St. Clemens (Dierdorf)
Today's parish church of St. Clemens in Dierdorf in the Neuwied district in northern Rhineland-Palatinate was built between 1948 and 1950 in place of the previous church that was completely destroyed in the bombing of Dierdorf on March 25, 1945. The Catholic Church is part of the Rhein-Wied deanery in the Trier diocese .
history
Today's Catholic Church is the third or fourth in Dierdorf, depending on the allocation or counting method.
First church
The first Catholic church was built around 1200 and was dedicated to St. James . In the first documentary mention of Dierdorf from 1204, the place is named with "Parish Dyrdorph" as the property of the Lords of Braunsberg and Isenburg . The branch churches in Urbach and Puderbach belonged to the parish and parish of Dierdorf . In 1556, Count Johann IV von Wied († 1581) introduced the Protestant church constitution according to the Augsburg Confession in Dierdorf, and the Jakobuskirche became a Protestant church. The first Protestant pastor was previously Catholic.
In 1629 soldiers of the Archbishop of Trier expelled the evangelical clergyman from Dierdorf and installed a Catholic clergyman. The archbishop wanted to reintroduce the practice of Catholic religion in the Wiedischen counties and relied on the imperial edict of restitution . The few Catholics in the village and the surrounding area were temporarily allowed to use the Jakobuskirche again. After Swedish troops had conquered Koblenz, the Trier occupation disappeared in 1630 and with it the Catholic clergy.
From this first Catholic church, essential parts of the steeple of today's Protestant church are still preserved (see Evangelical Church (Dierdorf) ).
Capuchin Mission
Apart from the short time in the 17th century, there was no Catholic community in Dierdorf for a long time. It was not until 1741 that Catholic Brückrachdorf families, who made up a third of the village, were allowed to send their children to Catholic schools "at will", but they had to contribute to the upkeep of the Reformed schoolmaster in Dierdorf.
In 1747, the Franciscans first attempted the approved introduction of Catholic services . A petition to Countess Sophia Florentine to build a monastery was rejected. In 1750, Count Johann Ludwig Adolf von Wied-Runkel granted Catholics permission to practice their religion freely in the county. They were allowed to hold services in a private house. From 1751 religious instruction was given in Dierdorf by the pastor from Marienrachdorf .
An Electorate of Trier inspector who died in 1754 bequeathed the Capuchins 5,000 thalers in his will with the stipulation that a Capuchin mission with three priests be established in Dierdorf. In 1755 the count approved the Capuchin monks to establish a settlement in Dierdorf. On March 10, 1755, the Fathers moved into Dierdorf, and a church was provisionally set up in a barn with a slate roof. Because of the resistance of the residents, the Count's permit was withdrawn. The Capuchin mission lasted until 1787.
Second church
After various efforts, a new Catholic parish was founded in Dierdorf in 1802 and a new church was built from 1803 to 1805. At the time, Elector Clemens was Archbishop of Trier, so this new church was consecrated to St. Clemens . Prince zu Wied-Runkel gave his Catholic subjects the building site for the church with a few conditions.
The foundation stone was laid on May 14, 1803, the adjacent parishes supported the new building with generous donations, so the church was completed in 1805 and consecrated on August 15 of this year. The church was “a sober rectangular building with galleries on both sides of the altar”. The high altar probably came from the Rommersdorf Abbey, which was dissolved in the same year . In 1887 the church was restored, according to an appraisal in the following year, the structural condition of the church is described as critical, and a repair and expansion is planned. After 15 years, extensive changes began in 1902, and this church was consecrated on May 3, 1904 . Extensive renovation work is reported from 1928 onwards.
On Palm Sunday (March 25) in 1945, the US Air Force attacked Dierdorf with 67 Marauder B-26 bombers and dropped a total of 272 bombs. The church and half of the city were destroyed.
Today's church
As early as 1946 there were first initiatives to rebuild the church, it should be a simple building. In 1948, the first work began, around 100,000 Reichsmarks in donations were collected. Then came the currency reform, the donations had become almost worthless.
The topping-out ceremony was celebrated on December 4, 1949, and the church consecration on November 17, 1950, when there were no pews. The steeple was built in 1959 and 1960.
Construction and equipment
Building description
The church was built as a hall church with a side aisle and a semicircular choir . The nave has a gable roof that is pulled flat on the right over the aisle, the choir has a conical roof . On the south side there are five arched, elongated and one round windows above the entrance, and four windows on each side. The choir is structured by thirteen arched window openings in the upper third.
In the square church tower there are four bells (e - fis - a - h), which were cast in 1960 by the Mabilon bell foundry in Saarburg .
Furnishing
Two objects have been preserved from the destroyed church and found their place in the new church: the baptismal font from 1848, which stands at the entrance and a late Gothic statue depicting Saint Anne with Mary on a pedestal above the entrance to the sacristy .
On the left, a crossroads of tufa , which was nachkoloriert later. At Marie altar on the right is a Fátima - Madonna .
literature
- City of Dierdorf (Ed.): Dierdorf ... pretty much in front in the Westerwald - 650 years of the city , ISBN 978-3-00-021016-7 .
- Landkreis Neuwied (Ed.): Heimat-Jahrbuch 2005 Landkreis Neuwied , ISBN 3-935690-24-X .
- Heinrich Neu, Hans Weigert: Die Kunstdenkmäler des Kreis Neuwied ( Die Kunstdenkmäler der Rheinprovinz Volume 16 Section II), Düsseldorf, Schwann, 1940, pages 86-91
Coordinates: 50 ° 32 ′ 55.3 " N , 7 ° 39 ′ 19.9" E