St. Ludwig (Saarlouis)

Facade from St. Ludwig to the Great Market with Marienbrunnen

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), organ gallery

St. Ludwig and St. Peter and Paul is a Catholic church on the Great Market in Saarlouis . The parish was founded in 1685 in connection with the construction of the Saarlouis fortress and today comprises around 4,000 Catholics. Since 2012 it has formed the parish community "Saarlouis - Links der Saar" with the parishes of St. Crispinus and Crispinianus (Lisdorf) , St. Peter and Paul (Beaumarais) , St. Medardus (Neuforweiler) and St. Marien in Picard . The church is assigned to the diocese of Trier . The main patronage day is the feast day of St. Louis of France on August 25th. The second day of the Church's patronage is the feast of Peter and Paul on June 29th. The building of the Catholic Church can also be seen in connection with the re-Catholicisation measures of Louis XIV in the wake of the reunion policy on the central Saar in the second half of the 17th century. The formerly baroque building has undergone numerous redesigns in the course of its history. In the 19th century, the baroque building was replaced by a new neo-Gothic building in two stages. Its nave was replaced in the 20th century by a concrete building designed by the architect Gottfried Böhm in the brutalist style . The tower front by the architect Vincenz Statz has been preserved from the neo-Gothic building to this day .

Location and surroundings

Map of the fortress town of Saarlouis with the surrounding places from 1721, in the center of the Great Market with the Church of St. Ludwig opposite the commandant's office (Saarbrücken State Archives)

Saarlouis, headquarters around 1900

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), No. 2, Plan de Sarrelouis from 1777, the fortresses in red, the artillery buildings in blue, the civil buildings in yellow; St. Ludwig's Church on the Great Market (Saarlouis City Archives)

The Catholic church is located on the Great Market in the city center. Directly opposite the main facade of St. Ludwig, on the other side of the Great Market, was the royal command building built between 1685 and 1686 (today as a reconstruction from 1973 to 1979). The church entrance and the commandant's entrance correspond to one another.

The square Grosse Markt, surrounded by a tree-lined avenue, whose corner points are marked by drinking water fountains at a distance of about 100 m, historically served both as a trading and festival area and as a parade ground. Residential and commercial buildings still form the architectural boundaries of this urban space today.

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), development on the right side

To this day, the facade of the church is flanked by two small attached residential and commercial buildings on both Petrusstrasse and Paulusstrasse. The two-story secular building, together with the sacred building, form a pyramidal structure in the contour line of the overall ensemble and seem to hold together and support the rising neo-Gothic architecture of the church.

The right house next to the church (corner of Großer Markt / Petrusstraße) was bought by the church administration in 1836 for 150 thalers. The ailing property was completely demolished in 1838 and then rebuilt for 500 thalers to serve as a sexton and bell ringer apartment. Following the demolition of the baroque church building, there were legal disputes with the residents or rights holders of the corner houses attached to the church. Both parties had to be compensated in cash (1000 and 85 thalers, respectively).

Both houses next to the church were badly damaged in the fire of the baroque church facade in 1880 and renovated in connection with the construction of the neo-Gothic facade.

history

Baroque building

→ Main article : Baroque Church of St. Ludwig (Saarlouis)

In the first few years after the fortress town of Saarlouis was founded (the foundation stone was laid on August 5, 1680), the service for the soldiers and first residents took place provisionally in a simple camp chapel or in the former main station on the Great Market. The first baroque parish church of St. Ludwig was probably built by fortress engineers between 1685 and 1687 with a flat, three-part facade in the style of a Roman temple .

The church was analogous to the city name "Sarrelouis" and the city founder "Louis XIV.", Whose namesake , the canonized Louis IX. , King of France, consecrated. The second patronage of the apostle princes was taken over from the abandoned Wallerfang parish church.

The first fortress governor Thomas de Choisy , acting on behalf of King Louis XIV, laid the foundation stone for the sacred building on June 2, 1685 with the permission of Archbishop Johann VIII. Hugo von Orsbeck of Trier .

There are still two large-format oil paintings on the furnishings of the baroque church as a gift from Louis XVI. receive. They represent the “Holy Family” and the “Apotheosis of St. Ludwig”. A gold-plated altar predella depicting the Last Supper has also been preserved .

Neo-Gothic church building

→ Main article : Neo-Gothic St. Ludwig Church (Saarlouis)

Since the church, like the entire fortress, was built on poorly solid ground, static deficiencies arose in the 19th century . In the years 1865 to 1866, the architect Carl Friedrich Müller (1833–1889) built a neo-Gothic three-aisled stepped hall with narrower aisles on the old, baroque foundations after approval by the episcopal and royal Prussian authorities.

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  Carl Friedrich Müller (1833–1889), master builder of the Saarlouis district, architect of the neo-Gothic nave of St. Ludwig, photo from 1870

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  Fire of the baroque church tower in 1880, (Saarlouis city archive)

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  Construction of the neo-Gothic tower, (Saarlouis City Archives)

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  Vincenz Statz (born April 9, 1819 in Cologne; † August 21, 1898 there), architect of the neo-Gothic tower front of St. Ludwig

The wooden and slated parts of the baroque tower facade caught fire on the evening of August 7th, 1880 due to the nightly illumination with candles or fireworks on the occasion of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the fortress's foundation. The slated wooden tower hood burned down completely. The bells melted during the fire or crashed into the stone tower shaft as the wooden bell house collapsed. The church roof of the new neo-Gothic building was also burning, but the stone vault prevented the flames from spreading into the nave.

In view of the severe devastation, also for reasons of purity of style, the decision was made to completely demolish the baroque facade and built a neo-Gothic tower facade corresponding to the style of the neo-Gothic nave by the Cologne architect Vincenz Statz , an influential representative of neo-Gothic in the Rhineland.

The two-storey facade is divided into an arcade zone and a window zone. In the four-story, hexagonal steeple with its rises crab decorated helmet up to the top of the finial m at a height of 51st The two houses flanking the facade were taken over from the previous building. They are surmounted by two stair towers with a square floor plan.

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), tower portal decorated with eyelashes with the apocalyptic lamb in the tympanum

The entrance hall is divided into three large sections. The tower entrance is as central, richly structured with tracery, wimpergbekrönter main entrance to the church with a relief weinrankengeschmücktem tympanum decorated. In the center of the tympanum, the triumphant apocalyptic lamb of God appears in a stylized wreath of clouds with the victory flag on the book with the seven seals ( Rev 5,1  EU ). The constellation of the Lamb with the vine branches refers to the word of Jesus in the Gospel of John ( Joh 15,5  EU ): “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him brings rich fruit. ”In addition, the constellation of the lamb in the arched field and the portal can be brought into connection with another passage in the Gospel of John:“ I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved ”( Jn 10.9  EU ).

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), side portals of the market front, neo-Gothic capital with sheet masks

The tower entrance is flanked by double pointed arches on central columns with sheet mask capitals , which open to the former neo-Gothic aisles. The end wall of the nave recedes behind this vestibule concept. The front of the vestibule is connected to the nave by the sloping walls of the hexagonal tower surrounded by buttresses . While the tower basement is part of the three-part vestibule, the design of the first tower floor connects with the nave facade. The two two-lane pointed arched windows with quatrefoil at the top correspond formally to the tower window on the first floor on the same level. All three windows are the same height as the pointed arches of the sloping tower walls. The nave facade is completed on the first floor with a tracery parapet. In the middle of the second floor of the tower there is a two-lane window that ends with a straight line, above which the tower clock is attached. As on the first floor of the tower, the sloping walls are structured with pointed arches. The hexagonal, crab-studded pointed helmet rises steeply above the neo-Gothic, lancet-like sound openings behind a tracery parapet.

The two stair towers of St. Ludwigs in Saarlouis stand on the site of the earlier baroque tower flank hoods. On the upper floor they develop from a square to an octagon and close with stone helmets.

The arched walls of the vestibule of St. Ludwig, finely profiled with throat and bulge, the rich tracery forms of the parapets, the crabs on the Wimperg and on the central tower spire, as well as the finials of the three spire spiers all cite the High Gothic canon of forms.

Above the entrance portal, the tower hall has intertwined letters in a round medallion that result in the word "Maria". Underneath there is a band of inscriptions with the Latin words: "SANCTA MARIA DEI GENETRIX INVIOLATA IANUA COELI GLORIOSA AVE" (German translation: "Holy Mary, undamaged Theotokos, glorious gate of heaven, be greeted"). Some letters of the inscription are highlighted in color and, interpreted as Roman numerals, result in the year 1883, the year the foundation stone of the neo-Gothic tower was laid.

On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city of Saarlouis in 1980, damage to the tower facade that had been caused by the US artillery bombardment of the Second World War was repaired. The entire facade was cleaned, damaged sandstones were replaced.

Nazi era and World War II

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), Votive Christ, donated on the occasion of the surviving first evacuation of the city of Saarlouis in World War II

The anti-church measures of the Nazi regime began immediately after the referendum on January 13, 1935 in the Saar area . The catholic club house was confiscated by NSDAP organs, the catholic clubs suppressed and the work of the parish was impaired. The evacuation of the parish of St. Ludwig took place with the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. Rescue locations were various cities and communities in Central Germany. Items of equipment in the church could be secured by salvage at other locations.

Only in 1940 did the Saarlouis residents return to the depopulated city after the end of the French campaign . On the occasion of the homecoming, a wooden figure of Christ was donated as a votive offering in 1940 and created by the sculptor Wilhelm Tophinke , who worked in Koblenz and was trained at the Wiedenbrück school . The figure was erected in 1941.

The allied artillery bombardment of the city from the end of November 1944 destroyed the church. During the period of fire by the US artillery, most of the city's population fled.

In the middle of the reconstruction phase after the end of the Second World War, a devastating flood in the last days of December 1947 flooded the already badly hit city. After the war the church was made usable again.

New construction of the nave

Structural damage and demolition orders

The lowering of the groundwater level in the Saarlouis city center also made the second, neo-Gothic nave unstable. To prevent parts of the masonry from falling down, the church had to be secured by erecting scaffolding inside. As a result, the interior could only be used for church services in the left part. During excavation work on the foundations, which were supposed to serve as security, human bones were found at a depth of half a meter. In the years between 1685 and 1700 alone, 149 people were laid to rest in the floor of the nave. In the course of further securing work, increasing subsidence damage was found. In 1963 the church had to be closed by the building authorities, so that Holy Mass was temporarily celebrated in the Evangelical Church of Saarlouis from this point on . At the same time, the city made the Zeughausplatz available for the construction of an emergency church. The emergency church was consecrated on February 17, 1964.

On January 20, 1964, the parish administration informed the dismayed parish of St. Ludwig that the previous church had to be torn down and that a new sacred structure was to be built in its place. The incumbent pastor at St. Ludwig, Dean Walter Helmes (term of office: 1963–1973), was a staunch advocate of a radically modern building concept. Initially, they wanted to demolish the entire neo-Gothic church, including the statically completely secured tower front, but the Saarland state curator Reinhard Schindler , in collaboration with Martin Klewitz , vetoed it. On January 6, 1965, demolition work on the neo-Gothic nave began by the Beckingen company Maurer. The facade by Vinzenz Statz should be preserved. Most of the pieces of equipment and memorial stones had been recovered from the demolition.

The baroque statues of the princes of the apostles Peter and Paul, which originally stood in the facade niches of the first parish church, and after the fire of the tower on August 7, 1880 in the parish garden (today Dechant-Unkel-Platz behind the church), then under roofs The outer wall of the neo-Gothic apse were placed in the parish garden again in 1965. They only escaped destruction through the courageous intervention of a parish member.

Find the heart of Thomas de Choisy

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), heart urn grave of Thomas de Choisy, modern plate with the French inscription "Ici repose le Coeur du General Thomas de Choisy, premier Gouverneur de Sarrelouis 1679–1710", translation: "Here rests the heart of General Thomas de Choisy, first governor of Saarlouis 1679–1710 ”, sculpture in reddish marble by the Ihner artist Oswald Hiery

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), lead plaque above the heart capsule by Thomas de Choisy from the neo-Gothic church, found again in 1965 when the nave was demolished

During the demolition work, an excavator shovel tore down the part of the church wall in which the heart-shaped lead capsule with the heart of the first Saarlouis fortress governor Thomas de Choisy was embedded. The lead casing was damaged in the process. At Choisy's personal request, the heart and the rest of its entrails were walled up in the parish church next to the altar of Our Lady on February 26, 1710, immediately after his death at the age of 78, in order to document his inner connection with his place of work, while the rest were mortal The remains were transferred to the family crypt in Moigneville. In the neo-Gothic building of the church, the capsule was buried again under the high altar. The torn lead capsule with the heart of Thomas de Choisy was placed under medical supervision in a newly made larger lead casing, poured with preparation liquid, welded and provided by a master goldsmith with the inscription: "Heart of Comte Thomas de Choisy, Marquis des Moigeville, 1632– 1710 ".

Originally the heart of Thomas de Choisy was in the baroque church under a stone statue of the governor in the wall of the church. Choisy was shown in military costume in a kneeling prayer position and with folded hands. Choisy's relief was probably chiseled away during the French Revolution.

Construction of the modern church

View of Gottfried Böhm's aluminum-clad roof structure

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), cornerstone of the new church building

A competition was held to obtain a new church building. On January 31, 1965, five architects had sent in their drawings and models. Heinrich Latz chaired the jury . The winner of this competition was the architect Gottfried Böhm (Cologne-Marienburg) on February 9, 1965 . The other winners were:

• 2nd prize: Albert Dietz (Saarbrücken)
• 3rd prize: Konny Schmitz (Dillingen)
• 4th prize: Karl Peter Böhr (Trier)
• 5th prize: Karl Hanus (Saarlouis)

Gottfried Böhm explained his competition entry as follows:

“The neo-Gothic facade with the tower of the Ludwigskirche in Saarlouis is so good in scale and of such importance for the market place that it should be preserved without major changes. However, it is not possible to leave the facade alone and to build the structure of the church separately from it. Rather, the gable requires a spatial continuation. This means that the dimensions of the church are kept at a similar size to the old church. Apart from this, it also seems necessary that a city like Saarlouis keep a city church, i.e. H. a church that goes beyond the normal size of a parish church and that also has a larger capacity for special occasions.

In order not to make the church appear oversized for normal use and to keep the congregation together around the altar , the author suggests placing a kind of vestibule in front of the main room, in which admission into the church is also carried out through baptism .

This vestibule or baptismal hall is wide open to the main room and only separated from it by the organ and singing gallery and the type of wall and vaulting. The view from this vestibule under the gallery and around the free-standing organ goes to the main room, which is more richly structured in floor plan and elevation. Corresponding to the floor plan of the main room, its elevation is also more richly structured and the gable shape, which defines the ceiling of the vestibule, is converted into a folded structure that rises towards the front and ends above the main altar, sacrament altar and the place where the word is proclaimed. The singers should stand on the gallery to the side of the organ, pretty much in the middle of the entire room and also the answer for the entire people. "

Since June 1967 the Dutch civil engineering company De Waal was busy with the foundation work (pile foundations) for Böhm's new church building. 45 steel pipes with a diameter of 32 to 75 cm were brought down to a depth of 10 m on a stable rock layer of Saar gravel, reinforced and poured with concrete. The narrower pipes should have a load capacity of 35 tons, the larger pipes a load capacity of 200 tons. The neo-Gothic tower was also given new foundations during the foundation work. The previous ones were only up to 4 m below ground level. During the excavation work in the area of ​​the nave, numerous bones were found which were then buried again under the new church. In the previous centuries, the deceased of the city of Saarlouis had been wrapped in linen cloths and covered with lime in the burial places in the church interior.

On July 24, 1967, work began on the new building of the church by the Fraulauterner construction company Hans Hanus. The Saarlouis architect Klaus Hoffmann was responsible for the construction management and the tender. The construction office was set up in the old rectory behind the church (today Dechant-Unkel-Platz). At the beginning of July 1969, the topping-out ceremony for the new church building was celebrated. At the topping-out ceremony, client Dechant Helmes said affirmatively:

“We had the courage to build such a large church on this site. I mean, we should congratulate ourselves on this courage. "

On August 30, 1969, regional dean Josef Goergen (1904–1995) laid the foundation stone for the new church. There was no accident during the construction of the church. The inauguration ceremony took place on August 29, 1970, the 700th year of the death of St. Ludwig.

Senior building officer Alois Peitz from the Diocesan Building Office of the Diocese of Trier commented on the vehement criticism of the Böhm building during the church celebration and defended the cost of approx. 2 million DM:

“The parish has every reason to be happy about the new church, which is characterized by the diversity and differentiation of the structure, the unity of its interior and the pre-church, which is directly adjacent to the Great Market and thus to the world the offer to stop directs. (...) In a pluralistic society everyone has the same rights. Of all the meeting rooms, the church buildings are the cheapest. The Saarbrücken congress hall cost more than six times as much as the new Ludwigskirche. "

Peitz further stated in his address on August 29, 1970:

“How is this building to be understood, apprehended and explained? As an architect, I am sober enough not to interpret any program or idea into this building, because I know that is not how Prof. Böhm begins. I just want to be happy with you about the successful work and especially mention three manifestations that are noticeable to me and seem essential:

1) The diversity and differentiation of the building on the outside and the space on the inside. Instead of strict geometry, there is a free play of forces, instead of a readable statics and dynamics, and yet we see a unified whole without chaos. Isn't this type of architecture a documentation of our situation? We are not a uniformed, equal and homogeneous society. We are no longer a parish standing in rank and file behind its pastor. We emphasize the personality of the individual, the maturity, personal responsibility - a unity in diversity.

2) The unity, almost centering effect of the building. Although it was built on the foundations of a longitudinal system, this building is concentrated around the altar, is - it seems - derived from it and leads to it. The outer shell is nothing more than the sheltering space, as the place of the mystery of God's incarnation. The space creates the conditions for the congregation to gather around this altar, has a leading and interpreting effect at the same time.

3) The pre-church with the sacrament area, located directly on the market square, as a constant offer to linger, to take a breath. The hustle and bustle of our everyday life, the technological environment often enough awaken a longing in us for an island of calm, for "something completely different". Often enough we want to jump off. The lumbering of our days is a sign of this flight and longing. This creates a vacuum that can be an opportunity for the church. Take advantage of this opportunity with this building and this pre-church and give a sign for the others with the constantly open vestibule, with the sacrament area located directly on the street and the market. "

The actual consecration was not celebrated until 33 years after the completion of the Böhm concrete building on August 24, 2003. The consecration was carried out by Auxiliary Bishop Leo Schwarz of Trier . A cross relic , relics of the Trier martyrs of the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian , the blessed Father Peter Friedhofen and the blessed sister Blandine Merten were allowed into the celebration altar . The consecration was omitted in 1970 because in the post-conciliar spirit of the time, the newly built church wanted to be understood more as a place of assembly for the congregation and not as a sacred place of worship. The 300th anniversary of the parish was celebrated in 1985.

Böhm's design for Saarlouis, which he was able to realize between 1965 and 1970, has numerous similarities with his design for the pilgrimage church of Maria, Queen of Peace in Neviges , which was developed in 1968. Both churches, Saarlouis and Neviges, belong to the series of folded structures by Böhm that look like monumental crystalline monoliths: 1956–1960 Parish Church of St. Maria (Fatima Friedenskirche) in Kassel - Bad Wilhelmshöhe , 1958–1966 Catholic University Clinic Church of St. John the Baptist in Cologne - Lindenthal , 1960–1967 St. Gertrud (Cologne) in Neustadt-Nord (Cologne) , 1968–1970 Christ's Resurrection (Lindenthal) in the Cologne district of Lindenthal , 1967–1969 St. Mary's Visitation in Alfter - Impekoven .

The listed neo-Gothic tower facade by Vincenz Statz was preserved in Saarlouis. As the new nave, Böhm created a large concrete sculpture that unfolds into the urban space through its towering roof landscape and is intended to overwhelm the viewer. The brutal concrete structure impresses with its crushing seriousness, spectacular passion and monumental weight. Reliability and strength should be conveyed to the viewer. According to its advocates, the exposed concrete of brutalism should not only be the result of an absolute focus on functionality and the reduction to the essentials due to its radical material vision, but also visualize moral values ​​such as honesty and authenticity. Being a Christian in the present was understood as an existential experience that should also be reflected in church construction. The barren church space was seen as an opportunity to concentrate the mass to be celebrated on its core and to encourage the inner contemplation of the faithful.

The Böhmsche Kirchbau in Saarlouis is thus an eloquent expression of a time of radical values ​​upheaval in church and society. The church as an institution increasingly drew controversial discussions across the board in the post-war society, which was largely loyal to the church. As never before, it came under the pressure of existential justification and found itself subject to the necessity of a fundamental change that seemed to call for unusual solutions. While optimistic church representatives hoped to be able to close the growing gap between church and society - especially the younger generation - through church buildings of brutalism, opponents of the new church building saw in the plastic weight of the new large buildings the concrete epitome of architectural and religious sadness, soullessness and Insensitivity and ridiculed the modern concrete churches with terms such as “faith bunker”, “soul reactor” or “Our Father Garages”.

Böhm's Church of St. Ludwig rises up on an irregular, angled floor plan as a crystalline, broken structure 46 m long and 26 m wide. The interior of the nave reaches a maximum height of 24.5 m. The volume corresponds to 17,700 cubic meters . The church can accommodate 600 people.

The interior, which is based on the ground plan of the previous buildings, with its steeply rising, vertically segmented raw concrete walls reflects the outer shape as a negative form. For design and acoustic reasons, ceilings and individual wall surfaces are set off with a perforated grid. In the height, angles and edges as well as cube-like exits and incisions form from the wall. The bulky protruding vaults made of cubic folds lead in terms of design to the flat, perforated ceiling. Walls and ceiling form an inseparable, three-dimensional unit. The tent-like unfolding of the ceiling picks up on one of the fundamental leitmotifs of German church architecture of the 1960s. The tent motif (e.g. 2 Cor 5,1-10  EU ) stands as a symbol for the so-called "Ecclesia peregrinans", the seeking or pilgrim church in the time of pastoral reorientation in the context of the Second Vatican Council (1962– 1965). In addition, the tent motif is also related to the biblical Mishkan (Stiftszelt; Latin tabernaculum , Ex 39,32-43  EU ), the portable Jewish sanctuary , which, according to the stories of the Old Testament, the people of Israel on their wanderings to the Exodus from Egypt before a permanent central shrine was built.

In its radical verticality, the room is inspired by a high Gothic spirit and gives the impression of a massively abstract, modern Sainte-Chapelle in massive concrete forms. The church interior was originally divided into mystically shaded and brightly lit areas by the clear-glazed rectangular windows distributed in the walls like a hatch, which gave the church interior something mysterious. In the area of ​​the church, where the transepts used to be, the windows are lined up in rows of light in the immediate eye zone of the beholder. The window niches show the church visitor the thickness of the church walls. The unclear lighting and the economical use of incidence of light should suggest an unlimited space. The room is therefore not directly and clearly perceivable for the visitor and gives the impression of overwhelming grandeur. These light effects, deliberately staged by Böhm, were gradually changed by Ernst Alt from the 1980s onwards through the figurative stained glass in glowing colors .

In a letter dated February 12, 2001, Gottfried Böhm commented on the glazing by Ernst Alt as follows:

“At first I found the windows very bulky, but after looking at them for a long time they too may have something that, if you can't see it in such detail, fits into the room. (...) I had of course imagined a different window. "

The closed back wall of the colossal organ gallery stands free in the room and forms a kind of rood screen that separates the entrance area from the area where the services are held. Those entering from the Großer Markt will see an icon of Mary in a metal frame in the left area of ​​the back wall of the organ theater, which is mystically flickered around by numerous votive candles, so that in the semi-dark twilight an intimate effect is achieved that conveys peace and distance from the hectic hustle and bustle of urban life . From the entrance, the right pillar of the organ theater is broken through by a glazed niche for the community's book of the dead. There is also a niche for a death lamp .

The visitor either walks past the organ theater or moves through two low passages into the actual sacral area with a huge, cave-like effect. In this way, the view is free to the choir niche, which takes up the magnificent neo-Gothic high altar from the previous building, which was re-erected in the 1980s. Böhm deliberately planned this passage effect of medieval rood screen churches. The path character of the sacred space was additionally emphasized by lamps that are modeled on street lamps with three lampshades each on curved arms. They were supposed to connect the secular urban space with its market activities and the sacred church space and, like lighthouses, illuminate the believer's path to the altar island as the center of the overall building. Due to material fatigue, the “street lamps” were later converted into “light tube masts” and now change Gottfried Böhm's original spatial concept. The basic idea behind the renovation of the lighting concept was that the light tube masts could illuminate the vaults upwards and the area for the church visitors downwards. In his letter of February 12, 2001, Gottfried Böhm comments on the new lighting concept as follows:

“I don't like the new lighting fixtures at all, because the old ones were much nicer. I don't know why it was changed. Perhaps the reason for this was that it was not sufficiently illuminated upwards, but this was actually intentional, because I believe that the artificial lighting of the room should be completely different, just directed downwards, and the room should be quiet Should remain dim. "

On the altar island in front of the high altar is the celebration altar, around which the celebrating community should gather in accordance with the post-conciliar idea of ​​the "circumstantes". In the chancel, the lead capsule with the heart of Thomas de Choisy , the first governor of the fortress town of Saarlouis, which had already been in the two earlier churches, was reburied on March 19, 1971. On August 26, 1973, the two baroque statues of the princes of the apostles Peter and Paul from the facade niches of the earlier baroque church of the 17th century were placed in the vestibule of the new church to the left and right of the tower portal. The statues from 1685 came from a Trier workshop that had also made numerous sculptures for the Trier monastery church of the imperial abbey of St. Maximin .

In contrast to the raw concrete walls, which still document the technical traces of the formwork and fill, the floor is completely covered with square red clay tiles that want to give the visitor a feeling of rural naturalness and earthy warmth. The pedestals and the altar island with the altar block are designed in the same way and give the impression that they are growing out of the ground.

Dimensions

• Length of the neo-Gothic tower hall from door to door: 5.70 m
• Length of the vestibule to the organ gallery: 7.70 m
• Length of the ship from the gallery to the apis: 38.20 m
• Length of the church from the inside of the tower portal to the apse: 51.60 m
• Maximum width: 23.40 m
• Maximum arch height: 23.00 m

Furnishing

High altar

→ Main article : Ludwig Altar (Saarlouis)

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), neo-Gothic winged altar by Hans Steinlein when open

The neo-late Gothic high altar of St. Ludwig was created in 1910 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the parish of the dean Alexander Subtil by the workshop of the Eltville am Rhein sculptor Hans Steinlein (* 1872 in Trier, † 1958). The sacred artwork thematizes the life of the church patron, St. Louis IX. from France.

Paintings and sculptures

The two large-format oil paintings in the entrance area of ​​the church with the signature "Dupuy" were probably made at the end of the 17th century by the Metz artist Nicolas Dupuy and donated to the parish church by King Louis XIV. Dupuy came from Pont-à-Mousson and was employed as court painter to Duke Leopold I of Lorraine from the second half of the 17th century until 1706 . In addition to his Saarlouis paintings, three other paintings by Dupuy in Nancy are known.

During the turmoil of the French Revolution , the Saarlouis church was devastated and desecrated in January 1794. However, the paintings could be saved. You are now in the anteroom of the church. The two oil paintings were restored in the 1950s by the Saarbrücken painter and restorer Ernst Sonnet (1906–1978). To mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city in 1980, the two paintings were hung up again inside the church after careful restoration.

Holy Family

Nicolas Dupuy: The Holy Family, 1687, oil on canvas, 133 × 178 cm

The oil painting (oil on canvas, 133 × 178 cm) depicting the Holy Family in the entrance area of ​​the church comes from the baroque parish church and was created in 1687. The picture was probably removed from the baroque church that was to be demolished in 1865 and has been hung in the rectory ever since. Only after 1970 did it return to the Böhm church building. The painting shows a visit by the family of John the Baptist with his parents to the Holy Family , a constellation that is seldom discussed in art history and is not told in the Bible. Just as the pregnant Virgin Mary paid a visit to her cousin Elisabeth before the birth of John ( Lk 1.39-56  EU ), Elisabeth is now visiting the relatives in Nazareth with her husband and the son of the family . The baby Jesus sits on the lap of the Virgin Mary and stretches out his arms to greet the little John who is striving towards him. John's mother Elisabeth, depicted as a woman at an advanced age, supports the movement of her little son towards the Christ Child. While Zacharias , the father of John, bows reverently before the baby Jesus, Joseph looks at the scene in a thoughtful manner by supporting his head with his hand. The mother of God Mary with the baby Jesus is designed as the center of brightness of the painting. A swirling red curtain on the upper left edge of the picture completes the harmonious and peaceful composition and reveals a landscape scene. The oil painting was restored in 1832 and has darkened considerably as a result of this treatment. It was probably removed from the church in 1890 and then hung in the rectory.

Apotheosis of St. Louis

Nicolas Dupuy: The apotheosis of St. Ludwig, 1694, oil on canvas, 220 × 350 cm

The oil painting (oil on canvas, 220 × 350 cm) depicting the admission of St. Ludwig into heaven in the entrance area of ​​the church dates from 1694 and is still part of the furnishings of the baroque parish church. The concept of apotheosis was taken up again in the Baroque era from Greco-Roman antiquity. In their mythological imagination, heroic people were elevated to gods because of their morally outstanding deeds, whereupon they should be worshiped with divine honorary testimonies. The Saarlouis painting probably served as the central image of the high altar in the apse of the baroque church. In the lower right half of the picture, St. Louis kneels with youthful, graceful features and in a humble posture in royal ermine robe during the particular court at the moment of his passing before the divine majesty. He has placed his right hand on his heart, while his left hand points to the crown of France and the king's scepter, both of which lie on a sumptuous tassel cushion at the feet of Christ. The gesture makes it clear that the ruler of France has left behind all worldly power received from God through the anointing of the king and is now returning it to God's hands in order to receive the “eternal crown” from him, as promised in the Revelation of John : “ Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life. "(2.10 EU )

In the left half of the picture, in the upper center, on the clouds of the sky to Ludwig, the risen Christ with the cross on his shoulder appears, descending in triumph. The magnificent coronation regalia of the king and Christ's simple loincloth correspond antithetically. Christ's right hand points the king in the direction of his heavenly Father, who is enthroned at the top of the picture in heaven and seems to receive Ludwig with a raised hand, accompanied by an angel who presents the crucifixion nails of Christ. The figure constellation refers to the word of Jesus from the Gospel of John : “I am the way and the truth and the life; nobody comes to the Father except through me. When you have recognized me, you will also recognize my father. "(14.6-7 EU )

The far right edge of the picture is filled, like the middle, by two child angels: two putti, similar to those of the Sistine Madonna of Raphael, look at what is happening on a bank of clouds, two little angels hold the train of the royal ermine cloak. To the side of the king rises an angel with lush robes and fluttering hair, holding up Jesus' crown of thorns on a white cloth.

The figure constellation of the picture describes a line in the form of an "X". A line can be drawn from the trunk of the cross to the left hand of Ludwig, which offers Christ the insignia of French royalty, to the hem of the king's cloak worn by an angel. A line connecting the left wing of the angel wearing a crown of thorns via the saint's head and right arm to the pillow on the floor with the symbols of authority can also be imagined. The crown of thorns on the plain cloth in the height and the royal crown of France on the magnificent cushion on the floor correspond as a pair of opposites. The cross-over of the overall constellation of the image structure can be interpreted as the personal formation of the Greek letter " Chi ", the first letter of the word "Christos" (the anointed). There is also a mental reference to Ludwig, who was also understood as being appointed to his office with the holy anointing oil, commissioned by God. In its statement regarding the Christ-centered lifestyle of St. Louis, the picture visualizes the word of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew : “Whoever wants to be my disciple denies himself, take up his cross and follow me. Because whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will win it. What use is it to a person if he wins the whole world, but loses his life in the process? At what price can a person buy his life back? The Son of Man will come with his angels in the sovereignty of his Father and reward every person as his deeds deserve. "(16: 24-27 EU )

In the painting, the unearthly inconceivable occurrence of the Christian faith is transformed by the artist into full, almost palpable reality, which draws the amazed viewer into the scene in the spirit of a baroque Theatrum sacrum , so that immanence and transcendence begin to interpenetrate.

Way of the Cross

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), Stations of the Cross by the painter Arthur Tholey

The Way of the Cross was painted by the Überherrner painter Arthur Tholey (1921–1976) in the early 1970s. Tholey had started his training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich , but had to break it off after six months because he was called up for military service . After the end of the Second World War, he attended the school for arts and crafts in Saarbrücken for a year. Tholey had to earn a living for himself and his family by working as a painter. He only exhibited his pictures in the early 1970s, after he had overcome an illness; first in his home town of Überherrn, then also in Saarbrücken and the neighboring regions. The picture cycle was offered to the parish by the artist's widow after his death and was finally bought for St. Ludwig.

Sculptures

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), historicist statue of St. Ludwig in crusader robe and royal ermine cloak with Christ's crown of thorns

The church has a rich array of historicist sculptures, including a statue of St. Ludwig as a crusader and a cross with a body, both of which were rescued from the neo-Gothic Müller church. The representation of the cross was originally hung freely floating above the sanctuary. The corpus could be saved. Today's cross beams with painted relief are only a provisional reconstruction of the lost original. Statues were also taken from the Canisianum.

A baroque gilded communion relief carving from the beginning of the 18th century was attached to the wall in the Böhm concrete building. It is unclear whether the relief was used as a predella or as an antependium of the high altar. The relief does not appear in the pictorial representation of the baroque interior from 1834. It was probably removed when the marble high altar was purchased in 1829 and then found in the parsonage in the attic in 1936 by Dechant Unkel. The relief was re-gilded in 1989–1990 by the Fraulauterner Atelier Fritzen.

The twelve apostles are gathered around the sacrament table according to the description of the Bible ( Mt 26.17–29  EU , Mk 14.12–26  EU , Lk 22.14–20  EU , Joh 13.2–4  EU , 1 Cor 11 , 23-26  EU ). In the center of the action is Jesus, whose head is surrounded by a halo. In front of the table there is still the basin and the water jug ​​for washing the feet , as reported in the Gospel of John ( John 13 : 1-11  EU ). On the table in the center is the paschal lamb flanked by two bowls of bread. Next to the bowl with the lamb is the cup of communion. The table is flanked by niches with ceiling lights. The front door of the room is indicated in the right niche. In the left niche there are two large jugs on a large platter. The outer parts of the relief show the two tablets of the Law with the Ten Commandments on the right. On the left, a person is pouring wine from a food counter, which is covered by a curtain, while bread is arranged on a stack of plates.

The scene deals with the exchange of the bloody animal sacrifice (lamb) by the bloodless vegetable sacrifice (bread and wine) as well as the replacement of the old covenant on Sinai through the dispensing of the new covenant through the death on the cross and the resurrection of Jesus .

The ambo, the book edition of which is carried by a pelican set in gold, was carved from an oak trunk from the 200-year-old post grid of the baroque tower. The sediles also come from the neo-Gothic church. A neo-Gothic confessional made by the Saarlouis master carpenter Johann Baptist Neibecker in his workshop on Bierstraße also belongs to the neo-Gothic furnishings of the Müller church. The confessional was a votive gift from the master carpenter because his tenth child was supported by the roof and recovered despite life-threatening head injuries. The carved reliefs show the tools of Jesus Christ's passion and the Bourbon lilies.

Mary icon

There is an icon of Mary in the back of the church on the back of the organ player. Candlesticks offer space for placing votive candles . The image of Mary in a modern metal frame is a copy of the image of grace of Our Lady of Perpetual Help . The original from the 14th century probably comes from the island of Crete ( Cretan School ). After changing locations, the original was in 1867 by Pope Pius IX. entrusted to the Redemptorist Order for its Roman church of Sant 'Alfonso , where it has since adorned the high altar. The Redemptorists contributed significantly to the spread of the image through their popular missions . A mission cross on the outside of the apse of Saarlouis Ludwigskirche commemorates the popular missions held in the parish.

The Mother of God is usually represented on the icon in front of a gold background , which is supposed to symbolize the heavenly sphere. In Saarlouis, the gold ground is completely hidden by a modern metal cover with 16 bunches of plants. Maria wears a red robe with painted gold hatching and gold braids. The veil of the Madonna is adorned with a golden star at the forehead level, which refers to the invocation of Mary as " Stella maris " (German sea star) of the Latin hymn Ave maris stella or as the morning star in the Lauretanian litany . The head of Mary, adorned with gold nimbus, is flanked by Greek abbreviations that denote her as "Mother of God". On her left arm Mary carries the baby Jesus, dressed in green and red and gold . The head of the child is surrounded by a halo , to the right of it is the name "Jesus Christ", abbreviated in Greek letters.

The buttocks of the baby Jesus are held in the mother's left hand and grab her right hand with both hands. His head, nestled in the crook of Mary's neck, is turned away from his mother. The gaze of little Jesus turns to a cross that the floating Archangel Gabriel carries with his hands covered as a sign of awe. As if by a gesture of anticipatory shock, the little sandal has come off one of the child's feet and is about to fall to the ground.

On the other side of the head of Mary hovers the archangel Michael , who also holds up the instruments of Christ's passion with covered hands . Greek letters mark the names of the two archangels depicted, which, according to the rules of the perspective of meaning , are depicted by the icon painter much smaller than the virgin with the child.

Window cycle by Ernst Alt

→ Main article : Saarlouiser Ludwigsfenster

On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city of Saarlouis in 1980, the Saarbrücken artist Ernst Alt started a new window cycle with the pelican window in the church, which was continued successively until the artist's death in 2013. The windows were made in antique glass by Derix and “Die Kunstglaser”, both in Rottweil .

The themes of the windows were conceived in such a way that they all relate in some way to the life theme of St. Louis and its close relation to Christ's crown of thorns.

Vasa sacra and vestments

The Church of St. Ludwig has a rich collection of vasa sacra, crosses, monstrances and altar candles from the 18th century to the 20th century.

In addition, numerous paraments with rich needle painting and gold embroidery using the blasting technique have been preserved from different centuries. The items of equipment were documented by the episcopal conservator's office. Some of them are presented in a small exhibition on parish history, opened in 1988, in the rooms of the Statz tower facade. Here you can also find part of the choir paneling of the baroque church, which was later installed in a café on the Grosse Markt, parts of the old communion bench, church records and parts of the neo-Gothic gallery parapet of St. Ludwig, which the exhibition initiator Dieter Zell made in 1999/2000 could buy back the castle in Les Étangs in Lorraine . The carpentry work for the installation of the neo-Gothic parapet at the interface between the Statzsche tower and Böhm's concrete structure was the responsibility of the Kroll joinery and restorer's workshop from Fraulautern, who had already completed the carpentry work on the neo-Gothic high altar after the bankruptcy of the Saarwellingen-based company Mettler.

Four embroidered flags from the beginning of the 20th century hang down from the gallery. They are the church flags of the St. Bonifatius Association , the St. Franziskus-Xaverius Association , the Marian Congregation of Virgins and the Congregation of Young Men.

organ

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), back wall of the organ gallery with the painting Sacra Conversazione (Ernst Alt)

The current organ is on the Latvian-like church gallery. The painting Sacra Conversazione by the artist Ernst Alt has been hanging on the back wall since the parish hall was demolished . The organ case was designed according to the specifications of Gottfried Böhm . It is similar to the prospectus of the organ of the Cologne Philharmonic, also designed by Böhm . The organ pipes were combined into high, round groups of cylinders and fitted into Böhm's rectangular concrete niches. The instrument was built in 1980 by the organ building company Hugo Mayer Orgelbau , Heusweiler . It has 45 registers , divided into three manuals and pedal , mechanical slide chests and electrical couplings and stop action . The organ consecration took place on March 29, 1980.

I Rückpositiv C – a 3 1. Wooden dacked 8th' 2. Quintad 8th' 3. Principal 4 ′ 4th Metal flute 4 ′ 5. Principal 2 ′ 6th Night horn 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ 7th Larigot 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 8th. Cymbel III-IV 9. Cromorne 8th' Tremulant

II main work C – a 3 10. Bourdon 16 ′ 11. Principal 8th' 12. Wooden flute 8th' 13. Octave 4 ′ 14th Reed flute 4 ′ 15th Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 16. Super octave 2 ′ 17th Cornet V 8th' 18th Mixture V 19th Cymbel III 20th Trumpet 8th'

III Swell C – a 3 21st Dumped 16 ′ 22nd Principal 8th' 23. Metal dacked 8th' 24. Salicional 8th' 25th Vox Coelestis 8th' 26th Principal 4 ′ 27. Night horn 4 ′ 28. Forest flute 2 ′ 29 Sesquialter II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 30th Oktavlein 1' 31. Acuta III 32. Scharff IV 2 ⁄ 3 ′ 33. bassoon 16 ′ 34. Hautbois 8th' 35. Clairon 4 ′ Tremulant

Pedal C – g 1 36. Principal bass 16 ′ 37. Sub-bass 16 ′ 38. Octave 8th' 39. Pommer 8th' 40. Principal 4 ′ 41. Octave 2 ′ 42. Back set IV 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 43. trombone 16 ′ 44. Trumpet 8th' 45. Schalmey 4 ′

• Coupling : I / II, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
• Playing aids : 4 user levels each with 6336 combinations of the typesetting system , crescendo roller

Bells

Historic bells

The first bells of the newly built baroque church came from the parish church of Wallerfangen, which was destroyed in 1688. Two other bells, weighing 1,500 pounds and 1,100 pounds, were cast by Nicolas Cortois and François Ruvel in Champigneulles near Nancy in 1720 for the price of 108 écu . The smallest bell from 1576 came from the Fraulautern Abbey .

During the French Revolution, on August 23, 1793, three of the five existing bells had to be given for armament purposes. The two remaining bells were used to strike the hour and quarter of an hour by means of a striking mechanism. In the period that followed, St. Ludwig received another bell from the Abbey of the Most Holy Trinity in Fraulautern with the inscription "SUSANNA HEISEN IN GODES EREN I LUDEN I CHANGE BOES WEDDER ICH 1548."

Bell founder Johann Jakob Speck from Kirrweiler in the Palatinate cast another bell in 1735.

According to the church regulations of 1692, the death knell was rung three times in the event of the death of a male parishioner, only twice in the event of the death of a female parishioner, and only the small death knell was rung for a child.

In 1836, three new bells were purchased that had been cast by the Perrin family of wandering foundries from Lorraine. The Ludwig bell weighed in 2102, the Petrus bell in 1431 and the Marien bell in 1015 Prussian pounds. The bells cost a total of 1179 thalers. The old main bell (1536 Prussian pounds) and the middle bell (1148 Prussian pounds) were cast over. The Petrusbell and the Ludwigsbell could no longer be rung because of cracks that appeared in 1837 and had to be cast in the following year 1838. Since the Saarlouis city administration bore the main costs, the bell inscription read: "Ex benevolentia magistratus urbis Saarae Ludovici" (German translation: made possible by the Saarlouis city administration foundation).

On August 7, 1880, two bells melted when the church tower burned during the 200th anniversary of the city of Saarlouis. After the third and fourth bells fell, the wooden and baroque bell-house collapsed. To procure a new bell, the men's choir founded in 1858 donated the Josefsglocke (a, 486 kg, bell inscription in German translation: Joseph, ornament of heaven and our sure hope of life, take our praise! The choral society of Saarlouis). With further donations, the Ludwigsglocke (c, 2,325 kg, bell inscription in German translation: Looking at the death of St.Ludwig, enter the house of God, worship in his holy temple and praise his name!), The Peter’s bell (g , 695 kg, bell inscription in German translation: Holy Shepherd Peter, kindly accept the voice of the supplicants, loosen the bonds of sin through your word, since you have been given the power to open and close heaven on earth!) And the Marienglocke (f, 925 kg, bell inscription in German translation: Greetings, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. You are blessed among women, and blessed is the fruit of your body, Jesus.) . The new bells were to be consecrated on August 23, 1885. The first plenary chiming took place when Alexander Subtil was inaugurated on October 4, 1885. These bells were confiscated for war purposes during World War I and removed on July 2, 1917.

In 1923 the Otto bell foundry from Hemelingen / Bremen supplied four bronze bells for the St. Ludwig Church. The post-war bell of the neo-Gothic tower (c ¹ , f ¹ , g ¹ , a ¹ ), inaugurated on July 22, 1923, was supplemented in 1936 by a d ¹ bell from the Otto bell foundry in Hemelingen near Bremen . The Marienglocke weighed 952 kg, the Petrusglocke 643 kg, the Josefsglocke 480 kg. The large Ludwig bell (2345 kg) was dedicated to Prelate Alexander Subtil on his 50th anniversary as a priest. The inscription on the bell read: “Resono laudem Altissimi, B. Ludovici honorem, memoriamque sacerdotii semisaeculi, quod AD 1920 peregit Rmus Dnus Alexander Subtil decanus, sedis Apost. camerarius secret., eccl. cathedr. Treviruses. canon. hon., huius ecclesiae 38 iam annos pastor bonus, suorum filialem amorem aerea voce proclamo. "(German translation:" I sound in praise of the Most High and in honor of Blessed Ludwig as well as on the 50th anniversary of the priesthood, which in 1920 the venerable Mr. and dean Alexander Subtil, secret chamberlain of the apostolic see, honorary canon of the cathedral church in Trier, a good shepherd in his parish church for 38 years, and I proclaim the filial love of his people with an iron voice. ")

In 1936, the Otto bell foundry in Hemelingen near Bremen cast the Marienglocke and consecrated the new casting to the Archangel Michael (tone d as a supplement to the existing tones c, f, g, a). From then on, the bell was to serve as a death knell and to commemorate the fallen of the First World War . The bell inscription related to it:

“When I sound,
think of your sons Who gave
blood and life
for us.
St. Michael do not leave us
When our eyes break when we die;
Then lead the weary
into God's peace! "

At the same time a new Marienbell was cast. The consecration of the bells was celebrated on May 24, 1936. A new bell cage was installed in the church tower to hang the bells.

Following the decree of the Reich Ministry of the Interior of May 3, 1942, these bells were expropriated for war purposes on June 15, 1942. The community was only allowed to keep the a ¹ bell.

Current bells

Thanks to the donation from the municipality of Saarlouis (largest bell) and numerous parishioners, new bells could be commissioned after the Second World War. They were cast in 1953 by the Saarlouiser bell foundry in Saarlouis-Fraulautern, which was founded by Karl (III) Otto from the Otto bell foundry in Bremen-Hemelingen and Alois Riewer from Saarland in 1953. It was their first casting there. On March 25, 1953, they were solemnly consecrated on the Great Market by the prelate of Weins from Trier.

The Church of St. Ludwig has since had five bronze bells again , all of which are located in the middle, largest tower of the church and can be rung electronically from the sacristy . The bells are in a steel bell cage .

No.	Surname	Nominal (16th note)	Weight (kg)	Diameter (cm)	inscription
1	Ludwig Bell	c '	2300	155	“Clange novo, campana, novam clangore per urbem. Corda Ludovici voce sublime voca. "(Translation: tones with a new sound, bell, the new city. Call the hearts skyward with Ludwig's voice.)
2	Michael's Bell	d '	1650	137	"Exstinctos belli, incerta sorte detentos nomine, me Michael, plangere, scite satos." (Translation: Know that I, Michael, mourn the dead of the wars as well as the uncertain fate held back by name everywhere.)
3	Marienbell	f '	1000	120	"Orbi sola salus per te data, Virgo Maria. Urbem materno protege praesidio. "(Translation: The salvation of the world was given to us through you alone, Virgin Mary. Take our city under your maternal protection.)
4th	Joseph Bell	G'	700	104	“Publica res stat firma tuo munimine, Joseph. Urbs hinc nostra Joseph sit tibi cunque cliens. ”(Translation: The salvation of all is safely under your protection, Joseph. Our city is entrusted to you in everything from now on for all time.)
5	Peter Bell	a '	500	95	"Claviger, ecce tibi campana sacrata manebit. Nobis lassatis ostia pande, Petre. ”(Translation: key-bearer, behold, the bell is consecrated to you at all times. After life's toil, open the door to eternity, Peter.)

Rectory

St. Ludwig (Saarlouis), current rectory in Kavalleriestrasse opposite the original Baroque rectory in Friedensstrasse (today Dechant-Unkel-Platz)

The first Augustinian recollect fathers who took over pastoral care in Saarlouis on November 13, 1683, initially lived in the commandant's office until 1684 at the invitation of fortress governor Thomas de Choisy . After a temporary arrangement in the Kavalleriekaserne on Grünebaumstrasse, they moved into the rectory behind the church on April 21, 1686, the cornerstone of which was laid on April 16, 1885. The order had its headquarters here until the French Revolution. The original parsonage with parish garden was located on today's Dechant-Unkel-Platz behind the church in Friedensstrasse, which was still passable at the time and is now narrowed by the apse of the modern church. The current rectory was built in the 1950s a few meters away by the Saarlouis architect Alois Havener in Kavalleriestraße, also in the axis of the apse.

Parish home St. Ludwig

Relief "The Flight into Egypt" by Victor Fontaine on the former St. Ludwig parish hall in Saarlouis

The painter and sculptor Victor Fontaine (* 1923 in Saarlouis-Fraulautern, † 1995 in Saarlouis) created a large-format mural on the subject of " Escape to Egypt " (sgraffito technique, sgraffito technique, for the windowless exterior facade of the St. 3.50 × 4.00 m). The flight of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus from the child-murdering King Herod is described at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew ( Mt 2.13  EU ). Apocryphal writings such as the pseudo-Matthew Gospel and the Arabic Gospel of Childhood also tell of the miracles of the young Jesus. The Legenda aurea mentions something similar . The escape is also counted among the so-called Seven Sorrows of Mary . In the painting by the artist Fontaine, the Holy Family escapes from Herod's child murder in Bethlehem by fleeing to Egypt. St. Joseph with walking stick and bundle leads Mary and Jesus, who are carried by a donkey. Mary holds the baby Jesus protectively in her arms. Both of your cheeks nestle against each other. Draw dark lines, in the manner of multicolored wood or linocuts, the contours and the inside-structuring folds of the figures. The design of the Holy Family by Victor Fontaine from the 1960s is based on classic models, such as the depiction of the flight to Egypt in the Codex aureus Epternacensis , a work of Ottonian book illumination . The Gospels were created between 1030 and 1050 in the Benedictine abbey of Echternach . In addition, a popular book illustration on the subject of “Flight into Egypt” by Johannes Grüger from 1954 is also conceivable as a source of inspiration for Fontaine. Presumably, the theme of the “Flight into Egypt” was chosen in order to establish a reference to the migration of the Italian guest workers who were to find a new pastoral home in the building.

The demolition of the hall wing in favor of the construction of a new house at the same place and the associated destruction of the Fontaine mural began on May 9, 2016. The parish had already sold the entire building complex to a private investor in 2014. The parsonage consisted of a complex of two historical buildings from the Baroque period on Friedensstraße and a hall building on Pavillonstraße (corner of Kavalleriestraße), which at the beginning of 1943 was used as the cinema of the Saarlouis “Capitol-Kinos” in a previously existing building of the Catholic Journeyman's house had been set up. On the night of September 2nd to 3rd, 1942, the Saarlouis “Capitol Cinema”, which opened in 1930 on the corner of Wallstraße and Vaubanstraße (where the Pieper parking garage is located today), fell victim to an air raid on Saarlouis by the Allied forces. The Catholic journeyman's house then served as a makeshift cinema from 1943 to 1950. On June 2, 1950, the cinema opened in a converted Prussian provisions store at the entrance to the city on Deutsche Strasse. The building permit for the conversion of the now vacant provisional cinema hall into a parish hall was granted on November 11, 1963 by the Lower Building Supervision Authority of the City of Saarlouis.

The altarpiece created by Ernst Alt for the parsonage could be evacuated before it was demolished and was kept in the parsonage. The painting was re-hung in the parish church on the back wall of the organ gallery. The altarpiece entitled “ Sacra Conversazione ” (205 × 189 cm, oil paint, tempera and crayon on canvas) was painted by the Saarbrücken artist Ernst Alt in 1975 for the chapel of the parish hall, the former “Centro Italiano”.

Chaplain

The following pastors have worked in the parish of St. Ludwig since it was founded:

literature

• Severin Delges: History of the Catholic parish St. Ludwig in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985.
• Jo Enzweiler u. a. (Ed.): Gottfried Böhm , Künstlerlexikon Saar, Künstlerblatt Architektur, Saarbrücken 2010, pp. 9–12.
• Catholic parish office of St. Ludwig in Saarlouis (ed.): St. Ludwig - Saarlouis . Erolzheim 1960.
• Martin König: A window cycle by Ernst Alt. The animal window in the parish church of St. Ludwig in Saarlouis . In: Das Münster 42, 1989, pp. 27–30.
• Martin König: Incarnations: Plants, Animals and Humans, The two window cycles in Neunkirchen / Nahe and in Saarlouis . In: Thomas Schwarz, Armin Schmitt (ed.): Mnemosyne, the painter and sculptor Ernst Alt . Blieskastel 2002, pp. 59–71, here pp. 65–71.
• Kristine Marschall: Sacred buildings of classicism and historicism in Saarland ( publications by the Institute for Regional Studies in Saarland , vol. 40), Saarbrücken 2002. pp. 328–329, 567.
• Josef Mischo: “See, I am with you every day”, the parish church of St. Ludwig - Saarlouis and its stained glass windows by Ernst Alt, thoughts on a work of art of our time . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1993.
• Josef Mischo: The history of salvation in color. The window cycle by Ernst Alt in the parish church of St. Ludwig Saarlouis . Dillingen / Merzig 2015.
• Franz Ronig: The church building of the 19th century in the diocese of Trier . In: Eduard Trier, Willy Weyres (ed.): Art of the 19th century in the Rhineland in five volumes . Vol. 1, Architektur I (Kultusbauten), Düsseldorf 1980, pp. 195–268, here: pp. 238–240.
• Jörg Sonnet: 330 years of the parish church of St. Ludwig Saarlouis (1685–2015) . In: Our home. Bulletin of the Saarlouis district for culture and landscape , volume 40, issue 1, 2015, pp. 28–34.
• Alfons Thome : “The whole of creation cries for redemption”, thoughts on the church windows by Ernst Alt in Saarlouis-St. Ludwig . In: Paulinus , Volume 111, March 17, 1985.
• Dieter Zell: St. Ludwig, Guide and History , ed. from the parish of St. Ludwig, o.O. 1990.

Web links

Commons : St. Ludwig (Saarlouis)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• www.stludwig-saarlouis.de Website of the Church of St. Ludwig
• www.orgelbauverein-st-ludwig-saarlouis.de Website of the Orgelbauverein St. Ludwig
• Ringing the high mass of St. Ludwig's Church in film and sound

Individual evidence

1. ↑ kirche-saarlouis.de accessed on August 16, 2015.
2. ^ Theodor Liebertz: Wallerfangen and its history edited from archival sources . o. O. and o. J. (1953), pp. 253-298; Markus Battard: Wallerfangen - A journey through time in pictures . 2nd, revised edition. Dillingen / Saar 2012, p. 51; Severin Delges: History of the Catholic parish St. Ludwig in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, p. 15.
3. ↑ Josef Niessen: On the history of the church in the middle Saar , in: Saar Atlas , edited and edited on behalf of the Saar Research Association by Hermann Overbeck and Georg Wilhelm Sante, in conjunction with Hermann Aubin, Otto Maull and Franz Steinbach, Gotha 1934, p 49–54, here p. 52.
4. ^ Roland Henz, Jo Enzweiler (eds.): Saarlouis city and star / Sarrelouis - Ville et Étoile . Text: Oranna Dimmig, translation into French: Anne-Marie Werner. Saarbrücken 2011, p. 67.
5. ↑ Severin Delges: History of the Catholic Parish St. Ludwig in Saarlouis , Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by a second part by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, pp. 89-90, p 98.
6. ↑ Hans-Jörg Schu: The large market in Saarlouis . Saarbrücken 1986, pp. 12-13.
7. ^ Ludwig Karl Balzer: Saarlouis, The royal hexagon, building the fortress city in the time of the Sun King , Saarbrücken 2001, p. 343.
8. ↑ Rosemarie Haine-Maas: Saarlouis once and now, A foray through Saarlouis and its history , Dillingen 1992, p. 166.
9. ↑ Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church space Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Städtisches Museum Saarlouis from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, p. 3.
10. ↑ Josef Mischo: "See, I am with you every day", The parish church St. Ludwig - Saarlouis and its stained glass windows by Ernst Alt, thoughts on a work of art of our time . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1993, p. 20.
11. ↑ Kristine Marschall: Sacral Buildings of Classicism and Historicism in Saarland ( publications by the Institute for Regional Studies in Saarland , vol. 40), Saarbrücken 2002. pp. 328–329, 567, here p. 328.
12. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by a second part by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 3, p. 27.
13. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 2, p. 3.
14. ↑ Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church space Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Städtisches Museum Saarlouis from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, p. 11.
15. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension to include a second part by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension to include a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 2, pp. 7–8.
16. ↑ Hans-Jörg Schu: Chronicle of the city of Saarlouis 1679-2005. A chronological report on the development of the fortress city , Saarlouis 2010, pp. 161–162.
17. ↑ Ludwig Karl Balzer: Saarlouis, The royal hexagon, building the fortress city in the time of the Sun King , Saarbrücken 2001, p. 347.
18. ↑ Hans Peter Klauck, Benedikt Loew, Guy Thewes (eds.): Thomas des Choisy, engineer and fortress governor under Ludwig XIV. , Association for local history in the Saarlouis district e. V., special volume 16, Saarlouis 2011.
19. ↑ Benedikt Loew: Saarlouis - A life's work for Thomas des Choisy, in: Hans Peter Klauck, Benedikt Loew, Guy Thewes (ed.): Thomas des Choisy, engineer and fortress governor under Ludwig XIV. , Association for local history in the Saarlouis district e. V., special volume 16, Saarlouis 2011, pp. 147–173.
20. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension to include a second part by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension to include a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 3, pp. 12-18.
21. ↑ Georg Baltzer: Historical Notes on the City of Saarlouis and its Immediate Surroundings , Part One: Historical Notes on the City of Saarlouis, Part Two: Historical Notes on the Immediate Surroundings of Saarlouis, reprint of the edition from 1865, Dillingen / Saar 1979, p. 117.
22. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 1, p. 16.
23. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension to include a second part by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension to include a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 3, pp. 15-18.
24. ↑ quoted from: Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church area Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Saarlouis Municipal Museum from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, pp. 4-5.
25. ↑ Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church space Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Städtisches Museum Saarlouis from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, p. 4.
26. ↑ Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church space Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Städtisches Museum Saarlouis from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, p. 4.
27. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 3, pp. 19-23.
28. ↑ Hans-Jörg Schu: Chronicle of the city of Saarlouis 1679-2005. A chronological report on the development of the fortress city , Saarlouis 2010, p. 171.
29. ↑ quoted from: Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church area Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Saarlouis Municipal Museum from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, p. 5.
30. ↑ Hans-Jörg Schu: Chronicle of the city of Saarlouis 1679-2005. A chronological report on the development of the fortress city , Saarlouis 2010, p. 253.
31. ↑ Melanie Mertens: The very tough guys !, Brutalism in church building in Baden-Württemberg, in: Denkmalpflege in Baden-Württemberg, News Gazette of the Landesdenkmalpflege, 1, 2020, 49th year, 28–33.
32. ↑ Josef Mischo: "See, I am with you every day", The parish church St. Ludwig - Saarlouis and its stained glass windows by Ernst Alt, thoughts on a work of art of our time . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1993, p. 15.
33. ↑ Compilation of teaching statements on the "Pilgrim Church": Compendium of Confessions of Faith and Church Doctrinal Decisions / Enchiridion symbolorum definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum, edited by Peter Hünermann, 37th edition, Freiburg im Breisgau et al. 1991, p. 1569.
34. ↑ Archive of the Institute for Current Art in Saarland, letter February 12, 2001B / Bei, jaeckl12.
35. ↑ Archive of the Institute for Current Art in Saarland, letter February 12, 2001B / Bei, jaeckl12.
36. ↑ Marlen Dittmann: Gottfried Böhm, Buildings and Projects in Saarland , in: Gottfried Böhm, Künstlerlexikon Saar, Künstlerblatt Architektur, ed. v. Jo Enzweiler u. a., Saarbrücken 2010, pp. 4–17, here pp. 9–12.
37. ↑ http://www.saarlouis.de/freizeit_tourismus/1087.php ( Memento from January 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
38. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension to include a second part by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension to include a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 3, pp. 23-24.
39. ↑ Josef Mischo: "See, I am with you every day", The parish church St. Ludwig - Saarlouis and its stained glass windows by Ernst Alt, thoughts on a work of art of our time . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1993, pp. 9-12; Signature of the image of the apotheosis of St. Ludwig: "Dupuy fecit 1694"; Signature of the picture of the Holy Family: "Dupuy fecit Metis 1687".
40. ↑ Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church space Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Städtisches Museum Saarlouis from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, p. 13.
41. ↑ Jörg Sonnet: Traces of the Artist Ernst Sonnet, in: Our homeland, bulletin of the Saarlouis district for culture and landscape, 41st year, issue 3, 2016. pp. 129–133.
42. ^ Institute for Current Art in Saarland, Saarlouis, holdings: Sonnet, Ernst, Dossier 1528.
43. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 3, p. 28.
44. ↑ Josef Mischo: "See, I am with you every day", The parish church St. Ludwig - Saarlouis and its stained glass windows by Ernst Alt, thoughts on a work of art of our time . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1993, p. 9; Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church space Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Städtisches Museum Saarlouis from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, p. 13.
45. ↑ Josef Mischo: "See, I am with you every day", The parish church St. Ludwig - Saarlouis and its stained glass windows by Ernst Alt, thoughts on a work of art of our time . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1993, p. 9; Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church space Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Städtisches Museum Saarlouis from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, p. 2, p. 12.
46. ↑ A real late work . In: Saarbrücker Zeitung , local section Saarlouis, February 19, 1997; Archive of the Institute for Current Art in Saarland.
47. ↑ Dieter Zell: St. Ludwig, Wegweiser und Geschichte, ed. from the parish of St. Ludwig, Saarlouis 1990, pp. 3–4.
48. ↑ Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church space Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Städtisches Museum Saarlouis from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, p. 11.
49. ↑ Dieter Zell: St. Ludwig, Wegweiser und Geschichte, ed. from the parish of St. Ludwig, Saarlouis 1990, p. 10.
50. ↑ Dieter Zell: St. Ludwig, Wegweiser und Geschichte , ed. von der Pfarrgemeinde St. Ludwig, o. O. 1990, pp. 10-11.
51. ↑ Alfons Thome: "The whole creation cries for redemption", thoughts on the church windows by Ernst Alt in Saarlouis-St. Ludwig . In: Paulinus , Volume 111, March 17, 1985; Severin Delges: History of the Catholic parish St. Ludwig in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 3, p. 27; Josef Mischo: “See, I am with you every day”, the parish church of St. Ludwig - Saarlouis and its stained glass windows by Ernst Alt, thoughts on a work of art of our time . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1993; Josef Mischo: The history of salvation in color, Ernst Alt's window cycle in the parish church of St. Ludwig Saarlouis , Dillingen / Merzig 2015; Martin König: Incarnations: Plants, Animals and Humans, The two window cycles in Neunkirchen / Nahe and in Saarlouis . In: Thomas Schwarz, Armin Schmitt (ed.): Mnemosyne, the painter and sculptor Ernst Alt . Blieskastel 2002, pp. 59–71, here pp. 65–71.
52. ↑ Image view : ernst-alt.info accessed on April 21, 2016.
53. ^ Josef Mischo: The history of salvation in color, The window cycle by Ernst Alt in the parish church of St. Ludwig Saarlouis . Dillingen / Merzig 2015, 14–15 and pp. 143–148.
54. ↑ Michael Thome (Red.): Art in the church space Saarlouis 1100–1980, development of church art, catalog for the exhibition in the Städtisches Museum Saarlouis from October 18 to November 9, 1980 , ed. from the district town of Saarlouis, o. O. 1980, pp. 15-17.
55. ^ Letter of January 21, 2000 from Dieter Zell to Pastor Heidger.
56. ^ Information according to information from the museum initiator Dieter Zell from August 28, 2015.
57. ↑ Dieter Zell: St. Ludwig, Wegweiser und Geschichte , ed. from the parish of St. Ludwig, Saarlouis 1990, pp. 3–4.
58. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 3, p. 26; Armin Lamar: Church music in St. Ludwig Saarlouis. The Mayer organ. Retrieved December 1, 2010 . 
59. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 1, p. 17 names Nicolas Cochois and François Buret as bell founders.
60. ^ Rosemarie Haine-Maas: Saarlouis then and now. A foray through Saarlouis and its history . Dillingen 1992, p. 175.
61. ↑ Georg Baltzer: Historical notes on the city of Saarlouis and its immediate surroundings . First part: historical notes about the city of Saarlouis, second part: historical notes about the immediate vicinity of Saarlouis, reprint of the edition from 1865, Dillingen / Saar 1979, part I, p. 114.
62. ↑ The art monuments of the Ottweiler and Saarlouis districts , edited by Walter Zimmermann. 2nd Edition. Saarbrücken 1976, p. 260.
63. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part I, p. 35.
64. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, p. 89.
65. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension to include a second part by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension to include a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part I, pp. 107-108.
66. ^ Gerhard Reinhold: Otto Glocken - family and company history of the bell foundry dynasty Otto . Self-published, Essen 2019, ISBN 978-3-00-063109-2 , p. 588, here in particular p. 366, 367, 525, 540 .
67. ↑ Gerhard Reinhold: Church bells - Christian world cultural heritage, illustrated using the example of the bell founder Otto, Hemelingen / Bremen . Nijmegen / NL 2019, p. 556, here in particular pp. 329 to 331 , urn : nbn: nl: ui: 22-2066 / 204770 (dissertation at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen).
68. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension to include a second part by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension to include a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part I, pp. 121–122.
69. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 2, p. 4.
70. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 2, p. 9.
71. ^ Gerhard Reinhold: Otto bells . 2019, p. 87 to 95 .
72. ↑ Catholic Parish Office St. Ludwig in Saarlouis (ed.): St. Ludwig - Saarlouis , Erolzheim 1960, pp. 15-25; Rosemarie Haine-Maas: Saarlouis then and now. A foray through Saarlouis and its history , Dillingen 1992, p. 175.
73. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, extension by Heinrich Unkel in 1952, extension by a third part by Marga Blasius in 1985, part 1, p. 12.
74. ↑ Georg Baltzer: Historical Notes on the City of Saarlouis and its Immediate Surroundings , Part One: Historical Notes on the City of Saarlouis, Part Two: Historical Notes on the Immediate Surroundings of Saarlouis, reprint of the 1865 edition, Dillingen / Saar 1979, Part 1 , Pp. 112-113.
75. ^ Alois Thomas and Ulrich Craemer: New Buildings in the Diocese of Trier (Monographs of the Building Industry, Volume 17), ed. from the department "Construction and Art" of the Episcopal Vicariate General Trier, Stuttgart 1961, p. 145.
76. ↑ http://www.kuenstlerlexikonsaar.de/personen-az/artikel/-/fontaine-victor-1/ , accessed on May 12, 2016.
77. ↑ Oranna Elisabeth Dimmig: Inventory of art in public space , in: Art in public space, Saarland , Volume 3, Saarlouis district after 1945, essays and inventory , ed. v. Jo Enzweiler, pp. 177–383, here p. 284.
78. ^ Josef Quadflieg : The book of the holy patrons , Düsseldorf 1954, p. 86.
79. ↑ Oliver Morguet: Pfarrheim gives way to apartments , In: Saarbrücker Zeitung, Dillinger Zeitung , Wednesday, May 18, 2016, No. 114, p. C 3.
80. ↑ Article “Great cinema with a long history”, in: Saarlouiser Stadtmagazin XVI-Vierzehn, ed. from the city of Saarlouis, issue 1/2017, pp. 38–39.
81. ↑ Josef Mischo: The history of salvation in color. The window cycle by Ernst Alt in the parish church of St. Ludwig Saarlouis . Dillingen / Merzig 2015, pp. 150–159.
82. ↑ Severin Delges: history of the Catholic Parish of St. Louis in Saarlouis . Saarlouis-Lisdorf 1931, part 1, pp. 159-161; Part II, p. 1; Part 3, p. 29.

Coordinates: 49 ° 18 ′ 57.8 "  N , 6 ° 45 ′ 5.4"  E