St. Andreas (Ahrbrück)
The community of Ahrbrück only came into being after the Second World War . There never was an independent parish, Ahrbrück belonged to the parish of St. Petrus in Kesseling .
The old village churches were too small to give all believers space for mass. Therefore, very early on, thought was given to building a larger church for all Ahrbrück districts and the surrounding communities. It is dedicated to the Apostle Andrew .
history
The foundation stone was laid in 1962 under the pastor of the time, Alfons Scholz.
With the active support of the village population, the church was built between 1963 and 1967. Because of this commitment, the project was even feasible. Numerous craft businesses in Ahrbrück worked free of charge. The work was carried out under a financial plan that is hardly conceivable today: You practically lived from hand to mouth. The church was consecrated on October 29, 1967.
Furnishing
The church is deliberately kept simple. Local materials (e.g. tuff) were preferred for the interior decoration.
Here, too, the interior has been gradually expanded.
The altar and a tabernacle were there from the start. Gradually, depending on the financial situation and the amount of donations, the remaining equipment was procured:
- Way of the Cross
- Window pictures
- Renewal of the Marian altar
- Replacement of the old tabernacle with a larger one
Way of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross were hung in 1986. In their first version they began in the left area of the nave and ended in the altar area. They were hung around the middle of the 1990s and have been hanging over both sides of the church ever since.
Window pictures
The windows were designed by Jakob Schwarzkopf and the execution was carried out by the renowned company Binsfeld from Trier:
On the street side, the windows above the portals, the Ahrseite, as well as in the choir have been completely redesigned and glazed. The portal windows take up the motif of the street side: the blue of the water symbolizes the “working field” of the “people fisherman” of the disciple called by Jesus, every Christian who is commissioned and sent to carry the message of the Gospel out of the church and people for Jesus to win, even if the waves sometimes blow up. The red and green dominating colors of the choir windows (chancel), which condense towards the bottom, indicate Pentecost, the festival of the outpouring of the spirit and talent.
Finally, the three windows on the side of the Ahr show us three examples of a “Christian life” in the town's three patron saints, St. Katharina (for the district of Brück ), the Mother of God ( Stella maris for the district of Pützfeld) and St. Rochus (for the Ahrbrück district).
The unity of the community of Ahrbrück is thus also symbolized in the Andreas Church.
With these windows, the Andreaskirche holds a unique treasure trove of modern glass painting - almost 3 years had passed from the first draft to completion - a sign that the artistically valuable work of this size was a real challenge for the artist Jakob Schwarzkopf and the executing company Binsfeld , Trier, which was finally mastered with flying colors.
Mary Altar
The first version of the Marian altar was erected in 1976. A wooden figure stood on a stone slab with 2 pillars. The stone slab bears the inscription: "Maria, Queen of Peace". At the end of the 1980s, the figure was replaced by a new statue of the Virgin Mary. The new figure, which is a gift from local parishioners, is made of high quality linden wood and is based on the Madonna of Fátima .
The old figure is currently in the rectory (former old school) in Ahrbrück.
tabernacle
The original tabernacle was replaced around 2008 and has been in the sacristy ever since .
The purchase of a new tabernacle in St. Andrew's Church occupied the former local pastors Schneider and Neisius already 20 and 15 years ago.
The first concrete draft was created in 2002 by the tried and tested church architect and sculptor Paul Nagel , Wesseling. After intensive consultations with the board of directors, the parish council, the building department of the diocese of Trier and the diocesan cultivation commission, the board of directors of St. Petrus, Kesseling, made the appropriate decisions in 2007 to place the order.
The vertical emphasis on the shape of the tabernacle is in good connection with the entire choir wall surface and the cross hanging over it. The gable-shaped wall surface, 7 m wide and 12 m high, which shows an emerging shape, as well as the cross with body, was realized in the form of the tabernacle for architectural and aesthetic reasons. The harmonious connection of these dimensions creates an iconography rich in content.
The existing base made of tuff stone (made of the same material as the altar , ambo , table for gifts and seats for priests and altar servers), with its more or less large inclusions of dark gray basalt pieces, was included in the tabernacle design.
The tabernacle has an octagonal (octagonal) plan. Already in early Christian times it was the eight that was raised to the symbol of the resurrection of Christ, the participation in Christ in baptism. Eight thus became the number of salvation, regeneration and resurrection, the pledge of which in the Christian faith is baptism. The octagonal shape of early Christian baptismal churches consciously took up this meaning: Christ's appearance to the disciples on the 8th day after Easter. On the 8th day a new week begins, a new time - for the Church Fathers a symbol of the day of the Lord's Resurrection (resurrectio Domini). The early Christians speak of the 8th day of creation (on the 7th day - on the Sabbath God rested, on the 1st day of the week he rose from the dead).
The tabernacle stands on four shells cast in bronze as a symbol of purity and has a plastic grape as a crown (symbol of Christ, the vine), from which a cross emerges as a symbol of redemption.
The size of the tabernacle is such that a ciborium , three host bowls and a custodia (storage vessel for the large host) can easily be accommodated in it.
The two doors can be opened 180 degrees.
There is also space for the existing monstrance in the front part for exposure and adoration of the Holy of Holies. The open doors provide an optical protective space.
The right wing of the door shows an angel waving a censer. It is reminiscent of the incense of the Magi to the child of God in the manger.
The left door shows an angel with a large Easter candle on the inside.
The inner surfaces of the tabernacle are gilded with 24-carat gold leaf. The tabernacle is equipped with a curtain, a conopeum and an additional shelf. The base plate is made of fine padouk wood.
In front of the tabernacle, on the tuff stone column, is a shelf made of patinated brass with a covered padouk plate, which contains two leaves of an olive branch as an inlay. The plate is used to place the holy of holies or the ciborias or host bowls, to pay tribute before and after removal.
Under this shelf you can see a bronze pigeon.
Bells in St. Andreas
The bells of St. Andreas were cast on May 5, 1979 in the bell foundry in Brockscheid . The consecration of the bells took place in Ahrbrück on May 27, 1979.
The naming was based on the patron saint of the local community and the districts.
St. Andrew
- Sound: dis
- Diameter: 132 cm
- Weight: 30 quintals
- Inscription: "Saint Andrew, our church's patron saint, pray for us at God's throne."
This bell is rung when a male member of the ward dies.
St. Catherine
- Sound: ais
- Diameter: 89 cm
- Weight: 9 quintals
- Inscription: "Saint Catherine, intercessor, lead us to God in faith."
St. Mary
- Sound: g sharp
- Diameter: 99 cm
- Weight: 13 quintals
- Inscription: "Mary, Virgin and Jesus Christ, praise be to you, since you are our mediator."
The bell is rung when a female member of the ward dies.
St. Rochus
- Sound: f sharp
- Diameter: 111 cm
- Weight: 17 quintals
- Inscription: "Saint Rochus, we greatly admire you, you have honored God's honor."
Individual evidence
- ↑ St. Andreas on the homepage of the Diocese of Triers, section Stations of the Cross
- ↑ St. Andreas on the homepage of the Diocese of Triers, section window images
- ↑ St. Andreas on the homepage of the Diocese of Triers, section Marienaltar
- ↑ a b c St. Andreas on the homepage of the Diocese of Triers, section bells
- Chronicle of the community of Ahrbrück
- Documents of the church “St. Andreas "
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 29 ′ 14.9 ″ N , 6 ° 58 ′ 17.5 ″ E