City Church St. Petri (Freiberg)

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City church St. Petri, on the left the Hahnenturm, on the right the Petriturm

The city ​​church of St. Petri in Freiberg (locally called Petrikirche ) is located on the highest point in Freiberg city center on Petriplatz, a little west of the Obermarkt . It is used by the Petri-Nikolai parish.

history

The church building was erected around 1200 with the Freiberg Upper Town as a late Romanesque basilica and was initially the town's main church .

In 1734 took place a baroque reconstruction of the church, at the same time inside one were pulpit of sandstone and a baptismal font installed, the d in the workshop of Christian Feige. Ä. were created. In 1735 an organ was installed by Johann Gottfried Silbermann .

The church is equipped with three very different towers , its main tower (locally also called Petriturm ) received its dome in 1730/1731 .

The council carpenter JG Ohndorf built the Hahnenturm in 1749 . The third tower is called Lazy Tower and was the last to be built.

In the mid-1970s, it was converted into a community center ; the interior was redesigned by the sculptor Friedrich Press .

Petri tower

Meaning and dimensions

Petri tower from the west

The tower that defines the cityscape is 71 meters high (up to the compass rose) and represents a landmark in the lower Eastern Ore Mountains that can be seen from afar . Standing at the highest point of the historic city center in Freiberg ( 405  m above sea level ), this tower is 74 meters high , 10 meters (from the base to the top of the tower crown) is still the highest landmark in the city of Freiberg. He has always played an important role in the development of the city .

The tower has an almost square floor plan with a side length of 8 to 9 meters and the height of the quarry stone masonry of almost 42 meters. Above is the lower dome with a height of a little less than 11 meters (roof). Above it is the lantern with a height of 10 cubits (more than 5 meters), the upper dome of 21.5 cubits (12 meters) and the gold-plated tower crown with a height of 6 cubits (starting at the lower end of the tower button).

Tower interior

Inside there are the rooms that have existed since 1733, as the later council carpenter Johann Gottlieb Ohndorff added to scale in his crack through the tower in 1730. The tower contained the apartment for a family of towers until the 20th century . In addition, in 1730 Ohndorff had given the Freiberg city council two models of the wooden structure of the belfry, which began at a height of approx. 34 m, and, contrary to the original resolution of the council, was the sole supervisor for the tower. In addition to the innovations of this construction, the city council also decided in 1732 to add an “iron exit to blow off” (for the city pipers), from which visitors still have a view of almost the entire Freiberg old town.

Legal relationships

Although the Petriturm is part of the Petrikirche building, the parish has so far had little influence on the use and structural design of the tower. However, these conditions are typical for many cities in Central Europe. Nothing is known about the legal status of the tower in the Middle Ages. A comparison with other cities in the region suggests that craftsmen of the Freiberg guilds (so-called "Zirkler") kept fire and enemy watch from the tower during the Gothic period (specifically probably since the second half of the 13th century) .

The financing for the construction and maintenance of the towers was similar to the construction of the chapels on the church (e.g. the Alnpeck chapel on the north side of the Petrikirche): it was donated by Stephan Alnpeck together with its altar of the 11,000 virgins and provided at the same time is the burial place for his family and descendants.

The city got involved in the towers, which were very complex to build, and in return received usage rights. A few years after the Reformation was introduced in Freiberg (1537), the parish churches were subordinated to the city in 1541, which summarized its church property in the clerical income . The three Petri towers, however, came - unlike the rest of the church - to the aedificium publicum  - the area of ​​the public buildings. In the Freiberg archives there is no evidence that the parish was even informed about construction work on the tower until the end of the 19th century.

After the Reformation, this area of ​​activity of the then city administration ("Rath") became somewhat clearer. After the dome was covered with copper for the first time in 1526/1527, probably at the expense of the township, eight years later a George der Hausmann is mentioned, who apparently had the lucrative music rights of the town pipers , which were typical for the fire station from then on , and therefore connected to the Petriturm is brought.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and into the 1880s, the tower (like the Lazy Tower and the Hahnenturm up to the turn of the 18th century and well into the 18th century) was part of the aedificium publicum . In 1858 the Petriturm and the church were insured separately. Among other things, the council believed that it could deduce that the tower was the property of the city, and in October 1888 asked the entire church council to recognize this. Since then, the Petrikirche building has stood on two lots. In contrast to the city, the Petri church board questioned saw the city's duty to maintain the tower not as a sign of ownership, but as a consideration for the free right of use. The city council then deleted it from its register of assets, but retained the right to use it. When in the same year the city of Freiberg asked the Petrigemeinde to take care of the structural maintenance of the tower and offered to pay a rent for it, this was rejected by the church council. In the legal opinion on which the church council based its argument, it says:

“In consideration of the fact that the use of the tower for the purposes of the church is unlikely to ever come into question, on the other hand the city of the tower for the purposes of the fire station and the hourly strike will not be able to dispense with the purely formal question of property, but without all practical ones Should be meaningful, I would like to give myself up to the hope ... [that the city councils] let the previous situation continue unchanged. "

The city council initially agreed. But the problem kept coming up when major investments were necessary.

Even after July 1, 1905 Carl-August rip the last Freiberger watchman had left the tower and now the city "[carried out by hand] the fire station and the strike of" now "deprived" from the tower but was was an argument accounted Church page . But the city left it with a refused request to the church council.

The articles contained in the Weimar Imperial Constitution regulating the relationship between church and state sparked a new discussion, especially since in 1920 the rotten and now threateningly fluctuating construction of the upper spire had to be renewed. The discussions that were now under way dragged on until 1927 without leading to any result. Initially, inflation was a problem, in 1927 the church council refused a monthly rent of 300  RM , pointing out structural defects in the Petriturm.

The discussion about it did not revive until the end of the Second World War. During the war in 1940/1941 the rotten spire had to be repaired. This was not possible without including this work in the Nazi propaganda. Although this work also included the lower dome, it was not possible to carry out all the necessary activities.

In 1996 the city of Freiberg renounced its rights to the Petriturm and its property there (e.g. the hour and storm bells and the choir bells) in favor of the parish.

Furnishing

Altar, baptism, pulpit and other things

As you can read above, the baptism and the pulpit date from the beginning of the 18th century. The apse receives daylight through several high achromatic windows. A modern crucifix by Friedrich Press hangs in the middle between two windows . In front of it is a flat altar table that is simply held. This equipment took place during the conversion to the community center, after which the church rooms mainly serve as exhibition space.

Silbermann organ

Silbermann organ

The largest two-manual organ by the Freiberg organ builder Gottfried Silbermann is located on the gallery in the Petrikirche . The instrument was completed in 1735 and has 32 registers (1784 pipes) on two manuals and a pedal . The pitch is 462.5 Hertz (tempering: Neidhardt II "for the small town" from 1732). The organ was extensively restored in 2006–2007.

I main work CD – c 3
01. Principal 16 ′
02. Octav Principal 8th'
03. Viol di Gamba 8th'
04th Reed flute 8th'
05. Octava 4 ′
06th Pointed flute 4 ′
07th Qvinta 3 ′
08th. Octava 2 ′
09. Tertia (from No. 8) 1 3 ⁄ 5 ′
10. Cornet IV (from c 1 )
11. Mixture IV
12. Cymbel III
13. Fachott 16 ′
14th Trumpet 8th'
Tremulant
II Oberwerk CD – c 3
15th Qvinta dena 16 ′
16. Principal 8th'
17th Gedackts 8th'
18th Qvinta dena 8th'
19th Octava 4 ′
20th Reed flute 4 ′
21st Nassat 3 ′
22nd Octava 2 ′
23. Qvinta 1 1 ⁄ 2 ′
24. Sufflöt 1'
25th Sixth Qvint altra 4 ⁄ 5 ′ / 1 1 ⁄ 3 ′
26th Mixture III
27. Vox humana 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal CD – c 1
28. Large pedestal 32 ′
29 Principal bass 16 ′
30th Octave bass 8th'
31. trombone 16 ′
32. Trumpet 8th'

Bells

South side with cock tower

On the Petri Tower, in the lantern that hangs in 1730 by Michael Weinhold cast in Dresden storm and hour bell ( Saigerschelle ) with which the hours and half-hours are rung. In the past, it also served as a storm bell in the event of fire and enemy threats. Above it hangs the little house bell with which the miners were called to work from 1509 to 1905. The chimney's bell (cast in 1874), now replaced by a copy, rings at 12:00 and 17:00, about five minutes after the hour bell, except on Sundays and public holidays. The old choir's bell was exhibited in the Freiberg city and mining museum.

In a miner's song it says:

"When the three bell rings, it means: Bergmann, get up with joy ..."

- Karl Gustav Wolf, 1828

Both the current Häuerglocke and its predecessor in the museum carry the slogan:

“Up, up, to the pit I call you, I who stand above; as often as you go down, think up. "

On top of the Faulen Turm are the 3850 kilogram large bell, cast by Oswald Hilliger in 1487, and the 1940 kilogram small bell , which was made by his grandson Wolf Hilger . The third tower, a round tower, is the rooster tower . Petriturm, Fauler Turm and Hahnenturm have their foundation walls from Roman times.

Gravesites

Several important personalities have found their final resting place in the Petrikirche. The original grave sites are no longer preserved due to later reconstruction of the church. Next to the north chapel there are three gravestones offset there. Particularly worth mentioning are:

Web links

Commons : St. Petri (Freiberg)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Herbert Pforr: Freiberg silver and Saxony's shine. Lively history and sights of the mountain capital Freiberg. 1st edition, Sachsenbuch Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig 2001, ISBN 3-89664-042-9 , p. 123.
  2. ↑ a b c d Information from the explanation board on the church building, as of April 2018.
  3. ^ Walter Schellhas: Freiberg's highest landmark . In: Mitteilungen des Freiberg Altertumsverein , Issue 70, 1941.
  4. ^ Walter Schellhas: Freiberg's highest landmark . In: Mitteilungen des Freiberg Altertumsverein , Heft 70, 1941, p. 78.
  5. ↑ Information board for the Petri tower next to the entrance, as of April 2018.
  6. ^ Walter Schellhas: Freiberg's highest landmark . In: Mitteilungen des Freiberg Altertumsverein , Heft 70, 1941, p. 41ff.
  7. ^ Walter Schellhas: Freiberg's highest landmark . In: Mitteilungen des Freiberg Altertumsverein , Heft 70, 1941, p. 79.
  8. ↑ W. Schellhas: 1941 Mitteilungen des Freiberg Altertumsverein , No. 70.
  9. ^ Opinion by lawyer Geissler from July 8, 1889, available in the archive of the Petri congregation. The quote is also in Schellhas.
  10. ^ Walter Schellhas: Freiberg's highest landmark . In: Mitteilungen des Freiberg Altertumsverein , Issue 70, 1941.
  11. ^ Walter Schellhas: Freiberg's highest landmark . In: Mitteilungen des Freiberg Altertumsverein , Heft 70, 1941, pp. 90–96.
  12. ^ Walter Schellhas: Freiberg's highest landmark . In: Mitteilungen des Freiberg Altertumsverein , Heft 70, 1941, pp. 62–77.
  13. ^ Archives of the Petri-Nikolaigemeinde; There is also a letter from former pastor and city councilor G. Breutel dated October 8, 1996 to the Freiberg city administration (cultural office) with a corresponding proposal and an alternative.
  14. ↑ Interior views of the main nave of the Petrikirche in Freiberg , accessed on April 23, 2018.
  15. ^ Silbermann organ , accessed on April 24, 2014.
  16. ↑ Chime of the Petri-Nikolai congregation.
  17. ^ Bergmann's résumé on Wikisource
  18. ↑ Photos of the small house bell that was cast in 1756 and rung until 1874 in the Petrikirche in Freiberg
  19. ^ Walter Schellhas : Freiberg's highest landmark . The Petriturm through the centuries. In: Messages from the Freiberg Antiquities Association . No. 70 , 1941, pp. 31-34 .
  20. ^ Rainer Thümmel : Bells in Saxony - sound between heaven and earth
  21. ^ Presentation of the parish Petri-Nikolai with their Petrikirche

Coordinates: 50 ° 54 '59.4 "  N , 13 ° 20' 26.9"  E