St. Johann (Aachen-Burtscheid)
The former parish church of St. Johann-Baptist in Burtscheid (today Aachen - Burtscheid ) is a Catholic church consecrated to John the Baptist and formerly the abbey church of the Burtscheid Imperial Abbey . Since 2010 she has been part of the Catholic parish association “St. Gregor von Burtscheid ”, which is named after the founder of the abbey, Abbot Gregor von Burtscheid and to which the parishes of St. Michael , St. Gregorius , St. Aposteln and the Church of the Sacred Heart also belong.
history
After the foundation of the monastery in 997, Abbot Gregory built both a small chapel in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra and a second, which was initially dedicated to St. Apollinaris of Ravenna . Thanks to rich donations from Heinrich II , the construction of a monastery church in the Romanesque style began as early as 1015 in the immediate vicinity on the Johannisberg , which replaced the Apollinaris chapel and was built in May 1017 by Bishop Gerhard I of Cambrai in honor of John the Baptist was consecrated. The single nave nave was 26 m long and 8 m wide, the transept was 15.50 m long. The east apse and the square west tower in front completed the building typical of the time, of which five Romanesque dwarf columns have been preserved, which were initially installed in the abbess's garden house. They were later replaced by a replica and the originals were placed in a protected room next to the treasury.
After the abbey church of St Johann became too small and dilapidated around three hundred years later, Abbess Aleidis von Müllenark initiated the construction of a new and larger church in the Gothic style around 1350 , which was completed under her successor Mechtildis von Bongard . The new church was built a little further south than the previous building, roughly at the point where today's St. John's Church stands. The floor plan has been handed down through an inventory of the existing plans by the Aachen city architect Johann Joseph Couven from the beginning of the 18th century. The three-aisled nave with a protruding choir, the vault of which rested on four pairs of columns, was 15.60 m wide, the length from the tower to the end of the choir 30.90 m and the entire outer length including the tower 39 on the west side, 80 m. This church had six altars: in addition to the high altar , on which a silver tabernacle had its place, the Christ, Mother of God, St. Anne, Bernardus and Anthony altars .
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From 1715, at the instigation of the abbess Anna Carolina Margarethe van Renesse van Elderen, new plans were made to build a contemporary baroque monastery church instead of the Gothic one , which Aachen city architect Johann Joseph Couven was commissioned to build. He presented several designs for this: a cruciform church with a crossing dome , an Italian-Baroque design and a short nave with a central dome . After agreeing on the latter proposal, construction could begin, which, however, dragged on for several decades for cost reasons and the resulting lengthy interruptions. First the tower was completed in 1736, in 1748 the nave and choir of the previous building were torn down, an edge of which to the right of the west tower still exists today, the choir and the dome were built in 1752/1753 and one year later on September 12th In 1754, the entire shell of the new abbey church was finally completed.
In 1794, the year of the French occupation, the Burtscheid Imperial Abbey was dissolved after over 800 years of existence. In the course of the following secularization in 1802, the French kept the abbey church as domaine property and used it as a military magazine and horse stable. There was also a balloon in it, with which they made experiments in the dome. When Napoléon Bonaparte was in Aachen in 1804, the Burtscheider Catholics, with significant support from the incumbent Bishop of Aachen, Marc-Antoine Berdolet , succeeded in getting him to decide that the church should be opened for worship again. Napoléon agreed to the application and St. Johann was finally raised to the status of the second Catholic parish church in Burtscheid in 1806.
The Second World War caused severe damage to the church. All the windows were destroyed in the first bomb attack on October 5, 1942. Further damage was caused by the heavy air raid on July 14, 1943. From November 1942 to April 1943 all services had to be relocated from the damaged church of St Johann to the Burtscheid Marienkapelle due to the onset of cold weather . During the last bombing raid on Burtscheid on April 11, 1944, the wooden dome of St. Johann and the interior of the church burned out completely and only the outer walls were preserved. The subsequent reconstruction lasted until the 1960s.
The parish home belonging to St. Johann was designed in 1930 by the architect Rudolf Schwarz and restored by Peter Salm between 1956 and 1964 after the war damage .
Building history and architecture
New construction of the baroque church
The Abbey Church of St. Johann was built between 1730 and 1754 on the plan of the previous Gothic building. It consists of a central dome building over a square floor plan, a single -bay choir in the east with a semicircular apse, a nave two bays in length and a tower in the west. The long side is designed as a facade facing the village of Burtscheid, whereby the simple exterior looks monumental. For the construction of this brick building , the Burtscheider Mühlenbend supplied the brick baker Jean Bertrand with the clay and clay material for his around 182,000 bricks, Johann Mathias Printzen made the iron work. The house stones related to the church were taken up to the height of the fronton , in which the coat of arms of the abbess Antoinette von Woestenraedt is located, from a quarry belonging to the abbey near Buschhausen , while the house stones placed higher came from other quarries, mostly from Raeren .
Couven first began with the construction of the upstream square west tower, which stretched from 1736 to 1741. The tower is four-story, the ground floor and first floor form a unit. It is closed with an open bell storey and a lantern- topped mansard roof. The main portal is on the north side of the tower and is richly structured. Above this is the coat of arms of the Abbess von Renesse, on whose behalf the construction was started. The front of the tower facing the Abbey Square, on the other hand, has a simple portal with its motto "DOMINUS PROVIDEBIT" (God will provide) and the year 1736.
It was only after a long break in 1748 that the old monastery church was demolished and construction work on the new church of St. Johann resumed. This is 45 m long, the nave and choir 11.50 m wide, the dome square 18.80 m, the height to the top of the dome 34.20 m. Couven had designed an octagonal domed structure that rises above a drum and is emphasized by an aedicule and is provided with a two-storey pilaster arrangement. The barrel vault , which is divided by belt arches , starts over a surrounding cornice .
The choir leans against the central building to the east and the nave with the tower to the west to the same extent. The choir has the same height and width as the barrel-vaulted nave. This is enlivened by hatches and mansards and its wall pillars carry Ionic pilasters with capitals decorated with flowers . The interplay of dome, tower and roof turrets gives the building its unique silhouette. Above the large arched window on the north side of the central building is the coat of arms of the abbess von Woestenrath. This coat of arms of the swan in deer antlers later became part of the city arms of Burtscheid and is still included in the arms of the city region of Aachen today . On the south side of the nave there is a small side chapel as a memorial room , in which a book of the dead with the names of the war victims of the parish of St. Johann is on display. Inside, the church is characterized by the transept under the dome, which has the shape of an irregular octagon. The vaulting of the inner dome begins above a cornice , the eight vault ribs of which unite in the frame of the light lantern. Several shell-shaped niches built into the walls hold the statues of the Apostles. The center of the curve is accentuated by a window-like niche, in front of which the abbess's seat was. The original double altar was located at the level of the transept in the transition area to the choir, because the free choir space behind it was used for the canons and their lay judges at the time of the abbey glory.
Below the choir, about at the level of the choir apse, is the funeral cellar of the abbey church, which was obviously laid out during the new building in the 18th century, as it is first documented by sketches by Couven. Access is only possible from the north-eastern outside of the church via a fourteen-step staircase. In the barrel-vaulted 2.85 m by 9.30 m long and 2.20 to 2.60 m high room, the numbered burial chambers are laid out in two rows one above the other on the long sides. Most of the 32 burial chambers are well preserved, with a few exceptions, only two have collapsed. The inscriptions on the lock plates, carved from natural stone, can be clearly assigned to specific people in seven chambers; in the remaining chambers, only fractions can be recognized. Endoscopic examinations showed, however, that some of the burial chambers had been occupied several times.
Since Couven had been involved in the construction of Jägerhof Palace in Düsseldorf since 1748 , it is questionable whether he retained the overhead management of the Burtscheid building. Hofbaumeister Johann Caspar Nosthofen , also known as Noshofen, an engineer and architect who worked in Düsseldorf and who, among other things , had redesigned the Düsseldorf Palace , was in charge of the structural advice for the construction of the Burtscheider Abbey Church. Among other things, he made changes and reinforcements to the dome construction and had to travel from Düsseldorf several times during construction due to difficulties in making it. The windows and stairs were inserted into the dome mantle in August 1754. For the wooden construction of the dome, Couven brought the brothers Paul and Franz Klausener from Tyrol , who were highly regarded as master masons and who were also employed as master carpenters and masons during the construction of St. Michael . Finally, on September 12, 1754, the shell was completed.
Changes in the Prussian Period
In 1881 the parish church was expanded with the addition of a baptistery according to plans by the architect Hermann Joseph Hürth . In the years 1888 to 1892 Pastor Straub had the church, which until then only had been whitewashed, painted in color by the painter Franz Wirth . Straub and Wirth received significant advice and support from an art-historical point of view from the Aachen canon and art historian Franz Bock . While the church had not received special attention from art connoisseurs until then, it has been admired and studied as a pearl of inner architectural beauty since that painting. Furthermore, Pastor Straub had the high altar of St. Johann moved to the rear end of the choir in 1889, giving him more lay space for the interior of the church.
Restoration after World War II
After the destruction in the Second World War already mentioned in the history section, the church council decided on December 15, 1946 to rebuild the parish church. The reconstruction plans were the responsibility of the architect Peter Salm and were examined by René von Schöfer in terms of urban development. The restoration was carried out taking into account Couven's peculiarity and the contemporary sense of building and style.
On October 28, 1947, the reconstruction of the dome by the Aachen company Reinartz & Sons began. A true-to-form 11.50 m high reinforced concrete dome replaced the old wooden dome. The dome base is a reinforced concrete ring anchor with the dimensions: 1.20 m wide, 0.80 m high and 17.5 m in diameter. Its distance from the floor of the church is 23 m. It is the main cornice base and serves to secure the masonry and to absorb the coupling loads. This foot ring connects the eight hip and eight hip ribs, another ring connects their upper ends. Further vault ribs with a double T-shaped cross-section are based on this. Two additional horizontal rings secure these ribs and support the lantern ring that was cast on site. The opening is closed by the intermediate rib caps, which were also cast on site using slipform formwork. Workpieces cast in concrete replaced the original bluestone . The weight of this concrete structure made of 24 iron tons and 180 cubic meters of concrete is 432 tons. The dome construction serves as a carrier for the roof skin and the inner Rabitzer dome shell. This is suspended and accessible from above.
Since all funds were exhausted by the currency reform on June 20, 1948 , the reconstruction work had to be stopped for the time being and, thanks to donations from members of the newly established church building association, could be resumed on May 24, 1949.
Then the dome was covered in slate and the lantern in lead . The dome was completed on September 30, 1949 and the topping-out ceremony took place on October 7, 1949. The aisle roofs were given an English covering, the organ stage a new staircase, the flooring in the choir area was made of Solnhofen tiles and the rest of the floor was made of bluestone tiles in a diagonal bracing. The rotten wall plaster was knocked off and supplemented without considering the profile. A light lime paint, an oak gallery parapet and the repair of the outer masonry were among the other measures.
The roof trusses of the aisle roofs were initially planned to be made of steel , but were made of traditional timber construction due to the cost. On May 28, 1950, the lantern received its golden ball, the diameter of which is 90 cm. For the patronage festival on June 24, 1950, the parish church was used as a makeshift for church services. On August 31, 1951, the tower was restored to its old and beautiful shape. After the war damage had been repaired, the parish church of St. Johann was officially returned to the service on December 23, 1951 and Auxiliary Bishop Friedrich Hünermann from Aachen consecrated the high altar. In September 1953 the 790 m² dome was covered with 46,000 slates.
Another construction phase included the repair of the masonry, the vault above the organ gallery and the white plastering, which emphasizes the architectural structure of the wall structure. In addition, 26 capitals were reconstructed. At the end of 1951 the interior was restored. Wind catchers were necessary in front of the two portals for thermal reasons. According to the law, the opening of the portal wings had to be made to the outside, which required a change in the bluestone staircases and handrails. The wooden cladding of the dome took place in October 1953.
Two bells remained from the peal, three more were cast in 1954 by the Feldmann & Marschel bell foundry in Münster. In 1961 the new organ was inaugurated.
Peter Salm's description of the inner dome dates from June 21, 1963. It was constructed on a steel frame suspended from the concrete dome. Lime sand plaster made of ostrich brick fabric formed the inner surface, rock wool the sound and heat insulation and impact-resistant plaster was used towards the roof space. A ladder and two walkways are located between this inner shell and the concrete dome. Efforts were made to carry out the architectural details of the cornices, capitals and pilasters according to Couven's design. The construction of the structure required 18 tons of profile iron.
In 1965, underfloor heating was installed and the northern exterior facade restored. Most of the architectural parts were made of bluestone in coordination with the preservation authorities, the coat of arms and the portal surround in concrete and artificial stone. In 1966, work on the tower facade continued, the reddish paintwork was carried out in Caput mortuum . The windows were given moon disks from the Linnich company Glasmalerei Oidtmann . The communion bench and pulpit were removed when the church was restored in 1966. The restoration also included the renewal of the cloister.
Furnishing
In December 1968, new statues of the apostles were acquired from a Dutch antique shop in Nijmegen and placed in the niches that Couven had planned to accommodate figures. These are valuable oak figures that are carved in the style of the Italian Baroque. Of these, the apostles Peter and Paul , James the Younger and the Elder , John , Bartholomäus , Andreas and Matthias were accommodated in the dome niches, the Apostles Thadäus and Matthew on the side of the exit door and Simon and Philip in the side gallery.
In 1971 the parish of St. Johann acquired an Easter candlestick by the Aachen sculptor Bonifatius Stirnberg . At this three circular medallions with silver between the stator and candlestick driven mounted relief images. These represent the creation of man, the paschal lamb and the sending of the Holy Spirit .
A year later, the parish of St. Johann received the baptismal font from the church of St. Laurentius in Laurenzberg near Eschweiler, which, like the surrounding towns , fell victim to open-cast lignite mining . This baptismal font, like the older parts of St. Laurentius, is attributed to the 13th century.
In addition, substantial parts of the broken Berdolet altar were donated to the parish of St. Johann in 1975 by the Aachen Cathedral Chapter. This was erected in 1804 at the instigation of the first Aachen bishop Marc-Antoine Berdolet as the main altar in Aachen Cathedral and demolished in 1975 to make room for a neo-Gothic canopy altar. Between 1975 and 1979, the architect and restorer Hanns Küpper processed the preserved parts, such as the precious marble columns, the capitals, a carved crown and two adoring angels, together with the necessary additions to a new tabernacle altar . A marble sarcophagus has been located under this since 1996, in which a silver box with the bones of the abbey founder, Gregor von Burtscheid , was placed. A year later a Tuscan cross from the 17th century was placed in the center of the altar.
In 1991, based on the basic forms of the Berdolet altar, a new celebration altar and an ambo were purchased in order to meet the changed liturgical requirements.
In 1996 the parish also received a Madonna figure as a valuable Gothic stone sculpture , the date of which is estimated to be around 1350.
In addition, the parish of St. Johann as the successor to the former abbey church is in possession of the valuable abbey treasure , which has been in the treasury in the restored cloister of the former abbey since 2003 . Among the exhibited there important works include not only liturgical appliances and garments which John Bust (1370) from the period of Charles IV. , The filigree abbesses -Kreuz (around 1230), the Byzantine mosaic icon of St. Nicholas (1180) and a baroque sun monstrance (1737). The collection was relocated during the French era and World War II . It is open for tours every 1st Saturday and every 3rd Wednesday of the month (afternoons from 3pm to 5pm).
For a detailed description, see: Reichsabtei Burtscheid # Abteischatz
On the occasion of Pastor Johannes Krischer's (1885–1966) golden jubilee in 1959, the pastor was given a new organ for St. Johann with three manuals , a pedal and 35 stops . The 2500 organ pipes worked on cone bearings ensure a soft and full intonation adapted to the church interior .
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- Coupling : II / I, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
- Playing aids: 2 free combinations, 1 free pedal combination, automatic piano pedal
monument
In 1974, the Rhineland State Conservator added the former St. Johann Abbey Church in Burtscheid to the list of monuments :
"Abbey place
1736–1754 (JJ Couven), reconstruction (Salm);
square domed structure with rounded corners, octagonal inside, east a choir bay and semicircular apse, west 2 nave bays and protruding west tower; Brick with bluestone integration, large pilaster arrangement; Mansard roof "
gallery
- St. Johann Baptist
North facade facing the place
Main portal (current entrance)
Door on the west side (not in use)
Parish home
literature
- Karl Faymonville : The churches of the city of Aachen (= The art monuments of the Rhine province, Vol. 10, 2). Schwann, Düsseldorf 1922, pp. 229 / 501-278 / 550.
- Holger A. Dux : The architect Peter Salm and his work in Burtscheid. in: Contributions to the history of Burtscheid vol. 1, edited by Helmut Doerenkamp, Aachen-Burtscheid 2003, pp. 244–255.
- Wilhelm Zimmermann: St. Johann, Aachen-Burtscheid. (= Rheinische Kunststätten 230). Rhenish Association for Monument Preservation and Landscape Protection, Cologne 1979.
- Wilhelm Zimmermann: St. Johann-Baptist in Aachen-Burtscheid, Einhard-Verlag, Aachen 1997, ISBN 3-930701-36-7
- Ernst Günther Grimme : Church treasures of the former abbey church St. Johann and the parish church St. Michael in Aachen-Burtscheid . Thouet Verlag, Aachen / Leipzig / Paris 1996, ISBN 3-930594-12-9 .
- Herta Lepie : Abbey treasure St. Johann Baptist in Aachen-Burtscheid. In: Clemens MM Bayer (Hrsg.): Treasure art in Rhenish churches and museums. Schnell + Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-2827-3 , pp. 165–172.
Web links
- Entry on the Catholic parish church of Sankt Johann Baptist in Burtscheid in the database " KuLaDig " of the Rhineland Regional Association
- History of St. Johann
- Abbey treasure St. Johann
- Catholic parish of St. Gregor Burtscheid
- Brief description on baukunst.nrw
Individual evidence
- ↑ Albrecht Mann : The five Romanesque columns from the garden house behind the monastery gate on Burtscheider Abteiplatz. 1998.
- ↑ Karl Faymonville: The churches of the city of Aachen (= The art monuments of the Rhine province, Vol. 10, 2). Schwann, Düsseldorf 1922, pp. 229 / 501-278 / 550.
- ↑ Kurt Jünger: The death cellar of the former abbey church St. Johann-Baptist , Parish St. Johann (ed.), Burtscheid 2000
- ↑ Karl Faymonville: The churches of the city of Aachen (= The art monuments of the Rhine province, Vol. 10, 2). Schwann, Düsseldorf 1922, p.?.
- ^ Wilhelm Zimmermann, Volker Rinsing Beck, Reinhold Begaß: Abteischatz . (PDF; 1.01 MB) Oriental gold for Burtscheid. Catholic parish of St. Gregor von Burtscheid, September 6, 2012, archived from the original on April 2, 2013 ; Retrieved September 8, 2014 .
- ↑ Death note
- ↑ Information about the organ on the municipality's website
- ↑ State Conservator Rhineland Monuments Directory. Vol. 1.2: Aachen other parts of the city. Edited by Volker Osteneck with the assistance of Hans Königs . Status: 1974–1977. Rhineland Cologne, 1978. p. 32.
Coordinates: 50 ° 45 '46.9 " N , 6 ° 5' 36.4" E