St. Felizitas (Lüdinghausen)
St. Felizitas is the Catholic parish church in the center of the city of Lüdinghausen (Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Coesfeld district).
Church history up to the 16th century
In the year 800 St. Liudger , who was the first bishop of Munster, was given their property in Lüdinghausen by a certain Senelhard and his son-in-law Walfried. The large property was in today's city center. Liudger built the first church for Lüdinghausen on this site. Nothing more is known about the size and appearance of the church, but it is assumed that the church was only a small wooden structure. The church and the parsonage next door were owned by Liudger. In order to secure his property, he bequeathed it to the Werden monastery , which he had founded himself and where he was buried. The first church in Lüdinghausen thus became an own church of Werden Abbey.
As a result of the market and minting rights for Lüdinghausen from 974, a new church was consecrated on July 11, 1037 by Bishop Hermann I of Münster. The church was no longer a wooden structure, but a stone church. The church, which was probably built in the Romanesque style, was under the protection of Saint Stephen and Saint Felicitas with their seven sons. This church existed for almost 500 years until today's parish church was built.
Protection cartridge
Saint Liudger, who built the first church in Lüdinghausen, consecrated this church to Our Lady and the martyr Stephanus.
Stephen was the first witness to die for Christ. According to the story, Stephen, who was a Jewish Christian, was appointed deacon of the young community with some other believers. In Jerusalem he did good everywhere and helped wherever he could. He spread the good news of Christ everywhere. Some Jews disliked this and held him accountable. In his defense speech the Jews saw blasphemy, drove him to the gates of the city and stoned him to death. Stephen thus became the first martyr of Christ.
The second church was already consecrated to Stephanus and Felicitas . Over the years Felicitas ousted Stephanus and became the main patroness.
According to her story, she was a very devout Christian, which the Roman priests displeased. They reported Felicitas to the emperor, who forwarded them to the city prefect. Her seven sons were killed because she continued to refuse to contradict her belief. Her head was then cut off by the hangman's sword.
Building history of today's church
Today's St. Felizitas Church is the third in its place. On February 28, 1507 (the 2nd Sunday of Lent) the foundation stone of the choir was laid. St. Felizitas is east, d. H. the choir faces east and the main portal - i.e. the tower - faces west. The construction of the tower did not begin until June 8, 1515 - the day after Corpus Christi . It was worked on for 43 years. The long construction time was also due to the Anabaptist riots in Münster around 1524, after these riots the further construction started very slowly. In 1558 the church was completed.
Over the centuries, minor structural changes were made again and again. In connection with the return to Gothic architecture , the church roof was built around 1875 according to the plans of the cathedral builder Hilger Hertel the Elder. Ä. rebuilt. Originally, the church had a large, tile-covered roof spanning all three aisles , the ridge of which was significantly higher than that of today's multi-part roof. The top of the church tower also got its present shape in the second half of the 19th century, when a tower clock was installed. In addition, the sacristy built on the north side was raised with a high gable, so that from Mühlenstrasse the impression can arise that this extension is a transept .
1908–1910 the chapel in the southwest and the entrance hall in the northwest were added to the tower according to a design by the architect Alexander Cazin . Thus the west facade was widened considerably.
In the meantime, small repairs had to be carried out on the masonry , as the Baumberger sandstone is not particularly weatherproof.
The floor in the chancel was raised by three steps in 1951. In 1979 the church was thoroughly renovated. The chancel received a new altar and a corresponding ambo . The heavily soiled walls and vaults were completely repainted, whereby the ribs painted in red and gold harmonized particularly well with the new red flooring. The technology also moved into the church: When installing the new lighting and loudspeaker system, care was taken to ensure that no cables or other technical equipment disfigured the church. In 1983 the parish hall was built in the shadow of the parish church. Several group rooms are housed there.
Exterior construction
The mighty west tower of the Felizitas Church stands out from the cityscape from afar. The square tower, which is over 70 meters high, has four floors, each floor being a third smaller than the one below and tapering towards the top. The bottom floor with the large west window is included in the church interior. The two middle floors have no windows, but instead window panels that are intended to subdivide the enormous mass.
On the second floor at the height of the vault is the clockwork of the church tower clock, which moves the hands on the fourth floor. The clock, built in 1928, used to have to be driven by weights that were pulled up by hand. Today this work is done by an electric motor.
The bell cage is on the fourth floor. On the east side of the tower roof, a small roof juts out from which two clock bells hang.
Above the fourth floor of the tower there is a gallery at the foot of the roof, which is particularly emphasized by the balustrade. The gallery and the octagonal, copper-clad spire date from the 19th century, however verdigris has formed on the roof over the years.
The rest of the roof structure also dates from the 19th century. It is much lower than the old one and has a very complicated structure. A long roof, which is supported by a pointed roof turret, lies over the main nave. Adjacent to this are transverse roofs that are arranged at right angles. Above the choir, the side roofs again run parallel to the long central roof. In contrast to the copper-coated tower roof, the roof over the church is covered with slate.
The Marian column is located on the south side of the church. It is the memorial of the grave of a Lüdinghauser citizen who had earned a great name through his charity: Bernhard Strotkamp (died January 15, 1867). The square stone column tapered towards the top stands on a broad foundation.
Church interior
If you want to enter the church from the north, you must first pass through the entrance hall. The small hall was added in 1909. In it you can take holy water and find out about church events.
As soon as you go into the late Gothic hall church, you are expected by a large and bright hall. The size is due to the fact that the two side aisles have the same height as the central nave and are only separated by slim round pillars. The tower, which is integrated into the church interior, causes a further enlargement. It is open on three sides and stands on two three-quarter pillars in the west wall and on two free-standing solid round pillars.
A lot of attention is paid to these two mighty tower pillars because of their size of 7.42 meters, which is unique in Europe. The inscriptions on the two pillars reveal a lot about the history of Lüdinghausen and the church.
In the southern round pillar, the engravings tell of five major city fires between 1568 and 1832, as well as the history of the tower's construction. The north pillar tells of the victims of the two world wars, the reconstruction of the church and the new building of the nearby Ludgerikirche. In contrast to all other columns, the tower pillars do not have an octagonal, but a round base.
The large windows in the church are very noticeable. The Ludgerus window shows the founder of the faith in Lüdinghausen. In the upper half, the saint is shown as a missionary and bishop at his sermon in Saxony. The transfer of the body through Lüdinghausen to Werden is shown below.
Especially the west window captivates the viewer. It shows the world judgment. Mary and Jesus are framed by the twelve disciples in a semicircle. Angels represent Christ's suffering and are in battle with the devil with trumpets of judgment. The blessed, among them the founder of the window, are separated from the damned.
In 1869, thanks to a generous donation from Droste Erbdroste zu Darfeld, a new high altar and a new side window with glass painting by Johann Klein could be installed in the church. The choir window between the church and the side chapel depicts three prophets from the Old Testament.
The ceiling of the central nave is equipped with six star vaults, with the ribs of the columns forming this vault. The side aisles are equipped with simple ribbed vaults. Two brass chandeliers hang from two vaults. They carry numerous candles and are lit for large celebrations.
The side chapel from 1909 to 1910 has a two-bay vault. The ribs of this vault end in stone figures that z. B. to illustrate the passions of greed and drunkenness. The chapel has a simple altar, the wrought-iron base of which served as a door panel for a communion bench . Another altar on the back wall is a former side altar of the church. The mosaic of the altar shows the coronation of Mary
The long and high side walls of the church are divided by the many windows. In addition, in the 19th century, relief pictures of the Passion of Christ in subtle colors and wall tiles with ornaments were attached.
The church patroness Felicitas is depicted three times with her seven sons. The largest figure stands on a console on the right side of the choir. Another stone representation is in a wall niche in the side chapel. The third figure is made of wood and stands on a column under the tower. The small, dark wooden statue is probably a Lower Rhine work from the first half of the 16th century. The martyr stands with sword, palm, diadem and her seven sons under a baroque silver frame.
The sanctuary, or choir, is the extension of the central nave and has a 5/8 end . The floor is raised by three steps to highlight the altar as the center of the church. Seven of the eleven windows had to be replaced after the war. The three middle choir windows are special because they are very dark and therefore attract the visitor's attention.
In 1654 the church received a two-story baroque altar that reached to the ceiling. An oil painting depicting the crucifixion of Christ forms the center of this altar. The painting now hangs in the back of the parish church. The entire baroque interior, which also included a pulpit and choir stalls, fell victim to the neo-Gothic remodeling of the 19th century. The current altar on the back wall of the choir dates from 1875 and was built by the builder Hilger Hertel. The choir stalls and pulpit also date from this period.
Today's celebration altar was built in 1983 from the remains of the side altars and consecrated in April of the same year. It consists of a square altar plate that rests on an equally square base and four small columns. A cross relic of unknown origin is attached to the foot on the front.
Above the altar is the altar cross, which hangs from the vault. It is ascribed to a Rhenish school around 1520 and was originally a lecture cross.
The tabernacle is - like the church itself - made of Baumberg sandstone and is the work of a Munster stonemason around 1530. The six-sided, Gothic tabernacle rests on six coats of arms holding lions. The interior of the tabernacle is closed by grids on four sides. The tabernacle is pointed and has a pelican on the tip - which ends just below the vault - as a symbol of the Eucharistic Christ.
During Lent, a hunger cloth hangs in the choir arch according to the Marienfeld model from 1956. It was made according to the model of an existing cloth of the same type from 1860.
Baptismal font (13th century)
The oldest object of the furnishings, and older than the entire church, is the baptismal font from the 13th century, which stands in the front of the south aisle.
The circular font, tapering downwards, probably dates from the first half of the 13th century. It is decorated with a leaf frieze at the top and a profile at the bottom; the two iron hoops are supposed to keep the stone from cracking. The ancient locks and the cone-shaped lid were created by the Lüdinghauser art blacksmith Alex Weischer at the turn of the century. The lid is decorated with foliage and tendrils, as well as with names and symbols that refer to the four evangelists and the four currents of Paradise. The four Latin verses (hexameters) are: Os mutans Phison est prudenti simulatus. Temperiem Geon terrae designat hiatus. Est velox Tigris quo fortis significatur. Frugifer Eufrates est iustitiaque notatus. With these verses the names of the four rivers of Paradise (Phison, Geon, Tigris and Euphrates) become symbols for the virtues of wisdom, temperance, bravery and justice. The baptismal font is carried by four lions that have emerged recently.
The baptismal font includes silver baptismal implements (bowl, jug, oil vessel), which is kept in a wall niche, and a so-called Johannessschüssel, which is a wall decoration, reminding of the martyrdom of the Baptist. The baptismal font itself has running water.
organ
References to an organ in St. Felizitas can be traced back to 1662. Between 1873 and 1874, the organ builder Josef Laudenbach (Dülmen) built an instrument from which the neo-Gothic organ case is still preserved today. It is one of the most valuable of its time in northern Westphalia. The prospectus was made by the joinery Miele (Münster) according to a design by the architect and diocesan master builder Hilger Hertel (Münster) and forms a successful unit with the choir stalls, the pulpit and the sacristy furnishings, which also date from the 19th century.
Nothing more is known about the organ work. According to the prospectus, it was probably a two-manual instrument with 20 to 25 registers and a mechanical action; the console was probably built on the left side of the organ case. In 1904, the Commerzienrat Joseph Cremer (1845–1938) from Dortmund , who was associated with his home parish, donated a new organ for the parish church. The organ was built by the organ builder Georg Stahlhut (Aachen-Burtscheid). The gaming table was probably on the left behind the positive housing. In 1908 the instrument received a water motor with which the necessary wind was generated. The Stahlhut instrument had 25 registers on two manuals and a pedal .
| Disposition of the organ from 1904 (steel hat) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Over time, the instrument has been changed and rebuilt several times. In 1941 a new, free-standing gaming table with an electric action was purchased. At the same time, the organ was expanded to include a few stops and a third manual. The organ remodeling was also carried out by G. Stahlhuth & Co. Aachen. The arrangement of the organ now comprised 31 sounding stops, distributed over 3 manuals and pedal. The electric action enabled 3 fixed and 2 free combinations, 8 couplings and a crescent rocker. The number of pipes is given as 2086.
Today's organ work was built in 1983 by the organ building company Alfred Führer (Wilhelmshaven), reusing pipe material from the organ from 1904. In the course of a general cleaning in 1997, the pneumatic loop motors were replaced by more reliable magnetic motors. At the same time, the organ was expanded to include an electronic composer system with 256 combinations. The instrument has 41 registers (approx. 2,850 pipes) on three manual works and a pedal. The game actions are mechanical, the stop actions are electric.
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- Coupling: I / II, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
- Playing aids: Composition system (4 levels with 8 groups A – H each with 8 combinations = 256 combinations), sequencer up / down, mixtures down, tongues down, plenum A and B
- Annotation:
- (h) = historical register from the previous organ
Bells
The belfry is on the fourth floor of the church tower. It is not directly connected to the masonry, but stands on its own wooden structure. The enormous vibrations caused by the bells could not be absorbed by the masonry. The result would be that the masonry would crack. The belfry has four medieval bells.
| No. |
Surname |
Cast year foundry |
Diameter (mm) |
Nominal |
Inscription, remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander | 1500 | 1250 | it 1 |
Dum trahor, audite, voco vos ad gaudia vitae, defunctos plango, vivos voco. St. Alexander vocor. Anno D. MCCCCC (If I am drawn, then listen. I call you to the joys of (eternal) life. I mourn the dead, I call the living. My name is St. Alexander. In the year of the Lord 1500.) |
| 2 | Katharinen | 1500 | 1170 | e 1 |
Sta Caterina sewn by ych, born vä den heyde. Wan ych rope, so comet to hät, dat gy van gode nycht decide. Anno D. MCCCCC (I am called Saint Catherine, born of pagan parents. When I call, come so that you do not part with God. In the year of the Lord 1500.) |
| 3 | Felicitas | 1686 Arnold Kappenberch |
960 | g 1 |
Noun campanae Sta Felicitas. - Sigrium dono choro, fleo funera, festa decoro. Sta Felicitas cum septem fifiis, Patrona ecclesiae in Ludinchuserl. Matth. Friedr. a horizontal bar, praepositus Sti Mauritii, Dominus in Ludinchusen. A. Arnoldt Kappenberch me fecit. Anno 1686. (Name of the bell: Sankt Felizitas. I give the sign for the choir prayer. I complain at the funerals and beautify the festivals. - St. Felizitas with the seven sons, patroness of the church in Lüdinghausen, Matth. Friedr. Von Reck , Provost of St. Mauritz, Lord in Lüdinghausen. A. Arnoldt Kappenberch created me. Anno 1686.) |
| 4th | Measuring bell | ~ 15. Century | 600 | f 2 | - |
There are also two clock bells hanging from a small roof protruding from the east side of the tower lid.
When the tower was changed, the masonry was crowned with a gallery consisting of a balustrade, twelve mighty pinnacles and four wide-spreading gargoyles. Below the gallery, a frieze of four-passages runs around the tower, which has many rod-shaped extensions downwards.
bibliography
- Carl Göllmann: 675 years of the city of Lüdinghausen. Verlag H. Rademann, Lüdinghausen 1983, pp. 95-110.
- Carl Göllmann: Yearbook 1981 Coesfeld district. Verlag H. Rademann, 1980, pp. 88-90.
- Carl Göllmann: Church leader St. Felizitas Lüdinghausen. Schnell & Steiner publishing house, Munich 1988.
- E. and H. Melchers: The great book of saints. Verlag des Borromäusverein Bonn, Munich 1978, pp. 187–188, 770, 771, 827 to 829.
- B. Oheim, AB-Schwering: Lüdinghausen, an extraordinary stroll. Lüdinghausen Tourist Office, p. 24 and 25.
- Stephan Schnieder: Festschrift for the city anniversary 1308-1958. Verlag H. Rademann, Lüdinghausen 1958, pp. 66-70.
- Wilhelm Schöneberg: Lüdinghausen in old views. European Library Zaltbommel, The Netherlands, 1976, pp. 28-33.
- Werner Storksberger. In: Westfälische Nachrichten , Lüdinghausen edition, Easter 1991, third local page.
- Jörg Strotmann: Technical work in German . Municipal secondary school Lüdinghausen, 1991.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paul Engelmeier: Westphalian hunger scarves from the 14th to the 19th century . Munster 1961.
- ↑ To the baptismal font in the community's online church guide
- ^ Thomas Kleinhenz: Church music in St. Felizitas. Retrieved April 8, 2017 (German).
- ↑ Information about the bells in the online church guide of the community
- ↑ Video recording of the bell on YouTube
Web links
- stfelizitas.de
- Virtual 360 ° panorama church tour
- luedinghausen.de
- Fiber optic
- Church music in St. Felizitas: www.kirchenmusik-felizitas.de
Coordinates: 51 ° 46 ′ 12.4 " N , 7 ° 26 ′ 40.2" E