Reformed Church Herisau
The Reformed Church Herisau is an Evangelical - Reformed church in Herisau , the main town in the Swiss canton of Appenzell Outer Rhodes . It is owned by the municipality, is a listed building and is included in the list of cultural assets of national importance in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden .
history
Herisau was first mentioned in 907 as a place with a church. The parish extended over the entire Appenzell hinterland.
Old church
The St. Gallen Abbot Bishop Rudolf von Güttingen inaugurated the new church in 1225 at the current location.
In the pre-Reformation period, the church was rebuilt in the late Gothic style from 1516 to 1520 . In charge was Lorenz Rieder , the builder of the Constance Minster .
In 1529, Herisau was the last church in the outer Rhoden of Appenzell to join the Reformation .
In 1559 a city fire broke out in Herisau. The church with the adjacent district was a victim of flames.
Reconstruction and renovations
In 1606 Jakob Mittelholzer and Kaspar Germann rebuilt the church.
Johannes Grubenmann from Teufen built the church tower in 1741, on which he put an octagonal helmet and added a wide bell chamber.
From 1782 to 1783 the church was completely renovated in the Rococo style by the architect Andreas Moosbrugger . The previous wooden ceiling was replaced in favor of a vault made of plaster and decorated with rich stucco . The local master carpenter Hans Jakob Knellwolf built a continuous gallery on the west and north side of the church interior.
In 1807 the bell of the Salem Monastery, which had been dissolved in the course of mediation , was brought to Herisau and inserted into the bell tower.
The first organ was installed in the church choir in 1879 .
The Gothic Revival inspired the 1906 renovation.
Today's construction
From 1959 to 1960 the church was completely renovated in line with earlier architectural styles. In 1961 the old organ was given up and replaced by a new one, which was placed on the west gallery. In the choir, a late Gothic wall tabernacle covered with plaster was uncovered in 1782 and, following preparatory work by Köbi Lämmler, three glass paintings were placed in the pointed arched windows of the choir. In 2001, the last renovation was carried out, which was limited to the outer facade.
St Anna Chapel
During the renovation in 1516-20, a chapel was added to the north of the nave , which was to serve as a pilgrimage church and had its own altar. In 1959/60 the room was converted into a baptistery . A glass painting shows the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan .
Memorial stone
On the east side of the church there is a memorial stone made of white marble for 21 members of the French Bourbaki army who were interned in Herisau and who died here .
Coat of arms stone
On the north side of the church there is a coat of arms stone that shows the Appenzell bear with two keys. The background is that Appenzell mercenaries helped Pope Julius II in 1512 to drive the French out of Rome . Out of gratitude, the Pope made the concession to the Appenzell people that they would henceforth be allowed to use the Vatican's keys in their coat of arms . However, the Appenzeller did not make use of this in the period that followed.
literature
- Eugen Steinmann: Reformed Church of Herisau , Basel 1976 (Swiss art guide)
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 23 '9 " N , 9 ° 16' 45.4" E ; CH1903: 738975 / 249964