Sebastian Church (Kochendorf)
The Sebastianskirche is a Protestant parish church in Bad Friedrichshall in the Heilbronn district in Baden-Württemberg . The building in its current form dates from the late 16th century, but it burned down completely towards the end of the Second World War, so that there is no longer any historical furnishings. The Sebastianskirche belongs to the evangelical parish Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf in the church district Weinstadt-Neuenstadt of the Evangelical Church in Württemberg .
history
The church is considered to be the oldest building in Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf and, according to architectural findings, was probably built before 1100. The originally walled fortified church was first mentioned in 1294 when the patronage rights were sold to the Wimpfen monastery . The church below the Greckenschloss was the burial place of the Kochendorfer local nobility.
Kochendorf was reformed in 1549 by Wolf Conrad I. Greck . The local lord was probably influenced by the Reformation through his marriage to Sibylla von Gemmingen . Even after the Reformation, the right of patronage remained with the Catholic Wimpfen Monastery, which in 1595 rebuilt the nave with an extension. There used to be a cemetery around the church, but the expansion has created a new cemetery southwest of the town . The church tower, damaged by lightning in 1655, was repaired in 1661.
When monasteries and imperial knighthood and imperial-free areas were abolished in the Napoleonic era, Kochendorf became part of Württemberg, while Wimpfen became part of Hesse. As a result, the Wimpfen patronage rights came to the Landgraves of Hessen-Darmstadt after 1802 .
From 1881 the church should be renovated. In 1882, the Württemberg building officer Heinrich Dolmetsch submitted extensive plans including a cost estimate. For reasons of cost, they were not implemented, only by the Neckarsulm master builder Lell in 1885/86 a small solution, almost exclusively related to the exterior: some historical tombs were moved to the outer wall, and two stair towers were added instead of older external stairs to the galleries . At that time, the Sebastianskirche also received colored glazing (Blessing Christ, Luther, Melanchthon), made by Wilhelm Jahn from the Heilbronn glass workshop Jahn & Schropp.
The church's furnishings included the baptismal font and the altar, both created by Zartmann in Neckarsulm in 1859 , a small old organ with depictions of the Evangelists, which had been restored in 1861, a two-story gallery in the west with depictions of the apostles, and the organ gallery in the east with one at Schäfer in 1878 Heilbronn-built new organ with 18 registers. The three bells were cast by Mezger in Heilbronn in 1765. In the choir there were several grave monuments, including the double stone monument for Wolff Greck von Kochendorf († 1533) and his wife Kunigund von Liebenstein († 1534) with painted life-size relief figures and the approximately five meter high grave monument for Wolf Konrad Greck († 1598) and his two wives Sibylle von Gemmingen († 1567) and Amalie Altdorf called Wolfschlag († 1588). Other tombs included that of Joachim Heinrich von Ellrichshausen († 1674) and the wooden epitaphs for Wolf Konrad Greck with family and the doctor Georg Andreas Schiebel († 1799).
In April 1945 the church was set on fire during combat operations by the approaching American troops. Despite initial extinguishing measures, embers remained, especially in the peat insulation of the roof, which could no longer be extinguished due to the ongoing fighting, so that the church finally burned down to the outer walls. All furnishings, including the historical tombs, were destroyed. Only a few historical relics have been preserved in the choir area, including a Gothic tabernacle and remains of wall paintings.
The Sebastianskirche was rebuilt by the architect Hannes Mayer by 1948 and received new bells from the Bachert bell foundry in 1952 .
Furnishing
Sculpting work
portal
Above the portal of the side entrance, on a sandstone slab, is the psalm word Lord, I love the place of your house and the place where your honor dwells (Psalm 26: 8). The family coats of arms of those Greck von Kochendorf and von Gemmingen are located above the entrance .
Luther memorial plaque
To commemorate Luther throughout Germany, in the choir of the Sebastianskirche on the occasion of the 400th birthday of the reformer Dr. Martin Luther made a plaque with the inscription on November 10, 1883:
"A
Festeburg
Is Our God
In memory of the
committed here
400 years CELEBRATION
birth of the Reformer
Dr. Martin Luther.
1483 10 Nov. 1883
God's word and Luther's teaching
perish now and never. "
crucifix
The carved wooden crucifix was designed in 1954 by the Kochendorf artist Albert Dobler and expressively shows the crucified Christ. He is only dressed in a loincloth and wears the crown of thorns as a sign of ridicule and humiliation. The crucifix is on the altar in front of the resurrection window.
Sebastian sculpture
The church, originally consecrated to the martyr Sebastian , has a sculpture of Saint Sebastian in its choir. This shows him with the arrows of the archers and a palm frond as a sign of martyrdom ( martyr's palm ). The figure was a gift from the creative team of the Evangelical Church Community.
Baptismal font
The baptismal font of the Sebastianskirche was made of sandstone in 1948 by the Neckarsulm stonemason Zartmann. The bronze baptismal bowl is on this sandstone plinth. It shows a cross and two fish: the same symbols that are on the baptismal bell. The baptismal font is located in close proximity to the altar and the pulpit.
Stained glass
The windows in the choir and nave take up the themes of Jesus' parables . Most of the church windows by the Stuttgart glass artist Adolf Valentin Saile were financed from 1967 to 1971 by individual donations from parishioners as well as by donations for confirmation. The resurrection window was already used in 1956.
- The resurrection window in the east of the choir shows the Easter message in two scenes: Below you can see the frightened women who have come to the grave and are standing in the grave cave in front of the heavenly messenger of God, who points to the risen Jesus Christ .
- The small round window with the Luther rose is located south of the pulpit.
- The window of God's care shows in three squares below the tree of life as a place of protection and security for humans and animals, above two fishermen with overfilled nets after an initially unsuccessful night - a sign of God's gift of abundance, and above a sower, whose seeds are very good flourishes differently - just as the word of God does not fall on fertile ground with all people. Above everything in the window arch the sun and three doves that carry the olive branch into the world as a sign of peace.
- The parable window of the prodigal son or the merciful father shows the own path and the failure of the son as well as the return to his father in his open arms and house.
- The parable window of the Pharisee and tax collector is on the south side of the church.
- The David window in quatrefoil above the organ on the west gallery underscores the importance of music for the proclamation with the harp.
- Four Evangelist windows are located on both sides on the left and right under the gallery. Matthew is represented as an angel, Mark as a lion, Luke as a bull and John as an eagle.
- The window The feeding of the 5000 shows Jesus and his disciples distributing the bread of life at the Sea of Galilee .
- The window with the ten virgins on the north side represents the parable of the wise and foolish virgins
- The vine and the good shepherd : This window shows the parable of the good shepherd and the parable of the vine .
Relief "A ship that calls itself a community ..."
A master class of the Heilbronn plaster guild took on the task of designing a sgraffito on the left side of the tower of St. Sebastian's Church after an early Christian scratch drawing. It shows a ship with an ejected net. The motif takes up the understanding that the church of Jesus is like an ark.
organ
The organ of the Sebastianskirche was built in 1958 by the Weigle company from Echterdingen. It is located on the gallery in the west of the church, opposite the choir in the east, has 33 metal pipes, 21 registers and is played using two manuals and a pedal .
Bells
The bells of the Sebastianskirche, cast by Metzger in Heilbronn in 1765, were cast into weapons during the Second World War in March 1942. After the war, the local bell foundry Bachert made five new bells, which were added to the church tower in 1952.
|
No. |
Surname |
Founder, year of casting |
Weight (kg) |
inscription |
Ornamental |
| 1 | Baptismal bell | Bachert bell foundry, 1952 | 259 | Christ says: "Let the little children come to me" | Cross , fish , Luther rose |
| 2 | Peace bell | Bachert bell foundry, 1952 | 459 | May there be peace within your walls! | Dove |
| 3 | Memorial bell | Bachert bell foundry, 1952 | 667 | Christ says: "I live and you should also live!" | crucifix |
| 4th | Luther bell | Bachert bell foundry, 1952 | 944 | a solid castle is our God | Martin Luther |
| 5 | Christ bell | Bachert bell foundry, 1952 | 1672 | Come to me all who are troublesome and burdened, I want to refresh you | World judge |
The bell room was expanded in 2000 and provided with an oak bell cage.
Epitaphs
There were numerous epitaphs on the outer and inner walls of the Sebastianskirche. Some of them were destroyed during fighting in April 1945, others are still preserved today. These include tombs of those Greck von Kochendorf , von Gemmingen , Kolb von Wartenberg and von Berlichingen .
Double grave for Wolff Greck von Kochendorf († 1533) and his wife Kunigund von Liebenstein († 1534), in the choir room of the church, destroyed in World War II, photo around 1900
Grave monument for Wolf Conrad Greck († 1598) and his two wives Sibylle von Gemmingen († 1567) and Amalie Altdorf called Wolfschlag († 1588), in the church choir, destroyed in World War II, photo around 1900
Epitaph for Wolf Conrad Greck von Kochendorf († 1598), on the western outer wall
Epitaph for Anna Katharina Greck von Kochendorf († 1603), on the southern inner wall
Epitaph for Anna Katharina Greck von Kochendorf († 1604), on the southern inner wall
Epitaph for Eva Juliana Greck von Kochendorf († 1627), on the southern inner wall
Epitaph for Anna Helena Kolb von Wartenberg, b. Greck von Kochendorf († 1633), northern outer wall at the tower entrance
literature
- Description of the Oberamt Neckarsulm , Stuttgart 1881, pp. 455–459 ( digitized from https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de )
- Walter Hennig: Sebastianskirche Kochendorf ; published by the Evangelical Church Community Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf; Bad Friedrichshall 2006
- Bad Friedrichshaller small monuments , Bad Friedrichshaller Geschichtshefte I, City of Bad Friedrichshall and Simon M. Haag, Bad Friedrichshall 2017
Individual evidence
- ^ Website of the Kochendorf parish
- ^ Website of the Evangelical Church District Weinsberg-Neuenstadt
- ↑ Ellen Pietrus: Heinrich Dolmetsch. The church restorations by the Württemberg builder ; Stuttgart 2008, pages 380-382
- ↑ Company brochure with references: Glasmalerei von Wilh. Jahn in Heilbronn aN ; Heilbronn, Brok & Feierabend, undated (around 1895)
- ^ Ehrenfried Kluckert, Axel Zimmermann (arrangement): Adolf V. Saile - Städtische Galerie Filderstadt, Small Art Cabinet Bernhausen; Exhibition from October 13, 1985 to November 6, 1985 ; ed. from the city. Gallery Filderstadt; Volume 1: Exhibition catalog, Volume 2: Catalog raisonné; Filderstadt 1985 - No. 1a / 56/3, 1a / 67/3, 1a / 69/2, 1a / 70/1
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 13 '26.9 " N , 9 ° 13' 3.2" E