St. Trinitatis Church (Bad Elster)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Exterior view from the southwest
Exterior view from the west

The St. Trinitatis Church is an Evangelical Lutheran church in Bad Elster in the Vogtlandkreis , Saxony . It was built between 1889 and 1892 and is located at Kirchplatz 2.

history

Around 1289 the Teutonic Knight Order had founded a German house in Adorf from Asch (in Bohemia ). The manor owners , the lords of Neuberg (today Podhradí u Aše ) and later the lords of Zedtwitz exercised the church patronage in Elster . From existing church chronicles it is assumed that the oldest church of St. Peter and Paul stood as an early mass and pilgrimage church before the settlement on the Kirchberg. When the old church was demolished after the construction of the new church, remnants of the wall from the Romanesque period were discovered . Elster was officially named on October 3, 1324 and thus a church was already located in the village of Elster at this time.

Predecessor church of St. Peter and Paul

Old village church of St. Peter and Paul with old school

After the Reformation was introduced in Bad Elster around 1533 , records show that there was the village church of St. Peter and Paul. Elster was a branch of the Adorf parish for over 300 years . Michael Skull was ordained as the first Lutheran pastor by Martin Luther in 1540. Old church accounts from 1581 testify to structural changes in the church. The church was rebuilt several times inside, expanded and performed maintenance. Extensions were added to the outside area and other changes were made according to the time and needs. In 1683 the stairwells were added to allow access from the outside to the galleries and the tower . Tradesmen's bills show that repairs were carried out on the altar around 1639, in 1644 it was increased and in 1734 by master carpenter Simon Zeitler from Grün (today Doubrava , Czech Republic ) repositioned and a carved figure of Christ attached. The altarpiece, the Holy Trinity, by an unknown artist, also dates from this period. The tower was added in 1656 and completed in 1753 with a gilded spindle, flag and star. A smaller bell had been in place since 1617 . In 1625 a large bell was bought with the inscription : “Vult populum campana sonans ad sacra venire. Anno 1625 ". On the back it said: “Gabriel and Zacharias Hillger zu Freibergk poured me”. Around 1716 the first organ was installed for 110 thalers. A new organ with twelve registers was bought around 1770 by the organ builder Johann Paul Trampeli and Sons from Adorf. There were further modifications and additions to the church, also in the interior. In 1743 a new sacristy was built and in 1807 the clockmaker Erdmann Karl from Gefell installed a church clock . The chancel was narrowed down by widening the galleries. This condition and a deterioration in the building fabric caused the church council to decide on October 24, 1887 to build a new church.

Church building

On November 1, 1889, the foundation stone was laid for a new church next to the old one. The Dresden architect Christian Gottfried Schramm provided the plans for the new building. He had already drawn up the reports on the old church and was familiar with the situation . He took over the construction management of the new building, the pastor Freiherr von Bernewitz was the church builder . A portrait below the south pore is dedicated to him. The hall church in neo-Gothic style has a length of 35 and a width of 20 meters. The mighty west tower is 54 meters high, the roof ridge above the nave is 25 meters high. The masonry consists of natural stones . The surrounding cornices , the window and door openings and other decorative elements were made in brickwork . The wooden roof structure is covered with slate . On the two long sides there are four pointed arch windows divided in the lower third, each with three-lane long stained glass windows under a round window. In the three-sided end of the choir there are two more pointed arched windows, each with two side two-lane long stained glass windows under a round window and a centrally arranged pointed arched window. All window axes are divided by pillar templates. The building with its emphasized natural forms in the architectural representation is an important church building on a small elevation. The building of the church was completed within two years and seven months and the church was solemnly consecrated as St. Trinity Church on June 1, 1892 with the help of Pastor von Bernewitz and Cantor Voit.

Church interior

Interior view of the chancel
Interior view 2015

The interior of the hall church is simply designed with clear elements and, overall, conveys a harmonious picture. The church offers up to 800 seats, around 650 for concerts. Alongside there are two wooden galleries with supporting wooden structures on eight sandstone pillars. The seating is also made of oak. The upper end is a carved wooden vaulted ceiling. The altar and the pulpit were carved from oak by the Dresden company Weißbach. The pulpit cover comes from the neo-Gothic furnishings of the Johanniskirche in Plauen and was supplemented by the architect Johannes Höra from Bad Elster in the early 1950s. The chancel is divided into five parts by arched ribs. The oil painting comes from the old Peter and Paul Church and was rediscovered in the archive by Géza Németh. Since the restoration in 2014, the original historical altarpiece has been in the upper left of the chancel. It represents the Holy Trinity and was painted by an unknown artist around 1734 when it was redesigned by Simon Zeitler. The Gothic apostle figures and the baroque figure of Christ were also taken over from the old church. The altar crucifix comes from a workshop in Oberammergau . The Dresden company Bruno Urban produced the three stained glass windows for the chancel. They mean:

The vaulted end of the choir shows a painted sky with stars between the vault ribs . On the opposite side, at the height of the gallery, there is an organ made by the Eule company.

organ

Organ view 2015

A new organ from the Kreutzbach company from Borna with 22 registers and mechanical action was already ready for the church consecration . In 1911 the organ was converted by the Jehmlich company from Dresden. She expanded the organ to 25 stops with a pneumatic action. In 1973 the company Hermann Eule Orgelbau Bautzen built a new organ into the case from 1892. New prospect pipes made of particularly bright pewter (octave bass 8 ′ and principal 8 ′) have been added for a better appearance. The arrangement of the sub-plants was changed and repositioned. This enabled the front of the housing to be set back by about one meter. The organ with 27 registers was accepted on December 15, 1973 and the organ consecration took place one day later. Since the installation, the organ has been regularly serviced by the builder company.

I main work C–
1. Quintadena 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Reed flute 8th'
4th Octave 4 ′
5. Pointed flute 4 ′
6th recorder 2 ′
7th Sif flute 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
8th. Rauschpfeifel II
9. Mixture IV
10. Trumpet 8th'
II Swell C–
11. Far-drawn 8th'
12. Funnel flute 8th'
13. Principal 4 ′
14th Flute 4 ′
15th Nassat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
16. octave 2 ′
17th rep. third 4 ⁄ 5 ′
18th octave 1'
19th Zimbel III
20th Rohrschalmei 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C–
21st Sub bass 16 ′
22nd Octave bass 8th'
23. Dacked bass 8th'
24. Choral bass 4 ′
25th Night horn 2 ′
26th Mixture V
27. trombone 16 ′

Peal

In 1889, the ringing of three bronze bells was in a replacement bell tower during the construction phase and rang for the first time on Palm Sunday . These bells were used for armaments purposes during the First World War . The bronze bell, which was newly acquired in 1922, was melted down again in 1942 for armament purposes. The third bell was made in 1946 by the bell foundry Otto Schilling and Gottfried Lattermann in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz in the Vogtland (company headquarters in Apolda) from chilled steel. and built into a steel girder construction in the belfry, which was renewed at the same time. The following is a data overview:

No. Surname Casting date Caster Diameter
(mm)		 Mass
(kg)		 Chime
1 Little bell 1946 Bell foundry Schilling & Lattermann 880 250 c ''
2 Medium bell 1946 Bell foundry Schilling & Lattermann 990 350 h`
3 Big bell 1946 Bell foundry Schilling & Lattermann 119 620 g sharp`

1989

St Trinity Church 2015

The turning point in Bad Elster was initiated on October 25, 1989 in the overcrowded St. Trinity Church with a people's forum. Pastor Eberhardt Schwarzenberg mediated between angry citizens and the then SED mayor of the city. This was followed by a demonstration march to the Haus am See, the recently completed new building of the sanatorium for the Central Committee of the SED. At the second demonstration on November 2, 1989 with Pastor Günter Rogowsky, the SED was asked to give up its claim to leadership.

Several special concerts took place in the St. Trinity Church. The proceeds were donated for the reconstruction of the Dresden Frauenkirche.

Repair work 2015

A 2013 inspection of the church identified the following major repairs:

  • Roofing , new roofing of the main valleys, the hipped dormers and the tower windows.
  • Refurbishment of the lead glass windows.
  • Restoration of the crown of the eastern nave .
  • Restoration of the tower lantern and repair of the sound shutters.
  • Renovation of the facade of the entire church.

The total costs amount to at least 400,000 euros and are borne by the State Office for Monument Preservation of Saxony with 220,000 euros and by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony with 100,000 euros. The community contributes to the costs with a donation of 80,000 euros. In 2013, the ball, the cross and the weather valve on the tower were replaced with own funds.

Parish center

Community center of the parish, main entrance

The new community center of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Community in Bad Elster was built in 2006 in two construction phases. The building maintenance office at the Zwickau District Church Office was responsible for the project planning. The architect Lars Reinhold was responsible for the draft and approval planning. The first construction phase took place from February 13th to May 25th, 2006. The old cantor's council was renovated and equipped with two group rooms, a kitchen and handicapped-accessible sanitary facilities. The second construction phase began on June 9, 2006 with the groundbreaking ceremony. A new building was built with a community hall for 100 people. The new parish center was officially consecrated on the first advent of 2006.

Rectory

Rectory 2015

The current rectory was built between 1723 and 1728 as a village school and served as a schoolhouse for centuries. The building was later used as a parish hall. With the decision to rebuild the parish center, today's use as a rectory was made possible.

literature

  • Walter Schlesinger: Church history of Saxony in the Middle Ages. Cologne / Graz 1962, Volume II, p. 346
  • Martin Schwarzenberg: Chronicle of the parish Bad Elster. Bad Elster, 2002, pp. 13, 17, 19 ff.
  • Ev.-Luth. Kirchgemeinde Bad Elster (Ed.): Festschrift on the occasion of the inauguration of the community center of the Evangelical Lutheran parish Bad Elster. December 3, 2006
  • Ulrich Dähnert: Historical organs in Saxony. Leipzig, 1983, p. 181
  • Traugott Steudel: Saxony Church Gallery. The Vogtland. Dresden 1843, Verlag von Hermann Schmidt-Leipzig, Volume 11, pp. 122, 129 ff. And 168.
  • Johannes Göhler: The Parish Bad Elster. In: New Saxon Church Gallery. Leipzig, 1912, p. 47 f.
  • Rainer Thümmel: Bells in Saxony. Sound between heaven and earth. Edited by the Evangelical Regional Church Office of Saxony . With a foreword by Jochen Bohl and photographs by Klaus-Peter Meißner. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2011, ISBN 978-3-374-02871-9 ,

Web links

Commons : St. Trinitatiskirche (Bad Elster)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Schlesinger, Walter: Church history of Saxony in the Middle Ages, Cologne / Graz 1962, vol. II, p. 346
  2. ^ Göhler, Johannes: Die Parochie Bad Elster, in: Neue Sächsische Kirchengalerie, Leipzig, 1912, p. 30
  3. ↑ Steudel, Traugott: Sachsens Kirchen-Galerie , Verlag von Hermann Schmidt, Leipzig, 1843, Volume 11, pp. 122, 129 and ff
  4. ^ Göhler, Johannes: Die Parochie Bad Elster, in: Neue Sächsische Kirchengalerie, Leipzig, 1912, p. 24
  5. Jump up ↑ Steudel, Traugott: Parochie Elster, in: Sachsens Kirchengalerie, Das Vogtland, Dresden 1843, p. 168
  6. ^ Martin Schwarzenberg: Chronicle of the parish Bad Elster, Bad Elster, 2002, pp. 13, 17, 19
  7. ^ Dähnert, Ulrich: Historische Orgeln in Sachsen, Leipzig, 1983, p. 181
  8. ^ Steudel, Traugott: Sachsen Kirchen-Galerie, Verlag von Hermann Schmidt, Leipzig, 1843, Volume 11, p. 129 and ff
  9. ^ Göhler, Johannes: Die Parochie Bad Elster, in: Neue Sächsische Kirchengalerie, Leipzig, 1912, p. 33
  10. ^ Göhler, Johannes: Die Parochie Bad Elster, in: Neue Sächsische Kirchengalerie, Leipzig, 1912, p. 30
  11. ^ Göhler, Johannes: Die Parochie Bad Elster, in: Neue Sächsische Kirchengalerie, Leipzig, 1912, p. 47ff
  12. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from April 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / badelster.de
  13. ^ Archives of the parish, Martin Schwarzenberg
  14. ^ Archives of the parish, Martin Schwarzenberg
  15. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from April 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / badelster.de
  16. ^ Archives of the parish, Martin Schwarzenberg
  17. ^ Archive Orgelbau Eule, archivist Mr. Kammbach, document from September 7, 1961
  18. ↑ http://www.euleorgelbau.de/front_content.php
  19. ^ Archives Orgelbau Eule, archivist Mr. Kammbach, document dated July 3, 1974
  20. ^ Archive Orgelbau Eule, managing director Anne-Christin Eule, document dated June 16, 2015
  21. ^ Göhler, Johannes: Die Parochie Bad Elster, in: Neue Sächsische Kirchengalerie, Leipzig, 1912, p. 47
  22. ^ Rainer Thümmel, Bells in Saxony, HG Ev.-Luth. State Church Office of Saxony, EVA 2011
  23. ^ Rainer Thümmel, Bells in Saxony, HG Ev.-Luth. State Church Office of Saxony, EVA 2011
  24. ^ Archives of the parish, Martin Schwarzenberg
  25. ↑ Lange, Sigrun: Autumn 1989 in Bad Elster - A Chronicle, in: Elsteraner Stadtanzeiger No. 5, 1991, p. 2
  26. ↑ Brunner, G .; Schwarzenberg, M .: Festschrift for the 150th anniversary of the BE State Baths, 1998, p. 33
  27. ^ Letter to the benefactors of the Dresden Frauenkirche dated May 6, 2005
  28. ↑ Dr. Siegel, Building Committee: Community letter from June / July 2015; Adler-Druck Bad Elster; P. 3.
  29. ↑ Festschrift on the occasion of the inauguration of the community center of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Community Bad Elster, HG Ev.-Luth. Parish Bad Elster December 3, 2006

Coordinates: 50 ° 16 ′ 51.4 ″  N , 12 ° 14 ′ 12.9 ″  E