Morges Reformed Church

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Main facade of the Temple
View through the Grand Rue

The Reformed Church Morges ( French Temple de Morges ) is a 1769-1776 built baroque church building near the old town of Morges in the canton of Vaud .

history

The current church building is located in front of the walls of the old town and replaces a previous medieval building at the same location . The architect Erasmus Ritter laid in 1768 for the construction of the new church an unusually spacious and sumptuous project before. It was realized in the years 1769–1776. After considerable problems with the subsoil had arisen during the construction of the tower, despite basic structural safety measures, Ritter resigned as head of construction in 1772. The architects Léonard Roux and Rodolphe de Crousaz worked on the completion of the shell and the main facade from 1772 . In 1776 the church was inaugurated . As early as 1778, it was one of the first Reformed churches in today's Switzerland to have an organ .

In 1892–1896, slight changes were made to the interior design during a renovation. The gallery was expanded to accommodate a new organ and the pulpit was moved.

description

The church is characterized by the handwriting of Erasmus Ritter on the one hand and the French architects Roux and Crousaz on the other. While Ritter's plans clearly show late Baroque features, Roux and Crousaz allowed influences from early French classicism to flow into the facade and interior design.

Ritter's project formed a Greek cross , with the cross arms lateral to the main axis of the church to accommodate the side galleries and the frontal semicircular cross arm to accommodate the organ gallery. The fourth cross arm was formed by a rectangular choir room with a concluding cone . Since a large part of the church had already been built in 1772, only a few Ritter’s basic concept was changed. Noteworthy is the abandonment of the idea of ​​a convex main facade in favor of a rectangular risalite with an incorporated tower, which should defy the uncertain ground better than a simple front tower due to its stronger foundations.

Exterior

The representative baroque-classical main facade in today's Switzerland is probably only surpassed by the Heiliggeistkirche in Bern , from which it was undoubtedly also inspired. The facade is divided into two floors and three axes. The central axis protrudes slightly from the side axes. The richly ornate main portal is flanked on both sides by two pilasters , which are preceded by two columns of Ionic order resting on a base . They carry a mighty entablature with a serrated frieze that runs around the entire risalit. On the upper floor, a slightly recessed arched window is flanked on both sides by two Corinthian three-quarter columns, which carry a cranked segment gable as the end of the facade. The gable field shows the all-seeing eye in a glory . The side axes of the main facade contain a round arched window flanked by Ionic pilasters on the lower floor and a slightly recessed window on the upper floor, which is flanked by two Corinthian pilasters. The segmented gable crowning the central axis merges with volutes into the balustrades that close off the side axes. The corners of the facade are marked by classicist obelisks .

We find less baroque drama and more classical order in the structure of the side facades of the porch. Above the portal with lunette window there is a cornice supported by decorative consoles to which an Oculus window is attached. The floor is closed off by two Ionic pilasters on each side. On the floor above, a recessed arched window is flanked by four Corinthian pilasters each. The facade is crowned by a triangular gable , in the gable field of which a medallion decorated with garlands can be seen.

The incorporated tower was also included in the facade design. The volutes on the side of the central segment arch are transferred into the tower as convex components. The bell storey with a sound window is above an entablature and the tower clock is above it . The tower facade, which is largely identical on all four sides of the tower, is flanked by two Corinthian pilasters on both sides. The final entablature has a semicircular recess for the dial. A lively, bell-shaped dome made of colored bricks crowns the tower. The conclusion is a lantern , which is crowned by a smaller hood with a tower cock.

The other facades of the church are characterized by a single-storey structure, which is characterized by arched windows and pilasters. Above the capital zone of the pilasters there is an entablature and a balustrade-shaped closing zone. The side portals, which are crowned by a bezel window and an oculus above, are remarkable. The sweeping sandstone portal zones stand out clearly from the plastered facade surfaces. In addition, the side portals are accentuated by segment gables that rest on the flanking pilasters. The roof forms a form of a mansard hipped roof, complicated by the ground plan of the church .

inner space

From the vestibule, the stairs on the side lead to the gallery and through three entrances to the nave . The sweeping, horseshoe-shaped gallery of the church occupies the semicircular rear part of the nave and the side arms of the church. The gallery rests on an entablature that is supported as a colonnade by Ionic columns. An elegant balustrade marks the central zone of the gallery structure. It is completed by high arcades with Corinthian columns. This gallery design corresponds to the St. Peterskirche in Zurich and suggests a quasi-basilical floor plan. An entablature with a serrated frieze leads into the arched vault roofing over the interior . The subtle use of stucco makes the interior appear simple compared to the facade.

In the central position of the rectangular chancel is the wooden pulpit, a baptismal font and a table for gifts from the construction period. The design of the church as a gallery with a central liturgy zone that is visible from almost everywhere is typical of the Reformed church building in Switzerland.

The neo-Gothic colored glass windows in the apse are by Karl Wehrli and were made in 1891 and 1896.

literature

  • Paul Bissegger: Le Temple de Morges. (Swiss Art Guide, No. 273). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1980, ISBN 978-3-85782-273-5 .
  • Georg Germann: The Protestant Church Building in Switzerland. From the Reformation to Romanticism. Zurich 1963, pp. 93-106.
  • Guide artistique de la Suisse. Volume 4a. Berne 2011, pp. 276-278.

Web links

Commons : Temple de Morges  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 46 ° 30 '38.6 "  N , 6 ° 30' 1.3"  E ; CH1903:  five hundred and twenty-seven thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight  /  151479