Parish Church of St. Nikolaus (Altstätten)
The parish church St. Nikolaus is a Roman Catholic church building consecrated to Nikolaus von Myra in Altstätten in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland . It is located in the historic city center, not far from the main street. A church at this location was mentioned as early as 1278.
Church building
Today's single-tower church building was built in a classicist style in 1794–1798 by the Altstätter architects Johann Jakob Haltiner and Hans Ulrich Haltiner, father and son . A second tower was not built due to possible foundation problems. The interior is voluminous, which is emphasized by the wide, heptagonal choir, a massive double gallery and the high arched windows on two floors. The stucco work comes from the original construction period by the Austrian plasterer Peter Anton Moosbrugger , the stucco marble pulpit with the reliefs of the four evangelists is the work of his son, the altar builder Josef Simon Moosbrugger from 1795. The statues of the patron saint Nikolaus von Myra and St. Gallus were later acquired. The woody crucifix on the choir arch already belonged to the earlier Altstätter church, which was demolished in 1794; it is dated around 1500. The new church was inaugurated on June 20, 1804 by Ernst Maria Ferdinand von Bissingen , auxiliary bishop in the diocese of Constance . The church, including its construction, was brought together by the Catholic and Protestant parishes and used equally until 1904.
Altars
The high altar with the figures of the apostles Peter and Paul was created in 1826 by Jakob Anton Müller (1783–1829) from Waldkirch , the image of the high altar with the Lamentation of Christ is a copy of an early Baroque painting in Northern Italy (possibly from the studio of the Carracci brothers in Bologna around 1620 ), which used to belong to the high altar of the Capuchin Church of Freiburg im Üechtland . The copy of the same size, true to the original, probably dates from the 18th century. The side altars were also designed in 1884 by the altar building workshop Müller. The left (north) altar painting depicts the Immaculate Mother of God , the work of a Spanish artist (around 1600). The signature came to light during a restoration, unfortunately only in fragments (“J ... frn co c ... f” - possibly readable as “Juan Francisco C ... fecit”). On the upper part of the left altar, on the painting by an unknown Spanish artist (probably 17th century), St. Joseph of Nazareth can be seen with the baby Jesus . The picture of the right (southern) side altar with the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian was created in 1797 by the Austrian painter Josef Schmutzer the Younger .
Renovations
An interior renovation took place in 1884, which was designed by the architects August Hardegger and Theodor Gohl . The exterior renovation of 1909/10 and the renewed interior renovation of 1920/21 were carried out according to the intentions of the then Swiss “art pope” P. Albert Kuhn from Einsiedeln and according to the plans of the St. Gallen architect Adolf Gaudy . Gaudy brought a style synthesis to the church facade: In addition to emphasizing the classicist original style ( tympanons ), he also used round - shaped neo-baroque style elements. The current choir vault frescos and the central ceiling paintings by the Swiss church painter Josef Christian Heimgartner date from 1920 . The twelve-year-old Jesus teaching in the temple is depicted on the large cover fresco. Among the audience of Jesus, the artist also painted himself (in front of Jesus' feet) and an old town banker, probably the donor of the church renovation at the time. The baptism of Jesus and the resurrection of Christ can be seen on the choir murals . The overall restoration from 1970–1976 was designed by the St. Gallen architecture firm Canisius Burkard.
Church music
St. Nikolaus Altstätten looks back on a rich tradition of church music. Renowned church musicians such as the composer, choir director and organist Karl Peissner have shaped the music at the parish church. To this day, varied church music is a major concern of the parish. The high masses on the major holidays are musically performed by the St. Nikolaus Choir, vocal soloists and the St. Nikolaus Orchestra. In addition to mass settings by Joseph and Michael Haydn , Johann Ernst Eberlin , Mozart , Schubert , Gabriel Fauré , Josef Gabriel Rheinberger and others, the repertoire includes works by old masters such as Heinrich Schütz as well as contemporary liturgical music and secular choral literature. The musical promotion of children and the training of cantors are very important. A choral school founded in 2012 is particularly dedicated to Gregorian chant and organizes choral offices in the parish church. The St. Nikolaus Choir Academy takes place annually, bringing together interested singers from the Altstätten region and neighboring Vorarlberg in joint choral projects. Concerts by the various ensembles take place regularly.
Bells
Today's 6 bells of the church were cast in 1791, 1797, 1822, 1846 and 1972, the largest weighs 3700 kg, the smallest weighs 120 kg. Of the 5 bells that were cast by the Chur guild master Jakob Mathis Rageth in 1797 , two large, sonorous bells richly decorated with rocailles have been preserved, which are considered rarities.
photos
Southwest view
Southeast view
inside view
High altar with Lamentation of Christ
Side altar on the left with Maria
Side altar on the right with St. Sebastian
St. Joseph with baby Jesus
Baptism of Jesus, choir vault fresco
Twelve year old Jesus in the temple, lid fresco
Saint Nicholas statue
St Gallus statue
Stucco marble pulpit with evangelist reliefs
Cafeteria of the main altar
literature
- Nikolaus Rüegger (Ed.), Altstätten - Parish Church of St. Nikolaus, Altstätten Catholic Church Administration, 1976.
- Art guide through Switzerland, Volume 1: Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Zurich, Zug . Published by the Society for Swiss Art History , Bern, 2005, ISBN 3-906131-95-5 .
Web links
- Church building on the website of the Catholic parish Altstätten.
- Website of the church music at the cath. Parish church St. Nikolaus Altstätten
- Bells of the church , including bells (audio) on the website of the Swiss radio DRS .
Coordinates: 47 ° 22 '40 " N , 9 ° 32' 28.8" E ; CH1903: 758,779 / 249566