Martinskirche (Kaiserslautern)

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Martinskirche

Martin's Church in Kaiserslautern

Basic data
Denomination Roman Catholic
place Kaiserslautern, Germany
Patronage Martin of Tours
Building history
start of building around 1300
Building description
Profanation 1538
Architectural style Gothic, neo-baroque
Furnishing style Baptismal font, baroque stucco ceiling, monumental crucifixion group, stations of the cross
Construction type two-aisled hall church with elevated main nave
Function and title

formerly a Franciscan church

Coordinates 49 ° 26 '45.2 "  N , 7 ° 46' 21.1"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 26 '45.2 "  N , 7 ° 46' 21.1"  E

The Martinskirche is a former Franciscan church and today's Catholic parish church in the city center of Kaiserslautern . The building has a very varied history.

The parish church of St. Martin on St.-Martins-Platz shapes the cityscape with its clear architecture. The simple sandstone block building, which is integrated into the course of the Klosterstrasse, corresponds to the Franciscan building concept in a very simple Gothic style. It therefore has no tower, but only carries a roof turret on its hipped roof .

history

In 1284 the approval for the building of a monastery of the Franciscan order founded in 1210 in Kaiserslautern was given by King Rudolf von Habsburg . The monastery complex was built in 1290 directly on the city ​​wall .

About ten years later it was expanded to include a church in the Gothic style in the style of the mendicant churches , today's St. Martin's Church. Due to the course of the Lauter and the adjacent Stadtwoog (today's Stiftsplatz ), there was only little space for a church on the site. That is why the church has only one aisle. The somewhat kinked choir is due to the fact that the main road from the east led through the adjacent Gautor and this street could not be narrowed. In the 15th century, several side chapels were added to the northeast of the church.

After the dissolution of the monastery in 1538, the church was profaned . The city received the rights of disposal over the buildings. During the Reformation , which was introduced in Kaiserslautern in 1554–1556, the city converted to Calvinism .

In 1634, after the victory of the imperial troops, a Franciscan convent was established again. In 1628 the city converted to Catholicism. In 1629 the stair tower was built on the east side.

In 1652 the monastery was closed again, after which the church was made into the municipal armory . For this purpose - as can still be seen today from the bricked up windows and doors on the front facing Klosterstrasse - the nave was divided into two floors and the lower part of the choir windows was bricked up. After 1666 the church served the Duke of Simmern as a riding arena.

In 1688 the French occupation forces returned the church to the Franciscans. From 1706 the church was modernized, it received a baroque roof turret and a stucco ceiling . During this time, all the church buildings in the city were redistributed and the neighboring collegiate church was transferred to the Reformed . The patronage of St. Martin was previously held by the collegiate church and was officially transferred to St. Martin's church in 1802.

After the French Revolution , the monastery was dissolved again, and Martin's Church has been a Catholic parish church since 1803. The monastery buildings were demolished in 1817, traces of the cloister roof can still be seen on the south side of the church. Between 1825 and 1845 there were repeated reports of damage from cracks. The vault began to separate from the outer walls. The improper demolition of the monastery buildings was identified as the cause, and the roof turret was too heavy. At that time tie rods were inserted in the choir room. In 1856 the roof turret, which was destroyed in a fire, had to be replaced. In 1936 the church was extensively renovated. In 1967 the roof was re-covered and the roof turret was inserted more firmly. However, when the static problems got bigger and bigger in the coming years and the walls shifted by up to 24 cm, the entire foundations , which had sunk over the centuries, had to be renewed in sections in the 1970s. The masonry was stabilized by cement glue that was pressed in through thin tubes.

Furnishing

Choir with Gothic crucifixion group and stained glass by Alois Plum

The church is a two-aisled hall church with a raised main nave , to which a narrow side aisle, separated by pointed arches , connects to the north . The high lancet windows are decorated with simple tracery . The nave has a baroque stucco ceiling . The choir with a 5/8 end closes with a ribbed vault . The keystone bears a relief of the victorious Easter lamb .

The axis of the choir deviates noticeably from the axis of the nave. One could interpret this as an allusion to the Passion story (cf. John 19, 30: "... he bowed his head and passed away"), but local conditions probably had to be taken into account here. The church ran right next to the city wall. On the north side of the choir traces of a former chapel extension can be seen, between the nave and the choir there is a round stair tower. On the south side traces of the cloister of the former monastery complex can still be seen, of which only a barrel-vaulted cellar has been preserved.

The original interior has been lost. The inside of the church is quite plain today. The baptismal font (sandstone, 1516), the baroque stucco ceiling ( vanitas symbols , depictions of the Last Judgment and the Holy Trinity) as well as a monumental crucifixion group and the stations of the cross (both 19th century) are remarkable . The figural stained glass windows date from the early 20th century.

In 1879 a half-height gallery was built on the west side , on which the organ of the Walker company was housed in 1906 , but this completely covered the west window in the aisle and the church became very dark.

In 1936 a renovation took place in which dark brown wood paneling was installed up to eye level to hide damage to the plaster. The structure of the high altar was partially removed and a colorful St. Martin's window was installed above the high altar. It was made by Caspar from Munich.

This window had to be moved into the first window of the aisle in 1978 because the choir windows were enlarged to their original length during the renovation so that the Gothic proportions, which were lost in the 16th century when it was used as an armory, could be restored.

During this renovation, the organ loft, which was overwhelming, was removed and the new organ was moved to the northeast corner of the aisle. The stucco ceiling was carefully restored and a new altar island was set up at the intersection of the choir and nave. Since then, the choir has served as a weekday church and has its own access via the sacristy. The group of crosses from the former high altar and the Gothic baptismal font were left in the choir. The figures of St. Martin and St. Norbert from the old high altar were transferred to the aisle. Sculptor Josef Henger from Regensburg designed the tabernacle , ambo and altar from light sandstone and bronze .

Church window

Main window west facade

This window is a new creation by the glass artist Alois Plum from Mainz. The red color of the upper field dominates the foreground. It symbolizes the seven tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit. The "fire" of the spirit penetrates the world of the earthly, symbolized in the brown tint. As the bearer of this spirit, the Christian should leave the house of God strengthened and perceive his mission in the transformation of this world.

Side window west facade

A figurative St. Martin's window was created here by the glass artist Alois Plum from Mainz. Four episodes from the life of St. Martin are shown: 1. St. Martin fell the sacred tree, the pine 2. The argument with the Arians 3. The banquet in Trier 4. The death of St. Martin.

Mary's window

The Mary's window in the east wall of the aisle was made by an unknown 19th century artist and was restored between 1976 and 1978. It shows the scene of the Annunciation in subtle colors: The Archangel Gabriel greets Mary.

Martin's window

In 1936 the window was made by the Mayer'schen Hofkunstanstalt , Munich, based on a design by Caspar, Munich, and was originally located above the former high altar in the center window of the choir. It was implemented in the first side window of the choir room in 1978. The artistically valuable window is a donation of the Speyer bishop Ludwig Sebastian, who celebrated his golden jubilee as a priest on August 15, 1937 in the Martinskirche. On August 10, 1887, he had celebrated his first Mass in St. Martin's Church. That is why the lower part of the window shows the coat of arms of the diocese of Speyer and the bishop's insignia.

Choir window

With the construction work on the redesign of the choir room in 1978, the middle choir windows were extended down to their original height and redesigned by the glass painter Alois Plum, Mainz.

Still images

Statue of St. Joseph

The statue of St. Joseph with the baby Jesus is next to the main portal. The carved statue is the work of the wood sculptor Renn and was made in Speyer in 1836.

Statue of St. Martin

The statue shows Saint Martin as a bishop with staff and miter, at his feet a goose, which recalls a legend linked to his episcopal status. The statue comes from the high altar erected in 1877 and was placed here during the church renovation in 1978.

Statue of St. Norbert von Xanten

The statue shows the founder of the Premonstratensian Order. In the vicinity of the Martinskirche are the collegiate church of Kaiserslautern and the monastery church of Enkenbach, both of which were built by the order of the Premonstratensians. This statue also comes from the former high altar erected in St. Martin's Church in 1877.

Virgin Mary statue

The statue of Mary is a copy of an original plaster cast by the sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider from the municipal museum in Würzburg and was carved in 1926 from limewood in the wood carving department of the master craftsman school in Kaiserslautern. It was acquired by the Marienverein of the parish for the Martinskirche.

Holy grave

The holy grave on the south wall of the choir is a carving by the Sprenger brothers, sculptors from Munich, from the year 1877. It was donated by a Mrs. Schwarz and a family Best.

Baptismal font

According to its inscription in Roman numerals, the late Gothic baptismal font was made of red sandstone in 1516. It also shows the symbols of the evangelists Matthew and Luke. As part of the interior restoration of the church from 1869 to 1880, a new baptismal font was purchased in 1880 and the old one was placed in the parish garden, where it served as a flower container. In 1970 the old baptismal font was brought back into the church and placed on the site of the present organ. After the church renovation from 1976–1978, it found its current location in the back of the choir. The font, acquired in 1880, has been in the parish garden since 1970.

organ

Side aisle with organ and annunciation window

The organ was built in the years 1978–1979 by the organ building company Paul Zimnol (Kaiserslautern) according to a disposition draft by Ludwig Doerr (Freiburg). The instrument has 42 registers (3026 pipes) on three manuals and a pedal . 27 registers come from the previous instrument from 1906, which was built by the Walcker organ builder (Ludwigsburg). The Spieltrakturen are mechanically, the Registertrakturen electrically.

I main work C–
1. Principal 8th'
2. Wooden flute 8th' W.
3. Gamba 8th' W.
4th Dumped 8th' W.
5. octave 4 ′ W.
6th Reed flute 4 ′ W.
7th Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ W.
8th. octave 2 ′ W.
9. Cornett V 8th' W.
10. Mixture maj. IV-V 2 ′
11. Mixture min. II-III 1'
12. bassoon 16 ′
13. Trumpet 8th'
14th Clairon 4 ′
II Swell C–
15th Bourdon 16 ′ W.
16. Solo flute 8th' W.
17th violin 8th' W.
18th Vox coelestis II 8th' W.
19th Dumped 8th' W.
20th Fugara 4 ′ W.
21st recorder 4 ′ W.
22nd Nasat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
23. Principal 2 ′
24. third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
25th Sharp IV 1' W.
26th oboe 8th' W.
Tremulant
III positive C–
27. Flute 8th' W.
28. Principal 4 ′
29 Transverse flute 4 ′ W.
30th Flautino 2 ′ W.
31. Pointed fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
32. Sif flute 1' W.
33. Zimbel III 1 ⁄ 2 ′
34. Vox humana 8th'
Tremulant
Pedals C–
35. Principal bass 16 ′ W.
36. Sub bass 16 ′ W.
37. Octave bass 8th'
38. Bassdacked 8th' W.
39. Choral bass 4 ′ W.
40. Mixture IV 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ W.
41. trombone 16 ′
42. Trumpet 8th' W.
W = register from the previous Walcker organ, 1906

Surroundings of the Martinskirche

  • In the parish garden there are still tombstones (16th to 18th centuries) of the former cemetery west of the church
  • In front of the west facade is a life-size statue of St. Nepomuk , which was originally set up on the former Lauter Bridge and was set up here on September 9, 1743.

Others

Patronage

There is no unanimous opinion in research about the age of the Martinus patronage in Kaiserslautern. According to Heinz Friedel, Kaiserslautern has had a stone church dedicated to St. Martin since the 9th century. For this oral. However, he cannot provide any evidence of tradition. Pastor Scheller sees in the double patronage of the collegiate church, in which St. Martin is named before Maria in the Worms synod of 1496, as well as in the Martin tradition of the Franconian rulers and their royal courts, a sufficient reason for the assumption of the existence of an older church consecrated to St. Martin . Martin Dolch shares this view. Würdtwein writes in his Monasticon Wormatiense that the Franciscan Church was consecrated to St. Martin from the beginning. Jürgen Keddigkeit u. a. see neither in the oral. Tradition, even in the double patronage of the collegiate church, which is documented late, is sufficient evidence for the assumption of the existence of an early medieval St. Martin's patronage in Kaiserslautern.

According to Sehi, the former monastery church was only given the name Martinskirche in 1803 when it was elevated to the status of a first-class Catholic parish church. Friedel also suspects: "The current name Martinskirche comes from the Napoleonic era." The fact is that the Martin's patronage passed from the collegiate church, which became a Protestant parish church in 1565, to the Franciscan church. However, the exact point in time of this transition can no longer be determined.

Altar relics

The altar of the Martinskirche contains relics of the martyrs Proba and Charis. The relic of St. Proba was originally located in the high altar, consecrated in 1877. On the day of the consecration of the new altar, on September 3, 1978, she was placed in the altar by Bishop Friedrich Wetter with the relic of St. Charis.

Bells

Master Hermann Hamm (Frankenthal) cast the three-part bell for the Catholic Martinskirche in 1954. The full bell is used at almost all masses and high offices.

No. Surname volume Casting year foundry Weight
(kg)
1 Christ-King f 1 1954 Hermann Hamm, Frankenthal 719
2 St. Martin as 1 416
3 St. Mary c 2 204

The pastors of Sankt Martin Kaiserslautern

1803–1815 Johann Baptist Bellos
1815–1821 Joseph Sales Miltenberger
1822–1837 Martin Foliot
1838–1854 Matthias Ehmannt
1854–1866 Karl Holderied
1866–1880 Joseph Dahl
1880–1897 Heinrich Lorenz
1898–1909 Joseph Schwind
1909–1916 Philipp Albert Klein
1916– 1934 Wilhelm Hafen
1934–1949 Alfred Philipp Scheller
1940–1942 Ludwig Biehl
1942–1969 Franz Binhold
1969–1975 Hermann Joseph Wey
1975–2010 Norbert Kaiser
2010– 0000Andreas Keller

Rectory

The old rectory of St. Martin was built around 1820 under the direction of Paul Camille Denis .

Trivia

In October 1948 the future soccer world champion Fritz Walter married the Italian Italia Bortoluzzi in the church.

literature

  • Episcopal Ordinariate Speyer (ed.): Handbook of the Diocese of Speyer. II. Edition in 1991. Speyer (self-published) 1991.
  • Martin Dolch, Michael Münch (Ed.): Document book of the city of Kaiserslautern. Three parts (= series of publications by the Kaiserslautern City Archives, volumes 2, 4, 6). Otterbach / Kaiserslautern 1994-2001.
  • E. Dubowy: Art-historical appreciation of St. Martin's Church. In: Church administration St. Martin (ed.): The St. Martinskirche in Kaiserslautern. o. O. 1937.
  • Heinz Friedel : Kaiserslautern from the beginning to the foundation of the empire. Geschwister Schmidt Verlag, Kaiserslautern 1995.
  • Kurt Hunsinger: History of the first Franciscan Minorite monastery and St. Martin's Church in Kaiserslautern. Edited by Parish office of St. Martin. Self-published, Kaiserslautern, 2010.
  • Clemens Jöckle: Catholic parish church St. Martin Kaiserslautern (= Little Art Guide, No. 1802). Schnell & Steiner, Munich / Zurich 1990.
  • Jürgen Kleddigkeit, Leonie Silberer: Kaiserslautern, St. Michael. Franciscan monastery. In: Jürgen Kleddigkeit et al. (Ed.): Pfälzisches Klosterlexikon , Volume 2. Institute for Palatinate History and Folklore, Kaiserslautern, 2014, ISBN 978-3-927754-77-5 , pp. 414–447.
  • Jürgen, Keddigkeit, Martin Wenz, Matthias Untermann: Kaiserslautern, St. Maria. Hospital monastery, later Premonstratensian monastery or monastery, then collegiate monastery St. Marien and St. Martin. In: Jürgen Kleddigkeit et al. (Ed.): Pfälzisches Klosterlexikon , Volume 2. Institute for Palatinate History and Folklore, Kaiserslautern, 2014, ISBN 978-3-927754-77-5 , pp. 370-413.
  • Julius Küchler (Hrsg.): Chronicle of the city of Kaiserslautern from the years 1566 - 1798 according to the council minutes edited by Julius Küchler. Self-published, Kaiserslautern, 1905.
  • Georg Leo: Annales of the Franciscan monastery in Kaiserslautern from 1520–1707 (codex germanus 5042, State Library Munich). German: Contribution to the Palatinate church history, especially the history of the former Electoral Palatinate Oberamt Kaiserslautern and the former Franciscan monastery there, trans. from Lat. by P. Parthenius Minges. Printing and publishing of the Jäger'schen Buchdruckerei und Buchhandlung, Speyer 1899.
  • Church administration St. Martin (ed.): The St. Martinskirche in Kaiserslautern. Festschrift on the occasion of the completion of the renovation work on St. Martin and the 50th anniversary of the first St. Sacrifice of the Mass Sr. Exc. of the HH Bishop Dr. Ludwig Sebastian of Speyer. At the same time guide through the St. Martin's Church. Self-published, Kaiserslautern 1937.
  • Parish St. Martin, Kaiserslautern (Ed.): Parish Church St. Martin Kaiserslautern. Renovation of St. Martin's Church in Kaiserslautern 1976–1978: Festschrift . Self-published, Kaiserslautern, 1979.
  • Patricius Schlager : On the history of the Franciscans in the Palatinate during modern times. In: Franziskanische Studien 14, 1927, pp. 169–188.
  • Joseph Schwind: St. Martin's Church in Kaiserslautern - a look into its history. Self-published, Kaiserslautern, 1902.
  • Meinrad Sehi: History of the Franciscans of Kaiserslautern. A contribution to the pastoral care of the mendicant orders in the Palatinate. 1964 (Reprint from the Alemania Franziscana Antiqua Volume X, Landshut 1964).
  • Fritz Stich: The Martinskirche in Kaiserslautern. In: Ottheinz Münch (Ed.): Kaiserslautern 1276–1951. Festschrift for the 675th anniversary of the town elevation. Kaiserslautern 1951, pp. 173-178.
  • Worms Synodal. Registrum synodale omnium et singularum ecclesiarum ruralium Wormatiensis dioecesis (= Heidelberg manuscript 131).
  • Stephan Alexander Würdtwein: Monasticon Wormatiense , 2 volumes (= Heidelberg manuscript 130). Ladenburg, 1795.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ According to Dubowy p. 30, the window was supplied by the A. Röder art institute in Kaiserslautern around 1902.
  2. ↑ Festschrift of the parish 1937, 32.
  3. ↑ Parish memorial book p. 3, in the parish archives of the parish of St. Martin, Kaiserslautern.
  4. ↑ Festschrift of the parish 1937, 30.
  5. ^ Association chronicle of the parish St. Martin, in the parish archive parish St. Martin, Kaiserslautern.
  6. ↑ Parish memorial book, p. 30, in the parish archives Pfarrei St. Martin, Kaiserslautern.
  7. ↑ Schwind 10.
  8. ↑ See 144.
  9. ↑ See Church Music St. Martin  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / kirchenmusik.sankt-martin-kaiserslautern.de  
  10. ↑ For disposition ( Memento of the original dated December 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 48 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / sankt-martin-kaiserslautern.de
  11. ^ Sehi, 224.
  12. ↑ Friedel, 19.
  13. ^ The St. Martin's Church in Kaiserslautern (1937), 8f.
  14. ↑ Worms Synodale, 167.
  15. ↑ Martin Dolch, Volume 3, to No. 67, p. 109, Note 2.
  16. ↑ Würdtwein, fol. 14r.
  17. ↑ Jürgen Keddigkeit, 371, 414.
  18. ↑ Sehi, 230.
  19. ↑ Friedel, 36.
  20. ↑ Hunsinger, 53.
  21. ↑ Handbook of the Diocese of Speyer, p. 265.
  22. ↑ Wolfgang Kunz: Paul Camille von Denis - a picture of life . In: Yearbook for Railway History 21 (1989). ISSN  0340-4250 , pp. 5-14 (5).
  23. ↑ https://www.rhein-zeitung.de/kultur_artikel,-skurril-aber-toll-die-waltertour-_arid,167973.html

Web links

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