St. Franziskus (Zurich-Wollishofen)
The Church of St. Franziskus is the Roman Catholic parish church in the Zurich district of Wollishofen . Three phases of Roman Catholic church building in Switzerland can be seen in its building history .
history
prehistory
In the Middle Ages, the then farming village of Wollishofen belonged to the parish of St. Peter and Paul in Kilchberg , which stretched from Rüschlikon and Adliswil to Enge . From the 14th century three chapels were built in the Wollishofen area, which became Reformed houses of worship when the Reformation was introduced in 1523. In 1807, the practice of Catholic worship was permitted again in the canton of Zurich. The few Catholics of Wollishofen joined the newly founded Roman Catholic parish of St. Peter and Paul in Zurich-Aussersihl in 1874 . Towards the end of the 19th century, more and more Catholics from central and eastern Switzerland , but also from neighboring Catholic countries, moved to Wollishofen, so that a possibility for Catholic services in Wollishofen had to be found. As early as 1901, an emergency church on the corner of Butzenstrasse and Albisstrasse was rented in a modest restaurant in Wollishofen , which was nicknamed the Waschhüsli .
Ten years later there were already 700 Catholics in Wollishofen and the desire for a real church became more urgent. After several unsuccessful attempts to acquire land, in 1923 the mother parish of St. Peter and Paul Zurich-Aussersihl was able to acquire the 3000 square meter building site for the current church on Albisstrasse near Morgental. The timber frame house standing on this land served as the first parsonage until the current rectory was built in 1940.
Building history and naming
In 1923, architect Joseph Löhlein was commissioned with the planning of the Catholic Church in Wollishofen, who proposed a church facing the street at right angles and to seal it off from the street with a wall. Both the representatives of the Wollishofen district and the client are not very convinced of this project. The building permit was granted, but construction was not started.
In 1926 Josef Omlin was appointed the future pastor of the new parish in Wollishofen. He drove the project for the construction of a church, secured the financing for the construction and was able to hire the architect Joseph Steiner (1882–1975), who had already built the Herz Jesu Wiedikon church in Zurich , for the project. Three drafts preceded the implemented concept: A first draft was for a church without a tower. This was followed by a design with a modern design for the time, including a narrow, angular tower. A third design provided for a round building, from which the idea of a round tower was incorporated into the project.
In 1926 the idea arose to dedicate the church to be built to Francis of Assisi , who died 700 years ago .
In the years 1927–1928 the church was built according to plans by the architect Joseph Steiner in the style of an early Christian basilica . In contrast to the first project by Joseph Löhlein, the St. Franziskus Church was built parallel to the course of the road, which was also welcomed by the city authorities. Research by the city of Zurich's monument preservation department has shown that the first drafts for a church in Wollishofen with a nave running parallel to the street were made by architect Karl Moser in 1926 and were adopted by Joseph Steiner. The red coloring of the whole complex was based on a recommendation from the city building authorities, which at the time propagated a colored city . On September 23, 1928, the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Chur , Georg Schmid von Grüneck . In the same year St. Francis was raised to a parish.
In 1958 the parish established its first parish center next to the Church of St. Francis. This remained in the lower parts when the current parish center was built by architect Walter Moser in 1991.
Around 1960, a boys' choir was established in the parish, which until 1976 called itself the Franziskus Boys' Choir and from which today's Zurich Boys' Choir emerged.
While the exterior of the church remained largely unchanged, the interior has been redesigned several times. The walls of the church were quite bare until the 1930s and in 1931 they were decorated with a cycle of frescoes by the church painter Fritz Kunz (1868–1947). 1972–1973 the church was fundamentally rebuilt according to plans by Dieter Schenker, Rüschlikon, with the chancel arch being broken off and the chancel relocated to the left side of the main nave so that chairs that replaced the original pews could be added to the chancel on three sides . The aim was to give spatial expression to the community of people and priests according to the specifications of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council . During this redesign, the frescoes under the arcades of the side aisles were whitewashed and the choir painting disappeared when the choir arch was demolished. In 2004, during the renovation of the church, the chancel was moved back to the front part of the main nave according to plans by the architect Pius Bieri, Rapperswil SG . This gave the church its architecturally prescribed longitudinal orientation again. At the same time, the red of the tower and church on the outside of the church were adapted, the sacristy from 1973 was repainted gray and the forecourt of the church was redesigned. Bishop Amédée Grab inaugurated the newly established church on November 21, 2004.
The parish of St. Franziskus, with its 4,251 members (as of 2018), is one of the medium-sized Roman Catholic parishes in the city of Zurich.
Daughter parishes
The area of today's parish of St. Elisabeth (Kilchberg ZH) was separated from the parish of the Holy Trinity (Adliswil) when the parish of St. Francis was founded , as Wollishofen was closer to the Catholics of Kilchberg. From 1932 the first Catholic services took place in Kilchberg and in 1935 the St. Elisabeth Chapel was consecrated by Bishop Laurenz Matthias Vincenz and Kilchberg was appointed parish rectorate. In 1967 the St Elisabeth church built by the architect André M. Studer was consecrated.
The Leimbach district also belonged to the parish of St. Franziskus until 1972 . In 1950 the first church was built in Leimbach, and between 1972 and 1974 today's church Maria-Hilf was built by architect Walter Moser . On December 1, 1974, Leimbach was raised to a parish by Bishop Johannes Vonderach and separated from St. Francis.
Church tower and bells
The tower of St. Francis was built at the same time as the church. It is 30 meters high, appears to be attached to the wall of the church, but is statically separated from the church. It was not until 24 years later, on October 25, 1952, that the tower received its first four bells, which were cast by the H. Rüetschi bell foundry in Aarau and consecrated by Bishop Christian Caminada . The fifth bell followed three years later. The pitch of the bells was matched to the peal of the neighboring Reformed Church.
| number | Weight | volume |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2440 kg | c |
| 2 | 1458 kg | it |
| 3 | 1046 kg | f |
| 4th | 612 kg | as |
| 5 | 416 kg | b |
Building description
After the tram line was extended to the current terminus in the 1920s and the streets were also widened, the new district center of Wollishofen was built on the site of the former Unterdorf. Along the stretched S-curve of the street, houses of a building cooperative and the church of St. Francis were built at the same time. These buildings from the 1920s still characterize the Morgental district center today.
Architect Josef Steiner from Schwyz was able to build several churches in the Diocese of Chur during the term of office of Bishop Georg Schmid von Grüneck, including the Catholic churches in Wald , Wetzikon and the Church of the Heart of Jesus (Zurich-Wiedikon) . What all these churches have in common is that they “have a Romanesque architectural style with a rural and local character.” The Church of St. Franziskus is also a neo-Romanesque church in the basilica style, the specialty of which is the round church tower with coupled sound openings. This tower is intended to remind of the Italian homeland of the church patron St. Francis and is a striking eye-catcher from all sides. The church has a central nave, two side aisles and a flat plaster ceiling with repetitive stucco.
Interior design
Concept of a way church
The project, realized by the architect Joseph Steiner, consisted of a longitudinal church , which opened the way from the rear entrance to the altar in the opposite choir - a so-called Wegkirche . On either side of the otherwise bare room there was a colonnade, the central nave and the two side aisles opened to each other through arcades . Thanks to the light color scheme, the arched windows attached to the ceiling were sufficient as a light source. Simple ball lamps could also be ignited. A spacious organ gallery rose above the vestibule at the entrance . The choir of the church opened on the opposite side through a semicircular wall arch. The choir was completed by a straight choir wall.
The church is decorated and furnished
After the parish had raised enough financial resources, the Wollishofen Catholic Church Building Association commissioned the artist Fritz Kunz to paint essential parts of the church in 1931 .
The vocation of St. Francis
The undressing
The assignment
The calling of St. Clare
As in the Liebfrauenkirche, Fritz Kunz painted the rear wall of the choir, the choir vault and the arcades of the side aisles in a fresco technique in a hieratic style. The depiction of Christ crucified and the stigmatization of St. Francis formed the picturesque and central dominant feature of the whole church. To the left of the triumphal arch , as in the Church of Our Lady, there was still a depiction of Our Lady with the child , on the right a fresco of St. Joseph . God the Father was depicted in the choir vault . The frescoes under the arcades of the side aisles showed an eight-part fresco cycle with depictions from the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Another design element from this period are the wooden statues of the two saints Francis and Antony by Beat Gasser, Lungern , as well as the carved Stations of the Cross .
The Annunciation
The sermon before Sultan Al-Kamil
The vision
The death
The 1973 renovation
The new liturgical specifications of the Constitution on the Holy Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council and the changed tastes of the time forced a renewal of the Church of St. Francis in the 1970s. In the building commission, opinions differed widely: from a simple renovation of the church to demolishing and rebuilding the church. The building commission finally commissioned the architect Dieter Schenker, Rüschlikon with the renovation of the church building while at the same time profoundly redesigning the interior of the church into a multifunctional space . The request of the Vatican Council for greater participation by the church service community prompted the architect to turn the original conception of the church as a longitudinal structure by 90 degrees, so that a transverse structure was created. The altar was repositioned on the left side of the main nave, around which rows of chairs were grouped in a semicircle. In order to implement the idea of designing the church as a multifunctional space, the new altar and the ambo were designed as simple furniture that stood on mobile platforms . The artist Ludwig Stocker, Basel created the altar, the ambo and the tabernacle in a uniform way and gave the entire ensemble and the chairs for the faithful an orange color. The table top of the altar and the top of the anvil rested on olive trunks; A plexiglass pyramid seemed to float above the wooden panel of the altar, but it was also supported by the olive trunks. On the altar and the tabernacle, the point of the Plexiglas pyramid was pointing downwards, so that the broad surface of the pyramid served as an altar plate or lectern. The tabernacle was also made of wood and Plexiglas and its design continued the conception of the altar and ambo. Ludwig Stocker's idea was that the earthly (olive trunks and wooden plate) should be united with the spiritual (plexiglass pyramids). The entire ensemble was donated to the Catholic parish of the Resurrection Church in Kaunas, Lithuania when it was redesigned in 2004, together with the matching seating. In order to gain more space, the church's choir, which had become superfluous, was demolished, and the frescoes in the choir area were also lost. The eight pictures with the cycle from the life of St. Francis of Assisi were whitewashed, but in such a way that they could be brought out again at a later point in time. There was opposition to this comprehensive reorganization of the church, both in the parish and on the part of the cantonal monument preservation authorities . Objections to this profound transformation of the church were not heard.
During the one-year renovation period, the church was transformed into a bright church service room, in which the congregation could gather around a simple, slightly raised altar table. The old organ, which over time had only inadequately performed its service, was replaced by a new, asymmetrically placed organ. As a replacement for the sacristy that was lost during the redesign , an external extension was built on the south-east corner of the church. The confessionals were replaced by confession rooms, the two side entrances to the church were walled up and a new entrance to the church was created in the tower area instead. In addition to the large church service room, a weekday chapel with a modern tabernacle by Ludwig Stocker and a statue of the Virgin Mary from the 16th century was also built under the left half of the organ gallery. The weekday chapel was used for devotions and services in small groups. Under the guidance of the artist Kathlen Weber, members of the parish made a large tapestry , which is inspired by the Canticle of the Sun of St. Francis and has been hanging on the former choir wall of the church since 1973.
The altar by Ludwig Stocker, 1973
The ambo
The tabernacle
The lectern
The cross
The cross in color
Stained glass window to the Canticle of the Sun of St. Francis
moon
Stars
Sky and water
fish
Big wave
The largest new work of art that was brought into the church when it was redesigned in 1973 is the cycle of stained glass windows created by the Zurich artist Max Rüedi . The windows, designed according to motifs from St. Francis' song of the sun from the 13th century, have shaped the artistic appearance of the church ever since. There are 27 windows in the church, which were designed by Max Rüedi with glass paintings. 25 are in the Lichtgaden of the church, 2 were at eye level and were removed and stored during the renovation in 2004, as the windows were closed due to the new design concept of the chancel. The window cycle begins on the south-western side of the nave with the night. St. Francis wrote at night: “Praise be to you, my Lord, through sister moon and the stars; in the sky you formed them, brightly shining and precious and beautiful. ”In the first two glass windows, the moon and stars appear in the night sky and refer to the transcendence of God. They are followed by the sky with the wind, the air and the water, as St. Francis describes them in his Canticle of the Sun.
country
blossom
Apple
Snake tail
Snake head
Flames
The song of the sun follows in the middle part of the creation story from the book of Genesis. After the creation of the land, the story of paradise follows. The apple and the snake indicate the fall of man, which cannot be missing in salvation history. To the right of the organ the cycle continues with the tree of life, death and resurrection in one. The fire follows on the north-eastern church wall . Francis of Assisi writes about this in his Canticle of the Sun: “Praise you, my Lord, through brother fire, through which you illuminate the night; and it is beautiful and lovable and powerful and strong. ”Both the fire and the rainbow are signs of promise.
Fire
Tongues of fire
Rainbow
The sun on the two central church windows is followed by the wind, the air, the clouds and the bird that completes the cycle in the upper part of the church wall. In the eastern corner of the church were the two other windows of the cycle. One depicted the ox and donkey from the Christmas story, referring to the birth of Jesus Christ in the manger. The other showed the body of the dead Jesus, which in connection with the bird above it became a symbol of death and resurrection, of captivity and liberation. Francis of Assisi writes: “Praise be to you, my Lord, by those who forgive for the sake of your love and who endure sickness and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure such things in peace, for you, most often, will crown them. Praise be to you, my lord, through our sister, bodily death; no living person can escape from it ... Blessed are those who find themselves in your most sacred will, for the second death will do them no harm. "
Sun
Clouds
Bird and cloud
Orange clouds
As a supplement to Max Rüedi's window cycle, Ferdinand Gehr finally created a small glass window in the northern corner of the church with a flower motif in 1980.
The redesign from 2004
Around the year 2000, the condition of the technical equipment and the gray interior of the church made it necessary to renovate it again. A survey in the parish showed that a return to the original design of the church as a way church was desired. The concept developed by the architect Pius Bieri from the Felix Schmid Partner AG architectural office, Rapperswil SG , envisaged making the church, which was designed as a multifunctional space in 1973, a clearly defined sacred space again. The artistic design was awarded to the sculptor Roland Heini, Lucerne . The new altar area was set up in the front third of the church. He is now back in the longitudinal axis of the church defined by the new pews. In the area of the original choir of the church there are four rows of pews. Depending on the size of the group, it is possible to celebrate the service against the majority of the benches or rotated 180 degrees towards the choir wall. The newly created entrance to the church by the tower in 1973 was closed again and replaced by a reactivation of the south-western side entrance of the church. The new oak portal of the side entrance was created according to the original plans from 1928.
The artistic design by Roland Heini shapes the current shape of the church. With targeted lighting in the entrance area, clear colors in the individual areas of the church and simple design language in the liturgical elements in the chancel, the impression of a modern and yet discreet house of God is created. Roland Heini's color concept includes the yellow painting of the original plaster ceiling from 1928, which picks up on the yellow of the sun windows by artist Max Rüedi from 1973. The slightly raised altar area made of reddish sandstone , the gray pews with black seat cushions and the blue designed glass in the entrance area, which bathes the rear part of the church in bluish light through the newly designed frosted glass front under the organ loft, give the church a mystical atmosphere. The originally white organ front was painted a subtle silver color based on the color scheme of the liturgical furniture. The altar features a profile of a rope - the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the symbol of the Franciscan renewal of the Church chosen by St. Francis of Assisi - and refers to the new cross design on the left side of the altar area. The altar, the ambo, the new baptismal font and the Stand for the Easter candle was in the bell foundry Rüetschi, Aarau in one of bronze and nickel gained German silver - alloy cast. The new tabernacle is located on the southern longitudinal front of the church and is surrounded by a round bench that invites prayer in front of the Holy of Holies .
On March 16, 2016, two plates from the former high altar from 1928 were attached to the left and right of the tabernacle. The tabernacle plates were restored and attached by the stone sculptor Benno Willi from Domat / Ems. The stone comes from Hospental / UR in the Urserental.
The church's original baptismal font from 1928, which had stood next to the church at the entrance to the sacristy after 1973 , was returned to the church when the church was redesigned in 2004 and is located as a holy water font in the nave between the main entrance of the church and the pews . The baptismal font reminds the believers of their own baptism when they take the holy water for the sign of the cross.
The interior in the design from 2004
The altar area by Roland Heini
View into the nave
Stucco ceiling in the color scheme from 2004, detailed view
chapel
On the left side of the main entrance, under the organ gallery, there was a working day chapel from 1973 to 2004. When the church was renovated in 2004, it was dismantled and a chapel was added to the north-eastern longitudinal wall of the church to replace it. Based on a concept by the artist Roland Heini with the help of the artist Vera Rothamel, a Marienkapelle was created, on the deep red front wall of which a simple wooden Madonna invites you to reflect.
organ
In 1934 the church received its first organ . When the church was redesigned in 1974, it was replaced by the current organ. The organ building company Th. Kuhn , Männedorf, built the instrument, which was inaugurated on April 7, 1974. The instrument has mechanical slider chest and an electric Register contracture . In 2001, a register was replaced (oboe 8 ′ instead of Dulcian 16 ′) and a typesetting system with floppy disk drive was installed.
The disposition of the organ:
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- Coupling : I / II, III / II, III / I, I / P, II / P, III / P
- Game aids : 5 × 256-fold typesetting system, floppy disk drive
See also
literature
- Guido Kolb: 100 years of St. Peter and Paul. Zurich, 1974
- Episcopal Ordinariate Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese of Chur. Chur 1980.
- Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Zurich. Zurich, 1989
- Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. Wollishofen's landmark in a new splendor. Zurich, 2005
- Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. New Year's Gazette Industriequartier / Aussersihl. Zurich, 2012
- City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development (Ed.): Catholic Churches of the City of Zurich. Inventory of Monument Preservation of the City of Zurich. Zurich 2014.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 5
- ↑ Website of the parish, section History ( Memento of the original from August 6, 2016 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. , accessed March 1, 2016.
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 6
- ^ Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Parishes of the City of Zurich. P. 180
- ^ City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development (Ed.): Catholic Churches of the City of Zurich. Inventory of Monument Preservation of the City of Zurich. P. 126.
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 7
- ^ Parish website, About Us Section. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ^ City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development (Ed.): Catholic Churches of the City of Zurich. Inventory of Monument Preservation of the City of Zurich. P. 126 and 130.
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 7
- ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 48
- ↑ Wolfgang Nigg: The renewed St. Franziskus Church revives the parish, in: Roman Catholic Church Community Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P.3
- ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 48
- ↑ Wolfgang Nigg: The renewed St. Franziskus Church revives the parish, in: Roman Catholic Church Community Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 3
- ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 48
- ^ Catholic Church in the Canton of Zurich. Annual report 2017. p. 84.
- ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 52
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 9
- ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 48
- ^ City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development (Ed.): Catholic Churches of the City of Zurich. Inventory of Monument Preservation of the City of Zurich. P. 126.
- ^ Rainald Fischer, in: Guido Kolb: 100 years of St. Peter and Paul, p. 195
- ^ Rainald Fischer, in: Guido Kolb: 100 years of St. Peter and Paul, p. 195
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 9
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 10
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 11 and 19
- ^ Rainald Fischer, in: Guido Kolb: 100 years of St. Peter and Paul, p. 195
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 13
- ^ Alois Poletti: The St. Francis Church after the redesign . Tages-Anzeiger from April 14, 1973
- ^ Alois Poletti: The St. Francis Church after the redesign . Tages-Anzeiger from April 14, 1973
- ↑ Griete Rüedi: Max Rüedi's windows . Tages-Anzeiger from April 14, 1973
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. Pp. 12–13 and 21
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. Pp. 14-15
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. Pp. 15, 19 and 20
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 19
- ^ Hans Bosshard : The landmark of Wollishofen in new splendor. , in: Roman Catholic parish Zurich-St. Franziskus (Ed.): The renovated Church of St. Franziskus. The landmark of Wollishofen in a new splendor. P. 19
- ^ Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Parishes of the City of Zurich. P. 181
- ^ Website of the organ builder. Accessed July 7, 2013
Coordinates: 47 ° 20 '35.3 " N , 8 ° 31' 51.8" E ; CH1903: six hundred and eighty-two thousand five hundred fifty-three / 244160