St. Jacobus Maior (Thurndorf)
The Roman Catholic parish church of St. Jacobus Maior is located in the middle of the Thurndorf district of Kirchenthumbach . For historical reasons, the parish of St. Jakobus Thurndorf belongs to the Auerbach deanery in the Archdiocese of Bamberg .
history
The church goes back to the castle chapel of Thurndorf Castle . The church is believed to have been built between 1125 and 1150 by the Counts of Sulzbach . This is also illustrated by the Theophilus bell from the early 12th century, which is still part of the chimes of the church. A previous building could possibly have stood here, but there are no remains of it.
The Romanesque church was about 13 m long and 8 m wide. The south wall of today's church goes back to this time, it is built from square to rectangular sandstones with a lime mortar bond. The foundation is laid in loam binding without mortar. The maximum three layers of the foundation protrude slightly from the rising walls, at the corners the foundation is secured by massive limestone slabs. A construction joint to the part added later could be seen during archaeological excavation work.
In the Gothic period, the old choir was probably torn down in the first half of the 14th century and the nave was lengthened by 9 m to the east. At the same time, a new recessed choir with a 3/8 degree was added. The church thus lengthened to 22 m.
In a third construction phase, around 1560, the church was enlarged to a width of 13 m and a new tower was built that connects to the northeast side. The demolition material (sand and limestone blocks) from the previously abandoned castle was used for the construction of this church tower, which still exists today. A building description by Auerbach master mason Michael Dorner from 1810 says about this church : “The parish church of Thurndorf, including the presbytery, is 76 shoe long and 29 1/2 shoe wide (about 23 × 9 m). The church has a Gothic vault as is the sacristy. The tower is walled up separately to the church and covered with slate. ”Between 1810 and 1816 the church, which had already become dilapidated, was renovated and enlarged.
In 1902 the church was renewed again despite a financially unfortunate situation. The renovations (narrowing the too wide-stretched choir arch, inserting new, colored windows, changing the altars) met with approval only in part. The last renovations were carried out in 1970/73 (electric heating, loudspeaker system, song display board, new organ and creation of a folk altar from the old food grid). The last extensive interior and exterior renovation was finally in 1990.
The patronage was originally St. Dedicated to Mary , as can be seen from Pastor Johann Holl's certificate of appointment of March 15, 1527. But already the oldest church invoice from 1643 indicates the patronage of St. James. This change was probably made in 1560 when the church was enlarged. The assumption is supported by the fact that Thurndorf also took part in the various faith changes in the Upper Palatinate to Lutheranism and also to Calvinism , and that these Christian denominations rejected a special veneration of Mary.
Construction
The Jacobus Church is a hall church with a pitched roof and a choir closed on three sides. The west tower ends with an onion dome and a pointed helmet , which date from around 1760.
Interior
The baroque main altar dates from 1750. In the middle stands the apostle St. James , the figure was only acquired in 1903. The oil painting previously attached here with a representation of the same saint, who is depicted as an apostle riding a horse, now hangs on the south wall of the church. There is a statue on the Sacred Heart Altar , which was also only erected in 1903. The oil painting previously shown here with a depiction of the Last Supper is now on the gallery . The altar of Mary (formerly known as the "crucifixion altar" because it had a painting of the crucifixion , today in the chancel) is adorned with a figure of the Virgin Mary , which was exhibited in a glass case on the north church wall before 1903.
Bells
A special feature is the aforementioned Theophilus bell with a diameter of 36 cm and a height of 40 cm. It says “WOLFGERUS ME FECIT” in Roman capitals. This is used today as a death bell .
The church has three other bells. The largest of these has a diameter of 110 cm and is decorated with relief images of St. Catherine and St. James. It bears the legend "Haec campana fusa et consecrata est in honorem BMV Assumptae S. Jacobi Maioris Apostoli et S. Catarina Martiris. Me fudit Ambergae Magnus Gabriel Beinburg 1726 “. The middle bell with a diameter of 79 cm bears the inscription "1772 poured me Slivius Kleeblatt in Amberg". The small bell has a diameter of 66 cm and the inscription on this bell reads, “I came to God's praise and service. Thoma Pauer zu Amberg poured me out in 1600 ”.
literature
- Mathias Hensch : The castle of the lords of Thurndorf: Archaeological search for traces in an almost forgotten place of high medieval rulership , pp. 82–87. Buchhandlung Eckhard Bodner, Pressath 2017. ISBN 9783939247753 .
Web links
- Homepage of the parish of the Assumption of Mary in Kirchenthumbach , accessed on February 10, 2020.
- Ringing of the Theophilus bell in Thurndorf , accessed on February 10, 2020.
- Zwölfuhrluten Thurndorf in the Upper Palatinate , accessed on February 10, 2020.
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 49 ° 46 ′ 23.9 " N , 11 ° 39 ′ 31.7" E