Reformed Church Gais AR
The Reformed Church Gais is an Evangelical - Reformed church in the village square in Gais in the Swiss canton of Appenzell Outer Rhodes . The church is included in the list of cultural assets of national importance in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden .
history
Prehistory of today's construction
The oldest Parishes in Appenzell are those in Herisau and Appenzell , followed by those in Hundwil and Gais. In 1333 a daughter church of St. Laurenzius in St. Gallen is documented in Gais . The end of the Appenzell Wars (1401–1429) brought numerous new members of the Kirchhöri , so that the previous church became too small and around 1460 had to give way to a new building. Gais accepted the Reformation in 1525 . In 1685 the second church building was extended, and in 1753 it was renovated by Hans Ulrich Grubenmann .
New building
The great village fire of September 18, 1780 almost completely destroyed the old church. The current building was completed in August 1782. In this case, the stones of the destroyed old, demolished tower were reused as the foundation for the new tower. The builder was Hans Ulrich Haltiner from Altstätten .
inner space
The wooden belly pulpit with artfully carved sound cover shows late baroque style and comes from the cabinetmaker Isaak Hug from Frauenfeld . The centrally positioned baptismal font was also created during the years when the church was being built. The ceiling is covered with green stucco from the Rococo . The plasterers are not known by name, but they obviously belonged to the Moosbrugger brothers' school .
On the occasion of a complete renovation in the years 1865/1866 by Johann Christoph Kunkler, changes were made in the style of the neo-renaissance . These were largely reversed during the interior renovation in 1969/1970. The floor now consists of sandstone slabs . The colored windows were replaced by clear and transparent ones. The vestibule with the arched arcades is a remnant of the renovation in the 19th century .
organ
In 1888, the Klingler brothers from Rorschach installed the first post-Reformation organ . The art carpenter Josef Eigenmann from Lucerne made the neo-baroque prospectus out of oak . The interior renovation in 1969/1970 left the organ in its place in the choir , but moved it a little lower to reveal the filigree clock in the choir. While retaining the case, the organ was replaced by a work by the Rieger organ builder .
Bells
The peal weighed 9,000 pounds and melted in the glow of the village fire in 1780. The bell caster Mathis Raghet made the new four-bell ringing in 1781 using some remains of the old bell material and weighs 9,529 1/6 pounds.
- Men's bell: diameter 190 cm, tone A.
- Women's bell: diameter 159 cm, tone c.
- Vespers bell: diameter 125.5 cm, tone e.
- Children's bell: diameter 105 cm, tone g.
Rectory
The plan for this building right next to the church goes back to Jakob Gruber, then district captain and later state bag master. In 1781 the rectory was built. Johannes Klee, master carpenter from Speicher , and Lorenz Eugster, master mason from Teufen were responsible .
Church organization
Gais is an independent parish within the Evangelical Reformed Church in both Appenzell .
literature
- Evangelical Reformed Church Gais. o. J. (Church guide, available in the church, viewed in October 2012.)
- Markus Fischer: Monument Preservation vs. Historicism . Restoration practice between 1950 and 1990 using the example of the Protestant churches Bühler, Teufen, Gais, Speicher and Trogen in Appenzell-Ausserrhoden. Zurich 2001. online (PDF file, 356 kB)
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 21 '43.9 " N , 9 ° 27' 16.1" E ; CH1903: 752266 / 247661