St. George's Church (Steinbach)
The St. George's Church ( St. George's Chapel ) in Steinbach (Taunus) is a Protestant church. It was first mentioned in a document in 1371 and built around 1270. It received its decisive baroque shape through an extension at the beginning of the 18th century. One of the special pieces of equipment is a Stumm organ from 1767.
history
The church was probably built around 1270. St. George's Church was mentioned for the first time in a document from 1371. In his will, Frank von Kronberg ordered 40 guilders for the renovation in order to “restore the churches in Steinbach”. This suggests that it was built in the 13th century. The money was probably used to renovate the roof. In addition, the masonry was increased from 3.20 meters to around 5 meters. Remaining truss components have been removed. At that time the church was a branch of the church in Eschborn and was not allowed to carry out baptisms, marriages and probably also no funerals.
With the introduction of the Reformation in 1526, Steinbach switched to the Lutheran creed. The church was referred to in the rent book of Caspar von Kronberg as St. George's Chapel in 1538. After Count Christoph von Stolberg-Königstein had pawned Steinbach in 1578 to Count Philipp Ludwig I. von Hanau-Münzenberg , the Hanau-Münzenbergers acquired the place in 1596. During the Counter Reformation , the place remained Evangelical-Lutheran, while the neighboring towns became Catholic were.
The church was expanded between 1702 and 1721 and received its baroque appearance through the addition of the choir and the addition of stories to the nave. A new roof turret was put on and galleries were built inside. In the course of the installation of the organ in 1834, the north gallery was shortened. The lower organ loft was given its own stairway access. The tower clock was installed by the Ritsert & Sons company in 1871.
Between 1867 and 1948 Steinbach remained a Hessian enclave in the Prussian area. The place belonged to the Offenbach district and was ecclesiastically assigned to the Offenbach dean's office.
In 1901 a thorough renovation took place, in 1904 a heating stove and a fireplace were installed on the north side.
In 1960 the sacristy was added and four gas heaters were installed. Renovations to the church were carried out in 1962 and 1987. In 1991, handicapped-accessible sanitary facilities were added, in 1997 a hot water heating system was installed and in 2002 the tower clockwork was restored, converted to an electric drive and set up in the entrance area.
In 2008 and 2009 a comprehensive renovation and refurbishment followed, in which the church windows were renewed and the interior plaster was attached to the masonry. A vapor barrier applied in the 1980s was removed and the interior of the church repainted. The church reopened on April 4, 2009.
The St. George's Church is one of the oldest structures between the Taunus, Rheingau and Frankfurt. It is a stop on the Elisabeth pilgrim path from Frankfurt to Marburg.
architecture
The Georgskirche presents itself as a typical Protestant preaching church . The hall church has a 3/8 east end, which is supplied with light through three arched windows. The alterations can be seen from the vertical and horizontal construction seams in the south wall. There is a horizontal construction seam in the west and north walls. The sacristy extension from 1960 hides the vertical construction seam in the northern wall.
The interior is illuminated in the south wall through three large, arched windows that were broken into in 1747/1748. In this wall the three small walled up arched windows from the Romanesque period can be seen, some of which stand out from the interior plaster. In the north wall, to the left of two rectangular windows, there is a small Romanesque arched window. The oak support post under the west gallery points to an original roof turret. The roof structure rests on five trusses . The building is accessed through arched portals in the south and west. The arch of the south portal is marked in the middle with the year 1712.
Furnishing
The interior is closed off by a flat ceiling. The eastern choir gallery serves as the installation site for the organ. A crucifix is attached to it. In front of it stands the altar in the middle. To the right of this is the polygonal pulpit on the south wall. It is marked 1748 under the representation of King David, but was inaugurated as early as 1743. Arches form a crown on the sound cover, ending in a golden nest. A pelican sits in it, nourishing its young with its blood. The depiction is a symbol of the sacrificial death of Jesus. A flying dove is attached to the underside of the sound cover, symbolizing the Holy Spirit.
organ
The organ was built in 1767 by Johann Michael Stumm II for the municipality of Sprendlingen in Rheinhessen for 750 guilders. The Steinbacher Church acquired it on April 28, 1834 used from the Catholic community. She comes from the third generation of the famous family of organ builders. The organ has 13 registers with the following disposition :
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Pairing : I / P
Peal
The roof ridge hides a double bell. The older bell ("St. George's Bell") was cast in 1699 by Johannes Schneidewindt in Frankfurt am Main. She weighs 250 pounds and is dis tuned to the tone . It bears the inscription "1699 Goß mich Johannes Schneidewindt in Frankfurdt". On December 2, 1956, the Rincker company cast the “Johannesglocke”. It weighs 220 pounds and is tuned to the F sharp note . It bears the inscription "Let yourselves be reconciled with God", the motto of the 7th German Evangelical Church Congress in Frankfurt am Main in 1956.
Web links
- Homepage of the parish
- Church guide Hochtaunus ( Online p. 66 ; PDF; 4.8 MB, accessed on January 14, 2016)
Individual evidence
- ^ Franz Bösken : Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 2: The area of the former government district Wiesbaden (= contributions to the Middle Rhine music history 7.2 . Part 2 (L – Z)). Schott, Mainz 1975, ISBN 3-7957-1370-6 , p. 757 .
Coordinates: 50 ° 10 ′ 5.2 ″ N , 8 ° 34 ′ 15.6 ″ E