St. Gallus (Ladenburg)
The St. Gallus Church is a Catholic church in Ladenburg in the Rhein-Neckar district in the north-west of Baden-Württemberg . The Gothic construction began around 1250 and was completed in 1485. The church is the parish church of the same parish of St. Gallus Ladenburg.
history
Ladenburg is one of the oldest cities in Germany on the right bank of the Rhine. In Roman times there was a large market basilica . The rule of Ladenburg passed from the Franks to the Bishop of Worms . A church was first mentioned in 787. It is not known whether this is a predecessor of today's Gallus Church or whether it was located elsewhere, because there were probably several churches in the city as early as the Carolingian era . In the middle of the 13th century the construction of the St. Gallus Church began, the patronage of which was first mentioned in 1299. It was built on the old market basilica and the crypt of the previous church. In 1412, Bishop Johann von Fleckenstein laid the foundation stone for the south tower. Probably because Ladenburg was the temporary residence of the Worms bishops, it was decided to build the representative, second tower on the south flank. The belfry is said to have been completed in 1485.
The St. Gallus Church was the parish church for Ladenburg, until 1409 for Straßenheim and until the 18th century for Neckarhausen . It was the main church of the deaneries Weinheim and Heidelberg in the diocese of Worms . Since 1385, however, the bishops of Worms had to share rulership over the place Ladenburg in a condominium with the Electoral Palatinate . After Elector Ottheinrich introduced the Reformation in his domain in 1556 , it was initially agreed that the Gallus Church would be used simultaneously . But already on Good Friday 1565, Elector Friedrich III. the simultaneous relationship violently. He had all pictorial representations destroyed and only allowed the use of the church by the Reformed . Bishop Dietrich II von Bettendorf protested unsuccessfully at the Augsburg Reichstag in 1566.
During the Thirty Years War and the War of the Palatinate Succession , the Palatinate was devastated several times, but the St. Gallus Church survived the wars unscathed. When French troops stood in front of Ladenburg in 1693, the Capuchins surrendered the city. Since the Sebastian Chapel was overcrowded with refugees, French officers allowed Catholic services in the Gallus Church. A few months later they reassigned the church to the Reformed, but Bishop Ludwig Anton had it occupied by the military. All protests by the Reformed were useless. In 1708 they finally renounced St. Gallus in a settlement and in return were awarded the Mönchhof with its income to build their own church .
The exterior of the church was repaired between 1859 and 1860. The Gallus Church was enlarged between 1863 and 1869. For this purpose, it was extended to the west and received a new front facade. In 1883 the Sickingenkapelle was given a neo-Gothic roof, which was reversed in 1950. The crypt was restored in 1938 and again between 2002 and 2004. The church was renovated in 1976, whereby in some cases - from today's perspective - wrong materials were used. The renovation of the roof and facade, which began in 2010 and was completed in the summer of 2014, cost around 3 million euros, to which the Archdiocese of Freiburg, the parish and the German Foundation for Monument Protection made significant contributions. The city of Ladenburg did not participate.
In addition to the main church of St. Gallus, the St. Gallus parish also includes the Sebastian Chapel and, until 2012, St. Johannes in Ladenburg's Weststadt. The Church of St. John was profaned in 2012 at the request of the parish council .
The St. Gallus congregation and the Heddesheimer St. Remigius congregation merged in 2005 to form the Ladenburg-Heddesheim pastoral care unit. It belongs to the Dean's Office of Heidelberg-Weinheim in the Archdiocese of Freiburg . On November 14, 2014, Archbishop Stephan Burger announced the abolition of the St. Gallus parish with effect from January 1, 2015. The legal successor is the parish of Ladenburg-Heddesheim.
description
Exterior design
The St. Gallus Church is on the southeastern edge of the medieval city near the Mönchhof. The three-aisled basilica is wider than usual Gothic churches in relation to its length , which is probably explained by the fact that the floor plan was inserted into the old Roman market basilica. The nave has five yokes. The Sickingenkapelle is built onto the two eastern yokes of the north aisle. The fifth yoke and the west facade date from the 19th century. In the tympanum on the Gothic portal on the western façade, the enthroned Mother of God is depicted with the baby Jesus, below it, Columban , Gallus , Johannes Epps Const. and B. Willimar. The choir in the east has a 7/12 ending .
The north and south towers are arranged to the left and right of the choir. The floor plan of the church towers is initially square and merges into an octagon from the fourth floor. The pointed arch windows in the bell storey of the north tower built earlier are narrower than in the south tower. A clock tower is attached to the side facing the market square . It was first mentioned in 1770. The two towers end with eight small gables, curved at the south tower. The pointed tent roofs are made of copper.
Several grave slabs are attached to the outer walls, some of them are badly weathered. In the mid-18th century manuscript Thesaurus Palatinus by Johann Franz Capellini von Wickenburg , the epitaphs were recorded graphically, which means that the original appearance is passed on.
Johann VI. from Sickingen
Carl von Zandt
Heinrich Adam von Hirschberg (departed)
Wilhelm von Bettendorf (departed)
inner space
The three-aisled interior presents itself with an architectural structure made of red sandstone blocks and white plastered surfaces. The communion bench with the wrought-iron door dates from 1774. The baptismal font , ambo , tabernacle and altar candlestick created by Edwin Neyer are more recent . The modern bronze sculptures on the two side altars are by Otto Sonnleitner . In the choir on the left is the artistic tomb of Maria Henrietta von Castell, it is attributed to the sculptor Franz Conrad Linck . On the right side are the epitaphs of Johann Philipp Jacob Graf von Preysing, General Field Master of the Electoral Palatinate, and Georg Augustin von May, Electoral Palatinate Chancellor.
On the northern triumphal arch pillar is a 1.65 meter high crucifix , which was made before 1628. The church windows were designed by Valentin Feuerstein in 1966/67 . In the right aisle they show events from the Old Testament , the history of salvation is depicted in the choir , the windows in the left aisle have Maria and Gallus as their theme and the two windows in the front wall the story of Ladenburg.
Maria Henrietta von Castell
Georg Augustin of May
crucifix
Sickingenkapelle
The Sickingenkapelle is built on the north aisle. It was donated in the 15th century by Hans von Sickingen , who was buried there with his wife Margaretha Kämmerin von Worms. The 2.90 meter high epitaph of the two stands on the north wall. The coats of arms of those of Sickingen and treasurers of Worms ( Dalberg ) can be found in the two windows .
The altarpiece from the former cross altar was placed on the east wall . Four wooden inlays on the west wall show the evangelists Luke , Mark , Matthew and John . They come from the old pulpit from 1746.
Hans von Sickingen with his wife
Altarpiece
crypt
The crypt is the oldest building in the Gallus Church. It was built with the Romanesque predecessor church at the beginning of the 11th century and is located under the eastern choir. It is said to have been inaugurated in 1007 by Bishop Burchard and King Heinrich II . Originally the crypt was a square room with a side length of 4.80 meters. When the choir was built in the 13th century, the side walls were broken through and a walkway was created using the masonry of the Roman market basilica. Four columns with cube capitals support the groin vault . The frescoes depicting saints date from the 14th century. Access via a staircase on the left edge of the choir was only built in 1937 and replaced a trap door. Also noteworthy is the cross above the altar in the center of the crypt, designed by the Ladenburg artist Hans-Michael Kissel in 2009.
organ
There is evidence that there was an organ in the Gallus Church since 1686 . In 1790 an instrument was set up by the Heidelberg court organ builder Andreas Krämer.
During the renovation of the church in the 19th century, it was moved to the Sebastian Chapel and in 1868 a new organ was built by Louis Voit . At that time this organ took up the entire gallery area, so that there was no space for the church choir founded in 1882. That is why, as early as 1885, Louis Voit was commissioned to relocate and clean the organ. In 1916 an electric fan was installed. In 1927 the organ was completely dismantled and rebuilt. The arrangement was also changed, the organ was moved further back, and the entire width of the gallery up to the side walls of the nave was used to gain additional space on the gallery. The stiff mechanical cone shutter action has been replaced by a pneumatic action with every imaginable playing aid. The inauguration of this converted organ took place on October 30, 1927. There were further changes to the disposition in 1952 and 1965. The result of these changes was nevertheless unsatisfactory and very prone to failure, as one can read in the church records as early as 1976. For many years the parish, the Archbishop's Ordinariate Freiburg and the State Monuments Office were looking for a good solution. In 1997 they agreed on a new building. The old organ was initially stored and is now after a restoration in the Marbach Alexander Church .
Today's organ in St. Gallus Church was built by Mönch Orgelbau from 1998 and inaugurated on May 16, 1999. Burkhart Goethe (Schwäbisch Hall) designed the prospectus , Mathias Kohlmann (Pforzheim) and Martin Dücker were responsible for the planning as organ experts. The instrument has 43 registers on three manuals and pedal and 2971 pipes . It is particularly suitable for organ music of the German and French Romanticism and is also often used for organ concerts, for example as part of the ecumenical Ladenburg organ summer. The organ has the following disposition:
| I Hauptwerk C – g 3 | II Positive C-g 3 | III Swell C – g 3 | Pedal C – f 1 | ||||
| Bourdon | 16 ′ | Principal | 8th' | Quintaton | 16 ′ | Contrabass | 16 ′ |
| Principal | 8th' | Lovely covered | 8th' | Violin principal | 8th' | Sub bass | 16 ′ |
| Cor de nuit | 8th' | Viola alta | 8th' | Bourdon | 8th' | Octavbass | 8th' |
| Viola di gamba | 8th' | Octave | 4 ′ | Salicional | 8th' | Flute | 8th' |
| Harmony flute | 8th' | Forest flute | 4 ′ | Unda maris | 8th' | violoncello | 8th' |
| Octave | 4 ′ | Nazard | 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′ | Flûte traversière | 8th' | Bombard | 16 ′ |
| Hollow flute | 4 ′ | Flageolet | 2 ′ | Fugara | 4 ′ | Trumpet bass | 8th' |
| Super octave | 2 ′ | Tierce | 1 3 ⁄ 5 ′ | Flûte octaviante | 4 ′ | Tremulant | |
| Mixture IV | 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′ | mixture | 1 1 ⁄ 3 ′ | Octavine | 2 ′ | ||
| Scharff III | 1' | Clarinet | 8th' | Cornettino III | 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′ | ||
| Cornett III-V | 8th' | Voix humaine | 8th' | Basson-Hautbois | 8th' | ||
| Trumpet | 8th' | Tremulant | Trompette harmonique | 8th' | |||
| Tremulant | Clairon harmonique | 4 ′ | |||||
- Coupling : II / I, III / I, III / II, Sub III, I / P, II / P, III / P, Super III / P.
- Playing aids : Electronic setting system.
Bells
The ringing of the St. Gallus Church consisted of six bells until 2016 . In the south tower hang the Gallus bell, the heaviest bell at 1900 kg, and the guardian angel bell. It is the oldest and smallest bell and was previously only rung at baptisms. The four other bells hang in the north tower. The three old ones were cast between 1443 and 1500. The youngest was donated in 1957 and replaced two bells from the 1930s that had to be delivered during World War II . Due to static problems, the bells only ring together on some high feasts.
In 2016 the parish had four more bells cast to relieve the historical peal. These were financed from the estate of the pastor Karl Häring, who died in 2004.
| Surname | Casting year | tower | Ø (mm) | kg | volume | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallus Bell | 1502 | South tower | 1420 | 1900 | it' | |
| Christ the King bell | 1500 | North tower | 1220 | 1500 | ges' | |
| Marienbell | 1443 | North tower | 1050 | 800 | as' | |
| Theresienglocke | 1957 | North tower | 650 | ces '' | ||
| Joseph Bell | 1450 | North tower | 770 | 300 | d '' | |
| Guardian angel bell | 1439 | South tower | 425 | 80 | it'' | |
| St. Anthony | 2016 | North tower | 920 | 525 | b ' |
|
| St. John | 2016 | North tower | 800 | 380 | of'' | |
| To be church together | 2016 | South tower | 560 | 140 | as '' | |
| Live your love | 2016 | South tower | 490 | 95 | b '' |
In the legend, the bell of Ladenburg , it is reported how a Fraulein von Sickingen found her way home at night because she heard one of the Ladenburg bells. Since then, the " Lumpeglöckl " (the Josefs bell) has been striking every evening at 11 p.m.
Outdoor area
At the level of the sacristy there is a smaller one-story building, St. Michael. It is also known as Michaelsheim, charnel house or sewing school. The names indicate the earlier functions: behind the choir of St. Gallus was a cemetery in the Middle Ages. The bones of the dead were collected in the ossuary. In the period after the Second World War, the parish used the room for sewing courses, and later the parish library was housed here. Today, among other things, children's services, the monthly breakfast meeting and the rehearsals of the church choir take place here.
At the staircase leading to Feuerleitergasse, right next to St. Michael, there is a grave slab on the right wall, which was discovered during construction work in the front area of the parish garden (towards Kirchenstraße).
The text is already heavily washed out and could read:
Marginal inscription:
1641 MARIA ELISABETH BORN BURGHIN
Blackboard text:
EIN SECHSJÄRIGS DOCHTERLEIN IN TUGENDEN GEUBET FEIN GEZIERET MIT GEISTLICHEN WAFFEN IST IN DEM HERRN ENTSCHLAFFEN DEM (N) ZIF (E oder T) ER (D) R V A RII TAGH ISCHMERZLICHER DER ELTERN CLAGH ZU LOBEN DIE H DREYFALTIGKEIT VON NUN AN BIS IN EWIGKEIT
literature
- Ladenburg Lexicon . Norderstedt 2007, ISBN 978-3-8334-6799-8 .
- Rainer Laun: Rhein-Neckar-Kreis , in: Dagmar Zimdars u. a. (Ed.), Georg Dehio (Gre.): Handbook of German Art Monuments : Baden-Württemberg I. The administrative districts of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe . Munich 1993, ISBN 3-422-03024-7 .
- Hans Huth: The art monuments of the Mannheim district: Without the city of Schwetzingen . Munich 1967.
- State Archive administration Baden-Württemberg in connection with d. Cities and districts Heidelberg u. Mannheim (Hrsg.): The city and the districts of Heidelberg and Mannheim: Official district description , Bd. 3: The city of Mannheim and the communities of the district of Mannheim . Karlsruhe 1970.
- Parish of St. Gallus Ladenburg: Festschrift for the consecration of the Mönch organ on May 16, 1999 . Ladenburg 1999.
- Martin Kares, Michael Kaufmann, Godehard Weithoff: Organ guide Rhein-Neckar-Kreis . Heidelberg 2001, ISBN 3-932102-07-X .
Web links
- Catholic parish of St. Gallus Ladenburg
- Ladenburg organ summer
- Thesaurus Palatinus (Volume 1), Heidelberg, 1747–1752 (images by St. Gallus)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stone sponsors help with the renovation of St. Gallus
- ↑ Concert in Advent helps with the renovation of the church
- ↑ Sometimes the Church of the Worms Bishops: Stiftung Denkmalschutz promotes St. Gallus in Ladenburg ( Memento from September 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 49 ° 28 ′ 18.2 " N , 8 ° 36 ′ 40" E