Reformed Church of Kulm

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Kulm Church

The reformed church Kulm is the reformed church of the Aargau community of Unterkulm in Switzerland .

history

The two lower floors of the church tower are the oldest surviving parts of the building and date back to the 11th century. The church consecrated to St. Martin was first mentioned in a document in 1275. The choir was built around the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries . The last extension took place around 1500. At that time the nave was removed and replaced by a wider one. During the same period, the church tower was also raised. Externally, the building has hardly been changed since then. The church has served the Reformed denomination since 1528. It was last renovated in 1999.

Furnishing

The rectangular nave and the square, retracted choir are united under a continuous gable roof , the latter being slightly angled. Inside, these parts of the building are separated from one another by a pointed arch. The church tower, which protrudes slightly into the interior, is built on the south side of the nave.

In the choir there are early Gothic frescoes that show depictions of Christ in the vaulted spandrels, alluding to his parousia and dating from around 1320. Like the choir, the font also dates from the early 14th century. The carved pulpit is free-hanging and has been in the church since 1641. The coats of arms on the choir windows were created between 1579 and 1643.

The clockwork in the church tower, which is still in use today, dates back to 1530 and was made by Laurentius Liechti , a Winterthur clockmaker . It is considered to be the world's oldest clockwork still in use. The oldest surviving bell is the Martin bell, which was cast in 1502; there are also three bells made by H. Rüetschi in Aarau in 1860 . The grave slab of Hugo von Hallwyl, who died in 1587 and was the lord of the castle at Trostburg in neighboring Teufenthal , can be found on the outer wall of the church tower .

literature

  • Michael Stettler : The art monuments of the canton of Aargau . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History . Volume I: The districts of Aarau, Kulm, Zofingen. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1948, p. 238-242 .
  • Edith Hunziker: The church Unterkulm and its choir painting. (Swiss Art Guide, No. 690, Series 69). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 2001, ISBN 3-85782-690-8 .

Web links

Commons : Reformed Church Kulm  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files


Coordinates: 47 ° 18 '37.8 "  N , 8 ° 6' 55.3"  E ; CH1903:  651 172  /  two hundred and forty thousand one hundred and seventy-eight