Mor Barsaumo (Garbenteich)

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View from the northeast
Interior to the east

Mor Barsaumo is the church of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch in Garbenteich , a district of Pohlheim ( Hesse ). It was completed in 1999.

history

From the 1960s, Arameans settled in Pohlheim, who emigrated as refugees from Turkey, where they were persecuted because of their Christian faith. Three Syrian Orthodox communities were established in Pohlheim. Between 1992 and 1999, the Syrian Orthodox community in Garbenteich used the old church in Watzenborn-Steinberg for their services until their own church in Garbenteich was completed in 1999. The church was consecrated to St. Barsaumo (* 380 in Autan near Samosata , † February 1, 458), of whom many miracle reports have been handed down.

architecture

Interior to the west

The exterior of the almost east-facing hall church is simply built from red bricks. It is closed off by a very flat gable roof. On the eastern ridge of the roof there is a six-sided, open lantern with a flat hood, which is crowned by a four-sided trefoil cross. The lantern houses a bell that was taken over from the old church in Watzenborn-Steinberg.

In the two undivided long sides there are five round-arched lead glass windows with figurative representations that illuminate the interior. The east wall has three round windows with leaded glass windows, the west wall two small high-seated arched windows. The church is accessed via three entrances. On the two long sides there are arched entrances with double-leaf wooden doors under a canopy, on the west side there is a rectangular entrance with two wooden door leaves.

Furnishing

Altar in the "royal gate"

The interior is colored according to oriental tradition. It is tailored to the needs of the Syrian Orthodox liturgy according to the West Syrian rite .

The altar area in the east is raised by three steps and is separated by a wall, the iconostasis , in the middle of which a large round arch is attached. This “golden door”, the gateway to heaven, is flanked by two smaller round arches. The overlapping arches are decorated with gilded tendrils. The passageways have red curtains with gold-colored vines, ears of corn and stars that enclose a trefoil cross. The arched passage to the southern extension has a curtain of the same design. The baptism of Jesus is shown above him in bright colors . The small, windowless extension serves as a room for confession and can in principle also be used for baptisms.

The central arch, also called the “royal gate”, gives the priest access to the altar, which is handcrafted from white limestone from Tur Abdin . The altar consists of a high arch, behind which a vaulted niche is carved. Lateral free columns, two corner columns on the altar arch, richly decorated friezes and other ornamentation decorate the altar. The flanking round arches in the partition wall are prepared for expansion for side altars. Above the central arch, Christ is depicted as Pantocrator in the colors light blue, red and gold, with angels blowing trumpets on both sides. In front of the arch there is a wooden lectern for the Bible, which is decorated with profiles, gilded tendrils and crosses.

The wood-sighted chairs leave a central aisle free. The splendid chandeliers are richly decorated with crystal elements. The white, round baptismal font has a gold-plated lid. Next to it is a lectern for the intercession book . There are also two lecterns ("Gude") for deacons .

A gallery is built into the west wall, which is supported by two round columns. The parapet is decorated above and below with golden tendrils on a white background. Eight pictures are hung in the middle. Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper served as a template above the gallery in the middle of the west wall .

Parish

The community belongs to the Patriarchal Vicariate of Germany, with Warburg Abbey as its center. The German head is Bishop Philoxenos Matthias Nayis , who visited the Mor Barsaumo church in April 2013. Of the 57 German deans and priests, three priests take care of the parishes in Pohlheim. In the district of Giessen there are 4,000 Aramaic Christians spread across four communities, three of which are in Pohlheim. In addition to Garbenteich, there is the community Mor Had Bschabo in Hausen, Mor Eliyo in Watzenborn-Steinberg and Mor Afrem & Mor Theodoros in Gießen. The services are held in German and Aramaic. The community has around 250 families, which corresponds to around 1000 members (as of 2013). She maintains good relationships with the other Christian communities in the city, is integrated in Pohlheim and is committed to the persecuted Christians in Tur Abdin.

literature

  • Walter Damasky (arr.): The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. A chronicle of the work in the association for the rescue of the "old church" Watzenborn-Steinberg eV 2nd edition. Self-published, Pohlheim 2002.

Web links

Commons : Mor Barsaumo (Garbenteich)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gießener Anzeiger of November 1, 2012: It was the mothers in particular who made themselves strong at the time , accessed on May 26, 2017.
  2. ↑ Damasky (edit.): The "Old Church" in Watzenborn-Steinberg. 2002, p. 14.
  3. ↑ johannes-del.npage.de: Mor Barsaumo Haupt der Anachoreten , accessed on May 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ genios.de: High visit to Pohlheim (fee required), accessed on March 26, 2018.
  5. ↑ syrisch-orthodox.org: Priest of the Archdiocese of Germany ( Memento of September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 26, 2018.
  6. ↑ a b Gießener Anzeiger dated February 8, 2012: 4000 Aramaeans live in three communities in the district , accessed on March 26, 2018.

Coordinates: 50 ° 32 ′ 0 ″  N , 8 ° 44 ′ 49 ″  E