of 52 air raids on Wesermünde on September 18, 1944. The roofs of the tower and the nave were completely lost. Apart from the masonry of the church, only the roof of the choir was partially preserved.
On March 7, 1951, the topping-out ceremony was celebrated on the occasion of the completion of the first construction phase. At the end of the year the church finally had a new roof. The first new bell was installed in the tower on November 17, 1953. The restored St. Mary's Church was officially inaugurated on March 7, 1954. The new organ played for the first time in a service on October 6, 1957. This is a 16 registers equipped slider chest organ with about 1,000 organ pipes . Since the spring of 1964, the Marienkirche has had a complete ring, consisting of three bells. In 1979, the church painter Schlüter from Essen painted the vault with painted arches and yokes. The altar was also given a new sculpture. This comes from Karl-Henning Seemann from Stuttgart, who also made the sculpture above the church door. The bronze sculpture in the arch field above the church door shows Noah's Ark with the dove of peace. The building has been a listed building since 1977 .
literature
- Dehio-Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, Volume Bremen / Lower Saxony , 1992, ISBN 3-422-03022-0 , p. 67
- Rudolf Stein : Dorfkirchen und Bauernhäuser im Bremer Lande , 1967, pp. 554–555, available in the reading room of the Bremen State Archives
Web links
- Marien- und Christuskirche Bremerhaven → Church building → Marienkirche
- Entry in the Bremen monument database
Individual evidence
- ↑ DeichSPIEGEL: The Marienkirche in Geestemünde - a checkered history, part 3 with a photo of the war-destroyed Marienkirche
- ^ Monument database of the LfD
Coordinates: 53 ° 31 ′ 45.4 " N , 8 ° 35 ′ 28.4" E