St. Benedict (Ilsenburg)

Exterior view

The Church of St. Benedict is the Roman Catholic church in Ilsenburg (Harz) , a town in the Harz district in Saxony-Anhalt . It belongs to the parish of St. Boniface with its seat in Wernigerode , in the dean's office in Halberstadt, and is the westernmost church in the diocese of Magdeburg . The church, named after Saint Benedict of Nursia , is located on Schloßstraße (corner of Am Großer Garten).

history

In 995 King Otto III consecrated St. Vitus Chapel in Ilsenburg. In 1003 his successor Heinrich II handed over the Elysynaburg to Arnulf von Halberstadt , the bishop of the Diocese of Halberstadt , of the stained glass window in today's St. Benedict Church . Around 1010, the Benedictine monastery with the church of St. Peter and Paul emerged from it , which was followed in 1131 by the nearby St. Mary's Church. In 1547 the Reformation was introduced in Ilsenburg , with which the monastery was abolished and the Marienkirche became Protestant .

In the course of industrialization , Catholics settled in Ilsenburg again around 1900 , who were looked after by clergy from St. Katharinen Church in Halberstadt. The services initially took place in the Hotel Ilsestein (owned by the Herzig family) and later in the Protestant parish hall.

The church building site was bought in 1932 and the groundbreaking ceremony followed on September 1, 1934 . Already on 7 October 1934, the foundation stone was laid , and on 31 March 1935, the new church was by Dean Brandt benediziert . The parish from Wernigerode also supported the construction. After a renovation of the church, a new altar was consecrated on November 1, 2003 by the then auxiliary bishop Gerhard Feige , and the ambo and tabernacle were also renewed.

On July 1, 2007, the Roman Catholic communities in Elbingerode , Hesse , Ilsenburg, Osterwieck , Wasserleben , Wernigerode and Zilly were founded . In May 2010, the parish “St. Bonifatius ”based in Wernigerode. The 2011 census in the European Union showed that of the 9,588 inhabitants of the city of Ilsenburg, 243 belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, which corresponds to around 2.5%. The majority of the inhabitants did not belong to any religious community.

Architecture and equipment

The church, located around 270 meters above sea level , was built according to plans by the architect Wilhelm Ulrich from Halle (Saale) . The Benedict statue in front of the oculus above the entrance portal was erected in 2015.

The stained glass windows in the north wall of the church are dedicated to Saints Henry II and Benedict, and a crucifix with depictions of the four evangelist symbols is located above the entrance door. Sacrificial candles can be placed in front of a copy of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help . The church stalls leave a central aisle free and offer 48 seats. On the side walls there are 14 stations of the cross , which are designed as wooden reliefs. A hanging cross and a statue of St. Hedwig von Andechs , which comes from a former children's home in Ilsenburg, are attached to the rear wall of the chancel . The tabernacle is set into a corner of the wall.