Parish church Neu-Arzl

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The church from the southwest

The Roman Catholic parish church of St. Pius X is in the Olympic Village in Innsbruck on the border with Neu-Arzl. The church was consecrated on September 25, 1960 by Bishop Paulus Rusch to Pope Pius X , who was canonized in 1954 , and is a listed building .

history

The Neu-Arzl district of Innsbruck experienced a high increase in population and construction after the 1950s. The settlement had a modest emergency church for a long time , but the population growth (around 900 inhabitants in 1945, already 2500 in 1960) required the construction of a church. It should represent the new center of the settlement. In 1958 the young architect Josef Lackner won the competition and the church was built from 1959 to 1960.

The existing building funds, the rather tight budget and the situation in the Catholic Church at that time - religious views changed and there was a great will to change - required a modern church that differs greatly from the typical baroque churches. The architect's task was to create a worship space full of peace and contemplation, which would do justice to the new space requirements without having to use a lot of materials. An unusual, modern form of church emerged, which was quite controversial in the community and the population. Lackner was often subjected to severe criticism with the project, but it still has supporters to this day.

Design

At the main entrance, the motto of the patron saint is written on white marble : “Renew everything in Christ”. Marble is considered a symbol of the sacred. When entering the church through the main entrance, the gaze immediately falls on the altar as a defining element and the large Jesus cross. Directly behind the cross is the church's only colorful window. The main material is concrete: the walls are made of exposed concrete, as is the coffered ceiling. There are hardly any colors or decorations. Due to the simple design of the room, the essentials, the religion and the common celebration of the service, are brought to the fore.

Like a bridge that spans the Way of the Cross, the corridor leads directly to the altar. The entire church space is surrounded by a half-height wall, which delimits it from the outside and gives the community a feeling of cohesion. As a symbol, the visitor comes out of everyday life, crosses the staircase - this is a symbol for entering the church - with the help of a bridge and finds himself as part of a closed community.

The altar is made of high-quality, white marble and visually stands out from the rest of the cobblestone church floor. The design of the floor with simple cobblestones led to heated discussions with the bishop, as he did not agree with such a base floor. Josef Lackner got his idea through, but he also had to make compromises. For example, he had originally planned to position the choir in a depression behind the altar so that only the priest could see it, but not the other visitors. Due to the acoustics, the choir was placed right next to the altar.

The relationship to the outside world was particularly important to the architect. He tried to implement this connection between inside and outside by running a ribbon of windows completely around the church. The cut corners also reveal nature. This distinctive and unusual opening shape was created when Josef Lackner presented the pastor with the finished plans and a working model of the church. But the pastor did not agree with the lighting conditions in the church and found it too dark. Lackner then quickly cut off the corners of the model with scissors to create the large corner windows.

The many lamp sticks that were only subsequently attached to the ceiling represent a starry sky.

Way of the Cross

The circumferential way of the cross , designed by the sculptor Hans Ladner , is unique , extremely simple and reduced, which manages without elaborate pictures and colors. Simple but very meaningful symbols have been carved into the concrete at the individual stages of the ordeal . The “wedge” that can be found in many stations symbolizes the formative experience of suffering in a person's life. The abstractly designed stations allow different and individual interpretations.

The 12th station of the cross , the cross of Jesus, is completely carved from one stone. This creates an abstract shape, details are difficult to see, the cross looks raw and brutal. It is in contrast to the detailed traditional wooden crosses. When the bishop was supposed to consecrate the church in 1960, this event almost failed on the cross. He refused to consecrate the church while the cross was hanging over the altar. The cross was then removed and replaced with a simple wooden cross from the emergency church. The original cross of the St. Pius Church was therefore in an outbuilding for more than 25 years and was only installed in its intended place in 1985.

literature

  • The art monuments of Austria. Dehio Tirol 1980 . Innsbruck, Mühlau, Neuarzl, Church of St. Pope Pius X. , p. 117.
  • Franz-Heinz Hye : From the Arzler Inn-Au to the Olympic village - the history of the youngest district of Innsbruck. In: The window. Tiroler Kulturzeitschrift (vol. OA), chapter Die Pfarrkirche von Neu-Arzl , p. 26 f ( pdf , innsbruck.gv.at; there p. 12).

Web links

Coordinates: 47 ° 16 ′ 28 "  N , 11 ° 26 ′ 18.6"  E