St. Maria (Altenberga)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Altenberga village church
View of the village church from June 2012
War memorial below the church

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Maria is a listed church building in Altenberga in the Saale-Holzland district ( Thuringia ). The community belongs to the Eisenberg parish of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany .

History and architecture

The late Gothic branch church of St. Maria was built around 1513 on the northern slope of the mountain, on which the castle of the burgraves of Altenberga once stood, according to a name in the northern corner. The castle was sold in 1393 and then destroyed in the Saxon civil war; apart from a few remains, it fell. The choir is weakly drawn in in the north. It has a polygonal end in the east and a flank tower on the north side. The belfry on the upper floor of the tower was built in 1783 according to a description on a wooden inscription plaque. The pointed arched portal with bar walls on the north side was walled up. More recently, windows and doors have been broken in and extensions have been added.

The interior was probably redesigned in the first quarter of the 18th century. A two-storey gallery was set up on three sides and a cove ceiling was installed. The crypt under the choir has a groin vault . It was probably used as a stately burial place since the 18th century.

Furnishing

  • The two-zone pulpit altar with Corinthian and Ionic pairs of columns was probably built in the first quarter of the 18th century. It is decorated with carved fruit and flower arrangements. The popular painting in the predella shows the Last Supper .
  • A small crucifixion group with a late Gothic crucifix stands on the altar.
  • The late Gothic sacrament niche on the north wall of the choir is decorated with pinnacles and a keel arch .
  • The organ with 12 registers , divided into 2 manuals and pedal , was built in 1754 by Justinus Ehrenfried Gerhard from Lindig . It is equipped with a richly carved prospectus.
  • The bell was cast in 1447.
  • At the back of the choir is an epitaph for Anton Ludwig von Schwartzenfels (died 1725). It looks a bit overloaded and is equipped with a powerful console, as well as strong pilasters , a portrait medallion, two female allegories and putti, as well as a coat of arms and inscription cartouche.

natural reserve

The church building is an important bat roost for lesser horseshoe bats . The church was awarded the Habitat Church Tower plaque by NABU .

literature

Web links

Commons : St. Mary  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Altenberga Church on the Eisenberg Church District website
  2. ↑ a b c d e Dehio, Georg , edited by Stephanie Eißling, Franz Jäger and other specialist colleagues: Handbuch der deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, Thuringia . Deutscher Kunstverlag , 2003 ISBN 3-422-03095-6 page 5
  3. ↑ Information on the organ
  4. ^ Bat quarters. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013 ; accessed on October 31, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Beatrice Zajda: With passion for the little horseshoe bat. Altenberga in Thuringia and its bats. Deutschlandfunk, August 26, 2005, accessed on October 31, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Award from NABU

Coordinates: 50 ° 49 ′ 46.7 "  N , 11 ° 32 ′ 23.4"  E