Marienkirche (Gelnhausen)
The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen , Hesse, is the church of the Protestant parish and at the same time the landmark of the city and the Kinzig valley.
Stylistically, the building is occasionally classified as “Romanesque, Gothic overformed”, which does not quite do justice to its character and building history. It is better to speak of a “Romanesque-Gothic transitional style ”, because apart from the older west tower and a few later additions, the main structure combines both late Romanesque and early Gothic forms of construction at the same time when it was built in the first half of the 13th century. The proportion of more ornate Gothic style elements increases from west to east, which creates an attractive programmatic increase when entering the church from the simple entrance hall in the west tower to the richly designed choir.
This and the fact that the medieval building remained largely unchanged in its originality and special design makes the Marienkirche a cultural monument of special importance.
Building history
Historical environment
Gelnhausen was founded in 1170 as a free imperial city by Friedrich I. Barbarossa . Immediately thereafter, the construction of the church began, which is closely related to two other important Gelnhausen buildings from the High Middle Ages: the Romanesque House (seat of the imperial Vogts) and the imperial palace .
The church was first documented in 1223 by Pope Honorius III. mentioned. In 1238 she appears again in a document as ecclesia sancte Marie in Geylenhusen . Since then, the parish rights of the Canons of Selbold, who belonged to the Premonstratensian order, were secured. It was not until 1543 that these rights were transferred to the town of Gelnhausen by way of a purchase contract, after the Selbold monastery, which is located in what is now the town of Langenselbold , was devastated and the order impoverished as a result of the peasant wars in 1525 . This was accompanied by the introduction of the Reformation with the Lutheran creed. The contract was signed in what was then the abbot's house opposite the church (Braugasse 8), which is now reminiscent of an inscription plaque above the house entrance. Due to the comparatively smooth transition to the Reformation and probably also because, in contrast to most of the rest of Hesse, the Lutheran confession later remained, numerous altars and other works of medieval art in the Marienkirche have been preserved to this day.
Previous construction
A previous building from the middle of the 12th century is suspected, which consisted of a small single-nave hall church in the area of today's central nave. This assumption is based mainly on a keystone and remains of wall sections that were found during earlier renovations and most recently during construction work on the heating under the current church floor in the nave and in the choir. However, there is no reliable evidence that these remains of the wall once supported an actually completed and usable church building. It is also assumed that today's west portal of the nave (access from the west tower hall) is the remains of the previous building, or at least the oldest parts of the church.
Construction of today's church building
There are few surviving documents from the Middle Ages that prove the existence of the church at certain times, but their content does not allow an exact, dated sequence of individual construction phases to be derived. The chronological classification must therefore largely be based on the evaluation of stylistic and structural features. In the past, the associated uncertainties have led to various representations with partially diverging theories and assumptions (above all from Bickell 1901, Noak 1912 and Fath 1970). As part of the scientific support for the major renovations from 1989–99, newer findings were added, especially through dendrochronological investigations on the roof structures, which Wilbertz summarized in his dissertation in 1999 with critical appreciation of earlier publications. From today's perspective, the following construction sequence can be considered largely secured:
The entire structure was essentially erected from west to east. In the last third of the 12th century (completion around 1195), the first part of the building began with the west tower, which is still purely Romanesque due to the early construction period.
Then in the early 13th century the nave with side aisles was built, which initially had exactly the length of the main nave, so that the west tower was initially free on three sides. The aisles were lower in height than they are today, and the eaves were roughly the same height as today's arched friezes. The first approaches of early Gothic style elements are used on the two rows of pillars on the nave walls. This was followed one after the other by the transept with crossing, the side choirs as the base of the flank towers and the antechamber and finally the choir apse with increasing early Gothic styles.
A corner stone of the sacristy , which originally belonged to a choir pillar, shows the year 1232, which marks the completion of the exterior work on the choir, as well as the name of the client:
- AN (n) O · D (omini) MCCXXXII Xll · K (al) IVLII · D (ominus) · PAVL (us) · THESAVRARIVS · H (uius) · ECC (lesi) E
- “In the year 1232, July 12th, Mr. Paul treasurer of this church”.
The design of the eastern parts of the church is attributed to the builder Heinrich Vingerhuth, whose name is immortalized with a portrait on the north portal gable. How far his influence on building design actually went is unclear.
Between around 1236 and 1240 the main building was under the roof and the church was probably usable. By 1250, the east towers were also listed in full and provided with spire helmets. Even if it was probably not initially planned, the rood screen was installed during this final phase of the building construction or immediately afterwards. The Marienkirche was completed after only around 80 years of construction. Subsequent construction activities changed its characteristic appearance only a little.
Later changes
In the 13th century, the side aisles were extended to the west by the width of the west tower, so that it has been enclosed on three sides since then. In the 15th century the side aisles were raised, enriched with some Gothic tracery windows and the originally lower Romanesque window row was mostly walled up. Inside, a gallery was installed in the aisles . The year 1446 for this renovation is recorded on the outside of the northwest corner.
Gothic additions were made in the southeast with the sacristy from the 14th century and the processional chapel from 1467.
Renovations
In the 17th century, the sculptures and capitals, which were originally colored and are now stone-faced, were smoothed with straw clay and coated with heavy whitewash with all the stone and wall surfaces. In addition, the roofs of the side aisles were made steeper so that they partially covered the upper facade windows of the nave. Both measures probably served to facilitate construction maintenance in economically difficult times.
An extensive exterior and interior renovation took place from 1876 to 1879. Inside, the damaged lime plaster was largely removed and most of the medieval frescoes that originally covered almost all wall surfaces were destroyed. In addition, an attempt was made to make the original medieval spatial effect clearer and therefore the galleries in the side aisles were removed again and the stone carvings exposed. In addition, there was the new organ, the prospectus of which is still preserved today. The "bell hole" was created in the ceiling of the west tower hall, as the newly installed organ conceals a large arched opening in the west wall between the central nave and the first tower floor, which previously enabled the bells to be transported up to the bell cage.
Outside, in addition to repair work on the facade and the relocation of the inclination of the side aisle roofs to the previous and current dimensions, above all the roof structure of the southern flank tower was renewed. With that, a special feature of St. Mary's Church, well known up to then, disappeared: the "leaning tower", which had not withstood the load permanently and had clearly become crooked (possibly a consequence of inadequate maintenance due to the desperate financial situation during and after the Thirty Years War ).
In 1934, during renovation work, the few frescoes in the choir were rediscovered and exposed that had remained undamaged during the renovation of the 19th century. In 1962/63 the pulpit from the 19th century was removed and the preserved Renaissance pulpit from 1600 reinstalled. In the 1970s, extensive restorations of art treasures, tapestries, altars and epitaphs followed.
During a major exterior restoration from 1987 to 1999, the entire exterior plaster, all roof trusses and the heavily damaged sandstone were renovated. All roofs were re-covered with slate in the technically demanding "old German cover with a sharp cut". The gargoyles on the towers were shut down and their gutters were instead connected to internal downpipes to protect the roofs and walls from impacting water. This century of renovation came to an end in 2000 with the restoration of the five choir windows and the new construction of the churchyard.
Complementary buildings
On the north side of the churchyard was the Michael Chapel, mentioned in a document in 1289 and intended for soul masses, as well as a "Holy Grave" built in 1490. Both buildings were demolished in 1825 when Kirchgasse was widened. The holy grave was rebuilt in the Bad Homburg cemetery.
On the south side of the churchyard on the right at the exit to the Untermarkt (Im Höfchen 5) is the "Alte Küsterhaus". It was bought by Katharina von Münnerstadt in 1418 for the altarist of the "Trinity Altar" which she donated (no longer preserved). In the post-Reformation period until 1973 it was the official residence of the sexton of the Marienkirche and has been unused since then.
Opposite the east side of the Marienkirche there is another altarist house (Braugasse 10), built in 1424, called "Steitz". At the end of the Middle Ages it functioned together with the adjoining house at Braugasse 8 as a dump for the Selbold Premonstratensian abbot, hence the occasional name "old abbey" in older sources. Today the Steitz serves as the youth center of the parish, the house at Braugasse 8 is a private residence.
description
Exterior
The different building periods of the Marienkirche can be guessed from the block-like effect of the forms in the west and the increasing complexity in the east. The west tower has a square shape and is built on six floors. The individual floors are separated by cornices and continue upwards in gables and a so-called Rhenish rhombic roof . A small eight-sided tower lantern forms the end of the west tower. On the upper floors of the tower there are domed, Romanesque windows with sprawling fighters . Above the entrance portal, a round arched niche adorns the facade, which between two rosettes represents a striding lamb with a cross and nimbus ( Agnus Dei ) under the arched area a quadruple window . This points to an earlier use of the first floor of the tower as a chapel.
The three-aisled nave has simple Romanesque shapes. The more varied tracery windows in the aisles date from the Gothic period, when the aisles were raised. The once lower Romanesque windows below were partially bricked up. Under the windows to pull consoles with a pointed arch fries out. On the north side aisle in the west end, the builder jokingly placed a figure in a frieze arch that was too narrow, who tried in vain to stretch it further with arms and legs ("Gelnhauser Man").
The oldest of the three aisle portals is located in the west wall of the south aisle and is bricked up so that it remains visible from the outside. The southern portal is framed with a round arch and has a filigree clover leaf arch. The northern portal is more detailed. It has two steps with recessed columns that continue higher up as archivolts . The tympanum , surrounded by a round rod adorned with foliage, shows a Deësis . This consists of the enthroned Christ between Mary and the Evangelist John and is flanked by the half-length figures of two other saints. The rigid posture of the figures and the “calligraphic folds” of the robes are modeled on Chartres Cathedral . The current north aisle portal is presumably a former transept portal that was moved here as part of a plan change. Early Gothic capitals and the round bar adorned with foliage were built into the archivolt.
The transept barely protrudes and is equipped with a magnificent porch on each of the two front sides. The design language is richer here and corresponds to that of the eastern part. There are three large Rhenish rose windows above the porch , the tracery of which is cut from stone slabs. The area is bordered by buttresses almost to the gables, the field of which is framed by an arched frieze and filled with a clover-leaf double window. Both portals at the transept differ almost only in their different arched field images.
In the southern tympanum there is a depiction of Mary with her child, enthroned between women who adore them. The women are named inscribed: Maria Magdalena , Katarina, Margareta and Marta .
At the intersection of the transept and nave, the eight-sided crossing tower, crowned with a tent roof, rises above a dome . Three-part windows with a raised central arch emphasize the dominant position of the crossing tower on each side. The eight angel figures on the gables above the small, coupled windows are additions from the major renovation in 1876/79.
The assembly of the choir is framed by two side choirs, above which the two side towers stand. These are slim, eight-sided and decorated with arched friezes and pilaster strips . The choir itself is architecturally richly structured and projects to the east with a polygonal 5/8 end . Corner pillars support the wall against the arching. The windows of the choir are long and ogival and are closed above by a strongly emphasized round arch frieze that rests on block consoles. Above that, dainty columns support a clover arch gallery ( dwarf gallery ), behind which there are rose windows in quadrangular shape. The choir is closed by an eight-sided tent roof that looks like a fifth tower.
Interior
The effect of the interior design of the Marienkirche increases from west to east.
West tower hall
The simple round arched entrance portal in the west tower is the main entrance to the church today. Behind it is the tower hall with a round arch passage to the north and south to the side aisles. The southern one is walled up today. The ceiling is formed by a Romanesque barrel vault, in the middle of which there is a round opening that is used to transport the bells into the belfry. On the east side of the hall is probably the oldest portal as possibly the oldest part of the church. Pillars with capitals that surround a free arched field are presented in stages. This portal leads into the nave.
Longhouse
The central nave measures 16.40 meters in length and height and 9 meters in width. It opens up to the side aisles in four ogival arcades supported by strong pillars . The bare wall surfaces until the last interior renovation are now ashlar. The high-seated, arched windows in the upper aisle and the flat ceilings reveal the Romanesque style of the Premonstratensians . The flat-roofed aisles are 4.10 meters wide and were originally 7.50 meters high. At the west end of the north aisle there is now a memorial room with a candlestick (designed by Achim Gogler based on the biblical motif of the “burning bush”). A man-high gable cross made of sandstone is attached to the west outer wall of the south aisle, which was removed from the north transept gable during the major renovations in 1989-99 and replaced there with a replica. In front of it is an old font from the end of the 19th century, which is no longer used today.
Transept with crossing
In contrast to the nave, the eastern parts are vaulted with a ribbed vault. The pillars in the transept are richly profiled and pointed girders emphasize the crossing with its high dome. The crossing dominates the entire church space and has a central character in relation to the comparatively short nave. The crossing dome rises supported by four massive pillars in an eight-sided rib vault. The pillars are adorned by various types of ornamented consoles. The dome itself is illuminated by four small eight-pass windows. The names of the eight winds can be read in the decorated keystone . In the crossing is the new font from 1962. It was made from Maulbronn sandstone by the sculptor Helmuth Uhrig . The three relief images represent the crucifixion, grave and resurrection.
Choir room
The decorations on the capitals and consoles in the choir depict stylized foliage motifs - often in connection with figurative ornamentation - which are symbols of Christian hope and view of life. The choir decorations differ from the strictly designed shape of the nave in that the walls are relaxed and the decoration is rich, symbolizing the joy of living. The decorated capitals and the wall structure are probably from Vingerhut. On the ground floor, a cloverleaf arcade runs around the walls, the second arcature above blinds the gallery . On the north wall and in the ribbed vault of the choir there are still individual frescoes. Originally, the rest of the church interior was decorated with frescoes of this kind, but these were lost during earlier renovations.
The choir stalls date from the 14th century and each has three or four foldable bench seats, which have a narrow projection ( misericordie ) on the underside , which serves as a support when standing. On the south side there are carvings on the cheeks depicting the dog, lion, dragon and Saint George . The four-seater with a built-in cupboard served as a singer's chair. In the south transept there are pews bearing the year 1493 and the eagle coat of arms of a mayor family.
Rood screen
Today the rood screen is a special feature of St. Mary's Church and is one of the few that have survived from the Middle Ages. It separates the nave and the choir spatially but not acoustically. In the Middle Ages, only the canons had access to the choir room. As a result of the Council of Trent in the 16th century, most of the rood screens were destroyed because of the no longer wanted separation between clergy and lay people or fell victim to the Reformation iconoclasm after the Calvinist Reformation . In Gelnhausen, however, the Lutheran Reformation was introduced in 1543, which meant that the Trident Council could no longer have any effect. St. Mary's Church was also spared from the later iconoclasm in the surrounding Landgraviate of Hesse, since Gelnhausen, as an imperial city not belonging to the Landgraviate, did not take part in Landgrave Moritz's change from the Lutheran to the Calvinist branch of the Reformation. The rood screen, as well as the rest of the furnishings in St. Mary's Church from Catholic times, were essentially preserved.
Two side cloverleaf doors lead under the rood screen from the main nave into the choir. The rood screen is accessible via a staircase. It ends at the top with a parapet on which late Gothic figures are painted in a gallery. In the arches, scenes of the Last Judgment are shown in four originally colored reliefs . On the right-hand side, people tied up with a chain, obviously of higher rank, are drawn by a devil to the hellhole on the far right (“train of the damned”). On the left, simply dressed people go to heaven, praying, where the dead rise (“procession of the blessed”).
The lay altar is located under the rood screen. Today it is the main altar for normal church services. The crucifix on the rood screen gallery was moved to the north wall in 1877 and returned to its original location in 1934. The master of this late Gothic work is unknown.
Organs
Main organ
The core of the first known organ in the Marienkirche was presumably already installed in the Renaissance above the entrance on the west wall of the central nave and was expanded and changed especially in the Baroque period. This organ was replaced in the years 1877–1879 as the completion of a major renovation of the church in the same place by a completely new building by the organ builder Wilhelm August Ratzmann (Gelnhausen) with a prospect in the style of neo-Gothic historicism . The instrument in the form of a swallow's nest organ was romantically arranged with 33 registers of its time . In 1966/67, a neo-baroque organ with 37 registers was built into the existing case by Bernhard Schmidt (Gelnhausen) , whereby the original Ratzmann prospectus was slightly changed, especially in the middle area.
In May 2017 the Schmidt organ was expanded and replaced by a new one by Claudius Winterhalter Orgelbau . The Ratzmann case from 1878/79 has been retained, restored, given a new paint finish and the central part has been brought back to its historic original condition. The new main organ was inaugurated on May 20, 2018 and is connected to the choir organ and its mobile general console to form a complete system.
Winterhalter main organ has 40 registers 31 votes to 2 manuals and pedal with mechanical key for the main and swell , electric action for the pedal and electrical key action . In order to be able to play them from the mobile general console on the choir organ, the main and swell mechanisms are equipped with an electrical action mechanism in addition to the mechanical ones. Since the console on the main organ is also designed as a general console, it also has a third manual.
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- Effect register: Chimes
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Couple:
- Normal coupling: I / II, II / I, I / P, II / P
- Sub-octave coupling: II / I, II / II
- Super octave coupling: II / P
- Playing aids : Composition system with 11 groups of 10,000 memory spaces (together with choir organ) and roller
Choir organ
In the north transept there is a choir organ built by Claudius Winterhalter Orgelbau with a modern prospect in 2015 . With its 14 registers and 10 voices, it is arranged according to French tradition . The play and stop action are electrical, the tone valves are electro-pneumatic , the loop pull drives are electromagnetic. The three-manual console , which stands free from the organ, is mobile and can be freely positioned in the crossing area, depending on the church service or concert situation. It is designed as a general console for the entire system consisting of the choir organ and the new main organ.
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Couple:
- Normal coupling: GO / I, GO / II, GO / III, RE / I, RE / II, RE / III, GO / P, RE / P
- Sub-octave coupling: RE / I, RE / II, RE / III
- Super octave coupling: GO / I, RE / I, RE / II, RE / III, GO / P, RE / P
- Playing aids : Composition system with 11 groups of 10,000 memory spaces each (together with the main organ) and roller
Bells
Today's bell system
The west tower of St. Mary's Church not only bears the tower clock, but also houses the peal of four large and one small bells, the parts of which essentially come from three epochs: the Middle Ages, the first third of the 20th century and the 21st century. The bell system is supported by a mighty oak bell cage, which extends 11 m high over the third, fourth and fifth floors of the tower and fills the entire inner cross-section of the tower. The bell that is active today is composed as follows:
| No. |
Surname |
Casting year |
Caster |
Mass (kg) |
Diameter (cm) |
Nominal tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fatherland Bell | 1930 | Schilling (Apolda) | 3790 | 178 | b 0 |
| 2 | Luther bell | 2011 | Perner (Passau) | 2000 | 152 | of the 1st |
| 3 | Peace bell | 2011 | Perner (Passau) | 1380 | 137 | it 1 |
| 4th | Women bell | around 1250 | Berthold | 1450 | 133 | ges 1 |
| 5 | Our Father Bell | 1331 | 320 | 71 | f 2 |
A sixth bell, the smallest with a diameter of 50 cm, hangs in the tower lantern as the only one visible from the outside. It is the oldest bell in the church and was cast by the same bell caster Berthold as the women's bell. It used to function as a clock bell, at times also as a fire bell . With the renovation of the clock system in 1876, it was taken out of service, but remained in its place. The women's bell is considered to be historically valuable and a particularly successful piece, so that the musical disposition of all newer bells had to be based on it.
The likewise medieval Our Father's Bell with its nominal tone f "cannot be harmoniously inserted into the plenum and is therefore only rung solo.
Ringing order (excerpt)
The bell rings daily at 8:00 a.m. (bell 5), at noon at 11:00 a.m. (bell 3) and in the evening at 8:00 p.m. (bell 2). Before the start of each main service and on New Year's Eve, the plenum can be heard from bells 1 to 4. Bell 1 sounds solo during all acts of baptism and blessing (confirmation, marriage) and bell 5 during the Lord's Prayer in divine service.
Bell story
In addition to the three valuable bells from the Middle Ages that are still in existence today, there were several additions in the following three centuries, but these did not go particularly well and did not survive the times. In view of the special building, the bells remained relatively weak and found space in a small bell cage on the sixth floor of the tower. As part of a major renovation of the church in 1876–79, the bell cage was probably replaced by a much larger and more stable new building with a view to future extensions, and its support in the tower walls was lowered three storeys to make it more statically stable.
However, the sound of the bells was not redesigned appropriately until 1909, when Kaiser Wilhelm II, following a visit to the church (1906), made it possible to cast an "imperial bell" with a donation of RM 5,500. Gelnhausen citizens donated the funds for two more large bells, the "Luther" and the "Peace Bell". These three new bells, cast by Schilling in Apolda and weighing between 3.6 t and 1.2 t, were inaugurated in 1909 with a large festival service. Shortly afterwards, the "Hedwig Kalkhof bell" was added as a fourth by a legacy. All four new bells were, however, confiscated again in 1916/17 and melted down for "war-related purposes".
In 1924, enough donations were again collected from the citizens and the lost Luther and peace bells could be replaced by new chilled cast iron bells of the same name. In 1930, two emigrated Gelnhausen citizens donated the patriotic bell (in bronze), a successor to the large imperial bell. By renouncing the Hedwig Kalkhof bell, which was only supposed to replace the medieval women's bell in the bell ensemble, the ringing was vocally complete again.
During the Second World War bronze bells were confiscated again. The very heavy patriotic bell was not released, however, and the war economy was not interested in the chilled cast iron bells. The medieval bells were transported away, but they were also spared the smelting furnace and could be brought back intact from the bell camp in Hamburg after the end of the war, so that this war did not change the bells in the end.
In 2011, the two chilled cast iron bells from 1924 reached their typical end of life and had to be taken out of service. There was a comprehensive renovation of the bells, with the Luther and peace bells now being re-cast in bronze. In addition, there was the restoration of the Our Father's bell, the crown of which was broken off in 2010 when the clapper tore off the women's bell hanging above it, and the lowering of the Fatherland bell by half a semitone in order to fit it better into the overall sound.
Further equipment
Altars
In the Marienkirche there are four altars with elaborately designed medieval retables . A fifth retable is exhibited in the south aisle without an associated altar table.
High altar
The retable on the high altar in the choir is signed “1500 Nikolaus Schit”. The five carved figures in the shrine represent, from left to right, Peter, John the Baptist, Mary with Child Jesus, John the Evangelist and Paul, above the shrine stands the risen Jesus. In front of the high altar there are two tall tin pillars to the right and left, which originally carried curtains with which the high altar was draped in the Passion.
Apostle altar
The altar of the apostles under the rood screen is the main altar of the church today. Since the choir with the high altar was reserved for the canons in the Middle Ages, the Apostle Altar, which is accessible to all, is also known as the "lay altar". His retable is divided into several fields, which are occupied with gilded figures. A kneeling angel and the crucifixion with Mary and John are shown in the middle. The twelve apostles can be seen in two rows to the left and right . The corners are marked with the four evangelist symbols eagle, human, bull and lion.
Anne Altar
The three-part Anne altar in the southern side choir shows a third group of Anna's selves with two saints under ornamental gables . The painted wings represent the birth of Christ and the adoration of the kings. Outside there is an annunciation scene. On the altar plinth on the predella you can see a hovering angel with the veil of Veronica .
Nicholas Altar
The Nicholas altar is located in the northern side apse . The three panels are filled with gilded and painted carvings. In the middle, the crucified Jesus can be seen under a canopy of branches and foliage , at whose feet Mary Magdalene kneels. Opposite her the tree of life is sprouting . On the wings there are two figures of bishops in bas-relief under foliage carvings. St. Martin can be seen on the left wing and St. Nicholas of Myra on the right .
Mary Altar
In the western end of the south aisle there is another three-part retable with a central figure of Mary on a pedestal suggesting an altar. The associated altar is missing, the reredos were moved back here in 2016 after being temporarily installed in the attached processional chapel. Because of the stylistic similarity to the St. Nicholas altar in the northern side apse, it is assumed that the Marian reredos originally stood in mirror image on the altar of the southern side apse until it was replaced there by the St. Anne's reredos. The Marienretabel later changed its location several times in the church interior and procession chapel.
Stained glass
The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen has 22 brightly designed glass windows and rosettes in addition to single leaded glass. Of particular importance are the five pointed arch windows in the choir, which are composed of framed medallions. Most of the first three windows from the left date from the 13th century and thus still from the construction phase. The two right windows belong to the 19th century and were recreated in a medieval style during the restoration phase at that time.
Carpets
The Marienkirche includes two valuable tapestries from the late Middle Ages, which have been exhibited in a showcase in the former sacristy behind the choir since 1973. Their origin, original storage location and purpose are unknown. It is assumed, however, that they belong to the traditional art equipment of the church and were intended as antependia.
The existence of the carpets has been documented since around 1870, when the early monument conservator Ludwig Bickell found them in poor condition and recognized their art-historical value. After an initial restoration work with a painterly addition of lost parts of the picture, they were first presented in a frame at the west end of the south aisle. Between 1966 and 1973 a comprehensive renewal of the monument preservation took place. The frames and additions from the 19th century were removed again.
The older passion carpet from the beginning of the 15th century depicts the story of Jesus' passion with the Last Supper in ten pictures . The carpet is no longer complete. Parts of the image are missing at the lower edge and the cropping of the images on the left suggests that the image was originally much larger with additional images.
The somewhat younger Marian carpet from the end of the 15th century shows the Christmas story: In the first picture on the left, Maria is sitting in the garden of paradise jumping into her lap by a unicorn chased by an angel . This symbolizes the “ Annunciation of the Lord ”. The middle picture shows the birth scene in the stable of Bethlehem. On the right is the adoration of Christ by the " Three Wise Men ".
literature
- Waltraud Friedrich: Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany - cultural monuments in Hesse, Main-Kinzig-Kreis II, 2. Wiesbaden 2011. ISBN 978-3-8062-2469-6 , pp. 541-551.
- Götz J. Pfeiffer: "To the honor of Christ and the Church". The pulpit from 1600 in the Protestant Marienkirche in Gelnhausen, in: Gelnhausen Heimat-Jahrbuch, vol. 2011, pp. 61–63.
- Georg Wilbertz: The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen: history and art . Series of publications: Die Blauen Bücher , Verlag Langewiesche , Königstein im Taunus 2000, ISBN 978-3-7845-0590-9 .
- Georg Wilbertz: The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen. 67. Publication of the Department of Architectural History of the Art History Institute of the University of Cologne. Dissertation, Cologne 1999.
- Kirsten Breustedt (Red.): The landmark of Gelnhausen - the Marienkirche . In: Gelnhausen. Das Magazin , pages 28-33, Vogel-Verlag, Gelnhausen 1996, ISSN 1430-9335 / ISBN 3-929992-01-9 .
- Hans-Henning Kappel: This is what reconciliation sounds like: Stories about the history of the bells in the Marienkirche Gelnhausen . Published by the Marienkirche Foundation, Gelnhausen 2011, ISBN 978-3000333583 .
- Ludwig Bickell: The architectural and art monuments in the administrative district of Cassel. Volume I, Gelnhausen district. Marburg 1901.
Web links
- Information about the Marienkirche Gelnhausen from the city administration
- Web presence of the Evangelical Church Community Gelnhausen with information about the Marienkirche
References and comments
- ^ The Marienkirche: Gelnhausen and the Selbold monastery
- ^ Wilbertz: The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen. Dissertation 1999. Page 48ff
- ^ Wilbertz: The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen. Dissertation 1999. pp. 38-47
- ^ Building documents in the parish archive and Wilbertz: The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen. Dissertation 1999
- ^ Wilbertz: The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen. The Blue Books, 2000. page 7
- ↑ The inscription is no longer legible today, but it is documented.
- ^ Wilbertz: The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen. Dissertation 1999. Page 37f
- ^ Wilbertz: The Marienkirche in Gelnhausen. The Blue Books, 2000. page 6
- ↑ Original certificate in the golden button of the Vierungsturm, documentation in the parish archive
- ↑ Information from the parish
- ↑ The landmark of Gelnhausen - the Marienkirche in: Gelnhausen. The magazine , page 30
- ^ Construction documents in the parish archive
- ^ Building history of the Marienkirche
- ↑ Bickell: The architectural and art monuments in the administrative district of Cassel. 1901, text volume.
- ↑ a b c Description of the Marienkirche
- ↑ Baptismal font in St. Mary's Church ( Memento from July 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ An arcade describes several parallel columns or pillars that are crowned by arcades
- ↑ Information on the stalls of the Marienkirche ( Memento from February 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ The landmark of Gelnhausen - the Marienkirche in: Gelnhausen. The Magazine , page 33
- ↑ a b Information from the parish on the organs of the Marienkirche ; seen on July 18, 2015.
- ↑ Information from the parish on the new organ ; seen July 18, 2015.
- ^ Hartge, Kappel: Gelnhauser bell . In: Gemeindebote No. 529. Published by the parishes of Gelnhausen and Haitz / Höchst March 2009. Page 5f.
- ↑ Kappel: This is what reconciliation sounds like . 2011, pages 3ff.
- ↑ Kappel: This is what reconciliation sounds like . 2011.
- ↑ Bickell: The architectural and art monuments in the administrative district of Cassel. 1901, plates 48 and 49.
- ↑ Information on stained glass
- ↑ Götz J. Pfeiffer, Andrea Knüpfer: 'They belong to the better among the similar works that have been preserved' - The late medieval tapestries in the Protestant Marienkirche in Gelnhausen In: Mitteilungsblatt . Vol. 40, 2015, pp. 4-13. Center for regional history of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis.
Coordinates: 50 ° 12 ′ 10 ″ N , 9 ° 11 ′ 32 ″ E