St. Gertrudis Church (Oberkirchen)

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Parish church

The St. Gertrudis Church in the Oberkirchen district of the town of Schmallenberg in the Hochsauerland district is a Catholic parish church whose origins date back to the 11th century. In its current form, it was built in the 17th century.

History and Development

The parish of Oberkirchen can be documented for the first time in 1244. In that year, a Korbach citizen Henricus de Overenkerke is mentioned. The parish was founded by the noblemen of Grafschaft, who were the patrons of the Grafschaft monastery . After they died out, the right of patronage passed to the Lords of Fürstenberg in 1573 .

Entrance to the church with the von Fürstenberg coat of arms

Excavations have shown that the first construction of a parish church in Oberkirchen dates back to the 11th century. Presumably, this building was destroyed by fire before 1200, as indicated by traces of fire in the original tower area. A second building was built before 1200, with the tower being extended to the west. This building was destroyed by fire around 1470 and then rebuilt by 1479 on behalf of Heinemann von Grafschaft. Around 1640 this third church building was very dilapidated, especially the tower. The patron saint, the Prince-Bishop of Paderborn Ferdinand von Fürstenberg , had the tower restored between 1663 and 1666 and then the nave removed and completely rebuilt. In this fourth church building, the choir was extended to the east. The church continues to exist in this form today. Damage caused by shelling towards the end of the Second World War was repaired by 1948.

Church building

The tower has a height of 35.2 meters and is closed by a so-called Welsche hood. To the east is the nave, which is divided by three bays. Attached to this is a choir with a three-sided conclusion. The walls and the frame of the main portal on the south side are made of red sandstone. Above this is the builder's coat of arms. The roof turret is 24.2 meters high, while the interior space extends 11.3 meters to the ceiling. The width of the nave is 7.5 meters inside and 12.5 meters outside. The total length of the church is 33.9 meters. The roof is formed by a vaulted cap vault covered with slate. There is a bell tower above the choir. The sacristy at the eastern end of the choir was built around 1780.

Church interior

Altars

Pulpit and altar

The church patroness is Saint Gertrude , who is said to have special mildness and charity as qualities. The patronage festival is March 17th. For the first time as patroness she can be proven in 1682. In the first half of the 17th century, the Archangel Michael was the main patron of the church. The 9 meter high main altar is not dedicated to these two, but to the flagellation of Christ. It was built in 1668 and was built by the Sasse brothers from Attendorn . On both sides of it stand two life-size figures of the apostles Peter and Paul. The joiner Synn from Fredeburg made the tabernacle in 1763. In 1716 there is evidence of a side altar dedicated to the Mother of God, Saint Agatha and Saint Mauritius. This altar was moved to the chapel in Westfeld in 1878 , where it still stands today.

Bells

The oldest bell was cast by Albertus von Eversberg in 1466 and weighs 350 kg. A second bell was made by Carolus de la Paix in Arnsberg according to an inscription in 1751 and weighs 525 kg. She is consecrated to Our Lady and all saints. The big bell weighs 800 kg and was made by Michael Stocky from Saarburg in 1770 . It is dedicated to Saint Michael. These three bells hang in the church tower. A fourth bell from the late 18th century is located in the bell tower and weighs 60 kg. All four bells had to be given in during the First and Second World Wars, but could then be returned undamaged. The furnishings of the church are documented in terms of art history (texts, photos: documents in the church archive in Oberkirchen / Archbishop's archive in Paderborn).

organ

Organ prospectus

The organ was built between 1736 and 1739 by Johann Heinrich Kleine from Freckhausen near Eckenhagen and cost 350 Reichstaler. It stands on the gallery, which was built in 1705.

Others

The pulpit, like the main altar, comes from the workshop of the Attendorner Sasse brothers. It bears the coat of arms of the builder Ferdinand von Fürstenberg and the year 1673. Two confessionals from 1763, by the joiner Synn from Fredeburg , are on the left and right of the main altar. Figures of saints (Joseph, Franz Xaver, Antonius von Padua, Anna with their daughter Maria, Gertrud and Saint Agatha) from the years 1742 to 1753 were created by the Attendorn sculptor Wilhelm Kühle, halfway up the long walls of the church.

A baptismal font made of green sandstone dates from 1632 and is located roughly in the middle of the church on the south wall. The copper lid was renewed in the 20th century.

The confessionals were made in 1763 in the Rococo style by the Fredeburg carpenter Synn.

The furnishings of the church are documented in terms of art history (texts, photos: documents in the church archive in Oberkirchen / Archbishop's Archive Paderborn by Martina Junghans).

Closer environment

The dead were buried in the church yard around the church until 1832. That year a new cemetery was built outside. The rectory , which was damaged in a fire in 1682, was completely rebuilt in 1711 as a half-timbered house and is now the oldest residential building in the town.

literature

  • Theodor Ahrens, Stanislaus Kandula, Roman Mensing: Barock im Erzbistum Paderborn , Paderborn 2011, ISBN 978-3-89710-495-2 .
  • Albert Hömberg: Ecclesiastical and secular state organization (parish system and court system) in the original parish areas of southern Westphalia . Aschendorff, Münster 1965, p. 9 ( Historical work on Westphalian regional research 10 ZDB -ID 517704-2 ; publications of the Historical Commission for Westphalia 22).
  • Ulrich Stipp: The parish church of St. Gertrudis in Oberkirchen . Published by the Catholic Parish Office of St. Gertrud, Schmallenberg-Oberkirchen, no year (around 2001).
  • Ursula Quednau (arrangement): Dehio-Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, North Rhine-Westphalia, Volume II: Westphalia. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 .

Web links

Commons : St. Gertrudis (Oberkirchen)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ahrens u. a. P. 216

Coordinates: 51 ° 9 ′ 30.4 ″  N , 8 ° 22 ′ 19.7 ″  E