Parish Church of St. Laurentius (Schaan)

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Parish Church of St. Laurentius

The parish church of St. Laurentius is the Roman Catholic parish church of the municipality of Schaan in the Principality of Liechtenstein . The church, consecrated to St. Laurentius , was built between 1888 and 1893 in the neo-Gothic style and replaced the old parish church of St. Laurentius.

location

The parish church of St. Laurentius is located in the center of Schaan in a slightly elevated position (at approx. 460  m above sea level ). The church building was erected around 200 meters south of the old parish church of St. Laurentius, with the parish cemetery still located on the area of ​​the former parish church.

Old parish church of St. Laurentius

Tower of the old parish church

The Church of St. Laurentius was first mentioned in a letter of indulgence from 1300. It is also documented that in 1386 Count Rudolf V von Montfort donated the church to the cathedral chapter of Chur . A confirmation of consecration in 1394 also suggests that the church was redesigned at least inside during this period. A certificate of indulgence dated November 1500, on the other hand, indicates repairs that have become necessary, which could have been made in connection with the Swabian War of 1499. The parish church was undoubtedly particularly badly affected by a village fire in 1577: At that time 33 houses and a number of stables burned down, although apparently only the tower, the clock and the bells of the church could be saved. Accordingly, various structural measures in the interior and on the church building are to be assumed for the following years and decades. For the years 1639/1640, for example, it is reported that two altars were consecrated. In 1726 the church received a new ceiling and in 1755 a total renovation took place. An extension of the church planned in the 1830s, however, was apparently not implemented.

Because of its dilapidation and lack of space, the old parish church was finally torn down in 1900. However, the church tower was not demolished. Stylistically, this can be dated to around 1100 or at least to the 12th century. The five-storey building with an almost square floor plan has been free-standing in the southwest corner of today's cemetery since the other parts of the building were demolished. The cemetery area was supplemented in 1934 by a cemetery chapel.

New parish church of St. Laurentius

history

In 1887, plans were initiated for the construction of a new parish church, with Prince Johann II appointing the Austrian Gustav Neumann, who was in his service, as the architect. The funds for the construction came from different sources: The Schaan citizen and Eschner pastor Anton Frick had already bequeathed part of his fortune in 1883 for a church in his home parish. In addition, there were donations from Prince Johann II, the highest sum of 36,320 guilders coming from the sale of the Alpe Sücka owned by the Prince to the Triesenbergers . To raise funds, the municipality of Schaan u. a. Works of art from the old parish church. But the community of Planken also contributed financially.

Aerial view of the community of Schaan with the old and new parish church in 1958

The foundation stone for the new parish church was laid on July 19, 1888. The wood required was supplied from the Schaan forests and the tuff and bricks from quarries from Schaan, while the sandstones, for example, came from St. Margrethen and the bricks for the church roof came from Landquart . On June 24, 1891, the cross was ceremoniously placed on the top of the tower. A good two years later, the interior painting was completed and on October 5, 1893, the new parish church was consecrated.
But also in the following years various other purchases were made: In 1895 a tower clock from Ulm and stations of the cross from Munich were acquired in 1898/1899 . With the consecration of two side altars in 1911, however, the interior design finally came to a preliminary conclusion.

Extensive renovation work took place between 1967 and 1978: for example, the nave was re-roofed with Eternit , the high altar , side altars and pulpit were removed, the choir was redesigned, a sacrament chapel was built on the south side of the church and the sacristy was relocated to the opposite north side.

In 2003 and 2004, further extensive renovation work was carried out on the outside: The natural stone facade was restored, the roof was re-covered with plain tiles, and dormer windows that had been removed in 1967 were also reconstructed.

Building description

The church tower as a defining element of the church building

The new parish church of St. Laurentius is a natural stone building on a cross-shaped floor plan with a three-sided nave and a transept . The church, built in the neo-Gothic style , has an 80 meter high corner tower with a pointed helmet roof on the southwest corner - making it the tallest church in the Principality of Liechtenstein. The total length of the church is around 50 meters on the outside and is therefore around twice as long as the 1900 abandoned old parish church.

The interior of the parish church is divided into a three-aisled hall with a transept and a retracted choir . The choir and central nave are spanned by a ribbed vault with a vault height of around 15 meters, which is supported in the nave by massive round pillars.

Furnishing

The former furnishings of the old parish church of St. Laurentius are at least partially in the new parish church. For example, the three-meter-tall crucifix , which is dated to the 17th century, comes from the old parish church. However, some former furnishings are also in Liechtenstein, and in some cases also in Swiss and Austrian museums, while other objects from the old parish church are considered destroyed or lost.

During the renovations in the 1960s and 1970s, some of the windows were also replaced. The choir, the transept and the sacrament chapel received modern windows with glass paintings based on designs by the Schaan artist Martin Frommelt . However, six windows in the nave with geometric and floral motifs were preserved, as well as the rose window on the west wall with the head of Christ , all of which were made in 1891/1893 by a glass painting from Vienna. As part of the redesign of the choir by Georg Malin , u. a. A new altar made of solid oak has been moved to the crossing , while the priest and altar boys' seats form the end of the choir area against the nave.

Organs

Choir organ from Mathis-Orgelbau

An organist was mentioned for the first time in the church accounts of 1810 , so that the existence of an organ at that time can be concluded. In 1876 a new organ with 12 registers on one manual was purchased, built by the Mayer Brothers organ workshop from Feldkirch , which was finally removed from the old parish church in 1893 and transferred to the gallery of the new parish church. As early as 1894, however, there is evidence of the purchase of a larger organ, which was a gift from Prince Johann II and was made by the Brauner brothers from Mährisch Neustadt . The old organ was sold to Balzers .

In 1937 an organ with 30  registers on two manuals and a pedal , equipped with an electric action mechanism , was built by the Späth brothers in Mengen . This was finally replaced by a new three-manual slide organ with mechanical play and stop action from the organ building company M. Mathis from Näfels . It has 36 registers on three manuals and a pedal. Its inauguration took place on May 21, 1978. The organ has the following disposition:

I Rückpositiv C – g 3
1. Dumped 8th'
2. Principal 4 ′
3. Reed flute 4 ′
4th Octave 2 ′
5. third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
6th Quint 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
7th Zimbel III 1 ⁄ 2 ′
8th. Krummhorn 8th'
II Hauptwerk C – g 3
9. Pommer 16 ′
10. Principal 8th'
11. Tube bare 8th'
12. Suavial 8th'
13. Octav 4 ′
14th Pointed flute 4 ′
15th Quint 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
16. Super octave 2 ′
17th Mixture III-IV 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
18th Trumpet 8th'
III Swell C – g 3
19th Bourdon 8th'
20th Viol 8th'
21st Principal 4 ′
22nd Transverse flute 4 ′
23. Nasat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
24. Night horn 2 ′
25th third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
26th Plein jeu IV 2 ′
27. oboe 8th'
28. Clairon 4 ′
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
29 Praestant 16 ′
30th Sub bass 16 ′
31. Octavbass 8th'
32. Pommer 8th'
33. Octav 4 ′
34. Rauschpfeife IV 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
35. trombone 16 ′
36. prong 8th'
  • Pair : I / II, III / II, II / P, III / P
  • Playing aids : shut-off valve large pedal, individual shut-off

In 1987 a choir organ was purchased, which also comes from the Matthis organ workshop and has six stops on a manual and pedal.

Bells

The parish church until 1968 owned a peal of four bells with the tone sequence c - es - f - g, which by the bell foundry Grassmayr in Feldkirch had been cast and were ordained on August 12 1893rd In 1968 there was an extension with two new bells in a and b. These were cast by the Eschmann bell foundry and consecrated on September 16, 1968.

Prince Johann monument

The monument to Prince Johann II.

A memorial was erected on the west side of the parish church of St. Laurentius in 1932 to commemorate Prince Johann II, who died in 1929 . The relief made by the Schaan sculptor Gottfried Hilti and commissioned by the municipality of Schaan shows three kneeling figures who carry the prince's body on their shoulders. Above the relief is a plaque with the words:

To the father of the people -
To the helper of the poor -
To the friend of peace -
To the shepherd of art -
Prince John the Good -
1840-1858-1929

literature

Web links

Commons : Pfarrkirche Schaan  - Collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 348.
  2. ^ Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, pp. 334, 348.
  3. ^ Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 349.
  4. ↑ a b Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 351.
  5. ^ Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 353.
  6. ↑ a b c d Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 354.
  7. ^ Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 354; also Herbert Hilbe: Sücka. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein. Volume 2, 2013, p. 913.
  8. ↑ a b c d e Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 356.
  9. ↑ Liechtensteiner Volksblatt of June 19, 1891, p. 1.
  10. ^ Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, pp. 356-357.
  11. ↑ a b Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 357.
  12. ^ Judith Niederklopfer-Würtinger: Parish Church of St. Laurentius. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein. Volume 2, 2013, p. 704.
  13. ^ Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, pp. 349, 357-358.
  14. ↑ a b c d e f Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 358.
  15. ^ Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, pp. 349-351.
  16. ↑ a b c d e Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 360.
  17. ^ Organ profile St. Laurentius, main organ, Schaan FL , accessed on December 5, 2017.
  18. ^ Mathis Orgelbau AG: Schaan (LI), St. Laurentius. In: Catalog raisonné. Retrieved February 10, 2019 (with illustration).
  19. ↑ a b Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 363.
  20. ↑ Kulturweg Schaan , Folder PDF 1433 kB, accessed on December 5, 2017
  21. ^ Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, pp. 363-364.
  22. ^ Cornelia Hermann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Oberland. 2007, p. 364.

Coordinates: 47 ° 9 '59.6 "  N , 9 ° 30' 42.3"  E ; CH1903:  seven hundred fifty-seven thousand one hundred sixty-six  /  226 029