St. Maria Himmelfahrt (Herxheim)
 Parish church of St. Maria Himmelfahrt with a view of the late Gothic choir |
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| Basic data | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| place | Herxheim near Landau / Pfalz, Germany |
| diocese | Diocese of Speyer |
| Patronage | Assumption Day |
| Building history | |
| construction time | 1507-1777 |
| Building description | |
| Architectural style | Late baroque, early classicism |
| Furnishing style | Late Gothic, Rococo |
| 49 ° 8 '49 " N , 8 ° 13' 0.5" E | |
The Catholic parish church of St. Maria Himmelfahrt (older spelling also St. Mariae Himmelfahrt or St. Mariä Himmelfahrt ) is located in the local parish of Herxheim near Landau / Pfalz and has an unmistakable position in the townscape due to its central and elevated location. The church is consecrated in honor of the Assumption of Mary ( Assumption of Mary ). The patronage is depicted in the high altar.
The first Herxheim church is accepted as a small court church after the village was founded in 773 AD. Over the centuries the church has been redesigned and enlarged several times, so that today it combines several architectural styles. The late Gothic choir, built in 1507, including the church tower from 1585 and the hall-like nave in the late Baroque style are still striking today .
With the entry into force of the structural reform “Community Pastoral 2015” of the Speyer diocese , the Herxheim Church will retain its parish status . It is thus the largest church building in the parish of St. Laurentius Herxheim, which was newly founded on January 1st, 2016.
history
middle Ages
The origins of the Herxheim church are in the dark. Opposite today's Kirchberg was a former Weißenburg monastery property , which was donated to the Salian rule of Henry IV in 1057 . fell. The church building in Herxheim was first mentioned in a document in 1213. Presumably it was already a second church in the Romanesque style, which was built as the successor to a smaller court church. It is also not certain who the church was directly subordinate to. In the course of the medieval feudalization process, it can be assumed that the Herxheim church was also subordinate to a noble landlord . In this context one speaks of the individual church system . The landlord was responsible, among other things, for the construction of church buildings and the employment of priests. Two thirds of the tenth of the church went to resident Herxheim aristocratic families, and from 1213 a third was reserved for the cathedral singer in Speyer, who among other things was responsible for the expansion of the choir and parsonage. Since the 16th century half of the church tithing was in the hands of the Herxheim noble family of Löwensteiner.
Modern times
The political and ecclesiastical community in Herxheim largely coincided until the French Revolution . The cemetery was usually created around the church. There are still some remains of graves to the south-east of the choir, but they show strong signs of weathering. After the Reformation , only Catholic Christians were allowed to be buried in the cemetery.
The effects of the revolution were also felt in the church community. Among other things, the rectory was devastated and renovated by the political community. In the years 1833/1834, also initiated by the local community, the church building was rebuilt. It was not until 1910 that the Herxheim parish renounced their existing claims to ownership of the church tower on the day of the patronage (August 15) in favor of the parish's administrative board. After the Second World War , the parish was given full responsibility for the church tower, bells and tower clock. Since 1948 the parish has been responsible for all construction and maintenance obligations.
architecture
Steeple
The late medieval church tower only existed up to half of the tower that is visible today. A later extension of the tower can still be seen today based on the stone structures and discoloration. Due to the weathering, the stones of the medieval tower are significantly blacker than the stones of the extension. The lower masonry of the tower up to the Gothic south window was probably built around the year 1400. It was not until 1833/1834 that the tower was raised by about six meters. During this time, a Gothic portal was also installed on the south side of the tower.
The bell chamber itself, however, dates from 1585, as evidenced by a date carved into one of the sound windows . During the renovation in 1833/1834, the medieval spire was transformed into a smaller tower lantern . This existed until 1967, when the steeple of the church tower that is visible today was built. The end of the new point is a 3.10 meter high cross on a sphere (diameter: 0.70 meters). The church tower was increased by 20 meters to a total of 57 meters in 1967 and has been a striking feature of the parish church ever since.
During the church renovation in 2010, some slate bricks were repaired. In the course of the installation of a new bell cage (January 2016), the sound shutters in the bell chamber were replaced in December 2015. In the course of the renovation work, however, enormous damage and cracks in the walls and the slate roofing were found on the church tower. The wooden substructure could no longer support the slate. The spire was then renewed with wooden cladding and 18,000 slates from Spain. The slate roofing was carried out according to the old German roofing . When the 5-meter-high tower cross was removed in December 2016, signs of corrosion were also found here. The tower cross and tower ball have been re-gilded according to their original condition. The tower renovation was completed in June 2017 after a 19-month construction phase.
Choir room
The late Gothic choir from 1507 forms the heart of the parish church of St. Maria Himmelfahrt. The foundation stone of the choir can be seen well on the southern exterior. It is written on it:
| inscription | translation |
|---|---|
| "Anno ◊ dni ◊ MCCCCC VII ◊ uf ◊ viti ◊ and ◊ modesti ◊" | "In the year of the Lord 1507 on Vitus and Modestus " |
The feast day of Saints Vitus and Modestus is June 15th. It is not known whether June 15, 1507 is the day of the start of construction, the day of completion or the day of the consecration of the finished building.
The choir is characterized by a three- bay reticulated vault that extends in octagonal sides.
On the side walls of the choir are the statues of the patrons St. Sebastian and St. Laurentius .
Nave
The nave measures around 40 m × 20 m and was built in 1776/1777. The strong growth of the Herxheim population made a pragmatic conversion of the old nave necessary. As a result, the nave turns out to be rather plain and unadorned, as it is ultimately a hall-like functional building, which was made according to the plans of François Gavillet, the engineer and fortress builder of the city of Landau in the Palatinate at the time. The Herxheim parish church, including the gallery, has benches for 1000 people, which is rather unusual for a village church.
The gallery is supported by 12 oak trunks designed with a marble look. In the church there are also 14 Stations of the Cross on oil from 1868, which were made by J. Mayr (Munich), as well as four side altars in Rococo style from the 18th century.
Furnishing
High altar
In the late Gothic choir, all vanishing points run towards the high altar from 1950, which was made by Professors Panzer (sculptor, Munich) and Burkhart (painter, Frankfurt). The center of the high altar is initially the silver-plated tabernacle shrine , which, according to the Eucharistic understanding of the Catholic Church, serves as a place of storage for the consecrated hosts .
Above the tabernacle is the winged altar , which in the middle shows the dormition of Mary among the disciples of Jesus as the main motif . The two side wings each have four motifs from the life of Mary. They begin with a presentation of the Annunciation and end with the wedding in Cana . The back of the wings represent the secondary patrons of the parish church (St. Laurentius, St. Sebastian). During Lent and Advent the winged altar is closed so that these paintings can also be viewed.
Immediately above the winged altar there is a thematic representation of the Assumption of Mary into heaven in the form of a ray mandorla , which at the same time shows the patronage of the parish church in a pictorial way.
Celebration altar and ambo
In April 1994 the new altar was consecrated by Bishop Anton Schlembach . He replaced a simple , provisional wooden altar that had existed since the Second Vatican Council . The celebration altar is an octagonal table made of light yellow sandstone . Four bronze grapevines with vine leaves can be seen on the table column. The symbolism of the altar thus refers to the biblical word of Jesus
- I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and in whom I remain brings rich fruit; because apart from me you can do nothing. (Joh15,5 EU )
The ambo was created in the same style. The anvil column shows bronze thorns on the left, bronze grain on the right. The ambo as a place of worship during the Eucharistic celebration refers in its artistic design to the Jesus parable of the sower . In this the understanding of the divine word is also interpreted:
- Whenever a person hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and takes away everything that has been sown in that person's heart; here the seed fell on the way. The seed has fallen on rocky ground with him who hears the word and immediately receives it joyfully, but has no roots, but is impermanent; as soon as he is harassed or persecuted for the sake of the word, he falls. The seed has fallen into the thorns of those who hear the word, but then the worries of this world and the deceptive wealth suffocate and it bears no fruit. The seed is sown on good ground with him who hears the word and also understands it; it then bears fruit, a hundredfold or sixty or thirtyfold. (Mt13,19-23 EU )
Altar and ambo thus also take up the agricultural culture of the southern Palatinate , which is predominantly characterized by wine and grain cultivation.
Both the celebration altar, the altar cross and the ambo were made by the sculptor Ulrich Langohr from Menden.
Rococo pulpit
The Herxheimer Rococo - pulpit provides a special artistic feature of the parish church of St. Mary of the Assumption is It stings here especially the curved staircase forth..
“Noteworthy late baroque creation, body round, with volute pilasters and a pedestal decorated with flowers. Seated figures of the four evangelists fully rounded between the pilasters . The sound cover , which is also round, has a high, perforated volute opening with angel figures on top. The parapet of the curved pulpit staircase shows rich, openwork rococo shell carvings . On the back wall of the pulpit a good wooden crucifix, framed with foliage and ribbon carvings with a pelican above, from around 1725. "
Church window
Longhouse
The church windows in the nave represent different motifs. They were donated by Herxheim families, all of which are listed by name under the respective motifs. In 1909 the glass paintings were made by Ostermann-Hartwein (Munich).
| Left | Right |
|---|---|
| Visitation of the Virgin Mary | Assumption Day |
| Birth of jesus | Death of Mary |
| Escape to Egypt | Descent from the cross of Jesus |
| The 12 year old Jesus in the temple | Jesus meets the weeping women |
| above: Farmer in front of Crucifix; below: Joseph's engagement to Maria | above: St. Wendelin; below: Mary teaches Jesus |
| St. Cecilia | King David (psalmist) |
Engagement of Mary
Death of Mary
Assumption of Mary into heaven
Choir
The choir contains five pointed arch windows. The side windows are unpainted, the three east-facing windows show different figures of saints. They were designed by Albert Burkhart (Frankfurt a. M.) and designed by Wilhelm Pütz (Munich) in 1949. The three church windows in the middle segment are thematically different: the twelve apostles are shown in the left, angels in the middle and various saints in the right window.
Lourdes grotto and crucifixion group
On the upper Kirchberg there is a copy of the Mariengrotto of Lourdes to the east . To the west is a crucifixion group. The crucifixion group was erected in 1813 in honor of Emperor Napoleon I of France. In the vernacular it is therefore also described as the Napoleon Cross, although the name Mission Cross is more common due to the inscription on the cross.
| Cross inscription |
|---|
| Mission Cross 1813 |
| “Perfect indulgence on March 30th as the day of initiation. 5 years indulgence for all who before the mission cross 3 our father u. Ave with glory to God etc, pray to the worship of the 3 hour agony of John on the Mount of Olives. 100 days indulgences for those who dwell on the mission cross in prayer. " |
| Christ humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, namely to the death of the cross. (PHILIP 2.8) |
| This cross was erected in 1813, September 8th, by Pastor Heel and Church Councilor Johann Adam Schultz |
Lourdes grotto
Crucifixion group
crib
The Herxheim nativity scene was purchased in 1928 by the local pastor at the time, Karl Neuberger, but it was handed over to private ownership in the 1970s. It was not until 1994 that the Osterrieder crib could be acquired again. Since then, the crib has been exhibited in the parish church between Christmas Eve and Candlemas (February 2nd). The Herxheimer Osterrieder crib shows a stable cave, which is integrated into an urban-rural environment. The scenery of the Holy Land is characterized by many details (e.g. fountain, fireplace, houses, flour mill, palm trees and bushes). Numerous figures are rearranged every year. On Epiphany (January 6th) the three wise men with their camels and servants are also placed in the manger.
Sculptor Sebastian Osterrieder (1864–1932) began carving nativity scenes and figures in his childhood. For his cribs, he developed a manufacturing process called "French chilled cast iron". The figures made of plaster impress with their particular attention to detail. Among other things, the figures were dressed with real fabrics, then painted and covered with glue. Some figures in the crib also have glass eyes.
One of the reasons for the purchase of an Osterrieder crib was probably the connection between the crib artist and the founder of the St. Paulus Foundation in Herxheim. Prelate Jakob Friedrich Bussereau met Osterrieder during his student days and developed a friendly relationship. The artist's sister, Therese Osterrieder, spent her twilight years until her death in 1917 in the St. Paulus Abbey in Herxheim.
Bells ringing
The parish church has a six-part bell.
The five large bells were cast by Hermann Hamm in Frankenthal in 1952 . The smallest bell from 1936 was the only one to survive the Second World War, it comes from the previous five-part bell. The basic motif of the bells is the “ Salve Regina ”.
| No. | Surname | Weight | diameter | Mood | Casting year | Latin inscription | German translation |
| 1 | Christ the King | 2,650 kg | 1.68 m | h ° | 1952 | “O REX GLORIAE! CHRISTIANS, VENI CUM PACE! " | “Oh King of Glory! Christ, come in peace! " |
| 2 | St. Mary | 1,960 kg | 1.51 m | cis´ | 1952 | "AVE MARIA ASSUMPTA!" | "Greetings to Mary, taken up in heaven!" |
| 3 | St. Michael | 1,350 kg | 1.34 m | dis´ | 1952 | "QUIS UT DEUS?" | "Who is like God?" |
| 4th | St. Laurence | 780 kg | 1.12 m | fis´ | 1952 | "A PESTE, FAME ET BELLO, LIBERA NOS DOMINE!" | "Deliver us from plague, famine and war, oh Lord!" |
| 5 | St. Boniface | 570 kg | 1.00 m | g sharp | 1952 | German inscription only | "Everything depends on God's blessing." |
| 6th | St. George | 388 kg | - | H | 1936 | "VOX MEA REGI CHRISTO FILIO DEI UNIGENITO." | "My voice in honor of Christ the King, the only begotten Son of God." |
organ
history
An official report from 1935 by the later church music director Josef Depré (Kaiserslautern) shows that an organ made by H. Koulen & Sohn (Strasbourg) was in Herxheim until 1934 . It had two manuals with a total of 33 stops. In 1934 the company Gebrüder Späth Orgelbau (Upper Swabia) rebuilt the old organ. The organ from 1934 now contained three manuals with 52 stops. The organ rebuilding tried to compensate for some of the weaknesses of the old organ, but the expert's report from 1935 shows:
“The old voices were weak and remained so. [...] By extending the organ to the entire width of the gallery, the overall power of the tone and also in individual [voices] the direct effect is removed; everything sounds like something out of a swell. "
In the 1980s the decision was made to install a new organ, despite many criticisms. On September 22nd, 1985 the new instrument of the organ building company Rudolf von Beckerath (Hamburg) was consecrated in a solemn service by the Speyer bishop Anton Schlembach . In the festschrift for the consecration of the organ, reference was made explicitly to the liturgical meaning of the instrument by referring to Sacrosanctum Concilium :
“The pipe organ should be held in high esteem in the Latin church as a traditional musical instrument; for their sound can wonderfully enhance the splendor of church ceremonies and lift hearts to God and heaven. "
Structure and disposition
The main work is located in the center of the gallery parapet (visible principal 8 ′). To the side of this, the pedal towers can be seen (visible principal 16 '). The swell mechanism is located in a housing above the console with three manuals and pedal (50 registers ) .
82 pipes are embedded in the visible architecture of the case. The remaining 3505 pipes are set up within the four housings of the main and swell and the two pedal towers. The longest organ pipe measures five meters, the smallest 1 centimeter. The Herxheim organ has an electric stop action and combinations as playing aids.
The organ was brought up to the latest technical standard in 2005 by Gerhard Kuhn Orgelbau (Esthal / Pfalz) (e.g. USB connections). A new setting machine for a total of 8000 combinations was installed by Laukhuff (Weikersheim) in a pilot project .
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- Coupling: I / II, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
- Playing aids : 8000x setting system , roller
Remarks
Laurentius bread consecration
The Laurentius bread consecration in Herxheim goes back to a wave of plague in 1666/67. At that time, several places in the Palatinate were hit by the devastating epidemic. The agricultural community of Herxheim near Landau / Pfalz had to experience enormous restrictions and a large part of the local population succumbed to the disease. Relying on the surrounding villages of Offenbach an der Queich , Ottersheim , Knittelsheim and Bellheim , the citizens of Herxheim made a vow that they would free God from their evil:
"When the merciful God redeems us from the terrible scourge, we will for eternity, out of gratitude, have the firstfruits consecrated by the hand of the priest every year after the harvest and drive a two-horse wagon full of it to the dark hole and distribute it there to the poor of the benefactor communities."
To this day, the vow is renewed annually on the Sunday after Laurentius Day (August 10th) in a solemn high mass. On the lower Kirchberg, a couple is filled with fresh bread by the Herxheim citizens. At around 12 noon the car with the bread is driven to the former ban border , the Finsterfeld / Finsterloch, with the bell ringing and there distributed to the people by helpers. The custom is an expression of the gratitude of the Herxheim citizens to the benefactor communities and the saving help of God.
In the village fountain of the Herxheim community, a bronze sculpture commemorates the blessing of bread.
In 2016 the pledge was renewed for the 350th time. A one-year ceremony with various events was announced for the anniversary year. The highlight was the pontifical ministry with Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann on August 14, 2016 for the renewal of the bread vows in the Catholic parish church. The bread distribution in the "Finsterfeld" tub was attended by around 3000 people. In cooperation between the local parish of Herxheim, the Catholic parish and the Chawwerusch Theater , the play The miraculous bread multiplication took place in three performances with 2,000 spectators.
Web links
- herxheim-kirche.de - Homepage of the parish community St. Laurentius Herxheim
- herxheim.de - History of the Catholic parish church St. Maria Himmelfahrt Herxheim
- paulinus.de - Article about the Laurentius bread consecration (with picture gallery)
- Bells ringing 1 - video (old bell chair; until the end of 2015)
- Bells ringing 2 - video (new bell chair; 2017)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, p. 55.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, pp. 54f.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, p. 55.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, pp. 55f.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, p. 59.
- ↑ Arno Vogt: In dizzying heights, in: Herxheimer Heimatbrief 2016 , p. 29f.
- ^ Hermann Rieder: Church jubilee, 500 years of late Gothic church. Herxheim 2007, p. 1.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, p. 64.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, pp. 68f.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, p. 61.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, p. 61.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim. In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village. Herxheim 1998, pp. 68f.
- ↑ Table taken from Clemens Dudenhöffer and Egon Ehmer: Church window in the nave with glass paintings . In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village . Herxheim 1998, p. 66.
- ↑ Egon Ehmer: Building history and description of the parish church of St. Maria in Herxheim . In: Herxheimer Heimatverein: 1225 years of Herxheim, excursions through the history of the southern Palatinate large village . Herxheim 1998, p. 60.
- ^ Hall crosses in the Herxheim parish
- ^ Hermann Rieder: Herxheimer Osterriederkrippe , in: Information sheet of the VG Herxheim from January 19, 2007.
- ↑ Festschrift for the consecration of the organ in the parish church of St. Maria Himmelfahrt Herxheim on September 22, 1985.
- ↑ Disposition Herxheim near Landau
- ↑ Julius Kranz: Festschrift for the 300th anniversary of the plague of 1667, Die Pest von Herxheim, Herxheim 1967, p. 9.
- ↑ Hermann Rieder: Bread consecration - in the anniversary year, in: Herxheimer Heimatbrief 2016 , p. 44f.
- ↑ Ben Hergl and Thomas Kölsch: The miraculous bread increase, 350 years of bread consecration in Herxheim, in: Herxheimer Heimatbrief 2016 , p. 52.