Market Church of the Holy Spirit (Clausthal)

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View of the Marktkirche from the southwest
View from the north

The Evangelical Lutheran Market Church of the Holy Spirit is the historic main church in the Clausthal district of the mountain town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld . It is the largest wooden church in Germany and, due to its architecture and furnishings, is one of the most important monuments of the North German Baroque .

Building description

Church building

The baroque style church was built entirely from oak and spruce wood. The building, built as a hall church , is 57 m long, 26 m wide and offers space for around 1200 visitors (as of 2014). The bell tower in the west is 30 m high, below the tower is square, above the bell chamber it has an octagonal cross-section. Above the bell chamber (behind the sound hatches) the tower is covered by a large hood , lantern and a small hood with a tower ball and weather vane. Behind the bell tower, the roof carries a roof turret, which serves as a clock tower and whose lantern and hood are similar to those of the bell tower. This also houses the bells for the time. The twelve windows of the clock tower represent the hours of the clock.

The building is clad with a wooden cross fitting and has been repainted in the original blue color since 2013. The roof, the bell tower and the roof turret as well as the hoods of the stairwells are covered with lead. The facade is interrupted by three staircases on the north side and two on the south side. The central staircase of the north side served as a special entrance to the lodge of the Mountain captain , east of it was the rising of the organ . The entrance to the church is in the northwest stairwell.

  • View from the south

  • View from the southeast (1907)

  • View from the northeast

  • Church with gray paint and planted outdoor area (2005)

Painting of the facade

As part of a "Research Project Market Church of the Holy Spirit" accompanying the renovation that began in 2001, u. a. examines which colors were chosen for the facade of the church. The evaluation of the historical building files showed that the facade was initially left in its natural color when the church was built, the wood was only given a weather protection by a linseed oil varnish . This ensured that the wood could continue to dry and a later coat of paint would not peel. The church was first painted in 1655, when the surfaces were painted a strong blue, while the frames and profiles were painted white. This coloring resulted on the one hand from the examination of the wood. On the other hand, this could be proven by building bills from 1695/96, which were issued after the expansion of the church in 1689/91. Here, too, the wood had only been protected by linseed oil for a few years. For the paint, a delivery of 1.1 quintals of white lead and one hundredweight of "blue Bercke" was used (at that time the azurite or mountain blue was called "blue Bercke" ), with which the outer surface of the extension building was painted. The color blue was considered a symbol of “divine wisdom” at the time the church was built, so there are several places in the Old Testament that connect the blue color with the throne of God. In the book of Ezekiel ( Ez 1.26  EU ) blue is the color of God's throne, in ( Ez 10.1  EU ) the throne is on a blue background.

During the work of 1734/36, the church was given a new light green exterior paint, windows and profiles were painted gray. The reason for the change of color was probably the high construction costs. Unforeseen repairs made it necessary to save costs elsewhere. And since the blue dye azurite was one of the most expensive paints at the time, a cheaper paint was used for the exterior paint instead. In 1792 it was reported that the outside of the church was shod with slate . This curtain was removed again in 1843 and the church was again clad with wood, which was now painted a dark gray. The church was later painted in alternating ocher yellow and gray. Since September 2013 the church has been painted blue again.

Bell tower and roof turret with tower clock

Bells

The large church bells destroyed in the fire of the previous church were cast in Einbeck in 1636 and hung in the completed bell tower in 1637. In 1639 two more bells for the market church were delivered from Einbeck.

The church received an hour bell in 1660, which was hung in the roof turret (later the clock tower). It was a striking bell that was rung by hand. The time was then read from a sundial that was attached to the south side of the bell tower. The big bell was renewed in 1792. The clapper and the hanging mechanism were also renewed at that time . From the repair invoices of this time it can be seen that the bells were initially rung with ropes, the bell ringer stood on a platform in the lower tower area. Later, footboards were attached to the wings of the bells on which the bell ringer stood and with which the bells were made to vibrate. Electric ringing machines have been doing this job since 1952/54.

Tower clock

With the renovation of the church in 1734/36, the church received a mechanical clock that was placed in the roof turret. The two bell bells of the clock were also hung in this roof turret, for this purpose the roof turret was dismantled and rebuilt larger. A drawing from 1783 shows that in addition to the two dials of the roof turret, a third dial was attached to the west side of the bell tower facing the Oberbergamt. This was removed during a renovation in 1890 and was renewed in 2008 when the bell tower was repaired.

Outdoor area

The space around the church was originally free of trees to underline the central effect of the church building. In 1910 a terrace garden was laid out and linden trees were planted. These were initially cut in a spherical shape, later the trees remained uncut. Since the renovation in 2001/13, the space around the church has been kept free again following the original principle.

History of the market church

Predecessor churches

The first church in the Clausthal area was built between 1570 and 1573. It stood on the edge of today's square, An der Marktkirche, on the corner of Adolf-Römer-Strasse and Schulstrasse. Since this church was soon too small, a new church was built between 1610 and 1611 in the immediate vicinity in the middle of the market square. It was a wooden church with a lead-covered roof. In 1632 the church was decorated by the Goslar painter Daniel Lindemeyer, the cost of which was borne by the mining authorities. Lindemeyer created images from the history of the New Testament in the 55 fields of the vaulted ceiling. He also designed the altarpiece on which he depicted the transfer of the Augsburg Confession to Emperor Charles V in 1530 .

  • Clausthal 1606 with the first market church (1573-1610)

  • Clausthal around 1632 with the second market church (1611–1634)

  • Clausthal around 1650 with today's market church (since 1642)

  • Model of the Gottesackerkirche (1744–1844)

On September 20, 1634, more than a third of all Clausthal's houses were destroyed by a major fire. In addition to 162 residential buildings and countless outbuildings, the town hall, the school and the market church including the parish and teaching house were victims of the flames. The chapel of the Clausthaler Friedhof (today the old cemetery east of Adolf-Römer-Straße) was expanded so that services could continue to be held . The parish of St. Andreasberg sold one of their bells to Clausthal for the small bell tower of this chapel so that the Clausthal residents could continue to be informed by the daily ringing. Clausthal services were held in this church until the market church was completed in 1642. When it became dilapidated in 1744, it was demolished and replaced by a larger new building, so that there were now two places of worship in Clausthal. The Gottesackerkirche was destroyed by a major fire on September 15, 1844 and was not rebuilt afterwards.

Construction of the church from 1639 to 1642

The town of Clausthal was responsible for building the church, but also the mining authority. For the mining industry, the church bells took on the function of a "shift bell" (often referred to as a "ringing bell"), with which the miners were woken up one hour before work started and about the processes in the mines, such as the start and end of the shift as well as arrival and departure Extend, could be informed. The city was heavily burdened by the consequences of the fire, because the fire had made a third of the population homeless, and the food supplies had been burned and urgently had to be re-procured. The situation of the mining authorities was different, because despite the wartime ( Thirty Years War ) they had sufficient financial means due to the good earnings situation of the mines, so that they had the bell tower built first.

First, in 1636, the bells destroyed by the fire were brought to Einbeck, where they were re-cast. After the wood for the construction of the tower was felled in December 1636 and the construction was then prepared on the Zimmerplatz, the actual construction of the bell tower began in the spring of 1637. On September 12, 1637 the tower knob and the weather vane were put on; the bell tower was thus completed.

The foundation stone for the nave was laid on September 17, 1639, the topping-out ceremony was celebrated on October 16, 1640, and the inauguration of the church took place on Whitsunday 1642. The building was about 45 m long and half as wide, it was concluded in the East by half a hexagon that the chancel recorded. Behind the bell tower, the roof carried a ridge turret with a slightly smaller Welschen hood. In this hung the small layer bell with which the time was displayed. A second roof turret with a hood was located on the east gable, this was not rebuilt after the enlargement in 1689. Each of the three hoods of the roof carried a weather vane, which stood for God the Father , the Son and the Holy Spirit and thus symbolized the Trinity of God. The two stairwells also wore curved hoods.

The interior of the church is a three-aisled hall, the ceiling of which forms a wooden barrel vault supported by high trunks . A series of galleries was built on the north, south and west sides . The ceiling and walls were painted to be transparent to wood, and it was not until 1734 that they were painted lightly. After the construction, the church offered about 1000 visitors, the seats were on and under the galleries, the central nave remained free. The altar stood in the almost semicircular choir in the eastern part of the church. The organ was opposite on the western gallery, just behind the bell tower.

Renovations and conversions

Enlargement from 1689 to 1691

Originally the building was 45 m long and 22.5 m wide. But just 50 years after construction began, the church had become too small for the rapidly growing parish (between 1637 and 1687 from 3,000 to 6,000 inhabitants). The church was therefore extended by 12 meters to the east between 1689 and 1691. In addition, the outer walls were pushed out further and a second gallery was built above the previous gallery. This renovation created around 1200 new spaces, so that the church now offered space for 2200 visitors. When the church was lengthened, a gallery was added to the east wall. The organ that previously stood on the west gallery behind the bell tower was moved here.

Initially the building only had two stairwells, one on the north and one on the south side. With the creation of a second gallery, the number of stairwells was increased to five.

Modifications from 1734 to 1736

At that time, parts of the roof structure were rotten and needed to be replaced. In order to cover the costs for this and the other renovations, it was decided to replace the lead roof with a slate roof . With the proceeds from the sale of the lead, a large part of the bills for the repairs could be paid. Only in 1981 did the church get a lead roof again.

The bell tower also showed extensive damage, especially the support structure for the bells had become unstable due to the vibrations of the bells. For repairs, the entire hood of the tower had to be removed first, after which the wooden construction of the bell tower and the supporting structure for the bells could be replaced. To improve the statics, the construction was reinforced and to dampen the vibrations caused by the bells, the bell frame was connected to the framework of the tower. Due to this construction error, which was not recognized at the time, the vibrations were now transferred to the bell tower, which ultimately led to damage to the entire tower. Similar mistakes were made during later repairs, which led to the fact that the bell tower had to be emergency braced in 2006 due to the risk of collapse and was subsequently dismantled and completely overhauled.

Until then, the time was indicated by a sundial on the south side of the bell tower. In place of this, a mechanical clock was now installed in the roof turret behind the bell tower, which also controlled the bells. For this purpose, the roof turret behind the bell tower was torn down and replaced by a larger one, which now had the same dimensions as the bell tower's hood.

The five stair towers that provide access to the galleries originally had curved domes, similar to that of the bell tower. These were now given new hoods in the form of pointed arched barrel roofs, based on the model of the Zellerfeld church . The spiral staircases in the stair towers were replaced by wider stairways.

Inside, the church was given a new coat of paint in light colors. Until then, the ceiling and walls were kept in dark wood colors. Since the interior of the church, which was also kept wooden, would not have matched the new paintwork, the altar, pulpit and baptismal font were painted in the Renaissance style in the main colors gold, alabaster, purple and blue. This color scheme has been retained to this day.

Modifications from the middle of the 18th century

In order to create better lighting conditions in the interior of the church, large dormers (mansard windows) were built into the roof in 1843/44 . Until then, there were small round windows in the roof, the so-called "ox eyes", through which only little light came in. During the construction period, services were held in the neighboring Gottesackerkirche. Shortly after the completion of the construction work and the reopening of the market church, the Clausthaler Gottesackerkirche was destroyed in a major fire on September 15, 1844, after which it was not rebuilt.

Weather vane on the east roof (Holy Spirit)

In the 1860s, the three weather vanes had to be replaced because they were badly rusted. Regardless of the original symbolism, according to which the flags stood for the Trinity of God, the eastern flag was replaced by a cross. Only in 2006 was a third weather vane installed again. This shows the blessing “URBI ET REGIONI” (“the city and the region”) and the year 2006 in the crowned rectangle on the left. The right part of the flag leaf, which ends in a flame, bears the words “Holy Spirit” in the three languages Hebrew (רוח קדש), Greek (πνεῦμα αγιον) and Latin (spiritus sanctus).

After 1844, the lightning rod system first installed in 1783 was replaced, the church received electrical lighting and later a new heating system. The church suffered little damage during World War II . Between 1952 and 1965 the interior of the church was renovated, the lead covering of the tower and the roof turrets were renewed and the roof was re-covered with slate. The ringing bell was replaced and an electrical bell was installed. In 1974 a winter church was created under the western gallery, which offers space for around 120 visitors. The following year the organ was replaced while retaining the prospectus from 1758.

Renovation of exterior construction 2001 to 2013

September 2007 before renovation and redesign of the square

In 2001, the damage to the church building had become so great that a comprehensive renovation was inevitable. Among other things, the roof of the church had leaks, which had already severely damaged the roof structure. The base beams resting on the stone foundations were also about 60% rotten, which deformed the framework and severely damaged the statics. The bell tower showed similar damage, so that the big bell has not been allowed to ring since 2004, and in 2006 the second bell was also shut down.

The work on the renovation of the church was divided into several construction phases due to weather conditions and financial reasons and spread over several years. The first work began in 2001 with the emergency shoring of the south-eastern stair tower. The bell tower had to be secured against collapse in 2006 by means of swing stiffeners and was completely dismantled and renewed in 2007/08. According to archive documents, the wooden church was built with moon phase wood . For the further restoration, 50 "moon spruces" were felled and used to rebuild the bell tower. The roof was also re-covered and the clock tower and dormers were renewed. After completion of the exterior painting, the market church was inaugurated again on September 22, 2013 as part of a celebration for the preliminary completion of the renovation work. The total cost of the renovation was given as 9.3 million euros.

Interior of the church

Interior - view of the altar and organ

Central nave

When the church was built, no pews were placed in the central nave. The congregation sat, separated by sex, in the area of ​​the galleries along the long walls. It was only after 1780 that benches were set up in the central nave, which had previously housed the graves of high-ranking personalities. This meant that the lighting had to be improved in this area. For this purpose, dormers were built into the church roof in 1833/34.

altar

Crucifixion scene of the altar

The altar was erected in 1642 for the inauguration of the church and is the work of Andreas Gröber , one of the most important carvers of the early Baroque era. The altarpiece is a gift from the Princely Braunschweig-Lüneburg chief miner Georg Illing and his second wife Margareta, née. Waner. This is indicated by a lettering above the predella (base of the altar panel), which reads: "GEORG ILLING FBL OBERGKMEISTER ZUM CLAUSTHAL HAS THIS ALTHAR TABLE IN HONOR OF GOD MACHENLASEN A [NN] O 1641." The two coats of arms, Illings and, also refer to the donation his wife, who can be seen in the middle section above the two evangelists Matthew and John.

The predella depicts the inauguration of Holy Communion in a relief . The round table with the disciples is kept open to the church as a sign that the congregation only closes this circle when the Communion is celebrated. The inscription around the sacrament group bears the words of institution that Jesus spoke to his disciples at the last supper: “NEMET HIN AND EAT THIS IS MY BODY GIVEN BEFORE YOU, THAT IN MY MEMORIAL DRINKET ALL THAT IN THIS CHALICE IS THE NEW TESTAMENT BLOOD THAT'S SHED IN FRONT OF YOU FOR THE FORGIVING OF THE SINS OF SUCH THUT SOOFT YOUR DRINKET TO MY GEDEC [H] TNIS. "

Above this lettering, the crucifixion scene and above that the representation of the resurrection form the central theme of the altar panel. In the crucifixion scene, John , Mary and Mary Magdalene pray under the cross. To the right and left of this representation are the evangelists Matthew and John . The prophets of the Old Testament Isaiah , Jeremiah , Ezekiel and Daniel stand on the four large pillars next to the evangelists .

In the resurrection scene, Christ floats out of the coffin on a golden cloud, with two guards on the floor. To the right and left of the scene are John and Paul . Above, the evangelists Mark and Luke form the end of the altar panel.

The colors of the figures in the church were only created in their current form in 1734/36 in the colors gold, alabaster (white), purple and lapis lazuli (blue). Originally, the entire altar was painted "wood-sighted" (without pigmentation or staining).

pulpit

The pulpit is also a work by Andreas Gröber. The preacher's task of imparting the Holy Spirit through his word is represented by his representations. The symbol of the dove under the sound cover of the pulpit stands as a symbol for the Holy Spirit. The most important heralds of the Bible are grouped around the pulpit in the shell niches: In the middle the blessing Christ, who carries a globe with a cross on it as a symbol of his rule, surrounded by the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as well as Paul and John the Baptist . The heads at the corners of the pulpit stand for the liberal arts, they should indicate the necessary professional skills of the pastors.

  • Pulpit - general view

  • Pulpit

  • Sound cover

  • Pulpit bearer (moses)

  • Lid of the baptismal font

The “preaching of the word” is also symbolized by the twelve apostles on the sound cover, who go out into the world from the center to bring the word of God closer to people. These are in the same order as in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 6:14), each is represented with the attribute typical for him. From left to right these are Peter with a key, Andrew with an inclined cross, James the Elder with a scallop on a pilgrim's hat, John with a chalice with a snake in it, Philip with a cross staff, Bartholomew with a knife, Thomas with a square , Matthew (originally carried a halberd, which was lost), James the Younger with the rod of a drapery , Thaddäus with a club, Simon with a saw and Matthias , the successor of Judas , with an ax. Titus (a pupil of Paul), Stephanus (a first Christian martyr) and Timothy (a companion of Paul) are represented as further persons .

The pulpit is carried by a life-size figure of Moses . In his right hand he holds the staff with which he struck water from a rock in the desert (Exodus 17: 1-7). In his left hand he carries two commandment boards, on which, however, not the Ten Commandments , but the commandment to love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37) is to be read: “YOU SHOULD LOVE GOD YOUR LORD OF GANTZEM HERTZEN OF GANTZER SOULS OF GANTZEM GEMUTHE AND YOUR NEXT THAN YOURSELF. "

Baptismal font

The third work by Andreas Gröber is the font that is placed to the left of the altar. The baptism of Christ by John the Baptist is depicted on the lid of the baptismal font. The dove hovers over both as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

organ

Altar and organ

The first organ was built in 1642 by Andreas Weiß from Meiningen. Originally the organ was on the (west) gallery in front of the bell tower. When the church was expanded in 1689/91, the organ was moved to the newly created east gallery opposite.

The Rococo organ prospect that has been preserved to this day was created in 1758 by Johann Albrecht Unger from Nordhausen . In its animal and plant ornamentation and the singing or music-making angels, the “motto” for the design of the prospectus, “Everything that breathes, praise the gentleman” is expressed. The four musicians Zinkenist , transverse flute players , drummers and dulzian players standing in front of the organ's breastworks still come from Andreas Gröber's workshop (some of the figures in the pictures are covered by the part of the altar set up on the gallery) as well as the figures placed in front of the parapet of the gallery (Trombonist and angel). The six little angels standing in the middle of the organ and the archangel Gabriel floating on the ceiling in front of the organ as a Christmas angel were also taken over from the first Weiss organ . On the pipe case sit five chubby chubby putti making music , the two to the left and right of the case blow the trombone, the two higher seated play the flute and the top one beats the kettledrum.

In 1975/76 a new organ from the Göttingen organ building company Paul Ott was installed in this organ prospectus. The instrument has 41 registers on slider drawers with around 3200  pipes . The game actions are mechanical, the register controls are electrical.

I breastwork C – g 3
1. Wooden flute 8th'
2. Praestant 4 ′
3. Reed flute 4 ′
4th Forest flute 2 ′
5. octave 1'
6th Scharff III-IV
7th Krummhorn 8th'
Tremulant
II Hauptwerk C – g 3
8th. Pommer 16 ′
9. Principal 8th'
10. Gemshorn 8th'
11. octave 4 ′
12. Flute 4 ′
13. Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
14th octave 2 ′
15th Mixture V-VII
16. Trumpet 16 ′
17th Trumpet 8th'
III Swell C – g 3
18th Reed flute 8th'
19th Black viola 8th'
20th Beat 8th'
21st Principal 4 ′
22nd Capstan flute 4 ′
23. Nasat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
24. Schwiegel 2 ′
25th third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
26th Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
27. Mixture IV-V
28. bassoon 16 ′
29 Schalmey 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
30th Principal 16 ′
31. Sub bass 16 ′
32. Quintbass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′
33. octave 8th'
34. Tube bare 8th'
35. octave 4 ′
36. Wooden flute 4 ′
37. Night horn 2 ′
38. Backset VI
39. trombone 16 ′
40. Trumpet 8th'
41. Clarine 4 ′
  • Coupling : I / II, III / II, III / I, I / P, II / P, III / P

chandelier

Big chandelier

The large chandelier in the middle of the nave was given to the church in 1660 by Georg Illing, a grandson of the eponymous founder of the altar panel, and his wife Dorothea Elisabeth, née. Blame, given. It depicts a burning thorn bush , a crown of thorns serves as the upper end . A slightly smaller chandelier hangs in front of the chancel, which was donated in the 1720s.

Grave sites

Numerous high officials were originally buried in the church, reminiscent of the grave slabs laid in the central nave. When seats were to be created in this area in 1780, some of the grave slabs were moved behind the altar. Of these still exist today (from left to right): Superintendent Johann Friedrich Mecke († 1694), Elisabeth Krukenberg geb. Harbort († 1646), head miner Erhard Drechsler († 1669), punch writer Heinrich Rudolf Lunde († 1666), Dorothea Elisabeth Illing, b. Mecke († 1660), mining factor Georg Illing († 1677), Rudolf Lunde († 1662), Christian Ludwig Lunde († 1664), chief miner Georg Illing († 1644), chief miner Caspar Illing († 1659), Lucia Illing b. Tolle († 1655) and Judge Jobst Tolle († 1652).

Literature (sorted alphabetically)

  • Dorothee Austen and Bernd Gisevius: The Evangelical Lutheran Market Church of the Holy Spirit in Clausthal . Little church leader. Ed .: Evang.-luth. Parish Clausthal. Clausthal-Zellerfeld September 2012.
  • Herbert Dennert : Small chronicle of the Upper Harz mining towns and their ore mining / revised. u. exp. by Herbert Dennert . 4th ext. Edition of the chronicle of the mining town Clausthal-Zellerfeld / by H. Morich. Ed. Piepersche Buchdruckerei und Verlagsanstalt, Clausthal-Zellerfeld 1974, DNB  770139108 , p. 74-77 .
  • Bernd Gisevius: Market Church to the Holy Spirit Clausthal-Zellerfeld . Ed .: Friedrich Seidel. kotyrba publishing and media, Braunschweig 2017, DNB  1148578358 .
  • Parish council Clausthal (ed.): Market Church of the Holy Spirit in Clausthal . 2nd Edition. Clausthal-Zellerfeld 2007.
  • Heinrich Lücke: The market church in Clausthal . Little art guide for Lower Saxony , 21. Musterschmidt, Göttingen 1962.
  • Lothar Meyer: 450 years Clausthal-Zellerfeld . From the career and history of the mining town Clausthal-Zellerfeld. Ed .: Friedrich Seidel. Ed. Piepersche Buchdruckerei und Verlagsanstalt, Clausthal-Zellerfeld 1982, DNB  830936823 .
  • Lothar Meyer: The market church of the Holy Spirit in Clausthal . Ed. Piepersche Buchdruckerei and Verlaganstalt, Clausthal-Zellerfeld 1996.

Web links

Commons : Marktkirche zum Heiligen Geist (Clausthal)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Description of the church. Clausthal parish, accessed on 23 August 2014 .
  2. ↑ Herbert Dennert, Kleine Chronik , p. 74
  3. ↑ Herbert Dennert, Kleine Chronik , p. 77
  4. ↑ Lothar Meyer, 450 years Clausthal , p. 49
  5. ↑ Germany's largest wooden church - built with moon phase spruce. Bayerische Staatszeitung, accessed on 23 August 2014 .
  6. ^ Report on the completion of the renovation work. Landeskirche Hannover, accessed on December 20, 2017 .
  7. ^ Lothar Meyer, 450 years Clausthal , p. 78
  8. ^ Lothar Meyer, Die Marktkirche , p. 12
  9. ^ Lothar Meyer, 450 years Clausthal , p. 79

Coordinates: 51 ° 48 ′ 14.5 ″  N , 10 ° 20 ′ 2.6 ″  E