St. Nicolai Church (Vechelde-Sonnenberg)
| Saint Nicolai | |
|---|---|
 West facade of the St. Nicolai Church in Sonnenberg |
|
| Construction year: | 13th or 14th century |
| Architectural style : | Romanesque , Gothic |
| Location: | 52 ° 14 '15.7 " N , 10 ° 24' 35.6" E |
| Address: | Old district road OT. Sonnenberg Vechelde Lower Saxony , Germany |
| Purpose: | Evangelical Lutheran parish church |
| Local community: | Evangelical Lutheran parish of Sonnenberg |
| Parish: | Evangelical Lutheran Church Congregations Timmerlah u. Sonnenberg Kirchstrasse 12 38120 Braunschweig |
| Regional Church : |
Evangelical Lutheran regional church in Braunschweig , Propstei Vechelde |
| Website: | kitiso.de |
The St. Nicolai Church is an Evangelical Lutheran church in the village of Sonnenberg in the municipality of Vechelde in the Peine district .
The parish belongs to the Vechelde Provost within the Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church in Braunschweig .
Building history
Sonnenberg was a parish village in the Archdeaconate of Denstorf until the 16th century and has formed a parish association with the Timmerlah parish since the 17th century . The church was built in the 13th or 14th century. It is mentioned by historians around 1250 as well as the year 1349.
In contrast to other churches in the region, this building has largely been preserved in its original state throughout its history. The outer walls remained largely unchanged. At best, additional space was created by making changes inside the church. In 1756 an expansion took place.
In addition, the nave was lengthened over time; For this reason, the indented choir , which previously existed in the east, was torn down. The entrance to the church was moved from the south side to the west side - that is, to the tower side. The tower, of the type of a Saxon west bar , was initially built without windows or doors in a closed construction. Furthermore, the windows of the nave were enlarged considerably.
Not every thought about changing the church was realized. In the architectural drawing from the 18th century, the parish made two suggestions for changing the church tower . It is questionable whether any of these proposals were ever implemented.
The penultimate major renovation took place in 1958. Until then there was a high pulpit in the church behind the altar , which could be reached via two stairs on the right and left. Another renovation took place in 1988.
Exterior view
The tower connected to the nave has a pointed tent roof . It towers over the houses as a symbol of the village and is visible from afar. Inside the tower, a generous entrance area was created by removing two older, constricting clay walls, which reveals a view of a late Romanesque archway as the entrance to the nave. Today the inviting entrance area and the nave are only separated from each other by a glass door.
The medieval walls made of field stones have been preserved and have been newly plastered. A new one from Ltd. State church building councilor Renner, artistically designed and built by master carpenter Hotopp, decorates the anteroom.
View from the northeast side
Consecration plaque on the east facade
inner space
A special feature is the late Romanesque archway, which was uncovered during the renovation work in the 1980s. A step-like design of the organ gallery gives a clear view of the interior of the church. A planned increase in the organ loft was rejected by the responsible monument conservation authorities.
The mechanical tower clock dates from the early 1920s and is still well preserved today.
organ
The old organ was built in 1857 by the organ builder Titus Albert Lindrum from Goslar . It was probably the first and only organ that ever stood in this church. It was rebuilt in 1991 using parts of the organ that was removed in 1987 and largely taking into account the plans of Master Lindrum. However, it is now pulled forward on the edge of the gallery and the organist is no longer sitting in front of it, but on the short northern side.
Peal
The church has two bells that probably came into the tower in the early 1920s.
Personalities
- Georg Althaus (* 1898; † 1974), Evangelical Lutheran theologian and opponent of the Nazi regime, was the parish priest from 1933 to 1957.
Web links
- The St. Nicolai Church in Sonnenberg on the website of the Evangelical Lutheran parishes of Sonnenberg and Timmerlah; Retrieved March 20, 2011
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paul Jonas Meier : The architectural and art monuments of the Braunschweig district . Julius Zwissler, Wolfenbüttel 1900, p. 293 ff