St. John the Baptist (Gerchsheim)
The Roman Catholic parish church of St. John the Baptist in Gerchsheim , a district of Großrinderfeld in the Main-Tauber district , was first built in the late 14th century. Today the church belongs to the pastoral care unit Großrinderfeld-Werbach, which is assigned to the deanery Tauberbischofsheim of the Archdiocese of Freiburg .
history
The origins of the Gerchsheim church go back to the late 14th century. At that time, today's church body was not yet in place, but holy masses were already held, which took place in a small chapel . This stood on today's church premises and was later integrated into the new church.
At that time Gerchsheim belonged to the parish in Oberaltertheim , which only changed with the Reformation . By belonging to the parish of Oberaltertheim, there were constantly new counts and dukes who held the right of patronage over the parish. Therefore, a prince in Oberaltertheim made sure that the parish became Protestant and that this also applied to the surrounding villages of the parish. However, Gerchsheim was subordinate to a Catholic count, who ensured that the Gerchsheim population could continue to follow the Catholic faith. He had Gerchsheim assigned to the bishop of a Catholic parish, which in this case was Eisingen .
At the beginning of the 15th century, the existing chapel was expanded again or partially rebuilt by the Minorite Order. It was then titled as the Gerchsheim cemetery chapel. The name comes from the fact that the cemetery at that time was still on the church grounds, where the chapel also stood. Both, the chapel and the cemetery, were located on today's church grounds where the current church of St. John the Baptist stands.
In 1532 Gerchsheim gained the title of an independent parish and the chapel, which was renewed and expanded several times, was elevated to a parish church. The Protestant Altertheim, to which the Gerchsheim parish belonged before the Reformation, gave the new parish church a bell and a Catholic idol, which they no longer needed in their Protestant church.
The parish Gerchsheim was meanwhile independent and belonged to the diocese of Würzburg until 1809 . The reason for this was that Gerchsheim was assigned to the parish of Eisingen when she did not want to follow the evangelical path of faith that was taken in her parish in the late 14th century. Already in 1806 Gerchsheim was assigned to Baden, which changed again and again, since Gerchsheim is relatively close to the Baden-Bavarian border. In 1827 the now Baden parish was assigned to the Archdiocese of Freiburg , to which it belongs to this day.
Construction of today's parish church began even before Gerchsheim was assigned to Baden. This was started in 1729. In this construction, the existing old "cemetery chapel" was integrated into the new church body and opened on one side so that it was accessible from the new parish church. This can still be seen today. In the area of the old "cemetery chapel" are now the baptismal font and the confessional of the Gerchsheim church of St. John the Baptist. In addition, a very elaborately built nativity scene will be set up in the chapel rooms during the Christmas season .
From 1961 to 1964 the church of St. Johannes was extensively renovated, refurbished and expanded. As early as 1963, the first services could be celebrated in the new church, but the renovation and renovation work was not yet completed at that time. After the renovation was finally completed, the church of St. John the Baptist in Gerchsheim could accommodate around 600 people. In the following years (1965/1966) the rest of the church grounds around the parish church were redesigned. During the renovation and the extension, the bones of some of the deceased were discovered on the church grounds. These came from the old cemetery, which was formerly on the church premises, but was relocated in 1841.
At the end of the renovation and extension work, a new organ was integrated into the church in the years after the parish church was completed. In addition, three new bells were made in 1954. The original church bell consisted of four bronze bells from the Otto bell foundry in Hemelingen / Bremen and was only built into the church tower in 1935. However, the three largest bells were removed during World War II and, due to their bronze nature, were used for war purposes. With the production of three new bronze bells, the original church bells could be completed again. The church of St. John the Baptist found its shape that has existed to this day in 1967, with regard to its exterior and interior properties. In the years 2013 to 2014, the parish church and the church grounds were further refurbished, but only the outer facades were repainted and the interior was given a small redesign.
Church building
Exterior construction
The parish church of St. John the Baptist in Gerchsheim is a baroque plastered building from 1729.
The baroque elements can be seen, among other things, in the many windows that were installed in the upper area of the church in order to intensify the light effects that are typical of the baroque style. They are all around, around the whole church building. In addition, the Gerchsheim parish church was built in 1729, which falls into the baroque period. In addition, the baroque architectural style was an integral part of the Counter-Reformation to show how impressive the Catholic Church and its architectural styles and buildings are. The typical pointed gable was a symbol for this to illustrate Baroque architecture and the Counter-Reformation.
inner space
The baroque elements are represented by the many curved shapes, which can be recognized, for example, on the Gerchsheim picture altars.
The domes in the "cemetery chapel", which is integrated into the parish church, indicate that baroque elements were used in the church.
Inside the Church of St. John, the light effects can be seen through the many windows. These are an important feature of baroque buildings, which particularly affects churches.
The columns in the rear area of the parish church are also typical of baroque architecture, as are the arches that can be seen in the integrated “cemetery chapel”. This can also be seen in the smaller chapel, which can be used as a prayer room.
Steeple
The Gerchsheim medieval church tower has a height of about 38 meters. It is attached directly to the parish church.
This has the Gerchsheimer bell within its tower. This consists of four bells. In addition, the tower is equipped with a large, electronically controlled clock, which is visible on two sides of the tower top, as clock faces are attached there.
The church tower is widely visible because it stands out from the rest of the town due to its height. There is a golden rooster on the top of the tower.
Furnishing
When furnishing the Gerchsheim parish church, reference is made to the interior of the church. This was built in 1729 and is therefore a baroque building.
Altars
The furnishings include a baroque altar , which is located at the top of the church house. The picture altars can be seen in the background. The baroque elements and the large painting in the center of this altar can be recognized on it. This shows John the Baptist together with Jesus Christ .
Further picture altars are located in the front area of the parish church. There are large paintings on them. There are a total of three such picture altars in the Gerchsheim church. They are installed behind the main altar and also have baroque decorations.
confessional
The confessional is in the former cemetery chapel. This was integrated into the parish church when the church was built in 1729.
Ways of the cross
On the wall inside the church, various panels depict the Way of the Cross , which Jesus had to walk. In addition, the Gerchsheimer Freilandkreuzweg leads from the parish church of St. John the Baptist over the Stationsbergweg up to the chapel Maria Königin des Friedens (popularly also known as the war memorial chapel ).
organ
The organ of the Gerchsheim Church of St. John the Baptist was installed in 1967. It has 13 sounding registers and is located on the first floor of the Gerchsheimer church.
Chapels
A small chapel, which can be used as a prayer room, and the larger cemetery chapel are also part of the furnishings of the St. Both are integrated into the parish church. Various baroque elements such as the domes in the vault of the chapel can be seen in the cemetery chapel.
Benches
The seating throughout the church is made of wood.
Nativity play
One of the sights of the Catholic parish church of St. Johannes in Gerchsheim is the nativity scene, which is set up in the cemetery chapel every year at Christmas time. This is integrated into the parish church. The nativity play always attracts many visitors who want to marvel at the elaborately constructed event during the Christmas season. Its origins go back to the beginning of the last century.
Clockwork
The Gerchsheim parish church has a mechanical clockwork mechanism, which is located in the church tower. This old movement is no longer in operation, but it is still in good condition. The Schneider company once built it into the tower top of the church tower, where it is still unchanged today. In the meantime it has been replaced by a newer clock system.
Web links
- Gerchsheim St. Johannes dT on the website of the pastoral care unit Großrinderfeld-Werbach.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t pastoral care unit Großrinderfeld-Werbach: Gerchsheim St. Johannes dT . Online at www.kath-grossrinderfeld.de. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ Deanery Tauberbischofsheim: Pastoral care units of the Deanery Tauberbischofsheim . Online at www.kath-dekanat-tbb.de. December 26, 2015.
- ^ Gerhard Reinhold: Otto bells. Family and company history of the Otto bell foundry dynasty . Self-published, Essen 2019, ISBN 978-3-00-063109-2 , p. 588, especially page 539 .
- ↑ Gerhard Reinhold: Church bells - Christian world cultural heritage, illustrated using the example of the bell founder Otto, Hemelingen / Bremen . Nijmegen / NL 2019, p. 556, especially p. 498 , urn : nbn: nl: ui: 22-2066 / 204770 (dissertation at Radboud University Nijmegen).
- ↑ a b University of Heidelberg: Art monuments of the Grand Duchy of Baden . Online at www.uni-heidelberg.de. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- ^ A b Archdiocese of Freiburg: bells . Online at www.ebfr-glocken.de. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
Parish churches of the pastoral care unit Großrinderfeld-Werbach: St. John the Baptist (Gerchsheim) | St. Laurentius (Ilmspan) | St. Michael (Großrinderfeld) | St. Vitus (Schönfeld)
Other churches, chapels and crossroads: Friedhofskapelle (Großrinderfeld) | Cemetery chapel (Ilmspan) | Way of the Cross (Gerchsheim) | Maria Queen of Peace (Gerchsheim) | Marienkapelle (Hof Baiertal)
Coordinates: 49 ° 42 '23.1 " N , 9 ° 47' 3.2" E