St. John (Castell)
The St. John's Church in Castell is one of the landmarks of the Lower Franconian village. The church is the main church of the Evangelical Lutheran deanery of Castell . It stands in the upper village on the slope of the Herrenberg at the village's church square.
history
The Johanneskirche in Castell is one of the older churches in the region. It was already used as the baptistery of the early Christians and was first mentioned as a parish church in the 13th century. For a long time, the church was the main and residential church of the Counts of Castell. This also explains the large new building of the 18th century, for which Joseph Albert was a master builder.
Baptistery (until the 16th century)
The history of the Johanneskirche in Castell is closely connected to the Count family of Castell. As early as the end of the 11th century, a noble freeman has been handed down in Castell. Among the rich possessions in the village and its surrounding area there were also some places of worship that were owned by the family as their own churches . These were the churches in Großlangheim, Kleinlangheim , Mainbernheim , Marktsteft and Castell.
The Casteller Church had existed for several centuries. The patronage of John the Baptist suggests an early Christian baptismal church, the purpose of which was to evangelize the East Franconians. With the investiture dispute in the 12th century, the counts lost power over the churches. Only the right of patronage and several honorary rights, such as a lodge in the church, were retained. As the village lords, they were also responsible for the maintenance of the building.
In 1258/1266 Castell was first mentioned as a separate parish . The existing church had become a parish church, also for the believers in the wider area. The division of the rule of the counts in the 13th century also affected the main town. With the burgraves of Nuremberg , another secular power established itself in the place. The parish church of St. Johannes Baptist remained in the possession of the counts.
Reformation (up to 17th century)
The Reformation in the 16th century reached the county of Castell in 1546. Count Wolfgang I, a devout Catholic, had died and his sons tended to adopt the new creed, although Catholic universities took care of their education. Konrad in particular has already celebrated Protestant services in the chapel of his castle. He refrained from a public break with the Catholic Church, as this would have caused problems with his liege lord , the Würzburg prince-bishop.
It was only Count Heinrich IV. Who lived out his faith openly. He turned away from the bishop and placed himself under the protection of Duke Christoph von Württemberg . In 1559 the county of Castell officially adopted the new denomination. In 1584, Castell received the Württemberg church ordinance as the basis for all parishes in the county. In the same year the old cemetery around the church was moved to its current location on the outskirts of the village.
The Reformation was followed in the 17th century by the Counter-Reformation of the Catholic imperial princes. In the Hochstift Würzburg , which surrounded the county, Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn pushed these efforts. However, the Thirty Years' War secured Protestantism in Castell. In 1631, Swedish soldiers temporarily occupied the Upper Palace and thus secured the Protestant areas. With the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Castell finally remained Protestant.
New building (up to the 18th century)
The destruction of the war made a new church necessary at the end of the 17th century. The "completely dilapidated church" should be rebuilt. Initially, however, there was no money for this, so that a new building could only be considered in the second half of the 18th century. After the consistory had awarded the contract to renovate the building in 1782 , the church was demolished in 1783.
However, planning and building a new church turned out to be more difficult than initially assumed. First of all, building inspector Cornelius submitted a first draft, which was rejected by the consistory because of excessive costs. Lieutenant Scholl zu Schwarzenberg changed the plans; Due to discrepancies, they were submitted to Johannes Paul Sack from Erlangen , who drew up further changes. A third draft came from Government Councilor Braun.
He sent his plans to the Würzburg agricultural inspector Joseph Albert for review . The latter rejected Braun's drafts as unfavorable and made the fourth and final draft for a new church in Castell. After the consistory agreed, work could begin in 1784 under Albert's supervision. Although the church was consecrated in 1788 , it took until 1792 for the church to be completed.
Renewals (until today)
The new church only remained under the rule of the Counts of Castell for a short time. The lords lost all of their secular power over the county through the mediatization of 1806. The former regional church of Castell, which among other things had published its own hymn book, was converted into a Bavarian deanery . The counts only got some honorary rights in the church as well as the determination of the pastor's posts.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the church building and the community were not significantly changed. Only a few renovations were made to the church. In 1957/1958, 1964/1965 and 1977/1978 parts of the church were renovated. In 1969 the last rights of the counts in the church also expired. The Johanneskirche underwent further renovations in 1993–1996 and in 2000. The Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation classifies the church building as a monument under the number D-6-75-116-14.
architecture
The church in Castell is a hall building. It is not easted, but was oriented to the southwest. A facade tower is located on the northeast side. With its shapes, the church quotes the late baroque style on the outside, while classicism predominates inside . It was built in the margrave style. A gable roof covers the building.
Facade and tower
The facade is structured by three window axes. In addition, Doric corner pilasters are drawn in between the stone masonry. Further pilasters delimit a central projection , which serves as a tower substructure. A central portal forms the main entrance to the church. It is surrounded by simple garments, which only have a few tendrils in the keystone. Two volutes delimit the portal at the edge, a cornice leads over to the windows above.
Several windows on the facade side are all surrounded by sandstone walls. To the left and right of the portal there are two high arched windows, a much smaller one is attached above the entrance. Higher above the onion-shaped windows there is a small cornice that closes the pilasters and leads to a narrow frieze. It ends with a further, expansive cornice at the eaves height .
The facade areas above are divided by four pilasters. Three round windows form the uppermost glimpse into the interior of the church. Only the central projection, framed by two curved flanks, is raised upwards. Simple volutes delimit the church building at this height. Four central arched windows above belong to the church tower . There is a clock on the northwest side.
The pilasters of the tower merge into a triangular gable . The octagonal tower upper floor adjoins it. The tower room has wide arched windows that are marked with sound hatches on the outside . A final cornice leads to the tower roof. With its onion dome, it is reminiscent of the late work of Balthasar Neumann . A spire, a golden ball and a simple, golden star complete the tower at the top.
Nave and choir
The nave of the church is divided on the outside by five window axes. Doric pilasters are drawn between the windows . On both sides of the nave there is a portal between the second and fourth window axis, so that strict symmetry is preserved. As on the northeast side, there are arched windows below and onion windows above.
The choir is not arched. The building is just closing on the southwest side. Otherwise the choir side shows hardly any differences in the facade. A central portal, framed by two arched windows and surmounted by closed onion-shaped windows, forms the choir side. A frieze contains a central round window above the eaves. Above that, the curly flanks run out in volutes.
In the interior of the nave, the arched windows are connected to form a row of arcades . The main cornice above, equipped with a console frieze, leads over to the stitch caps that give space to the onion windows. A basket arch vault closes off the room at the top. The choir arch , surrounded by pilasters, ends in a richly profiled round arch. All stucco work can be traced back to Johann Michael Krieger from Nuremberg.
Furnishing
The essential elements of the furnishings, altar, pulpit and organ, came into the church during the construction period. Overall, the inside of the church is kept very simple and is structured mainly by the stucco work on the ceiling, walls and galleries.
Pulpit altar
The huge pulpit altar dominates the back of the choir. It came into the church in 1788 and was built by plasterer Johann Michael Krieger, who also carried out the stucco inside the church. Johann Georg Baumgärtner added the golden inlays. All elements of the altar are made of alabaster . The altar structure has two pillars, the round pillars being surrounded by four rectangular pilasters . The columns end in richly structured Corinthian capitals set in gold .
In the center of the pulpit body takes the place of an altar leaf. It is structured with small medallions . The flat-ending sound cover is framed by a red curtain. A wide cornice leads over to the extension , which is bordered by two golden vases. In the center, six volutes hung with wreaths lead diagonally to a round structure. Another, much larger vase crowns the altar. The crucifix below the pulpit is an attic find from the 20th century.
All decorative elements have a symbolic character, so the vase with the flames on top indicates divine apparitions in the fire. The wreaths on the excerpt also go back to the Old Testament : Moses is said to surround the ark with them. A central lyre on the pulpit indicates the reign of King David .
Organ and galleries
The organ was built in 1787 by the Kitzingen master Franz Zettler, it came into the church in 1788. In 1981 the organ building company Gerhard Schmid from Kaufbeuren renewed the organ and expanded it to 25 registers . The instrument was last renewed in 2007. The case consists of seven elements, with vases on the wide cornices. Stucco curtains cover the organ pipes above.
A single-storey gallery supported by simple round columns runs around the interior of the church. It is briefly interrupted at the choir arch to lead to the manorial boxes in the choir area. They are surmounted by a medal frieze and a cornice. A simple parapet rises above it . The jewelry is more diverse only in the boxes in the choir with stucco garlands and palm trees. A pane of glass allows the boxes to be closed.
Bells
The bells of St. John's Church are all foundations of the House of Castell. The so-called blessing bell from 1656 is the oldest and with a diameter of 66 cm the smallest. It is rung especially on festive days. In the 18th century, two more bells came into the bell room : Both were made from a larger bell that was cast around. These are the prayer bell from 1746 and the peace bell from 1749.
The largest bell in St. John's Church is also its youngest. It completed the chime in 1994 and was called the Bell of Mercy. Their bells only sound on Good Friday and on the Day of Repentance and Prayer. The occasion of their foundation was the marriage of Stefanie von Castell to Count Khevenhüller -Metsch.
| Surname | Keynote | diameter |
|---|---|---|
| Mercy bell | e ' | 1.21 m |
| Peace bell | G' | 1.01 m |
| Prayer bell | H' | 0.81 m |
| Blessing bell | d ' | 0.66 m |
Further equipment
There are other pieces of equipment inside the church. A round baptismal font was placed in the church in 1925 as a donation by the Castell princes on the occasion of the baptism of their son Albrecht . A lecture cross with an hourglass in its stick dates from 1827.
A painting from 1993 by Lieselotte von Crailsheim shows the church patron John the Baptist . The church stalls consist of simple brown wooden benches. The galleries are also seated. In the entrance area there are portraits of people who have rendered services to the church.
Crypt
The crypt below the Johanneskirche houses the bones of some members of the count's family in Castell. The first date from the early 18th century, the last one buried in the crypt in 1869. In addition to the members of the family, three other people are buried below the church who are not part of the Castell family ( see also Birklingen Monastery # Gravege of the Counts Castell , Vogelsburg Abbey # Graves of the Counts Castell and St. Peter and Paul (Rüdenhausen ) #Grabge of the Count's Castell family ) .
Buried for the Counts of the Castell family
| Surname | Life dates | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| August Franz Friedrich Graf zu Castell-Castell | 1705-1767 | |
| Luise Henriette Countess zu Castell-Castell | 1719-1783 | born Countess von Pückler |
| Ludwig Friedrich Count of Castell-Remlingen | 1707-1772 | |
| Ferdinande Adriane Countess of Castell-Remlingen | 1718-1787 | born Countess of Stolberg-Wernigerode |
| Karoline Friederike Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen | 1755-1827 | born from Voss |
| Charlotte Henriette Countess of Castell-Remlingen | 1723-1797 | |
| Christian Friedrich Graf zu Castell-Remlingen | 1730-1773 | |
| Katharina Hedwig Countess of Castell-Remlingen | 1730-1783 | born Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen |
| Albrecht Friedrich Karl Count of Castell-Castell | 1766-1810 | |
| Sophie Amalie Countess of Castell-Castell | 1771-1823 | born Countess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg |
| Dorothea Christiane Countess of Castell-Castell | 1793-1796 | |
| Albrecht Philipp Graf zu Castell-Castell | 1797-1797 | |
| Stillborn countess of Count Friedrich Karl zu Castell-Castell | December 1, 1800 | |
| Friedrich Graf zu Castell-Castell | 1791-1875 | |
| Friederike Christiane Countess zu Castell-Castell | 1793-1854 | born Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg |
| Hugo Friedrich Graf zu Castell-Castell | 1823-1824 | |
| Stillborn son of Count Friedrich zu Castell-Castell | March 25, 1835 | |
| Elise Countess of Castell-Castell | 1819-1900 | |
| Carl Graf zu Castell-Castell | 1826-1886 | |
| Emma Countess of Castell-Castell | 1831-1904 | born Countess of Solms-Rödelheim |
| Emilie Countess of Castell-Castell | 1857-1893 | |
| Clotilde Countess of Castell-Castell | 1860-1906 | |
| Elisabeth Countess of Castell-Castell | 1879-1890 | |
| Christian Friedrich Graf zu Castell-Rüdenhausen | 1772-1850 | |
| Adolf Friedrich Hereditary Count of Castell-Rüdenhausen | 1805-1849 | |
| Klara Hereditary Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen | 1807-1838 | born Countess of Rantzau-Breitenburg |
| Marie Hereditary Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen | 1818-1888 | born Baroness of Thüngen |
| Gustav Adolph Graf zu Castell-Rüdenhausen | 1837-1837 | not clear |
| Thekla Klara Maria Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen | † 1860 | |
| Nobility Berta Thekla Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen | † 1869 |
literature
- Hans Bauer: The Kitzinger Land. Valuables, monuments, curiosities. Volume I. Volkach 2004.
- Hans Bauer: District of Kitzingen. An art and culture guide. Market wide 1993.
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments. Bavaria I: Franconia. Munich and Berlin 1999.
- Max Domarus: The high altar of the Casteller Church . In: Andreas Pampuch (Hrsg.): Heimatpflege in Unterfranken VI . Volkach 1964.
- Georg Güntsch: The Casteller Church . Erlangen 1992.
- Thomas Kemper: The Casteller Castle Church . Castell 1988.
- Vicarage Castell (ed.): St. Johanniskirche Castell . Castell.
- Hans Reuther : cathedrals, churches and monasteries in Franconia. Frankfurt am Main 1963.
- Alfred Schelter: The Protestant church building of the 18th century in Franconia . Kulmbach 1981.
- Hans Jakob Wörner: Architecture of the early classicism in Germany . Munich 1979.
- Karl Treutwein : From Abtswind to Zeilitzheim. History, sights, traditions . Volkach 1987.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Parish office Castell (ed.): St. Johanneskirche Castell . P. 1.
- ^ Treutwein, Karl: From Abtswind to Zeilitzheim . P. 40.
- ^ Castell culture path: Castell , accessed on February 10, 2014.
- ↑ Schelter, Alfred: The Protestant church building . P. 300.
- ↑ See: Güntsch, Georg: Die Casteller Kirche .
- ↑ Geodata: ( page no longer available , search in web archives: monument number D-6-75-116-14 ), accessed on February 4, 2014.
- ↑ Schelter, Alfred: The Protestant church building . P. 229.
- ^ Dehio, Georg: Handbook of German art monuments . P. 255.
- ^ Reuther, Hans: Dome, churches and monasteries in Franconia . P. 112.
- ^ Bauer, Hans: District of Kitzingen . P. 81.
- ^ Bauer, Hans: The Kitzinger Land . P. 27.
- ↑ See: Domarus, Max: The high altar of the Casteller church .
- ↑ a b Deanery Castell: Church Guide Castell , accessed on February 10, 2014.
- ↑ Kemper, Thomas: The Casteller Castle Church . P. 122 f.
Evangelical Church (Abtswind) | St. Marien (Altenschönbach) | Evangelical Church (Bimbach) | Evangelical Church (Brno) | St. John (Castell) | St. Stephanus (Eichfeld) | Evangelical Church (Feuerbach) | St. Laurentius (Feeding Lake) | Church of the Redeemer (Gerolzhofen) | Evangelical Church (Greuth) | To the Good Shepherd (Hague) | Evangelical Church (Krautheim) | Evangelical Church (Prichsenstadt) | Evangelical Church (Rehweiler) | St. Peter and Paul (Rüdenhausen) | St. Michael (Volkach) | To the Holy Cross (Wiesenbronn) | Gnadenkirche (Wiesentheid) | St. Sigismund (Zeilitzheim)
Coordinates: 49 ° 44 '24.7 " N , 10 ° 21' 5.2" E