Michael Church (Faßberg)
The Michael Church is an Evangelical Lutheran church building in Faßberg in the district of Celle .
Building history
The Protestant Michael Church in Faßberg is special in two respects: It is probably the only church whose construction was commissioned and financed by the state during the National Socialist era. And it is stylistically shaped by the zeitgeist of the time, which can still be clearly seen in some places today.
In the years 1933/1934 the Faßberg Air Base was built on an unpopulated heathland, with the Faßberg Air Force settlement on its edge. A population of two and a half thousand people was expected for 1935, so the construction of a garrison church for the German air force was also planned. First was parish of Müden (Örtze) looked out.
On December 17, 1938, the architect Wilhelm Kröger , Hanover, handed the new church over to the head of the Faßberg estate. The inauguration took place on December 18, 1938, the 4th Sunday in Advent. First an evangelical church service was celebrated, followed by a Roman Catholic mass . The church was built as a simultaneous church for both denominations . The five holy water fonts at the entrances and the confessional point to the original shared use by the Roman Catholic community.
The church was given no name when it was consecrated in 1938. The Cellesche Zeitung reported on December 19, 1938 about the consecration of the church under the heading: The new garrison church in Faßberg . The great Michael plastic on the southern exterior wall of the church presented the paper entitled: " George, the dragon slayer ., The symbol of the German soldier" But it does not George, but the Archangel Michael in the fight against Satan in the form of a dragon is ( Rev 12 : 7-11 LUT ).
In 1947 Faßberg became a separate parish of the Evangelical Lutheran. Regional Church of Hanover . The church was now named " Michael Church Faßberg " based on the Michael sculpture .
The building was initially owned by the German Empire . From August 1, 1949, it was made available to the Protestant and Roman Catholic parishes for an indefinite period. On November 22nd, 1966, it became the property of the evangelical Michaelkirche parish for sale. The Roman Catholic parish was allowed to continue using the church until its own Holy Spirit Church was consecrated on November 11, 1967.
In the spring of 2013, the parishes of Michaelkirche Faßberg and St. Laurentius Church in Müden (Örtze) merged .
Architecture and exterior view
The church building was the center of the Faßberg settlement in 1934. Stylistically, it matched the style of the emerging settlement: rectangular floor plan, saddle roof, brick, functional; but also by the stepped decorative masonry on the sloping gable. The building is east-facing, which means that the roof ridge runs in a west-east direction. A church tower could not be built because of the nearby air base. That is why the church only has a simple roof turret . This sits at the west end of the ridge and now has a ball with a cross at its tip, originally also a weather vane . For more than three decades, there was a dial on each side of the roof ridge . A small bell hangs inside.
The main entrance of the church is in the west, another entrance in the south, a third on the east side for the sacristy . A chapel is built on the south wall, almost next to the church, but under the same roof . The church is adorned with three sculptures: Above the main entrance "Christ as Judge of the World" , above the side entrance " Christophorus " and on the south wall the white relief " Michael in the fight against Satan".
In January 1984 the upper part of the western gable wall collapsed in a storm night. The rubble smashed the porch of the entrance and with it the wind supply for the organ and also the Vierthaler figure of the “judge of the world”. This was replaced again, but only very simply for reasons of cost, so that it bears little resemblance to the original.
In the 1970s, the four dials were removed from the roof turret because the mechanical clockwork could no longer be serviced.
Interior and inventory
Despite the few and relatively small windows, the church interior is surprisingly bright. The interior is kept as simple as the exterior. Everything is dominated by the large altar window in the east wall. It shows the crucifixion of Jesus ( Joh 19,30 LUT ) and was designed by the Hamburg glass painter Gebr. Kuball. Altar, baptismal font, pulpit with pulpit lid and all external figures come from the workshop of Ludwig Vierthaler , Hanover. In their simple form, without ornaments or pictorial representations, they testify to objectivity, calm and openness. The jewelery with crucifix, candles, antependia and flowers can be adapted to the various worship occasions. In this way, the view of the worshipers is repeatedly drawn to the unity of the altar and the altar window.
The baptismal font shows a half-sculpture, the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. To the right are the words "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" ( Eph 4,5 LUT ) - particularly meaningful for a simultaneous church. On the south wall between the small, high round windows there are four larger than life paintings of the four evangelists . They come from the painter Thiede, who created them in the typical style of his time. The pulpit is adorned by the sculpture: Christ as the judge of the world, a parallel to the sculpture above the main entrance. The sound cover bears a golden dove, which can be interpreted in several ways due to the way it is represented: Holy Spirit, dove of peace or even air force eagle. The foundation stone is walled in to the left of the altar in such a way that it can be seen by everyone. The name of the architect Wilhelm Kröger, Hanover and the year 1937/38 can be read. Plus the Luftwaffe eagle. The swastika was removed in 1945.
During the church renovation in 1977/78, the original simple chandeliers were replaced by more valuable ones. The front part of the stalls (dark long pews) has been replaced by comfortable chairs with light covers.
In 2008 the benches under the organ loft were removed on the left in favor of a children's play area.
Of the original 800 seats, only around 500 are left. The side chapel is much smaller, now has approx. 75 seats, but like the church interior it is equipped with an altar, baptismal font, lectern, holy water font on the door, an electric piano and a confessional. For the Christmas season, the sculptor Wladimir Rudolf (Munster) created the wooden figure group of the Holy Family in 1996/1997 - Mary, Joseph and the child as well as the shepherd and sheep in the size of 75-100 cm in a stable that, formed from cloth, has its place directly under the pulpit.
Altar window with crucifixion group
Altar in the choir room
pulpit
Baptismal font
the four evangelists on the south wall
chapel
Organs
New building in 1939
After the church was built and consecrated in 1936, the first organ was built by Lothar Wetzel on the gallery opposite the altar and pulpit. It had 15 stops on two manuals and a pedal , an electric action , a pocket drawer and a free pipe brochure . The electric gaming table was set up on the gallery parapet against the case.
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- Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P, sub-octave coupling II / I, II / II, super-octave coupling II / I
After the end of the war, this original organ suffered so much from missing roof tiles (water damage) that it had to be replaced by a new organ in 1963.
Acquisition of a used organ in 1963
After the Wetzel organ was lost, the parish acquired the Furtwängler & Söhne organ from the Lutheran church in 1963 . Church in Apelern (Opus 53, 1858). In the course of the implementation, which took place in the same year, the lower and side parts of the case, the action mechanisms and the keyboards were rebuilt. In 1984 the organ received a new magazine bellows, which was positioned on the gallery next to the organ.
The instrument has 23 registers, which are divided into two manuals and pedal . The action is mechanical, the wind chests designed as sliding chests. The pipes of the manuals are on a shared twin drawer .
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- Tremulant on the whole work
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Pairing :
- Normal coupling: II / I, I / P
- X = Organ builder Wetzel 1939
Peal
In the roof turret of the Michaelkirche hangs a small steel bell with the strike note d´. On the upper edge is the year 1938 in raised digits, below the Luftwaffe eagle with swastika - the insignia of the “Third Reich”.
In February 2018, the church council decided to replace the bell with a new cast.
literature
- Uwe Pape (ed.) Philipp Furtwängler (1836–1854) - Ph. Furtwängler & Son (1854–1861) - Ph. Furtwängler & Sons (1861–1883). Previously unpublished catalog raisonnés from the Berlin ORDA organ database. Pape Verlag, Berlin undated (PDF on CD).
Web links
- Homepage of the St. Laurentius parish Faßberg-Müden
- Fassberg in the parish dictionary
- Konrad Gebhardt and others, Board of Trustees of the Laurentius Foundation (ed.): Festschrift for the 150th anniversary of the Meyer organ
- Cellesche Zeitung from Monday, December 19, 1938, the inauguration of the Michael Church in Faßberg on the 4th Advent 1938
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Christian Berndt: The Michael Church in Faßberg for the 70th anniversary of the parish fair on the 4th Advent 2008 .
- ↑ Hans strenght: history of the air base and the community-free district Faßberg 1971, self-published, p. 68-70.
- ↑ Christoph M. Glombek: Chronicle of the community of Faßberg 2002, self-published by the community of Faßberg, pp. 387-390.
- ^ Resolution of the church council on February 20, 2018, accessed on June 12, 2018
Coordinates: 52 ° 54 ′ 6.8 ″ N , 10 ° 10 ′ 13 ″ E