St. Gallus (Zurich-Schwamendingen)

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Roman Catholic parish church St. Gallus, view from Dübendorfstrasse
Interior view with the glass window by Fra Roberto Pasotti
View to the organ gallery

The St. Gallus Church is the Roman Catholic parish church in the Schwamendingen district of Zurich .

history

Background and present

The former farming village of Schwamendingen experienced a building boom in the 1950s, as a result of which the population rose from originally 3,000 to 34,500 in 1966. Conceived as a garden city , a traditional Zurich workers' quarter was created. In recent years there has been an increased influx of families with a migration background , the integration of which the parish of St. Gallus sees as one of its main tasks. The parish has 6,527 members (as of 2017), making it the fourth largest Roman Catholic parish in the city of Zurich after Heilig Kreuz (Altstetten) , Herz-Jesu (Wiedikon) and Maria Lourdes (Seebach) .

Building history

The mother parish of Schwamendingen, the neighboring parish Herz Jesu Oerlikon , reacted to the population increase in Schwamendingen after the Second World War by wanting to build a first small church in Schwamendingen. In 1947, the architects H. Koellas Erben planned an emergency chapel made of wood for this purpose , which was not approved by the city authorities, as the quarter with the already established Mattenhof and Sunnige Hof settlements on Dübendorferstrasse was a model for the urban development of the time and the design of the wooden church " aesthetically unsatisfactory ... and made a barrack-like impression ”. This is why the parish Herz Jesu Oerlikon commissioned the architect Fritz Metzger to build a stone chapel. He built a simple, two-story building with a flat gable roof including a roof turret for a bell. The chapel was inaugurated on October 22, 1950 by the Bishop of Chur , Christian Caminada , in honor of St. Gall.

The bishop sent Franz Höfliger , who has become known throughout Switzerland as a beggar prelate, to Schwamendingen to build up the parish of St. Gallus . He had already rendered valuable services in setting up the parishes of Liebfrauen Hinwil and St. Verena Stäfa . By decree of December 12, 1950, the bishop separated the area of ​​today's parish of St. Gallus from the parish of Herz-Jesu Oerlikon and made it an independent parish. Due to the rapidly growing population, the space available in the first church was soon no longer enough, so that Franz Höfliger, who was the first pastor of Schwamendingen between 1949 and 1966, collected the necessary money for the construction of today's church on extensive preaching trips. His successor was Guido Kolb , who as a writer paid tribute to the work of Franz Höfliger in his book Franz Höfliger the begging prelate .

Thanks to donations from all over German-speaking Switzerland and collection campaigns by the parish, today's St. Gallus Church was built by the architects Ferdinand Pfammatter and Walter Rieger between 1955 and 1957 . Today's church was blessed by the Chur bishop Christian Caminada on June 23, 1957. The first church was initially preserved and served as a weekday chapel in the following years. In the years 1968 to 1969 the present parish center was built by Hanspeter Steiner in place of this first church and the rectory. On October 5, 1969, the St. Gallus Church was solemnly consecrated by Bishop Johannes Vonderach .

  • Rectory and first church of St. Gallus

  • Interior view of the first church of St. Gallus

  • First church (front) and today's church (back)

In 1970, architect Hanspeter Steiner built a covered connecting passage between the new rectory and the church. In 1971 the architects Rudolf Mathys and Felix Marquard built a crypt and three confessional rooms in the basement of the church, which initially housed the parish hall and club rooms . In 1983 and 1987 the church and the tower were renovated and the parish center was renewed. Between 2011 and 2012, the interior and exterior of the church, including the crypt, were renovated under the direction of architect Nadine Gerber. As part of this renovation, the cross niche in the rear of the church was expanded and made into a chapel .

Naming

Two reasons led to the dedication of the Schwamendinger Church to St. Gall:

On the one hand, the beginnings of the parish of St. Gallus are closely linked to the work of Prelate Franz Höfliger (1892–1985), who raised the money for the building of the church with guest sermons and fundraising campaigns throughout Switzerland from 1949 to 1966. Prelate Höfliger saw himself as a missionary , like St. Gallus . Höfliger also came from Wollerau in the Höfe district of Schwyz , an area through which Gallus, who originally came from Ireland , had once moved.

A second reason for dedicating the parish to St. Gallus was that in the Oerlikon quarter, in the immediate vicinity of today's parish church Herz Jesu, to which the parish St. Gallus originally belonged, there was a Gallus chapel in the Middle Ages between 1271 and 1523 had confessed.

Building description

Standing on Dübendorfstrasse, one of the main axes of the Schwamendingen district, the church of St. Gallus towers over the neighboring buildings with its distinctive nave. The building takes up the design language of the hangars from the nearby Dübendorf military airfield and is intended to highlight the openness and modernity of this church building.

The cross-section of the church shows an almost semicircular parabola at the top, 16.5 meters high, which was constructed as a barrel vault for 700 to 800 believers. The overall length is 34.5 meters and the width almost 22 meters.

Church tower and bells

The 37.5 m high church tower was originally intended to be built directly on Dübendorfstrasse, which would have made the location of the church even more visible. However, the government council of the canton of Zurich did not approve this construction project. That is why the free-standing tower was built on the mountain side of the church, southwest of the church front.

On May 15, 1960, the bronze bells cast by H. Rüetschi , Aarau were consecrated by St. Gallen Bishop Joseph Hasler . The pitch of the bells was matched to the ringing of the nearby Reformed Church in Schwamendingen.

number Weight diameter volume dedication
1 4100 kg 193 cm As Trinity
2 2100 kg 154 cm C. Mother of God
3 1220 kg 129 cm it St. Gallus
4th 880 kg 116 cm f St. John
5 250 kg 96 cm as Guardian Angel

During the renovation of the church in 2012, the church tower was made earthquake-proof and fitted with a tower clock.

Furnishing

Sanctuary

The sanctuary of the church was adapted in 1969/1970 to the requirements of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council . According to plans by the sculptor Albert Wider, Widnau SG, the altar was moved from its original position on the choir wall of the church to the center of the chancel and shortened on both sides. Behind the altar there is a slightly curved seating group for the ministry . To the left of the altar, the tabernacle was placed close to the people to enable prayers near the holy of holies . To the right of the altar is the ambo and at the right end of the sanctuary is the baptismal font .

A relic of St. Fidelis von Sigmaringen was placed in the altar . To match the original altar of the church, Albert Wider also created the ambo, the font and the base of the tabernacle from Jura marble. The symbols on the bronze tabernacle stand for Christ ( cross ), the deity (sphere) and the eternal (circular elements). On the back of the tabernacle, the three spherical segments refer to the Trinity . The basin of the baptismal font previously served as a side altar and was reworked by Albert Wider. The seven jets of water symbolize the sevenfold effect of baptism on the human soul. The stand for the Easter candle is connected to the baptismal font and shows the connection between baptism and Easter events . In 2016, wood sculptor Reto Odermatt, Flüeli-Ranft , designed a colored wooden sculpture next to the baptismal font in the form of a cloud from which three rays descend to form stylized water.

Another design element of the church are the three wooden carved statues of the church patron St. Gallus, St. Anthony and Mary as Mother of God . While the sculptures of St. Gallus and Our Lady stood in the front part of the church until the church renovation in 2012, St. Anthony and St. Gallus are now under the organ gallery and the statue of Our Lady was placed in the newly designed cross niche. All three works are by Beat Gasser, Lungern.

Church window

The first colored glass element of the church is the Way of the Cross , designed by Paul Monnier , which was let into the ribbon of windows as a glass concrete window on the right side of the church wall. This work of art was consecrated on February 23, 1958.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the church, the stained glass window was installed on the choir wall of the church in 1987 . The window front is 18 meters wide and 16 meters high. The concrete grids form 76 segments with an area of ​​around 260 m². Based on the rose window of Gothic cathedrals , the stained glass window shows a round, light center in which the cross of Christ lights up hidden. From this center, rays of light break out into the blue outer surfaces. The stained glass window was designed by the Capuchin Fra Roberto Pasotti from the Bigorio Monastery. The execution was carried out by the art glaziers Georg and Stefan Mathies, St. Gallen .

The two large window areas of the front and choir wall originally consisted of colorless windows. Its concrete latticework - a typical design feature of the architects Pfammatter and Rieger - was taken up by the original terrazzo floor in its small parts. This original spatial impression was canceled by the installation of a gray-beige floor with square tiles and the monumental choir window.

Cross niche

Cross niche by Alois Spichtig

During the interior renovation of the church in 1992, a cross niche was set up to the right of the entrance area. A crucifix with a corpus was attached to a light circle on the wall surface, which was otherwise dark gray . To the left of the cross were the last words of Christ, to the right a prayer to the crucified Savior.

During the renovation of the church in 2012, the entire building technology was renewed. Structural adjustments had to be made for the ventilation of the church. As a result of these construction measures, the cross niche was also expanded and made into a chapel . The concept for the redesign of the cross niche comes from Alois Spichtig , Sachseln . The painting work was done by Franz Bucher , Kriens .

In the cross niche there is a Madonna and Child on the left side wall, which stood in the choir area until the church was renovated. By setting up this statue of the Virgin Mary in the chapel, it is possible for those who pray to address their concerns to the Mother of God at close range. The center of the cross niche is the crucifix with corpus, which was also located at this point before the renovation.

The color scheme of the chapel expresses the crucifix's central importance for the Christian faith. The cross stands on a white pedestal , which is flanked on the left and right by two further, empty pedestals. The prayers are invited to mentally stand on the empty pedestals next to the cross and so to take the place of Mary and John under the cross. On the right side wall of the cross niche there is a cloud in relief, a sign of the approaching resurrection of Christ .

organ

The Späth organ from 1970

A first organ for the church was purchased in 1957. It was an instrument made by the organ builder Kuhn , Männedorf, in 1887. It had 13 registers and was originally in the Reformed Church in Davos . The instrument was later used in the Reformed Church in Jenaz , from where it came to Schwamendingen. In 1970 this instrument was replaced.

Today's organ was built by the Späth brothers , Rapperswil SG , and inaugurated on June 14, 1970. In cooperation with Albert Wider, Widnau SG, the organ building company designed the prospectus for the instrument, which takes up the parabolic arch of the church ceiling. The organ contains 36 registers on three manuals and a pedal with 2697 pipes .

Disposition :

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
Ged. Pommer 16 ′
Principal 8th'
Coupling flute 8th'
Black viola 8th'
octave 4 '
Night horn 4 ′
Nasat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
octave 2 ′
Mixture IV-V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
cornet 8th'
Trumpet 8th'
II breastwork
(swellable) C – g 3
Wooden dacked 8th'
Suavial 4 ′
Smalled up 4 ′
Principal 2 ′
Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
Sif flute 1'
cymbal 1 ⁄ 2 ′
oboe 8th'
III Oberwerk C – g 3
Lead-covered 8th'
Flûte harmonique 8th'
Praestant 4 ′
Reed flute 4 ′
Sesquialtera 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
Flat flute 2 ′
Sharp IV 1'
Krummhorn 8th'
Pedal C – f 1
Principal 16 ′
Pedestal 16 ′
octave 8th'
Pipe pommer 8th'
Choral bass 4 ′
Back set IV 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
trombone 16 ′
Trumpet 8th'
prong 4 ′
  • Vogelsang
  • equal tempered
  • Slider chests, mechanical action mechanism, electropneumatic stop action mechanism
  • Coupling BW / OW electrical, the other coupling mechanical
  • Individual storage for tongues and mixtures

crypt

Look into the crypt

In 1971, a crypt was installed in the basement of the church as a replacement for the first church, which was demolished in 1968 and served as a weekday chapel in later years. In contrast to the church, this room was given a "sheltering character" by using a lot of wood and dark window glass. The concept of the crypt came from the architect Felix Marquard. The statue of the Madonna is the work of a hermit woodcarver.

organ

The organ in the crypt was created by the Felsberg organ building company in 1971. The organ prospect takes up the motif of the entrance door to the crypt.

Disposition:

manual
Dumped 8th'
Reed flute 4 ′
Principal 4 ′
octave 2 ′
mixture 1'
pedal
Sub bass 16 ′
  • Pedal coupler

Appreciation

The architects Ferdinand Pfammatter and Walter Rieger , who had already built the churches Dreikönigen (Zurich-Enge) , Maria Frieden (Dübendorf) and St. Konrad (Zurich-Albisrieden) together, stood in the tradition of French concrete architecture. The following is said about Ferdinand Pfammatter's buildings: “The work awakens memories of the French brothers Auguste and Gustave Perret , who were considered pioneers of concrete architecture in the 1920s.” With the gothic concrete latticework, the architects gave the modern, sober building a decorative Accents.

The St. Gallus Church shows the development of church architecture from the architects Pfammatter and Rieger to a unified space in which believers and pastors celebrate worship close together. While the Dreikönigen church (Zurich-Enge), built at the beginning of the 1950s, emphasizes the longitudinal direction of the three-aisled church space, with the Maria Frieden church (Dübendorf), the low side aisles already focus on the central nave and thus on a single space recognizable. In the case of the St. Gallus Church, this step is carried out and is additionally underlined by the design of the chancel as an undivided element of the church interior.

See also

literature

  • Parish of St. Gallus (Ed.): Festschrift in honor of St. Gall on the day of the consecration of St. Gallus Church in Zurich-Schwamendingen by SG Christianus Caminada von Chur on June 23, 1957. Zurich 1957.
  • Episcopal Ordinariate Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese of Chur. Chur 1980.
  • Franz Höfliger the begging prelate , Kanisius-Verlag, Freiburg 1988, ISBN 3-85764-276-9
  • Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Zurich. Zurich 1989.
  • Wolfgang Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. Zurich 2007.
  • 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

Commons : St. Gallus Zurich  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See article on Wikipedia about Schwamendingen
  2. ^ Catholic Church in the Canton of Zurich. Annual report 2017. p. 84.
  3. ^ 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. 136.
  4. ↑ Guido Kolb: Franz Höfliger the begging prelate , p. 186.
  5. ^ Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Zurich. P. 182.
  6. ↑ Guido Kolb: Franz Höfliger the begging prelate, pp. 150–208.
  7. ^ Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 128.
  8. ↑ Guido Kolb: Franz Höfliger the begging prelate , p. 199.
  9. ^ Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Zurich. P. 182.
  10. ^ 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. 135.
  11. ^ Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Zurich. P. 183.
  12. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 12, 13 and 17.
  13. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 12.
  14. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 21
  15. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 21
  16. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 10.
  17. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 27.
  18. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. Pp. 29-31
  19. ^ Website of the artist. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  20. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 32
  21. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 10.
  22. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. Pp. 33-34.
  23. ↑ Fra Roberto, in: Gamma: 50 years St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 34
  24. ^ Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Zurich. P. 183.
  25. ^ 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. 138.
  26. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 36
  27. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 10.
  28. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 37.
  29. ↑ Gamma: 50 years of St. Gallus Church in Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 38.
  30. ^ Obituary for Ferdinand Pfammatter, in: Architekturfachzeitschrift Tec 21 , year 2003, quoted from: Gamma: 50 Years Church of St. Gallus Zurich Schwamendingen. P. 12.
  31. ^ 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. 138.

Coordinates: 47 ° 24 '7.4 "  N , 8 ° 34' 45.2"  E ; CH1903:  686 097  /  250764