Church joke
The Scherzligen church is a sacred building documented since the Carolingians and an old pilgrimage site with the patronage of Mary in Strättligen (since 1920 part of the city of Thun ), Canton of Bern , Switzerland .
location
The church is located on the banks of the Aare right next to its outflow from Lake Thun . To the south of the church area is the area of Schadau Castle and to the south-west of the Thun panorama . The Scherzligen Church is not oriented towards the geographical east, but precisely towards the location of the sunrise on June 21, the longest day of the year.
history
A place of worship should have existed on the site of the present church in ancient times. This is assumed on the basis of coin finds (As of Trajan from 103 and Sesterces of Trajan from 114 AD; coin of Magnus Maximus from 383/88 AD). Century built double grave mausoleum with memoria, over which the first church was built.
Scherzligen is one of the earliest documented places in the canton of Bern. In 761/762, Bishop Eddo von Straßburg donated the Scherzligen Church ( Scartilinga seu Biberussa ) to the Ettenheim Monastery in what is now Baden-Württemberg. It is unclear whether this was a second church.
The tower that still exists today (lower two thirds) was built in the 9th century. In 933, Rudolf II. Of Burgundy (+937) is said to have built twelve churches around Lake Thun, including Schertzlingen (based on the Strättliger Chronicle of Elogius Kiburger from 1456). It could be the current nave with a Romanesque apse , which dates from the 10th – 12th centuries. Century.
After 1100 the lay people were separated from the clergy. A choir screen of 80 cm height was created, which was increased to 155 cm after 1215. In 1272 the Scherzelingen church went to the Interlaken monastery . A chapel was built next to the church, which was later converted into an ossuary (Sigristenhaus after the Reformation, now gone). The mural painting on the death of Maria was created around 1400, and further paintings on the north and south walls of the ship date from 1440–69. After 1453 a large sacraments house was built. In 1464/1469 the current roof structures of the nave and choir were erected. A small organ is mentioned for the first time in 1514. In 1523 the paintings on the west facade were recreated.
After the Bernese Reformation , adjustments were made from 1528 to 1534, which should make the old pilgrimage site unattractive. Altars and organs were removed, the sacraments walled up and the holy tomb demolished. In addition, the still existing tramming benches were built in, as the people were supposed to follow the liturgical service. The ossuary was converted into a Sigrist house.
In 1819 the federal arsenal in Thun was opened. Since the Catholic officers also had to have their meeting room, the state of Bern gave them the choir of the Scherzligen Church, where the windows were walled up and an altar was built in. The ship, however, remained reformed, the font was placed in the ship.
Schadau Castle was rebuilt around 1850. Sigristenhaus, fisherman's house and schoolhouse were demolished, the church was the only building left from the old days. In 1878 the cemetery was moved to the Schoren because the lords of the Schadau castle were disturbed by the tinkling of the death bells. Another version says that at the funerals, out of respect, the castle staff stopped their work and quietly watched the ceremony.
In 1909 the choir was returned to the Strättligen parish.
In addition to Sunday services, the Scherzligen church is now used again by pilgrims. But it is especially popular with wedding couples.
construction
At the time of the crusades around 1275, the choir partition with a round arch was installed. The oldest paintings date from this period . The first sacristy was built in the 14th century . The polygonal choir was built in 1378–80. The Gothic paintings were created in the choir, the choir wall was Gothicized and today's choir ceiling was equipped with sound pots . In 1389 Gerhard von Bern donated the golden cross on the choir roof. In the same year a fire in the nave destroyed the roof structure, which was rebuilt in 1391. Two major restorations took place in 1570: The floor was raised and today's clay slab floor was installed. Two coats of arms and new windows in the choir and ship were added. In 1612/13 a storm swept away the spire (large storms over southern Germany and Switzerland). In 1657 lightning struck the tower and destroyed two old bells. As a replacement, Scherzligen received an old bell from the secularized Interlaken monastery. In 1707 a canopy was added and the gallery was rebuilt. In 1757/58 the church was restored, as can be seen from the pimple holes in the wall paintings of the choir. The last major restoration took place in 2002/03.
Furnishing
The ball baptismal font now in the choir dates from the 13th century . The paintings in the ship were discovered in 1922/23, and in 1989 the double grave with mausoleum.
- Oldest tower in the canton of Bern (originally a free-standing tower from the 9th century)
- Oldest church wooden ceiling in the canton of Bern (originally preserved Gothic wooden ceiling from 1380).
- Oldest original sandstone masonry of choir windows in the canton of Bern (original painting in ocher)
- Most valuable painting from the 14th century in the canton of Bern (from 1380, nowhere to be found)
- The longest Trämelbänke in the canton of Bern (built in 1534; the sleepers of the northern bank are 10, those of the southern 7.5 meters)
literature
- Michael Dähler: The church Scherzligen Thun. (Swiss Art Guide, No. 761, Series 77). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 2004, ISBN 3-85782-761-0 .
- Michael Dähler and Hans Mischler: Church Scherzligen Thun. Restoration of the church, new construction of the sacristy 2002–2003. Thun 2006.
- Max Grütter: The church of Scherzligen and its wall paintings. Dissertation Bern 1928.
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 44 '50.5 " N , 7 ° 38' 10.7" E ; CH1903: 615 104 / 177371