St. Hildegard (Limburg an der Lahn)

The church as seen from Parkstrasse

St. Hildegard is a Catholic church in Limburg an der Lahn , which was built from 1965 to 1967 according to plans by Walter Neuhäusser . The distinctive shell roof is based on the international architectural trend of "flying roofs" that emerged in the early 1960s. Today it belongs to the pastoral area of Limburg .

Connected to the church is a large community complex that offers a kindergarten , a parish center with a youth club and rooms for seminars. Since autumn 2005, the church houses addition to its function as a place for worship , the youth church crossover of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limburg .

history

The construction of the Church of St. Hildegard and the establishment of the parish was a response to the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965, which was led by John XXIII. was convened and created a spirit of optimism in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church was opened to the laity . At that time, parishes were growing, which also led to the construction of the St. Hildegard Church. Based on the experiences of that time, it was assumed that the community would grow more rapidly. For this reason, a large church room was created for worship, some rooms for various activities of the congregation in the parish hall and a day care center . During the time the church was being built, the congregation found a new congregational awareness in the rooms of the Tilemann School . The later city dean of Frankfurt am Main Klaus Greef became the first pastor of the community. During this time, there was a lively exchange between lay people and priests . Later the parish was also looked after by parish officers or, as is the case today, by the pastor of Limburg Cathedral . Today the parish shares the church space with the youth church Crossover , with which there is a lively cooperation.

architecture

What is striking is the contrast between the strictly rectangular chapel building made of exposed concrete and the large glazed main building adjoining it to the east, which is characterized by a curved concrete construction . The basis of three by drawstrings associated foundations made of reinforced concrete , on which two symmetrical hyperbolic paraboloids support.

Due to the large glass surfaces, the main room of the church is very bright. Here the altar stands on a circular pedestal , the rows of seats follow this shape. Behind the altar, symmetrically arranged, there are large triangular sheets of aluminum that emphasize the center of the altar.

The shape of the church building symbolizes different aspects. The shape of the tent represents the people of God who are on the move. The shape of the wings represents the eagle that protects its brood. The glazed facade shows that life outside is part of the celebration of the service. The round shape of the church interior enables the worship service to be celebrated by the assembled congregation as a worship family. The focus is on fellowship with Jesus Christ .

Due to its artistic and urban significance, the church is a cultural monument according to the Hessian Monument Protection Act and as such part of the entire Diezer Strasse / Parkstrasse complex .

In 2004–2005 an architecture firm planned and carried out a redesign of the church space for the Crossover youth church and the installation of a weekday chapel.

Youth Church Crossover

The youth church Crossover was inaugurated in 2005 on the initiative of the then bishop of the Limburg diocese, Franz Kamphaus . The aim was to reach young people who have little or no contact with the church due to their socialization or who lose contact with the church after their first communion or confirmation . These young people see the church liturgy as alien, cannot identify with the traditional church services and are not used to being part of fixed groups and structures. In 2015 the ten-year anniversary of the youth church Crossover was celebrated. As part of this, the then cathedral capitular Wolfgang Rösch blessed the Jugendcafé Jugendstil.

literature

Verena Fuchß: Cultural monuments in Hessen: City of Limburg. Ed .: State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen . Theiss, Aalen 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-2096-4 .
Christoph Waldecker : Limburg on the Lahn (large art travel guide 251) . 2nd extended edition. Verlag Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-7954-2559-3 .