Parish Church of St. Peter and Paul (Küssnacht)
The Catholic parish church of St. Peter and Paul in Küssnacht in the canton of Schwyz is a baroque hall church.
Building history
Romanesque and Gothic church
A church in Küssnacht was first mentioned in a document in 1036. At that time it was a Romanesque church with a semicircular choir. The remains of an apse that were found in a new building have been preserved and are now accessible to groups as the “lower church” through an entrance.
The Romanesque church has been modified several times during its long existence. For example, the semicircular choir was replaced by a longer choir in continuation of the rectangular nave. A bell tower was added to the building sometime before 1488/89.
During these years a new Gothic church was built. It was narrower than the late Romanesque building, but extended by six meters towards the lake.
Baroque church
Today's church building according to plans by Father Marquard Imfeld dates from 1708 to 1710. It was built on the foundations of the Romanesque and Gothic churches. The tower was taken over, but raised and given a baroque helmet. The three stucco altars date from 1712, the pulpit from 1786/87. The picture in the high altar was created by Melchior Paul von Deschwanden in 1865 . In the rear right area of the nave, a late Gothic crucifixion group from the 15th century is presented.
The cemetery was located until 1907 right next to the parish church on the lake. For sanitary and spatial reasons, it was moved to the Grosskreuzmatte at the entrance to the village.
In 1962 there were plans to build a second church due to lack of space. However, the parish decided to convert the baroque church with an extension. The three-aisled pillar hall was extended by eight meters towards the lake between 1963 and 1965. For the extension, the portal had to be removed and rebuilt in the same style. A gallery was built under the new organ . In 1990 the church was renovated outside and in 1997 inside.
Church treasure
An ostensorium from around 1300 is the oldest object in the parish church treasury. It served as a container for relics or hosts, which could be kept behind glass and displayed.
A reliquary of Jost von Silenen from 1489 is also kept in the church treasury. He was Bishop of Sitten in the 15th century and gave the church where he was born and baptized a reliquary box decorated with figures.
literature
- Catholic parish office Küssnacht am Rigi: The parish church of St. Peter and Paul in Küssnacht am Rigi. Origin and history.
- Anton Gössi: The center of the place , in: 3 places, 2 lakes, 1 mountain: District Küssnacht , Küssnacht no year, ISBN 978-3-905886-01-6 , pp. 46–59.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The center of the place , p. 58.