Matthew Church (Mannheim)
The Matthäuskirche is a Protestant church in the Mannheim district of Neckarau . It was built between 1891 and 1893 by Hermann Behaghel in neo-Gothic style and is already the fourth church building at this point.
history
A church in Neckarau was first mentioned in the 9th century. The Worms Synod of 1496 stated that there were two side altars in the parish church of St. Martin next to the high altar, which were consecrated to Maria and St. Aegidius . After the introduction of the Reformation in 1556, the church, like the entire Electoral Palatinate , was subject to multiple religious changes before it was finally assigned to the Reformed in 1705 when the Palatinate church was divided.
Dilapidation and increasing population numbers towards the end of the 18th century led to the desire to build a larger church. Between 1789 and 1792 the old nave was torn down and next to the Gothic tower, which was probably from the 15th century and had a similar appearance to the steeple of the Feudenheim St. Peter and Paul Church , a new one covered by a hipped roof Ship built. In 1821 the Reformed, who, unlike in most other parts of the country, made up the majority in Neckarau, and the Lutherans were united in the " United Evangelical Protestant Church in the Grand Duchy of Baden ".
The industrialization and the consequent influx of workers led to the end of the 19th century to rapid growth of the population. Before it was incorporated into Mannheim in 1899, Neckarau had become the largest village in Baden and the church was again too small. After lengthy discussions, the old church was completely demolished. Since the political community also gave up the neighboring town hall and built a new building elsewhere, the opportunity was used to build a new large church facing the main street. According to the plans of Hermann Behaghel , the building was built between 1891 and 1893 and inaugurated on August 2, 1893. During the construction work, the foundations of three previous buildings were found. The organ was built by the Walcker company (Ludwigsburg). The four bells with the tones c sharp, d flat, f and g sharp were named after Peter, Johannes, Paulus and Jakobus.
The three big bells had to be handed in in 1917 during the First World War . The small bronze bell was also sold in 1922 and a new bell was procured. After the name Martinskirche had not been used since the new building, the name Matthäuskirche became common in the 1920s. The two parishes developing from the Neckarau mother parish in the new building areas later built the Lukaskirche and the Markuskirche . With the Johanniskirche in Mannheim-Lindenhof the four neighboring churches were named after the four evangelists . In 1937 the parish of Neckarau was incorporated into the overall parish of Mannheim. Before that, Pastor Georg Fehn left the Matthäusgemeinde in 1934 . The former member of the state parliament was attacked by the National Socialists because he advised not to vote for the NSDAP before the 1933 Reichstag election. He was followed by Erich Kühn , who was to be pastor at the Matthäuskirche until 1972 and went down in the history of the district as the founder of the Neckarauer Liebeswerke , including the Johann Sebastian Bach Grammar School .
At the beginning of August 1943, the 50th anniversary of the church was celebrated in the presence of regional bishop Julius Kühlewein . Only a week later, after an air raid, St. Matthew's Church burned down to the outer walls and the tower stump. After the Second World War , the church was rebuilt in a simplified manner in 1948/1949 by EW Ziegler and consecrated on September 18, 1949 by Regional Bishop Julius Bender . 2005/06 was the Protestant Foundation Care Schonau the interior of the Church of St. Matthew Lamott architects make from scratch. In 2007, the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects awarded an award for “exemplary building”.
description
The Matthäuskirche is in the center of Neckarau. It is a three-aisled hall church in neo-Gothic style with a recessed, polygonal chancel. The 38.4 meter high tower is covered by a cross roof. The towering, pyramid-shaped spire was not rebuilt after the destruction of World War II. The brick building has three pointed arch portals with Wimperg gables at the front . There are two more portals on the sides. A five-pass window is let into the main portal , while the others are emblazoned with biblical quotations.
On the east facade is the cross from the tower of the medieval church, a grave inscription from the 14th century and tombstones of two Neckarau pastors and a deaconess from the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. On the north side, the altar and pulpit made of yellow sandstone were placed, which were replaced when the interior was redesigned in 2005/06. They were created in 1968 by the sculptor Gustav Seitz , who was born in Neckarau .
The leaded glass windows were made in 1967 based on designs by Klaus Arnold . On one side of the nave they show motifs from the Gospel of Matthew : Family tree of Jesus ( Mt 1,1–17 LUT ), crucifixion ( Mt 27,31–56 LUT ), resurrection ( Mt 27,8b – 10 LUT ) and Pentecost ( Mt 28: 16-20 LUT ). Opposite are motifs from the Old Testament : Creation ( 1 Mos 1,27 LUT ), Cain and Abel ( 1 Mos 4,1–16 LUT ), God's judgment at Mount Sinai ( 2 Mos 20,18–22 LUT ) and the building of the tower Babel ( 1 Mos 11: 1-9 EU ). The central window of the choir shows the heavenly Jerusalem from the Revelation ( Rev 21,2 LUT ). Set aside are: Invitation to the great Lord's Supper ( Mt 22 : 1–14 LUT ) and praise for the Lamb ( Rev 5 : 6–14 LUT ). Directly opposite the main portal is the motif of God's throne ( Rev 4 LUT ).
Main portal
Back with former altar
Cross of the medieval church (14th century)
Inside, in the central nave, sandstone paving runs from the entrance to the altar, while sand-lime-colored terrazzo screed has been laid in the side aisles. The ships are structured by eight concrete-coated iron supports with ornaments by Edzard Hobbing . The altar is made up of stacked silver fir beams . The benches and the cladding of the rear wall that integrates the organ are made of the same material.
The organ was built in 1959 by EFWALCKER (Ludwigsburg) as op. 3790. It has 31 stops on the main work, swell and pedal with an electric slide box. The originally planned Rückpositiv was not realized. When organ builder Markus Graser (Speyer) reworked the instrument in 2006, the first manual in the console was converted into a coupling manual.
The bell was cast by the Bochum Association in 1922 . It consists of four steel bells.
| inscription | Ø m | kg | volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| a solid castle is our God | 1.57 | 1359.5 | cis |
| God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him | 1.39 | 1055.5 | e |
| Be still to the Lord and hope in him | 1.26 | 925.0 | f sharp |
| I cry out to you in distress | 1.10 | 605.5 | g sharp |
literature
- Hans Huth: The art monuments of the city district of Mannheim . Munich 1982, ISBN 3-422-00556-0 .
- Andreas Schenk: Architectural Guide Mannheim . Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-496-01201-3 .
- Hansjörg Probst : Neckarau Volume 1: From the beginnings to the 18th century . Mannheim 1988, ISBN 3-87804-191-8 .
- Hansjörg Probst: Neckarau Volume 2: From absolutism to the present . Mannheim 1989, ISBN 3-87804-197-7 .
- Hansjörg Probst: Neckarau . In: Mannheim before the city was founded Part II Volume 2: The Mannheim suburbs and districts . Regensburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-7917-2022-7 .
- Wilhelm August Schulze: History of the Protestant community Neckarau . Mannheim 1970.
- Erich Kühn: Church art in Mannheim-Neckarau . Mannheim 1978.
- Evangelical Foundation Care Schönau (ed.): The Matthäuskirche in Mannheim-Neckarau: Interior renovation 2005–2006 . Heidelberg 2006.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Worms Synodale . P. 419.
- ↑ Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects 2008 ( 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.
Web links
- TV report from BW Family.tv
Coordinates: 49 ° 27 ′ 14.9 " N , 8 ° 29 ′ 20.2" E