Reformed Church Luchsingen
The Reformed Church in Luchsingen , built in 1752, is now a simple Reformed country church from the 18th century after various redesigns for more than 250 years. The building was classified by the Swiss Federal Monuments Office on October 10, 1963 as a monument of local importance. After the merger of the Reformed parish of Luchsingen in 2006 with the parishes of Betschwanden , Braunwald and Linthal , the church belongs to the newly created parish of Grosstal.
The beginning of 1751/52
Until 1350, some of the villagers in Luchsingen had to go to church about 10 km to Glarus. Afterwards they were assigned to the village of Schwanden, 4 km away. The people from the Adlenbach district were “church-related” almost 3 km away from Betschwanden.
“Since the long distance from the house of God in the summer and the arduous, arduous path in winter kept many disgusting old, disenfranchised people and young still weak children from lynx singing of the church service, the honorable village of Luchsingen took the wholesome and glorious decision, their own To build bathing and church. "
“On Hornung 15, 1751, 50 citizens met in the open space where the church is today and discussed the construction of their own church. According to the Luchsinger families existing at the time, there were: 14 Speich, 13 Hefti, 9 Kläsi, 3 Blumer, 2 Knobel, 2 Sigrist, 1 Glarner and 1 Störi. (Only a few Adlenbachers took part, some even went to the church after the church was built in Betschwanden.) The founders had already collected 1,700 guilders, an astonishingly high sum for the time, and 100 doubloons were promised from the country ...
In the spring of 1752, the procurement of wood, stones, sand, etc. began. This great and arduous work was done free of charge (as a community work) by the citizens. Josef Lontz [or Lenz] von Flums was definitely the master mason and Leonhard Stüssi [Steussi] [and Caspar Störi von Luchsingen were the carpenters. Lieutenant Josua Tschudi and Schützenmeister Peter Blumer, both from Schwanden, designed the wooden pulpit.] Councilor Mathias Speich was in charge of the work and progress. After five months of construction and without an accident, the church was officially consecrated on September 27, 1752 .... [The foundation stone was laid on May 4th, and on August 1st the button and flag were placed on the church tower planted, as a sign that the shell of the church is finished. ']
The first construction was very simple, especially the tower was much smaller than the current one; it had a 'cheese bite' shape. In 1753 a parsonage was built ...
Although the individual citizens had made great sacrifices in money and work and money had also been collected for the construction in the rest of the canton and abroad, they felt compelled to only manufacture some things roughly and as cheaply as possible. That is why the tower in particular turned out to be so dilapidated after 50 years that it 'had to be sheltered with hard wooden columns'. "
19th century
In 1802 the parish decided "to build the tower from scratch and also to improve the nave." "The tower was rebuilt and lost its original shape as a 'Käsbisse'." [Käsbisse = structure with gable roof] "Before Until 1872, however, the main portal was a rough stone block instead of a few steps. The doors were also low and unsightly. "
Another renovation of the tower took place in the 1870s: the shingle roofing was repaired, and dials made of sheet iron were installed. Sandstone walls were built into the sound holes. During this time, the church was renovated in keeping with the taste of the times and provided the outside with neo-Romanesque blind arcades, pilaster strips and new portals.
The roof of the nave was covered with slabs from the Landesplattenberg in Engi in 1876. The wooden panel ceiling above the interior is damaged and replaced by a plaster ceiling by Master Aebli, Ennenda. The old ceiling was used as a top floor in the roof structure.
Copper shingles replaced the wooden shingles on the tower's helm in 1884. A new tower clock from Mäder, Andelfingen, was installed and new dials were attached to the tower.
In 1890 an external renovation was carried out on the nave and tower, which gave the church a new Romanesque structure with neo-Romanesque pilaster strips and round arch friezes, profiled walls on the portals and the installation of a wheel window in the air hole in the middle of the front of the church.
Cathedral glass windows with blue / yellow / red hardened gothic friezes and oriental-looking round arches by the glass painter Karl Wehrli, Zurich-Aussersihl, with pictures of the reformers Luther and Zwingli in the smaller windows on the sloping sides of the choir were set in 1892.
"... in the year 1894 an organ was built on the gallery, where there were seats before, which a wealthy Luchsinger from abroad, Bernhard Kläsi, had donated to the community." The organ had 10 stops and tube pneumatics and was the work of Kuhn company, Männedorf. In 1916 the organ was renovated and expanded by the same company.
Exterior renovation 1972 / 1974–75
The exterior renovation began with work on the tower, as it had suffered considerable damage. Work began in March 1972 and in June the ball was placed on the tower. "In June 1972, on the occasion of the external renovation of the tower, this document was attached to the tower sphere.
The external renovation included:
- Renewing the plaster
- New edging of the eyelash in copper sheet
- Replacing the soundhole blinds
- Replace the hands and dials
- Attaching a new wind vane with tower cock
- Impregnation of the formwork in the tower helmet with Arbezol
- Replacing eaves and gutters
- Costs approximately CHF 130,000 "
This letter also mentions that almost 40% of the costs would be covered by a legal from Hans Tschudi-Faude. This legacy made the renovation possible not only in the parish, but also in the political community, the canton and the federal government at that time, due to the tight financial situation.
In a second step, the nave was renovated in 1974/75. "The rough ingredients of the late 19th century" have been eliminated in order to restore the original simplicity. "All plastered arched friezes, window and door frames were removed. Also the zinc ornament roofs at the main and side entrance. The blind window of the east gable with slogan and the too lush design of the round window were removed. The main door, its door wing to the original substance of the church belonged, has been renovated and its covered sandstone walls restored. This door received a simple canopy made of copper sheet. The south-facing side door received a new door leaf, in the form of the original main door. " Its canopy has been removed. "All windows and side doors get narrower plaster surrounds ... According to the tower, the corners of the ship are to be accentuated with slight risalits ... On the west side the ugly heating head has been removed. The power supply, which greatly affects the east gable, has been wired . "
Interior renovation 1982
The renovations during the more than 200 years since the church was built had resulted in a mix of styles that the church council, architect Paul Hintermann, Rüschlikon, and Denkpflege wanted to harmonize during the renovation in 1982. In order to restore the desired harmony, a wooden ceiling was put in instead of the plaster ceiling, which was already in need of renovation. The colored glass windows in the ship have been replaced by hand-blown honeycomb windows. The wooden parts that can still be used have been stripped and naturally treated. For the seats on the choir wall z. B. the walnut side panels that were previously painted in oak can be reused. The dark paint on the pulpit has been removed and the 18th century pasting that has emerged has been restored.
The floor was thoroughly renewed by removing the rotten subsoil and pouring a concrete slab. A slate floor or a new wooden floor was laid below the benches. The choir, which used to rise like a tribune, was leveled and provided with a removable parapet to create space for performances and concerts. Lamps made of brass and glass according to the design by the architect Hintermann were made and hung. The organ from 1958 was there. P. Hintermann a clearly designed, modern brochure.
description
Dr. Jürg Davatz, long-time cultural representative of the Canton of Glarus and curator of the historical museum in the Freuler Palace in Näfels, describes the church as follows in a text for a publication by the parish on October 7, 2003:
" Floor plan and facades: The floor plan and the masonry of the ship correspond to the first church building from 1752. The floor plan shows a rectangular hall with five window axes and a three-sided broken end on the narrow western side. A square tower is attached to the flat, choir-like conclusion.
The church stands across the valley, with the tower and choir facing west - i.e. against the mountainside. The ship is very simple, structured only by narrow windows closed off by flat sheets of embroidery. The slender pointed spire of the tower, which towers over four elegantly curved clock gables, follows the somewhat older tower closings in Mitlödi and Mollis by Hans Ulrich Grubenmann, in Mühlehorn and Ennenda by Johann Jakob Messmer and by Evangelical Linthal by Fabian Strebi.
The facades have been provided with plaster again since 1974, which naturally extends over the masonry and is painted off-white. On the east side, the wheel window is still reminiscent of the simple neo-Romanesque facade design from 1890/1908. Overall, the Luchsingen church has appeared again since 1974 as a simple reformed country church from the 18th century.
Inside: The shape of the room, the chalice-shaped baptismal font and the painted pulpit, which perhaps once had a sound cover, correspond to the original condition. The pews from 1898 and the pews on the wall of the choir-like closure show at least the initial arrangement as well as the flat slat ceiling and the honeycomb panes from 1982. We have no news about the original flooring - it could have been made of wood or Sernftal slate . The current slates fit the room well, but were laid too regularly in 1982. The organ from 1958 was there. P. Hintermann created a clearly designed, modern brochure, the wood of which connects it with other parts of the furnishings. Wehrli's colored choir windows from 1892 with portraits of the reformers Zwingli and Luther, as well as the brass and glass lamps from 1982, which are a trademark of the architect Hintermann, add additional accents to the room.
Since the restoration in 1982, the interior has largely met the expectations that the exterior aroused. It appears as a simple but characteristic Reformed preaching hall of the 18th century. Of course, the expert quickly notices that the equipment combines parts of different construction phases. After all, they fit in with the prevailing room atmosphere, which is characterized by the triad of plastered, white walls, black slate panels and natural parts made of wood. "
Organs
"It was not until 1894 that an organ was built on the gallery where there were seats before, which a wealthy Luchsinger from abroad, Bernhard Kläsi, had given to the community."
Kuhn organ 1894
The organ from the company Th. Kuhn , Männedorf ZH, had a cone store with tube pneumatics and had 10 stops .
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- Coupling: II / I; I / P; II / P.
- Playing aids : Mezzoforte (Principal 8 ′, Covered 8 ′, Gamba 8 ′, Flauto dolce 8 ′, Dolce 8 ′, Subbass 16 ′); Forte (full work).
“The organ is a very nice piece of work with very nice individual parts… The creation of this organ was not an easy task for the organ builder, as the height is very limited. The fan (magazine fan with pedal device) is placed under the roof and runs a bit fast for this construction of the organ. The largest pipes are suspended from the ceiling and connected to the rest of the organ by conductors. Building an organ of this size in such a small space is not an easy task, but the organ builder did it very well. "
The instrument was renovated and expanded by the builder in 1916.
Organ building Geneva 1958
Today there is an organ made in 1958 by Orgelbau Geneva on the gallery.
Bells
1752
The first ring was "of simple construction" and consisted of two bells. The larger one had the strike note c 'and weighed 671 kg. The smaller one with 310 kg hit the clay '. Both bore the inscription: "Moritz Füssli poured me in Zurich in 1752" .
1882
A four-part E-flat major chime with the striking notes es '/ g' / b '/ es' was purchased in 1882. In 1979 the second smallest bell jumped b '.
1979/91
A replacement for the cracked B bell was commissioned along with a new small bell with the striking sound of the ''. The second largest bell, sounding on the strike tone g ', was tuned lower on gb'. This retuned bell was replaced 12 years later.
The ringing today consists of four bells with a total weight of 2,797 kg. All bells were cast by the H. Rüetschi bell foundry in Aarau AG.
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The old bell ges '(774 kg) from 1882 and the old, cracked bell b' (450 kg) have been removed and placed in the churchyard.
Individual evidence
- ^ Document in the tower button of the church
- ↑ a b Dr. M. Kläsi, The Luchsingen parish, 1882
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i brochure of the Luchsingen parish from 2003
- ^ Letter from the then monument conservator Jürg Davaz in the church archive
- ^ Archive of the parish of Grosstal, copy of the letter that was placed in the tower ball
- ↑ Paul Hintermann in a short report from April 1974 about the renovation, which is in the church archive
- ↑ according to information from Church Council Pres. Rudolf Hefti-Wild in the church archive
- ^ A b Theodor Buss: Report on the organist course in Glarus from October 1907 and the status of the organs in the canton of Glarus . Buchdruckerei Neue Glarner Zeitung - D. Hefti & O. Bartel, Glarus 1908.
- ^ A b Hans Jürg Gnehm, "Bell inventory of the Canton of Glarus" in: Yearbook of the Historical Association of the Canton of Glarus, Issue 82, 2002
literature
- Blumer-Marti, Kenrich: Local history of Luchsingen, 2nd edition, Glarus, 1945
- Buss, Theodor: Evangelical Church Commission of the Canton of Glarus, report on the organist course in Glarus from October 1907 and the status of the organs in the canton of Glarus, Hefti & Bartel, 1908
- Gnehm, Hans Jürg: "Bell inventory of the Canton of Glarus" in: Yearbook of the Historical Association of the Canton of Glarus, Issue 82, 2002
- Lord, Gottfried: The Churches of the Canton of Glarus, 1890
- Kläsi, M .: The Luchsingen parish during its hundred and thirty years of existence from 1752-1882
- Schmid, Joh .: Sermon for the inauguration of the new bells in Luchsingen, November 19, 1882
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 57 '59.8 " N , 9 ° 2' 9.2" E ; CH1903: 721 549 / 202 963