St. Christophorus Church (Berlin-Neukölln)
| St. Christopher | |
|---|---|
_Vorderseite.jpg) Tower and rectory |
|
| Start of building: | August 25, 1929 |
| Inauguration: | March 6, 1932 |
| Architect : | Carl Kühn |
| Style elements : | Aftermath of the New Objectivity |
| Client: | Catholic parish of Greater Berlin |
| Tower height: |
35 m |
| Location: | 52 ° 29 '19.5 " N , 13 ° 25' 48.4" E |
| Address: | Nansenstrasse 4-6 Berlin-Neukölln Berlin , Germany |
| Purpose: | catholic worship |
| Local community: | Catholic parish of St. Christophorus |
| Diocese : | Archdiocese of Berlin |
| Website: | www.christophorus-berlin.de |
The Catholic St. Christophorus Church is located in the Berlin district of Neukölln in the district of the same name and is a listed building .
history
In the 19th century, lay services were held in private homes in the area around Richardplatz . Because of the constant increase in the Catholic population, St. Clara and later St. Eduard were built. The construction of a church on Richardplatz was planned as early as 1913, then the First World War prevented it from being carried out. Due to the inflation , the money collected by St. Clara for the construction of the church became worthless . The construction planned by the architect Carl Kühn began in 1929 only with financial help from the General Association of Churches in Greater Berlin . The global economic crisis delayed its completion. The second house planned to the left of the church was not built due to financial difficulties. With the consecration of the church in 1932, the official formation of the congregation took place. Initially, St. Christophorus remained a subsidiary church of St. Clara. On April 1, 1934, the local church was promoted to a curate and on March 3, 1940 to a parish . The church was badly damaged in World War II . The war damage was repaired by 1955, the organ was expanded and modernized.
Building description
The basic shape of the church is a basilica without a transept with a mighty church tower as a crossbar. The neo-Romanesque style dominates the exterior and Expressionism interior . The masonry structure is faced with red, unsorted bricks. Since the terrain slopes down into the depths of the property, community rooms could be placed under the nave , which is only plastered.
Nave
The central nave is 25.66 m long and 14 m wide, to the side of it, behind pillars , there are 3.25 m narrow arcades as processional or cross devotional paths. The roof structure of the mansard roof consists of T-beams . The barrel vault of the central nave , 14.70 m high at the top, hangs from transverse ribs . The upper storeys cut into the plastered barrel vault. Above it begins the coffered ceiling , due to the design there is a keel-like ridge hanging down at the apex. The straight closing, strongly drawn-in choir is also barrel-vaulted and coffered. Inside the walls are lightly plastered, the pillars and cornices are made of red bricks.
tower
Kühn's first preliminary draft from January 1929 envisaged an expressionist tower facade. Many small sound openings in the pointed gable should result in a high cross. It was only in the execution draft that the architect changed the tower, which now incorporated neo-Romanesque tendencies. The 16 m wide and 35 m high colossus, which is reminiscent of the fortified western bar Romanesque dome, takes up almost the full width of the nave. It is not on its axis, but is shifted to the left. The transverse rectangular tower tapers a little sideways in three steps. The tower front is set back behind the flight of the five-story rectory, which is built into the closed street front , in order to appear more monumental. In front of it is a three-axis open vestibule with two portals that lead to the tower hall, which is used as a weekday church. The door on the right wall of the vestibule serves as the entrance to the rectory. The three upper floors of the tower, in which apartments were set up, have arched windows. Under the cornice , above which a flat tent roof rises, there is a cross on each side between two small arched openings. Underneath are three sound openings on the broad sides and two each on the narrow sides.
Bells
The original bell, which harmonizes with that of the neighboring Nicodemus Church, consisted of four bronze bells , which were cast by the Ulrich Brothers bell foundry , which was founded in 1910 . Her consecration took place on September 18, 1931. The bells were named after the Neukölln churches of St. Christophorus, St. Clara, St. Eduard and St. Richard. The bells rang until 1942, all but one of which were removed for armament purposes. In 1957, the new four bronze bells cast by Rudolf Perner were hung, which are matched to the old ones.
| Bell jar | Chime | Weight (kg) |
Diameter (cm) |
Height (cm) |
inscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Bell | b ° | 1695 | 142 | 110 | NOW I AM CALLED CHRISTOPHER. MARTYRON |
| Christ the King bell | d ' | 1010 | 120 | 95 | I AM A KING. JOH. 18.28 |
| Maria Bell | f ' | 699 | 106 | 82 | SEE I AM THE LORD'S MAID. LUC. 1.38 |
| Joseph Bell | G' | 396 | 89 | 71 | GOES TO JOSEF. KR. 18th |
Furnishing
The equipment has changed over time. The neo-baroque church stalls came from St. Hedwig's Cathedral . Reinhard Hofbauer designed a. a. the baptismal font and the monstrance . After the war, the stations of the cross were added, as well as the figures of Mary, Joseph and Antonius. After the redesign completed in 1974 in accordance with the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council , a large baroque crucifix and the shiny gold tabernacle were placed in the traditionally raised choir. The representation of Christophorus on the back wall in the chancel no longer exists today. The side altars built in ciborias in the corners in front of the choir arch were removed. The statue of the namesake of the church in the tower hall comes from a sculpture in Val Gardena .
literature
- Catholic parish of St. Christophorus: Festschrift for the 75th anniversary. Berlin 2007.
- Architects and Engineers Association of Berlin: Berlin and its buildings. Part VI. Sacred buildings. Berlin 1997.
- Gerhard Streicher and Erika Drave: Berlin - city and church. Berlin 1980.
