Marienkirche (Wolfenbüttel)

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Main church BMV to Wolfenbüttel

The main church Beatae Mariae Virginis (short: main church BMV , BMV or main church ) in Wolfenbüttel is the first major Protestant church in the world. The church is sometimes referred to as Marienkirche , which was the name of the previous church; Beatae Mariae Virginis means: "the Blessed Virgin Mary". The construction was commissioned by Duke Heinrich Julius and carried out from 1608 to 1624. The Marienkirche is the main church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Braunschweig and to this day one of the large churches in the Braunschweig region .

Building history

construction

The church has stylistic elements of Gothic (windows), Renaissance and Baroque (gable). This stylistic diversity is characteristic of the post-Gothic , in which the elements of the Gothic were deliberately used as a sign of "ancient venerability".

The history of the main church BMV is closely related to the development of Wolfenbüttel into a ducal residence town. To the east of the castle there was previously a small Marienkapelle, first mentioned in 1301. Expanded into a ducal burial place by Duke Heinrich the Younger in 1533, the first large Protestant church was built on this slope about half a century later while retaining the name. The trigger was a request from the “preachers and church fathers” with which they approached the ruling Duke Heinrich Julius in January 1604. He also endeavored to build a new burial place for the princely family at the same time.

Construction began in 1608 under the direction of the ducal master builder Paul Francke . In 1613, the work had progressed so far that Duke Heinrich Julius, who died surprisingly in Prague, was buried in the new princely crypt. Despite the Thirty Years' War , construction work was largely completed by 1624. The temporary roof on the tower was only replaced in 1751 by the baroque spire that exists today. The portals on the north and south sides are attributed to the sculptor Jacob Meyerheine .

The Marienkirche was to become a sermon and sacrament church for the proclamation of the Reformation faith for the congregation, but at the same time also fulfill the desire for princely representation. Paul Francke resorted to the Gothic conception of the low German hall churches. At the same time, ideas of “humanistic architecture” from Italy and the Dutch Renaissance can also be seen at the Marienkirche . The total work of art combined in its own "manner" is thus an example of German mannerism . However, the west portal, completed in 1645, was clearly created in the baroque style.

After the Second World War

As part of the 1968 movement , theology student Dietrich Düllmann locked himself in the Marienkirche on the evening before the Sunday of the Dead in 1968. Until around 11 p.m. he used an ax to destroy the memorial plaques of those who died in the First World War. As a reason he gave “This is Christianity that made Auschwitz possible.” And quoted Matthew 3.10  LUT “The ax is already at the root of the trees.” Düllmann and his fellow students also disrupted the service of St. .-Trinity Congregation . There, the church council and provost waived a criminal complaint, while the church council of the Marienkirche, according to a representation by Dietrich Kuessner, filed a criminal complaint against Düllmann and thus obtained his conviction.

A comprehensive safeguarding and restoration of the Marienkirche took place from 1969 to 1985. Due to intensive color investigations, the historically secured color scheme of the 17th century was achieved. restore.

Furnishing

  • Fourth altar from 1830
  • Pulpit, wood with carved reliefs by G. Steyger, Quedlinburg, commissioned in 1619, erected in 1623,
  • Baptismal font, cast brass, 1571 by Cord Mente, Braunschweig. Reliefs of the baptism of Christ and scenes from the Acts of the Apostles .

Main altar

Originally made by Bernhard Ditterich for the Protestant Trinity Church in Prague in 1612 , the baroque retable was brought to Wolfenbüttel in 1623 , expanded and set up. Three-storey structure, in the predella relief of the Last Supper , in the main field a sculptural group of the Crucifixion, flanked by a group of Mounts of Olives and an Ecce Homo , above the Descent from the Cross and Entombment , in the crowning the risen Christ. A restoration from 1985 exposed the colored version again.

organ

The organ was built in 1959 by the organ building company Karl Schuke (Berlin). The instrument is located in the historical prospectus of the predecessor organ, which is well worth seeing , which was created in the years 1620–1624 by the organ builder Gottfried Fritzsche (Dresden) on the instructions of the then court conductor Michael Praetorius . Six registers of this instrument are still preserved today. In 1693 the organ builder Johann Friedrich Besser from Braunschweig began a repair, which could not be completed due to his death on June 25, 1693. Johann Josua Mosengel completed this repair in 1695 together with his brother Johann Elias. He also made a change in disposition .

Today's organ has a total of 53 registers (4501 pipes ) with four manuals and a pedal . It has slider chests that Spieltrakturen are mechanical, the Registertrakturen electric.

I Rückpositiv C–
Quintadena 16 ′ F.
Principal 8th'
Dumped 8th' F.
octave 4 ′ F.
Pointed 4 ′ F.
Field whistle 2 ′
Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
Sesquialtera II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
Overtone II
Scharff V-VII
Dulcian 16 ′
shawm 8th'
Tremulant
II main work C–
Principal 16 ′
octave 8th'
Pointed flute 8th' F.
octave 4 ′
Coupling flute 4 ′
Nassat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
octave 2 ′
Cornett III-V
Mixture VI-VIII
Scharff IV
Trumpet 16 ′
Trumpet 8th'
III breastwork C–
Dumped 8th'
Reed flute 4 ′
Principal 2 ′
octave 1'
Terzian II
Scharff IV
Vox humana 8th'
Wooden shelf 4 ′
Tremulant
IV Kronwerk C–
Quintadena 8th'
Night horn 4 ′
recorder 2 ′
Nassat 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
Rauschwerk IV
Cymbel III
Bear whistle 16 ′
Hopper shelf 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C–
Principal 16 ′
Pedestal 16 ′
octave 8th'
Thought bass 8th' F.
octave 4 ′
Pommer 4 ′
Peasant flute 2 ′
Bass Aliquot IV
Mixture VI-VIII
trombone 16 ′
Trumpet 8th'
Trumpet 4 ′
Sing. Cornett 2 ′

Graves

The court conductor and composer Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) was buried in the church. The exact location of the grave is no longer known today. The builder Paul Francke was also buried in the Marienkirche. In the first, today inaccessible princely crypt, 12 members of the ducal house were buried between 1553 and 1606 , in the second, now accessible crypt, between 1613 and 1767 29 members. The theologian Basilius Sattler was buried near this second crypt in 1624 by order of the Duke , an epitaph still reminds of him today.

Events

In addition to church services, events such as concerts take place in the church. The church received national attention with the Christmas Vespers broadcast live by NDR on the First on Christmas Eve 2011; Regional Bishop Friedrich Weber preached .

Picture gallery

  • General views

  • Exterior view, northeast side

  • Exterior view, southeast side

  • Window decoration

  • portal

  • Portal from the inside

  • Nave

  • Altar and pulpit

  • organ

  • Details

  • pulpit

  • Gallery

  • pulpit

  • Tombstone

  • Ceiling painting

  • Spire

literature

  • Christoph Helm (Ed.): PIETAS ET MAIESTAS. The ducal burial place in the main church in Wolfenbüttel. ROCO print 2015, ISBN 978-3-9815710-2-8 .
  • Hans-Herbert Müller (ed.): The main church Beatae Mariae Virginis in Wolfenbüttel . Series: Research on the preservation of monuments in Lower Saxony Volume 4. 1st edition, Verlag CW Niemeyer, Hameln 1987

Web links

Commons : Marienkirche  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Homepage of the parish
  2. ^ Paul Jonas Meier : The handicrafts of the sculptor in the city of Braunschweig since the Reformation. In: Workpieces from the Museum, Archive and Library of the City of Braunschweig VIII., Pp. 37–39, Appelhans, Braunschweig 1936
  3. ↑ History of the Church - Homepage of the Wolfenbüttel quarter
  4. ↑ Der Spiegel 49/1968, p. 62,65 - "Ax in the house".
  5. ↑ Church from Below No. 124, December 2008 - Kuessner, Dietrich: A 1968 scandal in the bishopric of Wolfenbüttel.
  6. ↑ Hilda Lietzmann: The altar of the Marienkirche in Wolfenbüttel in: Low German contributions to art history, Volume 13, 1974, pp. 199-222. - Wolfram Kummer: The altar of the main church Beatae Mariae Virginis in Wolfenbüttel , in: Hans-Herbert Möller (Ed.): Restoration of cultural monuments. Examples from the preservation of monuments in Lower Saxony (= reports on preservation of monuments, supplement 2), Lower Saxony State Administration Office - Institute for Monument Preservation , Hameln: Niemeyer, 1989, ISBN 3-87585-152-8 , pp. 297-307.
  7. ↑ Werner Renkewitz, Jan Janca, Hermann Fischer : History of the art of organ building in East and West Prussia. Volume II, 1: Mosengel, Caspari, Casparini . Pape Verlag, Berlin 2008, p. 22 and p. 106 and p. 240
  8. ↑ More information about the organ of the Marienkirche
  9. ↑ Christvesper from the Marienkirche in Wolfenbüttel . Website of the North German Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  10. ↑ Friedrich Weber: Sermon on “I'm standing at your crib here.” Website of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk. Retrieved December 31, 2011.

Coordinates: 52 ° 9 ′ 42.9 ″  N , 10 ° 32 ′ 14.9 ″  E