Martin Luther Church (Geringswalde)

Martin Luther Church from the south

The Martin Luther Church (since 1934) is an Evangelical Lutheran church in the town of Geringswalde in Saxony in the district of Central Saxony . This is located on Lutherplatz about 100 meters east of the market square and town hall in the city center of Geringswalde.

history

The Martin Luther Church was built from 1888 to 1890 according to the plans of the architect Julius Zeißig from Leipzig in the style of historicism and neo-Gothic . Zeißig was also engaged as an architect for the planning of the school (built: 1893-1894), the town hall (1904-1905) and the rectory (1909-1910). The main building material used for the church was red porphyry tuff from the Rochlitz quarries 10 km away . The church was built on the site of a previous church, the origins of which go back to the Middle Ages . The religious history of Geringswalde is closely linked to the history of the former Benedictine convent of St. Marien .

Historical views

View from the market square to the church and the old town hall, 1898
View across the pond to the church, on the left are the school and town hall, 1907
View of the church from the east, to the right are the town hall and the school, 1912
View from the town hall tower, to the left is today's Diesterwegschule, 1913
Geringswalde town church, 1913
View of the church and school, 1929

building

View from the northeast

West portal

The church is designed as a central building over a Greek cross . The church tower is about 65 meters high, has a square floor plan and the spire is covered with slate. The length of the church is about 40 meters. The choir is designed as a five-eighth note . The interior - typical of Gothic architecture - is spanned by a ribbed and star vault and has a three-sided gallery . Other typical style elements of the Gothic, which were taken up and imitated by the Neo-Gothic, are the two rosettes on the north and south side of the transept and the eyelid on the church portal on the west side.

Furnishing

Rose window on the north side

Of the interior, which has been preserved from the time it was built, the large stained glass windows are particularly noteworthy. The colorful middle window in the choir and the two rosettes on the north and south sides of the transept are particularly eye-catching. The apostle Peter is depicted in the approximately three meter rose window on the north side and the apostle Paul in the south window . In the two other choir windows, the two reformers Martin Luther (left) and Philipp Melanchthon (right) are depicted in the round windows . The rich wood carvings were created in the workshops of the Geringswald master craftsmen of the time. For example, the altar decorated with Gothic elements - so-called pinnacles - or the wooden pulpit with a sound cover . The three-manual organ with 50 registers was built by the master organ builder Friedrich Ladegast and had to be renewed in 1926 by the Rochlitz company Schmeisser . The D-flat major bell, which was destroyed in 1940, was replaced by two new bells in 1954. A crucifix has been preserved from the previous building, the age of which is dated to the early 17th century. It is now attached to the left of the altar (see picture with a view of the choir). Other valuable sculptures dating from around 1500 are now kept in the museum of Mildenstein Castle (Leisnig).