St. Magdalena Church (Grabsleben)

West side

The Sankt Magdalena Church in Grabsleben in Thuringia is the successor to a church that was demolished in 1696 due to dilapidation. The church belongs to the parish association seamounts in the church district Gotha of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany .

History and architecture

There is some evidence that the previous central nave was on the west side of the tower. The year 1696 is carved on the church portal. A reference to the earlier church is provided by the inscription 1568 CS , which can be found elsewhere in the masonry. It should also be mentioned that the church windows are Gothic pointed arched windows with stone tracery , and the east choir also shows Gothic elements, so it is older than the central nave from 1696. The church tower also indicates an earlier development: under the bell house there are, however, bricked up , Romanesque twin windows. So it can be assumed that the tower was built in the 12th century. The new building cost in 1941 guilders, 18 groschen and 2 pfennigs. A solemn inauguration did not take place.

In 1749 the church tower received a new clock. From 1995 to 1997 it was replaced by a radio controlled clock.

Anecdotally seems the history of the north window: from superstitious motives, the citizens wanted the creation time of the Church (1696) no north window, because from there the evil forces and spirits are to be expected. In addition, contrary to the traditional rite and wish of the pastor at the time, they wanted the altar not on the east, but on the west. Only Duke Friedrich II, who was summoned from the nearby royal seat of Gotha , was able to settle the dispute . His word of power determined the chancel in the east and the installation of the windows in the north wall. He "confirmed" this with a donation for the construction of the windows. Presumably the money was not quite enough or it disappeared partly into unintended channels, because some of the tracery on these windows is not made of stone but made of wood.

organ

In 1738 a new Thielemann organ was built; it was repaired in 1788 and especially in 1825 at a cost of 326 thalers. Each time the pastor was feudal lord over 3 houses in Grabsleben, which each year at Michaelmas (September 29th) had to deliver a Hahn inheritance, and as soon as one of these houses was sold, they had to pay him the loan and lease money plus writing money . The organ has 21 stops on two manuals and a pedal .

In 2015/16 an old harmonium was put back into operation after extensive repairs.

Bells

The church tower contained three bells, one of which has been preserved:

The large as bell was cast by the Hahn bell foundry in Gotha in 1743 and had to be delivered for war purposes in 1918. It was replaced in 1932 by a matching bell cast by the Wittrien company in Erfurt, which in turn had to be given in 1940 for war purposes.
The middle bell was cast in 1668 and also given for war purposes in 1918. This bell was also replaced in 1932 by a new one from the Wittrien foundry, which also had to be handed in in 1940 for war purposes.
The small es-bell was cast in Gotha in 1737 and still rings today.

Works of art

Detail view of the three-winged altar

The interior of the church impresses with beautiful paintings on the pulpit and the balustrade fields of the gallery . The view upwards is limited by a mighty wooden barrel vault with painted angels and biblical scenes from the beginning of the 20th century. The gallery painting dates from the time the nave was built , the beginning of the 18th century, and clearly shows the style of painting that is overgrown with the village and the peasantry. The three-winged altar kept in the church is a particular treasure.