Michaelskirche (Eberbach)
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The Protestant Michaelskirche in Eberbach in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg was built between 1835 and 1841. The renaming from "Evangelical City Church" to "Michaelskirche" in 1976 was based on the erroneous assumption that there was a late medieval chapel dedicated to St. Michael in the same place. This misunderstanding arose from confusion in the written city history. In fact, there were two St. Mary's chapels in a row on the site of today's St. Only in the Catholic church located elsewhere in the city was there a Michael altar.
history
Originally called the Evangelical City Church, the church was built on the site of at least two historically documented Marienkapellen. It was not named Michaelskirche until 1976. A previous building, documented in 1370, was dedicated to "Our Lady". The next previous building of the Michaelskirche was completed in 1429. However, it was not dedicated to St. Michael, as erroneously noted in the Eberbach town history published by then Mayor John Gustav Weiss in 1900, but also to the Virgin Mary. This is how the previous building is called “our frauwenbuw”. There is a building invoice from 1429 with the reference to the "Frauenbau". In 1518 the Virgin Church was expanded while retaining the choir and sacristy. When the Palatinate Elector Ottheinrich carried out the Reformation in 1556 , the church became Protestant. After a Catholic branch of the Wittelsbach family ran the Electoral Palatinate again, it was used simultaneously from 1698 to 1707 until it finally fell to the Reformed when the Palatinate church was divided .
The previous church from 1429 was devastated several times during the wars of the 17th century. In 1784 and 1789, the Neckar floods also destroyed the interior. Its interior was marked by numerous renovations. Taking account of the growing community, there were a total of seven gallery stages in 1802. Since the state of construction was poor and there were no more options for structural expansion due to the surrounding buildings still existing at the time, the first plans for a new church on a neighboring property were drawn up at that time. However, this could not be achieved. When the Lutheran congregation was incorporated into the Reformed congregation in 1821, the space in the church was again great. In 1824 another flood on the Neckar completely destroyed the inside of the church. The statics of the building were also damaged in 1828 by the demolition of the adjacent Obertorturm. With the demolition of further buildings, the cramped situation of the building site at the old site of the church relaxed, so that a larger new building was possible at the old site. The Baden Ministry of the Interior and the building authorities have been slowing down, not least because of the construction costs. Pastor Wilhelm Hepp, who was appointed to Eberbach in 1833, finally succeeded in obtaining the necessary permits.
On May 3, 1834, the demolition of the old church began. In the spring of 1835, construction work began on the new church. Because of the risk of flooding, special emphasis was placed on a solid foundation, the construction of which took more than a year. In the meantime, Pastor Hepp died. His successor Henrici was able to lay the foundation stone on August 29, 1836. The simple hall church was built in the late classical style. The plans in the style of Heinrich Hübsch came from the church builder Friedrich Wundt from Heidelberg. The shell construction dragged on because of difficulties with the delivery of sandstones. The topping-out ceremony was celebrated on December 15, 1837. The dispute over the interior of the church and the death of master organ builder Overmann in 1839 delayed completion. New delays in the construction progress soon became a political issue. The church authorities ordered an inauguration for August 16, 1840, but had to cancel this appointment because the church organ had not yet been delivered. It was not until May 16, 1841, more than six years after construction began, that the church was finally consecrated.
In 1870 two bells were replaced, the sound of which did not match the big bell. In 1888 a new gallery was built on the tower, where the organ previously located above the altar was moved, so that an open chancel was created, which received a new round window and was painted. Heating and lighting were also installed for the first time.
During the First World War, the two bells from 1870 and the organ's front pipes had to be delivered. Especially with donations from Eberbachers who emigrated to America, cheaper replacements could soon be obtained after the war. In 1922 two memorial plaques were put up for the fallen in the community.
In 1925 the church got a water connection, the roof was repaired and a new floor was laid. In 1927 a wooden cross was added to the altar. In 1928 the church was connected to the electricity supply and air heating was installed.
The replacement bells from 1922 were replaced by five new bells in 1930, for which the last old bell from 1783 was traded in. The four largest bells, however, had to be returned in 1941. The bell was completed again in 1950.
In 1953 the interior of the church was renovated and new principal pieces were procured. The altar window received art glazing by Will Sohl, the old altar cross was replaced by a significantly larger one. In 1966/67 the organ and organ gallery were renewed.
When the heating was modernized in 1973, the floor of the church was also renewed. The sanctuary was enlarged. The side aisle received the baptismal altar and altar candlesticks by the artist Homolka from Königsfeld.
In 1988 an exterior renovation followed and finally in 1997 an interior renovation according to restoration principles.
description
The Michaelskirche stands in the east of the Eberbach core city as a striking end of the Bahnhofstrasse. The 42 meter high tower is almost completely drawn in. A coat of arms stone from the old church is walled in in the entrance room, showing the coat of arms of the Electoral Palatinate and the year 1426. The flat-roofed nave has two-story galleries.
When it was built, Michael’s Church, in the Reformed tradition, did not have any picture decorations.
The window above the altar was designed by Will Sohl in 1953 . It shows the Lamb of God surrounded by the four evangelist symbols . The baptismal altar in the aisle was designed by Emil Jo Homolka .
The organ was built in 1967 by Friedrich Weißenborn and completely renovated in 1994 by the organ builder Lenter. The instrument has 43 stops on three manuals and a pedal .
The ring consists of five bells . The belfry was originally made of iron, but was replaced in 1997 by a new belfry made of oak.
In 1978, in connection with the naming as "Michaelskirche", a sandstone relief with the eponymous Michael - as archangel - was used in the interior, which was donated by the Evangelical Church Community Friedrichsdorf.
literature
- Rainer Laun: Rhein-Neckar-Kreis , in: Dagmar Zimdars u. a. (Ed.), Georg Dehio (Gre.): Handbook of German Art Monuments : Baden-Württemberg I. The administrative districts of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe . Munich 1993, ISBN 3-422-03024-7 .
- State Archive administration Baden-Württemberg in connection with d. Cities and districts Heidelberg u. Mannheim (Hrsg.): The city and the districts of Heidelberg and Mannheim: Official district description , Bd. 2: The city of Heidelberg and the communities of the district of Heidelberg . Karlsruhe 1968.
- Martin Kares, Michael Kaufmann, Godehard Weithoff: Organ guide Rhein-Neckar-Kreis . Heidelberg 2001, ISBN 3-932102-07-X .
- Wolfgang Klug: The history of the Michaelskirche , Eberbach 1998.
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 27 ′ 43.6 ″ N , 8 ° 59 ′ 14 ″ E