Saint-Martin (Wasserbillig)
The Roman Catholic Church of Saint-Martin (also: lux . : Kierch vu Waasserbëlleg ; French : Église Saint-Martin Wasserbillig ) in Wasserbillig (lux .: Waasserbëlleg ) in the canton of Grevenmacher in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg belongs to the parish of Wasserbillig , deanery Grevenmacher and thus to the Archdiocese of Luxembourg (lux .: Äerzbistum Lëtzebuerg ), which includes the entire Grand Duchy of Luxembourg .
The church is consecrated to St. Martin (lux .: bright Mäerten ), the second patron is St. Nikolaus (lux .: bright Niklos ). The patronage is celebrated on November 11th.
location
The church is located in the municipality of Wasserbillig at the intersection of Grand-Rue (N1) and Route d'Echternach (N10).
history
From the 12th century to 1871 the church of Wasserbillig was also the parish church of Wasserbillig and Oberbillig . Manternach was affiliated to the parish Wasserbillig until 1685 and Lellig until 1844.
The first church in Wasserbillig was located near the confluence of the Sauer and Moselle rivers (plot: "Spatz"). Until 1796 the imperial abbey of St. Maximin in Trier was the lord of the church and the landowner. Due to its geographical location, the old church was regularly affected by floods and was in poor structural condition. In 1792 it was therefore decided to build a new church at the current location. The construction of the church began but was not completed, because after the French annexation of Luxembourg in 1795, the entire property of the monastery was confiscated. The then mayor of Wasserbillig, Valère de Seyl (1797-1807), then had the new church, which was not yet completed, built in the Baroque style . The first fair took place in 1808. This event was also entered as the year above the main portal. In 1810 the old church in the "Spatz" area was profaned , demolished and the property sold. The old cemetery around this church has been abandoned.
The high altar and the two side altars for the new church were bought by the Capuchin monastery near Bernkastel in 1834 and transported by ship over the Moselle to Wasserbillig. In 1877 Pastor Nic. Courth donated a harmonium .
When the village center of Wasserbillig was renovated in 1930, the previous cemetery , which was located next to the church, was relocated outside the village and the church was renovated in 1933 and 1934. The two towers and the sacristy were built, and inside the arcades with a transept. The St. Nicholas and St. Bells consecrated to Martinus in the small tower above the main portal were raised in the new west tower in 1934.
The church was badly damaged in the course of fighting at Wasserbillig during World War II . The previous church windows were completely destroyed. It was not until the 1950s that the temporary arrangements made of simple window glass were replaced by today's church windows.
building
The building of the church was built in a baroque style until 1808. The nave has a continuous gable roof and is oriented from northwest to southeast (main entrance). The main entrance is directed to the main street N1 (Grand-Rue). To the northeast, the N10 (Rue d'Echternach) runs roughly parallel to the church.
The church towers are integrated in the north-west of the transept, with the choir in between .
The outside of the nave is largely beige, interrupted by dark brown door and window frames and pilasters . The roofs and parts of the facade are covered or provided with Eternit shingles.
Due to the windows with stained glass, the largely white interior appears dark or there is a diffuse lighting effect. The interior itself is largely free of baroque color and wall elements. The colored (medium brown) highlighting of the ribs of the barrel vault and column parts gives the interior a structure and an appealing architectural effect.
High altar
The high altar and the two side altars in baroque style were made in 1748 by Joseph Günster and his journeyman Henr. Fischer made from hedgehogs for the Capuchin monastery in Bernkastel. In 1834 the parish of Wasserbillig bought it from the monastery for 351.50 francs . The main picture shows Jesus and Mary at the cross above and St. Francis surrounded by putti . The depiction is supposed to show the portiuncula appearance of St. Show Francis of Assisi.
Above the altar is written: Sancti Franzisce O ?? P ?? N (the letters OPN in the Latin meaning : Ora Pro Nobis ; German: Prayer for us ).
The tabernacle is shaped like a temple.
Church window
The stained glass windows destroyed during World War II were replaced with new ones designed by Luxembourg artists: Gustave Zanter , the brothers Joseph and Emile Probst, François Gillen and Nina and Julien Lefèvre in 1952. Biblical motifs can be seen (e.g. Nina and Julien Lefèvre's wedding at Cana , window in the transept) in a modern style.
Stations of the Cross
The stations of the cross were carved from oak by Jos Jungblut from Remich .
Pieta
The Pietà in the church is about 98 cm high and 43 cm wide by an unknown artist. It is hand-carved from oak and dates from the 18th century. It is one of the few representations in Luxembourg in which Our Lady is shown standing and weeping. This is a typical representation by southern European artists. It is believed that the Pietà was taken over from the old church.
Sculpture St. Martin
Above the main portal of the church there is a relief of St. Martin , framed by red sandstone . The relief shows St. Martin in his most famous act, sharing his coat with a poor man. Under the relief is the name: St. Martinus carved with the number 18 on the left and the number 08 on the right . The name is followed by the letters OPN (in the Latin meaning : Ora Pro Nobis ; German: Please for us ).
organ
The first organ in the church was built in 1902 by the company H. Voit & Sons from Karlsruhe-Durlach and had 22 registers on two manuals and a pedal. In 1973 the Manufacture d'orgues luxembourgeoise from Lintgen built a new building . In 1993 the organ was renovated by organ builder Ulrich Lohmann from Hamm in Westphalia and the layout was slightly changed. The case is made of pine wood from Sweden . The organ has 30 registers, 2 manuals with pedal, 2230 pipes and a mechanical action .
Bells
There are three bells in the tower of the church:
- Bettembourg Glocke (lux .: Beetebuerger Klack) with a weight of 970 kg, consecrated to St. Joseph with the inscription: Sancte Joseph, Patronae Ecclesiae Catholicae Ora Pro Parochia Bettemburgensi . It is tuned to the keynote RE dièse . The bell was cast in the Goussel-François Metz bell foundry workshop in 1878 and hung in the church of Bettemburg until 1948 . It was bought by Pastor P. Weidert to replace the St. Nicholas bell that was destroyed in World War II.
- Marienglocke (lux .: Marieklack) with a weight of 800 kg, consecrated to the Mother of God ( Maria Consolatrix Afflictorum ) with the inscription: Anno Domini 1935 sub regime Papae PII XI. Magnae Ducis Carolae Episcopi Petri Nommesch Pastoris P. Weidert Burgimagistri JPHopp, Incolae de Wasserbillig me fieri fecerunt in Honorem Consolatricis Afflictorum, Patronae Patriae . It is tuned to the keynote FA dièse .
- Martin's bell (lux .: Martinusklack) with a weight of 550 kg, consecrated to St. Martin von Tours with the inscription: Poured to the light at Saarburg, tapped from the old, bought Saint Martin, baptized, I sound in the honor of the Creator and increase people's share of blessings and salvation . It is tuned to the keynote SOL dièse .
The Martins bell and Marien bell were cast in 1935 in the Mabilon bell foundry in Saarburg . The two old bells from 1771 and 1844 were used in their manufacture.
Carillon
The carillon was designed and installed in 1953 by the Koninklijke Eijsbouts company from Asten in the Netherlands . Originally it had 13 bells. In 1969 five more bells were added. The Ulm tower clock factory Philipp Hörz completely renovated the glockenspiel in 2003 and converted it to fully automatic operation. Since then, a greater variety of melodies can be played and this is no longer limited to specific times.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Wasserbillig, Saint-Martin , website: glasmalerei-ev.de.
- ↑ Wasserbillig , Website: orgues.lu.
Coordinates: 49 ° 42 ′ 51.8 " N , 6 ° 30 ′ 4.9" E