Marienkirche (Eilenburg)
The Protestant Church of St. Marien in Eilenburg is also called the Bergkirche because of its location in the Berg district . The original Romanesque building was transformed into a late Gothic hall church between 1516 and 1522 . The church has historical significance as a Luther site .
history
Foundation of the Church
The time of origin of the church to the southwest of Eilenburg Castle is unknown or disputed. Even today, references are made to an alleged foundation around 949 and a first expansion around 999, which is first claimed in the "Eilenburg Chronica" published in 1696 by Jeremias Simon. The wooden building is said to have served the occupation of the neighboring Burgward center of Ilburg . The castle church, which was probably founded in the second half of the 10th century, bore the patronage of St. Peter. However, a change of patronage cannot be entirely ruled out.
The oldest surviving parts of St. Mary's Church date from the Romanesque period and belong to the 12th century. The statement by Jeremias Simon that the older wooden church was replaced by a stone church around 1140 also needs to be checked. Art Historically, the remains of are fighters friezes with palmette ornament on triumphal arch dated to the period around the 1200th The window niches on the north and south walls as well as a Romanesque column base, which was reused as a seat in the inverted position on the tower door, have been preserved. Due to the development of the town of Eilenburg with the younger town church St. Nikolaus at this time, a slightly older age of the Marienkirche is likely.
Late Gothic renovation
The current appearance of the church goes back to a renovation between 1516 and 1522. The nave and the choir were partially re-erected as a brick building with house components and a net vault was added, the paintings of which have been preserved to this day.
The portal vestibule, the upper floor of the sacristy and the tower were completely rebuilt.
Reformation and Renaissance conversions
The church gained historical importance during the Reformation. In 1521, at Martin Luther's instigation, Gabriel Zwilling was appointed Protestant pastor for Eilenburg. Zwilling denounced the existing system. On New Year's Day he celebrated a communion service in secular garb in the Marienkirche with Protestants from Eilenburg and the surrounding communities, believers even traveled from Wurzen and Leipzig. In May 1522, Luther wrote a letter at the neighboring Eilenburg Castle , in which he advocated a Protestant pastor for Eilenburg. Luther preached in St. Mary's Church on this occasion. A little later, the Magdeburg cathedral preacher Andreas Kauxdorf was inaugurated as the first Protestant pastor. There is evidence that Luther preached in St. Marien in 1536 and 1545.
In the 17th century the church received a new interior design, for example its first organ in 1603 and its bells consisting of three new bells in 1625, as well as the baptismal font, the altar structure and the galleries. .
Later modifications
In 1851 the interior of the church was redesigned again, and the pulpit, on which Luther once preached, was replaced with a new one.
While the city center of Eilenburg with the Nikolaikirche suffered severe damage at the end of the Second World War, the Marienkirche in 1945 remained largely undamaged. In the 1980s, the now dilapidated church was extensively renovated and since then it has almost been in its original state.
Building description
The three-aisled nave consists of 4 bays on octagonal pillars with fluted sides. The central nave has a net vault and the side aisles and the spacious choir have a star vault. In the west there is a square tower, on the north side of the choir is a two-storey extension with a cross-ribbed sacristy.
Furnishing
A late Gothic sacrament niche has been preserved in the choir. The altar from the first half of the 17th century has a three-part structure with Corinthian column arrangement, carved, partly figurative cheek decorations and allegorical top figures. The main picture shows sin, death and redemption in the sense of the late Cranach altars, but without any stylistic connection. The baptismal font is an eight-sided basin with rich coat of arms decoration and with inscriptions in scrollwork cartouches, which is carried by rams' heads over a renewed foot. Of the numerous grave monuments, the tomb of J. von Haideck († 1554) is particularly noteworthy, which shows the armored figure of the deceased in a strong relief and which is framed by early Renaissance architecture. The tombs of C. von Ponickau († 1556), Chr. Von Wahren († 1559) and Simon Schröter the Elder from Torgau should also be mentioned.
The organ was built in 1864 by the well-known Eilenburg organ builder Conrad Geißler . From the 1980s the instrument was exposed to decay and vandalism. In 2000 the organ was restored by the organ builder Voigt from Bad Liebenwerda for 300,000 D-Marks and has been sounding in almost original condition since autumn 2000. The instrument has 22 registers on two manuals and a pedal. The playing and stop actions are mechanical. Since the renovation, Matthias Eisenberg and Michael Schönheit have given concerts in the Marienkirche.
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- Coupling : II / I, I / P
- Playing aids : crescendo foot pedal, hand register
Rectory
The rectory belonging to St. Mary's Church , which was a listed building and used by the parish , had to be demolished in 2007 because the slope on which it stood was unstable. Already in GDR times the slope towards Marienstraße, and a little away from the rectory, also towards Bergstraße, slipped, but could be stabilized with large concrete elements for the time being.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Eilenburgische Chronica / Or description of the very old castle / palace and city of Eilenburg / After the situation or camp / behavior / old inhabitants / clock jump and inheritance ... religion, food and comfort / rulers and officials ... Something so well in War times as times of peace / there and in the surrounding area ... things worth thinking about come and happen. From many old and new reinforced Autoribus, as well as other credible writings and archives ... compiled ... / By M. Jeremias Simon / Käyserl. kr. Poets and Pastors at Limehna. Leipzig, Lanckisch, 1696. Online edition: Halle (Saale), University and State Library Saxony-Anhalt, 2008 ( online ).
- ↑ church music-eilenburg - Geissler organ. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Conrad Geissler. Retrieved January 15, 2020 .
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 27 ′ 29.4 " N , 12 ° 37 ′ 17.9" E