St. Georg (Pfaffenwiesbach)

Exterior view of the Pfaffenwiesbacher Georgskirche after the renovation of the westwork (2016)

Simon Bohn, pastor in Pfaffenwiesbach 1851-1869, builder of the church

The Sankt-Georgs-Kirche Pfaffenwiesbach is the church of the Pfaffenwiesbach parish, to which the Wehrheimer districts Pfaffenwiesbach and (since 1976) Friedrichsthal belong.

The church village Pfaffenwiesbach is one of the 11 church places in the on January 1st 2014 newly built cath. Parish "St. Franziskus und Klara - Usinger Land ”based in Neu-Anspach. It still belongs to the Hochtaunus district in the Limburg diocese . After he had been self-employed until 1987 (and had his own pastor on site), he became part of the Pfaffenwiesbach - Friedrichsthal - Kransberg - Wernborn parish association in 1988, then the pastoral area Neu-Anspach, then the pastoral area Usinger Land and on January 1, 2012 finally assigned to the pastoral area Usinger Land / Schmitten.

With the re-establishment of the parish, not only the parish of Pfaffenwiesbach (with Friedrichsthal) lost its parish status, but the Georgskirche also lost its status as a “parish church” and is now one of the 10 branch churches of the new parish “St. Francis and Clare Usinger Land ”. Church patrons are St. George and (verifiably) since 1711 St. Barbara . Both belong to the Fourteen Holy Helpers and are Christian martyrs of the 4th century.

The village of Pfaffenwiesbach and its church

View of St. George's Church from Usinger Weg (2012)

The beginnings of the village of Pfaffenwiesbach are largely in the dark. However, old traces of settlement indicate that the area was already settled in pre-Christian times. After the 9/10 The place of Wisenbach is believed to have belonged to the Comitat Malstatt in the Wettereiba district ( Wetterau ) as early as 1040 , from which in 1043 at least part of the count's rights were assumed to have been founded as a clearing settlement near a rich brook or at a brook crossing in connection with an old traffic network fall to the imperial abbey of Fulda . Probably as a result of the investiture dispute as well as the simultaneous rise of the diocese of Würzburg to the territorial principality. Jhs. a "basilica in Wisenbach" including the property belonging to it fell to the Schlüchtern Benedictine monastery . In 1167 this easternmost villication center (administrative seat) of the monastery was first mentioned in a document.

In the course of a political, economic and also ecclesiastical reorganization in the Wetterau between 1216 and 1221, the area of ​​Wisenbach gradually fell to the Lords of Cranchesberg (1216–1221). In the following years, prefixes in the place name are used to distinguish precisely between ecclesiastical (e.g. Pfaffinwiesbach ) and secular property (e.g. Erwitzenbach ). In 1297 a so-called Vronehof fell to the Seligenstadt Abbey . The Teutonic Order , which probably received patronage over the parish in the 14th century via detours (which are no longer precisely traceable today) and held this until the 16th century, has acquired properties in Pfaffenwiesbach since around 1300.

From the 14th to the 1st half of the 20th century, the village and church then shared the fate of what was later known as the “Herrschaft Kransberg ”. Connections to the Wetterau remain ecclesiastical until 1609 (incorporation into the Königstein regional chapter), politically until 1654 ( assumption of rule by the Lords of Walpott in Bassenheim in the "Herrschaft Kransberg") and economically (in the form of a forest community in the Mörler Mark ) until 1743 . After the secular property of the Cranchesbergers in the course of the 14th Jhs. gradually (1316–1356) went to the Falkensteiner to round off the property and after their extinction first went to the Eppsteiner in 1419 , then in 1433 to the Eppstein-Münzenberg line and finally gradually (1478–1521) to the Eppstein-Königstein line, inherited Count Ludwig von Stolberg in 1535 with the rule of Kransberg also the place Pfaffenwiesbach. In 1541 he introduced the Reformation in Pfaffenwiesbach according to the Confessio Augustana and during this time also gradually replaced the Teutonic Order as the holder of the patronage rights for the Pfaffenwiesbach church.

After the property came to Kurmainz in 1581 , it took place in 1606 with great effort and against z. Sometimes violent resistance (cf. the story about the “stubborn” mayor and innkeeper Nicolaus Beck!) The re-Catholicization of the parish, which, however, continued until 1614. In the Thirty Years' War , the parish changed at least once again nominally to the Lutheran denomination when the Swedes entered the war and the Stolbergs temporarily regained power (from 1632). After the war, however, with the assumption of rule by the von Walpotts in Bassenheim (1654), who took over the Kransberg area from Kurmainz with a deed of assignment, an economic, social and ecclesiastical upswing began, which above all led to the consolidation of the Catholic denomination: as a new patron the parish presented the Bassenheim counts z. B. henceforth the competent authorities in Mainz the clergy (so 1681: Joannes Westhoven).

As a result of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss in 1803, the Bassenheim rule of Kransberg fell to the newly established Duchy of Nassau or Nassau-Usingen , which also affected the parish's patronage and tithe rights. Finally, in 1866 (1867) everything was awarded to the province of Hessen-Nassau; From this time on Pfaffenwiesbach belonged alternately to the Obertaunus district (1866, 1932) and the district of Usingen (1886, 1933).

Both the place and the church survived the Second World War relatively unscathed. In 1971 Pfaffenwiesbach joined the civil parish of Wehrheim and became one of its four districts; a year later it was assigned to the Darmstadt administrative district or the Hochtaunus district .

History of the church

Document with the first mention of the "Basilica in Wisenbach" (1167)

In 1167, a “basilica in Wisenbach” ( basilicam in wisenbach ) is mentioned for the first time in a property record of Bishop Herold von Würzburg for the Benedictine monastery Schlüchtern , which is probably a country church or a chapel on the grounds of an estate. Until the 16th century, the news about a local church is lost in the dark of history - except for the sparse reference from the Kransberger Chronik C. Walthers that there was a church in Pfaffenwiesbach before the introduction of the Reformation (1541) with two altars. A (but only presumed) late Gothic new building of the church, from which the still preserved baptismal font could come, is for political, economic, church and local historical reasons at best for the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. Century (i.e. before the Reformation ). It is possible that the village of Pfaffenwiesbach with its old church was also affected in the disputes in the Mainz Stiftsfehde (1459/63), which also fell victim to a few smaller settlements around Ober-Mörlen (such as Hüfftersheim) pulled and therefore a new church was necessary.

After the recatholization of the place under Kurmainzer rule (1606-1614), after the devastation during the Thirty Years War (Swedish rule 1632 ff.) And after the assumption of rule by the Lords of Walpott in Bassenheim in the rule of Kransberg, the church life on site experiences a great again Boom; the Catholic denomination is consolidating. In 1682, at her personal request, Countess Catharina de Clatton from Usingen was buried in the Pfaffenwiesbach church between the baptismal font and St. Mary's altar under a marked grave slab. Finally, on October 2 and 3, 1711, the predecessor church, which was probably completely restored after the devastation of the war and additionally expanded by a choir tower in the east, including baroque altars, bells and the cemetery around this old Georgskirche, was opened by the Mainz auxiliary bishop Johann Edmund Gedult von Jungsfeld newly consecrated.

Exterior view of St. George's Church from the west (around 1910)

Because of the lack of space and the dilapidation of the old church - among other things, the galleries had sunk alarmingly - the preparatory work for a new church began in 1845, which then pastor Simon Bohn, from 1851 to 1868 pastor in Pfaffenwiesbach, pushes ahead "with unspeakable effort". After the cemetery was moved to its current location in 1855, construction of today's neo-Romanesque church according to plans by the Höchst architect Musset can finally begin in 1859 with the great commitment of Pfaffenwiesbacher parishioners who break gray slate in the nearby Steinkaut for church construction . The master builder is Christian Schmidt from Usingen. The foundation stone was laid on St. George's Day (April 23), 1860, and the church was consecrated on May 15, 1862. The costs for the construction of the new church were raised through special wood felling, collections, collections, foundations and the taking of loans. Bells, organ and the baroque high altar from the old church were partially revised and then taken over. At times, the Pfaffenwiesbacher St. Georgs "basilica" (so named because of its neo-Romanesque style) is the largest Catholic church in Usingen and also the seat of the Catholic dean.

Due to inadequate foundation wall insulation, the church had to be renovated just 24 years after its inauguration, which caused the community to become heavily in debt. The financing came from the begging for "mild gifts" all over Germany. Pfaffenwiesbach families who emigrated to America support their home parish church with donations (e.g. through the foundation of the neo-Gothic side altars in 1889 and 1914 or the electrification of the church in 1920) - as do one or the other pastor (e.g. the foundation of the neo-Gothic high altar in 1891 by Pastor C. Breuers, his sister and some friends from their home town of Hüls). After the installation of a new organ (1911/12) by the Limburg organ builder C. Horn and the erection of the Joseph Altar (1914), the entire church furnishings were renewed at the beginning of the 20th century according to the taste of the time. In the years 1938-1943 some renovations took place inside and outside the church. On Holy Saturday 1945, when the American army bombarded the village, a grenade tore a large hole in the church tower.

Interior view of the church towards the east (Pentecost 2018)

Between 1954 and 1961, the church was thoroughly renovated inside and out, the interior was painted in color, the electrical lines were newly laid and a heater was installed. In the endeavor to design a “modern sacred space”, a large part of the neo-Gothic furnishings was removed in the course of the work . In 1962 the renovation was completed with the purchase of a new nativity scene.

After the Second Vatican Council , the choir was adapted to the new liturgy. From 1983 the old interior of the church was gradually (and as far as possible) restored, and the interior was also painted in 1987 based on the time of origin (only the starry sky in the choir and the colored patterns in the door and window arches as well as in the choir arch were not realized more).

Constantly new renovations inside and outside (most recently the partial ceiling and roof beam renovation over the southern nave [2013/14] and the urgently needed facade and exterior renovation of the church building through plastering [from 2015]) ensured the preservation of the church. In particular, the white plaster significantly changed the appearance of the church, which previously had a quarry stone facade. The previous clay slate facade was 80% damaged on the western and 50% on the rest of the facade. A renovation with exposed stones would have cost 4.5 million euros, the render solution only a quarter of that.

Church building

Exterior view of the Georgskirche from the southeast (2012)

Interior view of St. George's Church before modernization (1952)

The neo-Romanesque hall church made of coarse quarry stone masonry (local gray slate) is presented as a two-storey west building from which the bell tower rises with three-lined arcades and a Rhenish rhombic roof . In the area of ​​the westwork in particular , the wall surfaces are closed off by pilasters made of specially hewn stones (so-called " boss stones "); these are formative for the entire building. The outer window frames and cornices are made of Miltenberg sandstone . On the north side of the nave of our church, on the third pilaster (i.e. between the third and fourth window, 6 m from the sacristy annex), about 1.35 m high, there is a 57 cm long, 20 cm high and 14 cm deep spoiled stone (i.e. a vaulted stone ) made of basalt, which still shows traces of reddish coloring and probably comes from the previous church; the exterior renovation of the church, which will be completed in 2019/2020, unfortunately, with the (very crumbling) quarry stone masonry, also makes this spoiled stone disappear behind plastering ("visible" because of the contrasting color, only the "boss stones" and the sandstone will remain) .

The clock on the west side of the tower dates from 1985. There is a rose window above the main portal in the west with a sandstone cross (a foundation of the then Duke of Nassau-Usingen) . The four-bay nave is closed in the east by the windowless choir with a 3/8 end, in the north-east the sacristy , which you can no longer see after the external renovation, its three different construction phases (1958 to the north and 1973/74 to the west) becomes. In the nave, which is divided by pilaster strips , 4 large round arched windows open up, in the choir two more.

Cross-ribbed vaults can only be found in the vestibule or in the choir, whose blue frame is supposed to symbolize the sky. The prayer chapel has a barrel vault , the rest of the building is flat-roofed using half-timbering technology.

Interior

Neo-Gothic high altar

The neo-Gothic, five-part winged altar is the work of the Niederlahnstein woodcarver Caspar Weis, dates back to 1891 and was a donation from Pfaffenwiesbach pastor Clemens Breuers and his sister Maria, whose patrons (Maria Magdalena and Pope Clement I) also appear as large standing figures alongside find the two church patrons (St. George and St. Barbara) in the altarpiece . After a “modernization” that took place in 1958/59, which basically destroyed the altar as a total work of art, a new neo-Gothic style altar was put together in 1985 from the remaining remains (altar cross, reredos, side wings) and new works. In 1997, three figures were put back on the altar (Heart of Jesus, Peter with the Key to Heaven [left] and Paul [right]) to replace the former artistic crowning that had not been reconstructed in 1985, whereby the two princes of the apostles are still the original figures of the old altar . In 2014, two more figures - also works by Caspar Weis (here, however, remnants of the old Joseph Altar (1913) - were added (St. Theresa of Lisieux and St. Martin of Tours). The two altar wings show two scenes from the Passion of Jesus: left the crucifixion and on the right the entombment. At the bottom of the predella with the temple-like tabernacle in the middle there are four busts of the evangelists, which, however, originally belonged to the coronation of the altar. The cross chair in the central tower was created by E. Sommer (2000); above the original Alztar cross In the central tower remains of the old altar crown have been built in. When closed, the altar shows St. Clare of Assisi on the left and St. Thomas Aquinas in half-sculptures on the right.

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  Earliest view of the high altar (around 1930) with the eternal light traffic light hanging in front of it

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  View of the high altar shortly before the modernization (1952)

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  Modernized high altar of St. George's Church (approx. 1959)

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  Newly built high altar (1985) - open state

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  Newly built high altar (1985) - closed state

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  High altar with new crowning of the altar (2012) - open state

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  High altar with completed coronation (2014) - open state

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  Coronation of the high altar church Pfaffenwiesbach (2018)

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  St. Martin of Tours in the bishop's robe with the beggar (Caspar Weis, 1914)

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  Apostle Paul with book and sword (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  Sacred Heart statue in the coronation of the altar (JJ Wolz, 1900, plaster)

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  Apostle Peter with key and book (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  St. Theresa of Lisieux (Caspar Weis, 1914)

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  Crucifixion relief left altar wing (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  Entombment relief on the right wing of the altar (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  St. Georg and Maria Magdalena in the left high altar retable (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  St. Clement I and St. Barbara in the right high altar retable (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  Altar cross in the central tower (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  Bust of the evangelist Matthew on the outside left on the predella (Caspar Weis, 1891); the bust of the Evangelist John (right outside) is identical

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  Bust of the Evangelist Matthew on the left inside the predella (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  Bust of the Evangelist Luke on the right inside the predella (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  St. Clare of Assisi with monstrance, half-sculpture (Caspar Weis, 1891)

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  St. Thomas Aquinas with book, ciborium and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove (Caspar Weis 1891)

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  Temple-like tabernacle (new manufacture 1985)

More pieces of equipment

After almost the entire neo-Gothic interior of the church had fallen victim to the efforts to modernize in 1958/59, from 1983 a start was made on furnishing the church again as far as possible with original items. Particular mention should be made of:

• a late Gothic, chalice-shaped, octagonal baptismal font made of sandstone, formerly in the baptistery, set up in front of the patronage altar since 1995, with stone carvings (including three-pass arches) on the base and cone; the copper cover is from H. Lauth (1963);
• the baroque equestrian statue of St. George killing the dragon, restored in 1973 and 2002; the statue has been the center of the patronage altar since 2003;
• the Stations of the Cross , created by the Kronberg sculptor and gilder Georg Monken in the years 1880–85 (restored after relocation in 1982 [P. Müller] and 2001 and 2014 [E. Sommer]);
• a statue of St. Caecilia (patroness of church music) in the parapet of the organ gallery (donated in 2013);
• the two statues of the parish patrons St. Franziskus and St. Klara on the walls of the nave (donated in 2013);
• the prayer chapel , established 2000–2001 in the former baptistery (open daily for prayer and viewing 6.30 a.m. - 8.30 p.m.) and a. with a Pietá by C. Weis (1919);
• the mission cross by C. Weis from 1893 under the organ loft (previously hung on the opposite side);
• the confessional (H. Sattler, 1943, restored 2002) under the organ gallery.

In the anniversary year 2012 (until June 2014) in the vestibule of the church above the swinging glass door there was a large photograph of an oil painting that shows St. George slaying a dragon in a fantasy landscape ; the original oil painting by J. Sommer (1932) created for the parish hall in the former parish barn no longer exists.

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  Late Gothic baptismal font in Pfaffenwiesbach (in the former baptismal, now devotional chapel)

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  Late Gothic baptismal font (Luthmers sketch 1905)

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  Patronage flag St. Jürg, the dragon slayer (Benedictine nuns, Niederlahnstein, 1918)

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  George's altar in Pfaffenwiesbach with a baroque equestrian statue and a late Gothic font

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  Marienaltar Pfaffenwiesbach with Neo-Baroque statue of Mary and rosary flag

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  Mary's flag: Mary gives a rosary to St. Dominic (1906)

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  Maria Himmelskönigin (Regina coeli), neo-baroque (sculptor Everts, Münster, 1869)

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  12. Station of the Cross - Crucifixion (G. Monken, Kronberg, 1880–85)

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  St. Francis preaching to the animals (Heiligenfiguren2004, Tirschenreuth, 2013)

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  St. Klara with abbess staff, monstrance and book (Schreibmayr, Munich, 2013)

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  St. Cäcilia, playing a positive organ (Heiligenfiguren2004, Tirschenreuth, 2013)

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  Mary, the favored and chosen to be the mother of the Savior ("Immaculate Conception"), wood (artist unknown, 19th century)

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  Mission cross (Caspar Weis, 1893) under the organ gallery

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  Maria Hülff picture (unknown age, baroque?) Under the organ gallery

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  Devotional chapel with a Pietá (Caspar Weis, 1919) and statues of St. Francis (left) and St. Joseph (right)

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  George's bell and Barbara bell (from Rincker, Sinn, 1950) in the bell cage

Organs

The organ with a reconstructed prospectus (2018)

In 1862 the instrument (I / 6), first mentioned in 1816, built by an unknown organ builder and probably transferred from a monastery to the Pfaffenwiesbach church at the time of secularization, was overhauled by the organ builder Gustav Rassmann from Möttau to add a pedal ( register) and placed in the newly built Georgskirche. However, since the instrument had many shortcomings, a new organ was purchased in 1910/11, which the Limburg organ builder Carl Horn created as his Opus 52 and installed in the church in January 1912. The instrument, which still largely exists today, is an organ work (II / 15) originally in a German-Romantic disposition and with a tube-pneumatic action (cone loading system), with 13 wooden pipes (“Subbass 16 ′”: C – c ) and the wind system of the old organ was taken over (the wind system used to be in the so-called "bellows house" - an adjoining room where the staircase to the granary is still located today). In 1923 the organ was badly damaged and partly robbed when the church was broken into. An electric wind machine has replaced the Kalkanten since 1929 . After 1960, the prospectus was changed according to contemporary taste by “sawing it to size”, which is completely irresponsible from today's perspective. In 1970/71 the instrument was completely overhauled, equipped with a new wind system (four float bellows) and the sound image brightened by moving and exchanging registers; only nine of 15 registers were originally preserved. Despite all the measures, the organ continued to be prone to failure and caused great costs; a planned demolition of the instrument in 1985 was prevented by resistance from parishioners. After the organ was thoroughly revised in 1993, its susceptibility to failure has decreased significantly; During the organ renovation from 2012-2014, the instrument was technically repaired, adding two so-called "auxiliary registers" (tremulant, cymbal star with six bells) and toned largely back in the direction of the original state, without however completely depriving it of the radiance that the organ had the sound modification had grown over in the years 1969–71 (which can also be seen in the total number of pipes: in its original state the organ had 889, after 1969–71 1009 and today 966). These measures were not only carried out out of historical interest (the organ is one of the last larger organs still in existence by the organ builder Carl Horn), but are also based on the regained appreciation of the original sound concept and the system. The renovation was completed on April 16, 2014; the instrument sounded for the first time (after its temporary shutdown due to the interior renovation in June 2013) on Easter Sunday in high mass in new splendor and was re-blessed in the festive service for the 152nd church consecration on May 17, 2014. On May 17, 2018 (i.e. four years after the organ was re-consecrated), the reconstruction of the sawed-off prospectus was also completed (financed by donations / sponsoring); By 2021, the dispositional return of the organ to its original state with simultaneous expansion will be completed - financed by donors / sponsors; then the instrument, which is over 100 years old, will again be able to show its full beauty of sound and its richness of tonal diversity.

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  Gallery with organ after the first stage of renovation (2012)

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  Pressure tremulant for the I.Man. (2012)

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  Brochure view of the organ after the second conversion step (2014)

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  Organ console (2014)

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  The Zimbelstern in the lower organ case (2014)

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  The organ prospectus after the reconstruction (2018)

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  Distant view of the organ (2018)

In addition to this organ, the vesper chapel of the church ("oasis") also has a mobile, electronic chest organ , the case of which was made in-house by the local church musician in the years 2000–2002 based on the prospectus of the large organ. The original electronic mechanism (2001) with monophonic bass was replaced at the beginning of April 2015 by a new one with 23 registers, divided into two manuals and pedal, two banks of registers (Central German-Baroque and French-Romantic) as well as the auxiliary registers "Cymbalum" (Chimes) and " Campanellae ”(4 bells) and thus represents a supplement to the German-Romantic pipe organ; the organ consecration took place on May 16, 2015. From July to the end of September 2017, this organ was also expanded again (loudspeaker tower, 11-note tubular bell chimes, mobile platform); you have the above. Auxiliary register regrouped and its appearance more adapted to the 2018 renovated prospectus of the old organ. The "OASEnorgel" is used at smaller church services and concerts (solo or chamber music); an aggregate enables play even in the event of a power failure. In the Easter OASIS on April 6, 2018, the eleven-tone chimes behind the prospect pipes, the functionality of which v. a. was severely impaired due to limited space, with a work by Nicolas-Jacques Lemmens (Sonata PASCALE - “Easter [lamb] Sonata”).

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  OASEnorgel in 2013 - front view

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  OASEnorgel in 2015 - front view

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  OASEnorgel in 2015 - rear view

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  OASEnorgel after the renovation in 2017 - front view

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  OASEnorgel after the renovation in 2017 - side view

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  Organ mouse in a prospect pipe of the OAS organ

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  Chimes in the OASE organ

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  11 tubular bell chimes in the OAS organ

Bells

George's bell (right) and Ave Maria bell / clock strike bell (center) in the bell cage

In 1950 the parish bought three new bells, cast by Rincker in Sinn. The largest bell with the strike tone g ′ + 1 (undertone g ° - 2) weighs 575 kg, has a diameter of 990 mm, bears the name of the church patron (St. Georg) and has an unusually long reverberation / sec (U / Pr / T = 94/19/15); this bell also serves as a death knell . The middle bell weighs 344 kg, has the striking note b ′ + 8 (undertone: b ° + 2), a diameter of 836 mm, bears the name “Ave Maria” (“Greetings, Mary” - cf. Lk 1.28 ) and is primarily used as an angelus and clock bell; the reverberation / sec is U / Pr / T = 56/14/13. The smallest bell is dedicated to St. Barbara, the patron saint of the church, weighs 237 kg, has a diameter of 740 mm, the strike tone c ′ ′ + 6 (undertone: c ′ - 2) and a reverberation / sec of U / Pr / T = 55/19/16. The three-part bell brings 1156 kg to the scales. Since 1960 the bells have been driven electrically by ringing machines from HEW.

Pre, main and post nativity scene

So far, the Pfaffenwiesbach church in Usinger Land is the only one in which, between the First Advent and the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Mary Candlemas) on February 2, a nativity scene with a total of seven pictures depicting the biblical events around birth and childhood Thematize Jesus Christ, is shown. The first 6 pictures are placed in front of the left side altar, the last directly in front of the table altar. The figures in the crib come from Carl Ludwig (Munich) and were purchased in 1994; Hubert Möbs built the stable himself in 1995. The “pre-crib” represents the promise of the birth of Jesus (Lk 1.26–38; 1st week of Advent), the repentance sermon and the testimony of John the Baptist (Lk 3.1–18 and John 1.29; 2nd week of Advent) Joseph's dream (Mt 1.18–24; 3rd week of Advent) and Mary walking through a thorn forest on the way to Elisabeth (cf. Lk 1.39–45; 4th week of Advent). The “main crib” then leads to the birth Jesus, their preaching to the shepherds and their visit to the manger (Lk 2,1-20) in mind; After the New Year, this image is then expanded into a new image through the visit and adoration of the Magi (Mt 2: 1–11). The “Nachkrippe”, which was only initiated in 2019, then shows two childhood episodes of Jesus in one picture: the testimony of Simeon and Annas about Jesus (Lk 2.21–40) and the twelve-year-old Jesus as a temple teacher (Lk 2.41–52); the temple-like setting, which consciously takes up the temple-like design of the altar table, continues and “completes” it, not only wants to remind of the Jerusalem temple, in which the two childhood episodes of Jesus are set, but rather symbolizes together with the altar table Jesus Christ himself, the death and compares the resurrection of his body to the tearing down and rebuilding of the temple (Jn 2:19, 21; the Jesus symbol IHS above the temple gates also refers to this); the central statue of the teaching Jesus boy made of linden wood comes from the company Holzfiguren 2004 (Tirschenreuth) and was donated in 2019. There are also two other nativity scenes: the old nativity scene figures made of plaster, which date from around 1890, and modern nativity scenes with valuable fabrics, acquired in 1962 and made by a Bavarian wood carver. During the Christmas season 2019/2020, all three nativity scenes were presented in the church as part of a small exhibition.

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  Pre-crib - Image 1: Annunciation

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  Pre-crib - picture 2: John the Baptist

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  Pre-crib - picture 3: Joseph's dream

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  Pre-crib - picture 4: Maria went through a thorn forest

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  Main manger - picture 5: The birth of Jesus

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  Post-nativity scene - picture 6 + 7: The representation of Jesus and Jesus as temple teachers

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  Modern nativity scene

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  Old nativity scene

Parish

Baroque equestrian statue of St. George on the patronal altar of St. George's Church (2014)

From the 9th or 10th century, residents of the Wiesbach valley were probably evangelized from the mission church on the Johannisberg near what is now Bad Nauheim. In the High Middle Ages to the Archdiocese of Mainz and the land chapter “St. Maria ad Gradus ”in Friedberg, Pfaffenwiesbach was raised to a parish in 1287 through the appointment of a plebanus (a deputy vicar). In 1541 the community, like its sovereign at the time, converted to Lutheran Protestantism (1541), which in turn was forced re-Catholicization under Kurmainzer rule against z. Sometimes considerable resistance from the population took place between 1606 and 1614. The Thirty Years' War with its destruction and depopulation also meant a decisive turning point for the Pfaffenwiesbacher church community. Important documents and records have only survived from the following period: Since the end of the 17th and 18th centuries, a. from the middle of the 18th century there are parish account books (from 1699), property records (from 1697), church criminal records (from 1710), church books (from 1735), lists of sextons and bellmen (from 1714) and much more. A visitation log from 1790 provides detailed information about the shape of the Pfaffenwiesbach parish at the time of the Enlightenment. After the Bassenheim counts came to power, there was an economic, social and also ecclesiastical upswing.

In the course of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, the Pfaffenwiesbach parish was incorporated into the newly established Nassau diocese of Limburg in 1828 . In the early part of the 19th century there were radical social upheavals, serfdom was abolished in 1808, poverty caused by crop failures led to social misery, epidemics broke out and the death rate, especially among children, skyrocketed. This led to a wave of emigration to America.

At the end of the 19th century several church associations and brotherhoods were founded . Since the end of the Second World War, the denominational composition of the villagers has changed. From a purely Catholic village - apart from a few Jewish families - a local community emerged in which approx. 50% of the inhabitants belong to the Catholic, 25% to the Protestant Church and 25% to other or none of the religious communities.

Various church groups have gradually emerged since 1970. Some of them continue to exist today and significantly promote local church life, a Catholic kindergarten (today: “St. Georg day care center”) and a nursing home for the elderly (which, however, merged with the Diakoniestation in Wehrheim a few years ago).

In addition to work in church groups (such as the “women's meeting”, the very committed “One World Circle” and the “ecumenical senior citizens' meeting” newly organized in 2019), the liturgy and Caritas v. a. also church music as a medium of preaching; The Pfaffenwiesbacher Kirchort congregation is not only very keen on singing, but has also launched church music projects such as the meditative organ vesper "Die OASE" (every first Friday evening of the month), which also appeals to those who are more distant from congregational life should be. In November 2019, the “St. Georg Family Network” initiative was initiated in order to maintain closer contact with local families and to be able to focus more closely on young families in projects. Once a year the church also offers a series of lectures on interesting topics (2019 e.g. on the topic of "Climate Change"). For the first time in 2020 there was also a "day of creation" with a tree-planting campaign with which the parish would like to make a contribution to climate protection.

In addition, there are of course offers for the younger generation such as the carol-singing campaign in January each year, the "holiday games" for elementary school children in the first week of summer holiday and the "dragon (vanquisher) festival" in autumn, which has been in existence since 2017 KiTa is involved. Since the village anniversary year 2017, the range of musical services, which are also ecumenically oriented, has been continuously expanded: the musical midnight mass on Christmas Eve and an ecumenical resurrection celebration on the morning of Easter Sunday followed by an Easter breakfast will be added to the already existing ecumenical initiatives (such as the ecumenical Senior meeting and the ecumenical Advent devotion) are becoming more and more integral parts of parish life.

Associated buildings, chapels and wayside crosses

Belong to the parish

• the old parsonage, built between 1662 and 1671 in a masterly half-timbered construction, which was renovated in 1990/91 and expanded to become the Catholic parish hall of St. Georg (Kapersburgstrasse 13) (consecration 1991); it houses u. a. the community hall, a one-world shop, the archive, a meeting room and a youth room. The associated outbuilding (the “Remise” on the opposite side of the rectory) was built in 1953 and was also renovated in 1991 (it currently houses a workshop and a craft room).
• the St. Barbara rental housing complex (Kapersburgstrasse 15A), which was once built between 1700 and 1750 as a barn for the parish farm, also in half-timbered construction. In 1932 a parish hall with a theater stage was built. After decades of decay and finally a ruinous condition, the conversion into four charitable apartments could take place in 1997-1998 (consecration 1998).
• the new rectory built in 1962 (Kapersburgstrasse 15), which currently houses the rectory office, a meeting room and a large rental apartment. The rectory and the associated garage on the other side of the courtyard were last renovated in 2002.

Interior view of the Friedrichsthal Chapel (2019)

Since July 1976 the parish of Friedrichsthal with its neo-Gothic cemetery chapel "To the painful mother of God Maria" , which was renovated between 2000 and 2001, belongs to the parish of Pfaffenwiesbach. The most important piece of furniture in the chapel is the neo-Gothic high altar of unknown origin (according to hearsay it comes from a monastery); it was already set up (but in three parts) in the old cemetery chapel and was restored in the years 2002–2007 mainly through donations from the Friedrichsthal community members; E. Sommer from Pfaffenwiesbach carved the ornate base of the altar cross in 2007; the altar consecration took place in December 2008. In July 2019, the previously missing upper altarpiece was inserted to match the Patronage of the Virgin Mary (the image is a copy of the 13th station of the old way of the cross of the chapel). The chapel is only open during service times.

Wayside shrine on Usinger Weg (2018)

The wayside shrine chapel, which was built on a private initiative, has been protecting the Marien-wayside shrine on the "Jungholz", built in 1948, since 2007 . As early as September 17, 1944, the parish had made a vow that, if Pfaffenwiesbach was spared the worst atrocities of war, it would build a chapel for Our Lady. However, this chapel, which was decorated inside with a protective mantle Madonna and was also intended to serve as a war memorial chapel, was not built after the war, although stones from the former Merzhausen airfield had already been laboriously transported to the construction site on Usinger Weg (Jungholz district). The stones stayed where they were, some were stolen and the rest were taken to the parsonage. When a new pastor came, the stones had to be removed. After all, a wayside shrine was erected in 1948 on a voluntary basis. When in 2000/2001 the wish arose for a complete fulfillment of the vow, the old baptistery of the church was built as a "prayer chapel" as a supplement to the wayside shrine, because a chapel on Usinger Weg was considered unrealizable. On the initiative of the mayor at the time and many voluntary helpers, the chapel project was finally brought to a conclusion: The new chapel was blessed on September 16, 2007 as part of a Marian devotion on the subject of peace. In 2015 and 2018, the chapel also received two small bells. The wayside shrine with the surrounding “tree chapel” is lovingly cared for by parishioners and invites locals and visitors alike to linger and pray; it is accessible all day.

In the village and the district there are also seven wayside crosses , of which the three sandstone crosses were probably built around the middle of the 19th century. emerged, but one (the wayside cross "in the Aar") was only built in 2009. In the Mühlgarten there is also a private cross and a private cross and a house chapel in a private property in the old town center.

Monument protection

The Georgskirche as well as the cath. Parish hall (old rectory) are protected as a cultural monument and are under monument protection .

literature

• Wilhelm Braun: Places and farms gone out in the Friedberg district. In: Wetterau history sheets. Contributions to history and regional studies. Vol. 1 (1952), ISSN  0508-6213 .
• Elmar Feitenhansl: The basilica in Wisenbach. A historical attempt at reconstruction. In: Heimat- und Verkehrsverein Pfaffenwiesbach (Hrsg.): Pfaffenwiesbacher history and stories. Vol. 15 (2007), pp. 48-60.
• Josef Seng: 125 years of the parish church of St. Georg Pfaffenwiesbach 1862–1987. Festschrift . Pfaffenwiesbach 1987.
• Georg Landau: Description of the Wettereiba district (description of the German districts; Vol. 1). Self-published, Kassel 1855.
• Catholic parish Pfaffenwiesbach: stop on the way - not the end of the line. Festschrift for the anniversary year . Pfaffenwiesbach 2012.
• Eva Rowedder: Hochtaunuskreis . Ed .: State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen (=  monument topography Federal Republic of Germany , cultural monuments in Hessen ). Konrad Theiss Verlag, Darmstadt 2013, ISBN 978-3-8062-2905-9 , pp. 692-693 .

Web links

Commons : St. Georg (Pfaffenwiesbach)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Homepage parish "St. Francis and Clare - Usinger Land "
• Bells ringing

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gerrit Mai: It will no longer look like that; in: Taunuszeitung from September 5, 2014, p. 20
2. ↑ See the pictures on the following link (accessed on August 5, 2018): http://www.franziskus-klara.de/fileadmin/user_upload/kirchorte/pfaffenwiesbach/Fotogalerie__weiter_Gebaeude_.pdf .
3. ↑ For the history of the Friedrichsthal Chapel, cf. following link (accessed on August 5, 2018): http://www.franziskus-klara.de/fileadmin/user_upload/kirchorte/pfaffenwiesbach/Kirchengeschichte_Friedrichsthal__Text_.pdf .
4. ↑ Information on other pieces of furniture can be found via the following link (accessed on August 5, 2018): http://www.franziskus-klara.de/fileadmin/user_upload/kirchorte/pfaffenwiesbach/Virtueller_Rundgang_Kirche_Friedrichsthal.pdf .
5. ↑ See: Elmar Feitenhansl, Chronik 2006-2007, previously unpublished.
6. ↑ See the following link (accessed on August 5, 2018): http://www.franziskus-klara.de/fileadmin/user_upload/kirchorte/pfaffenwiesbach/Fotogalerie_Wegkreuze.pdf .

Coordinates: 50 ° 19 ′ 42.9 ″  N , 8 ° 36 ′ 33.5 ″  E