Chapel of the Beheading of John the Baptist (Eupen)

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Nispert Chapel

The Chapel of the Beheading of John the Baptist (also known as the Nisperter Chapel ) is a private baroque chapel in Nispert, formerly part of Kettenis , now the town of Eupen . It was built in 1747 according to plans by Johann Josef Couven as an extension to the Nispert House , which has existed since 1623 and which was also built according to his plans. The address: Couvenplatz 1 still reminds of the Aachen architect . The chapel was consecrated to John the Baptist and corresponds to the Baroque style of that time, while the interior is characterized by the beginning of the Rococo decoration style. Since March 25, 1983, she is on the list of monuments protected been included buildings Eupen.

history

In order to save the residents of the hamlet of Nispert the trip to the Eupen parish of St. Nikolaus , the merchant and dye works owner Erich Adolph Görtz and his wife Isabella, nee. Fey, daughter of the cloth lord and mayor Arnold Fey-Janssen (1654–1717), built a chapel on the side of her house in Nispert. For this they received the approval of the Liège prince-bishop Johann Theodor von Bayern as well as funds from one of the foundations of the Aachen cloth manufacturer Johann von Wespien , who was also related to the family. The money from Wespiens Foundation was used to cover the costs for the facade and the portal .

In 1816 the chapel and the house were sold by the heirs of Görtz to Albert Mostert and in 1828 came into the possession of the factory owner Johann Wilhelm Fettweiß (1786–1861). In 1973, the church, threatened by severe decay, was restored thanks to the initiative and cooperation of the residents of Nispert and is now part of the parish association of Eupen-Kettenis.

Building description

building

portal

Today's appearance does not exactly match the traditional architectural drawings by Johann Joseph Couven, as Couven generally made up to four different proposals for a commissioned work and therefore the drawings that may ultimately be relevant for the construction are not completely preserved.

The floor plan of the single-nave building is a simple rectangle with rounded corners and a small choir with a semicircular apse . The chapel is connected to the neighboring house on the left. A slate mansard roof with rounded corners, typical of Couven, forms the upper end of the three-bay nave with arched openings. An octagonal bell tower with a sound hole and a polygonal onion with a cross above the choir crowns the building.

The colors white and gray determine the current external color image. The bluestone facade consists of a portal with a slightly accentuated, curved portal gable and a large oval, vertically elongated ox-eye , behind which the organ gallery is located, which can be reached via a staircase with rectangular, curved steps . The portal is characterized by a wrought-iron double wing door with curved panels, above which the curved monogram "FR" of the Fettweiß family, who owned the chapel in the 19th century, is embedded in an oval cartouche. The frame parts of the window and door form a unit, which in turn are framed by a large, gray arch, which is flanked on the sides with wide pilasters . The oval of the window is repeated in these decorative forms on the side in the form of medallions . The entire facade has the appearance of a large portal.

inner space

inner space

The interior of the chapel is decorated in white and gold tones and has a floor made of lighter and dark gray floor tiles. The pilasters with Ionic capitals and a flat mirror vault with fresco painting structure the interior. Animal heads with ermine collars under the volutes and under the capitals represent part of the decorations. Abundant stucco decoration , which shows a number of musical instruments, is located on the underside of the organ loft, secured by a baluster parapet. Above the entrance door, the information "ANNO 1748" was placed in large letters and to the side of this door there are rocailles appliqués , some of which are provided with masks. In the entrance area there is a copper-driven holy water font with a shell-shaped basin.

Organ loft

The head of John the Baptist can be seen under a small ornamental canopy above the organ gallery window. A curved communion bench connects the choir and chapel area. The choir apse is framed by two figure niches, in which the sculptures of Mary with Child and St. Joseph from the workshop of Gustav Angelo Venth have been located since the 19th century .

The Eternal Lamp , cast from silver and copper and gilded , was designed in 1885 based on the model from the Nikolauskirche. Six three-armed bronze candelabra from 1900 provide the necessary light. They were initially designed as gas lights and later electrified and gold-plated in 1973. The oil on canvas paintings of the Stations of the Cross, which are provided with modern frames, also date from the 19th century.

High altar

High altar

The high altar, which is set in the wall niche of the apse and carved from oak, dates from the 18th century and is richly painted and partly gilded. It is characterized above all by its clear planning and imaginative design as well as the finely worked out details and the subtle color scheme. A finely worked rocaille cartouche and rocaille appliqués on the side are incorporated in the center of the front of its curved canteen . The tabernacle structure with its corner volutes and angel heads completely fills the clad wall niche, which is itself designed with a magnificent frame and a gable-like attachment with angel figures attached to the side.

The wooden cabinet installed in the cafeteria has an attachment in which two coats of arms with the double coat of arms of the Görtz-Fey and Mostert families are incorporated. The affixing of these coats of arms was apparently caused by Erich Adolph Görtz's son, Hermann Heinrich Görtz (1728–1782), who was married to Johanna Maria Mostert (1746–1802). In contrast, the cathedral builder Joseph Buchkremer and the historian Ernst Günther Grimme point out in their writings that these are the coats of arms of the Görtz-Fey and Wespien families, which either suggests a mix-up or that it was initially caused by Erich Adolph Görtz may have been arranged in this form out of gratitude for the sponsor and was later changed by his son Heinrich Hermann.

The gable of the high altar is characterized by groups of clouds with protruding golden rays, flanked by putti and with individual winged putti heads in the clouds. The high altar cross protrudes in the middle of the cloud composition.

literature

Web links

Commons : Saint John Baptist Beheading Chapel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Haus Nispert on ostbelgienkulturerbe.be
  2. ↑ Görtz-Mostert coat of arms , on ostbelgien.net

Coordinates: 50 ° 37 '59 "  N , 6 ° 2' 52.8"  E