St. Martin (Rheinfelden)

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St. Martin Church

The St. Martin Church is a Christian Catholic church building in Rheinfelden in the canton of Aargau . It stands in the center of the old town on the church square and dates back to the 11th century. The current building has existed since the second half of the 14th century and was rebuilt several times, most recently in the 1770s. It is a three-aisled basilica in Gothic style, while the interior is baroque . From 1228 to 1870 the Martinskirche was the seat of a canon monastery . In 1873 the parish converted to the Christian Catholic movement, three years later the first Christian Catholic bishop in Switzerland was consecrated here.

Monastery and parish history

Today's urban area originally belonged to the parish of Magden , whose church was under the patronage of Saint Martin of Tours . As an imperial fiefdom , the parish was owned by the Lenzburger , and later by the Beromünster Abbey . After the city was founded in the 12th century, a new parish was founded with the same patron saint. The first documentary mention was made in December 1146 in connection with two visits by the crusade preacher Bernhard von Clairvaux . The catchment area was initially limited to the area within the city walls. In the following decades the home side's parish, the decade reign expand at the expense Magdens. A dean Heinricus de Rinfelden is mentioned in a document issued in 1212 ; thus a community of clergy already existed at that time.

Two clerics requested Pope Gregory IX. about the establishment of a canon monastery. In doing so, they probably wanted to increase the reputation of Rheinfeld, which had become an imperial city in 1218 . After Bishop Heinrich von Thun had given permission, the monastery was founded on October 31, 1228. Like the Johanniterkommende , it enjoyed tax exemption and was not subject to the municipal legal system. The monastery took over the parish church , which was now elevated to the rank of a collegiate church, and took over responsibility for pastoral care. It chose its canons themselves, although the dean of the bishopric of Basel had to confirm the choice. After the construction phase, the monastery comprised 13 benefices , two of which belonged to the provost . The owners of the benefices were predominantly representatives of the regional nobility, so the monastery benefited from numerous donations.

The ownership of the monastery was divided into the following areas: on the left bank of the Rhine in the entire Fricktal as far as Laufenburg and Densbüren , in the Ergolztal between Pratteln and Wisen and in the city of Basel , on the right bank of the Rhine between Riehen and Säckingen and around Schopfheim and Bellingen . The monastery owned the church set of Eiken since its foundation , the church of Kilchberg was added in 1400 and that of Herznach in 1407 , and in 1653 Archduke Ferdinand III gave it as a gift . the church of Wölflinswil , as compensation for the damage suffered in the Thirty Years' War . The canons sold that part of the income in kind that went beyond their own use on the market in Rheinfelden. They lent the money they earned to the residents in exchange for interest. The pen provided the schoolmaster who ran the city school. In 1460, Duke Siegmund decreed that one of the canon positions should be used to finance the newly founded university in Freiburg im Breisgau . When the plague raged there in 1492, 1501 and 1509 , the professors of the law faculty found refuge in Rheinfelden. In 1496 there were even considerations to move the university here.

From 1468 the monastery was represented in the prelate bank of the Breisgau estates . Johann Eberlin von Günzburg spread Reformation ideas in 1523 , and his explanations also met with keen interest among the canons. Rheinfelden remained Catholic due to Austria's position of power, but the clergy who worked here were remarkably tolerant of reformatory innovations for several decades. Although Basel installed a Reformed pastor in Kilchberg from 1529, the income from this parish continued to go to the monastery until 1807. Since the Austrian rulers never repaid the loans granted to them, the monastery got increasingly into financial difficulties from the 17th century onwards; the consequences of the Thirty Years' War also contributed to the gradual decline. In 1803, the new canton of Aargau took over the interest income from the monastery and the property on the right bank of the Rhine in the Grand Duchy of Baden was lost due to the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss . After the canton had ransomed the parishes of Eiken and Herznach in favor of the respective parishes in 1868, the Grand Council abolished the monastery on November 25, 1870 by decree. Thus the connection to Wölflinswil was also ended.

The dogma of papal infallibility announced at the First Vatican Council met with unanimous rejection in Rheinfelden (the Catholics living here were considered liberal, a late effect of Austrian Josephinism ). In 1872 an "Association of Liberal Catholics" was formed, which represented most of the parishioners. The parish decided on November 2, 1873 with a single vote against to join the Christian Catholic movement. Rheinfelden thus followed the example of the neighboring communities Hellikon , Kaiseraugst , Magden , Möhlin , Obermumpf and Olsberg . On September 18, 1876, Joseph Hubert Reinkens consecrated Eduard Herzog as the first Christian Catholic bishop in Switzerland in Martinskirche . A separate Roman Catholic parish was formed again nine years later.

Building history

Exterior view of the choir

Today's church had several previous buildings. The first church of the 11th century, a single-nave rectangular building, is only recognizable in parts of its foundations. Around the middle of the 12th century, a somewhat larger successor building was built, with part of the north wall of the church being preserved in full in the south wall of the younger bell tower. Two annex buildings that were only used temporarily and an approximately ten meter high tower stem from the time around 1190/1200 . In the years 1220 to 1235 (clearly in connection with the founding of the monastery) the existing Romanesque apse hall was laid down together with the annex buildings and they were replaced by a basilica with more than twice the area. The apse , the unfinished tower and the northern annex wall were taken over. Larger parts of the western wall hidden under the plaster have been preserved to this day. A few years after the completion of the basilica, the apse was torn down and the choir was extended far to the east. Despite the lack of evidence, it can be assumed that the tower shaft was extended by two storeys after the foundation of the monastery.

In the second and last third of the 14th century, the church was rebuilt in a uniformly planned Gothic style. Indulgences granted to churchgoers indicate that planning or construction began in 1336. Initially, the choir was completely rebuilt by 1352. Next came the nave , the nave of which was the same width as the previous building, but more than two thirds higher. The number of yokes was reduced from six to five. The church tower was raised to an eaves height of 23 m and a new bell house was added. A new roof and a square sacristy were also built on the south wall. After a major fire in 1396 that affected 30 houses, the burnt-out choir had to be restored. In 1478 the sacristy was replaced by a larger room on the east wall, while the church tower was raised by two more storeys around the same time (making the eaves height 29.9 m).

At the turn of the 17th century, structural changes were made at the suggestion of Bishop Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee . The walls in the yokes of the rood screen were removed and the high altar was replaced between 1597 and 1606 . In 1608 an archive room was built above the old sacristy (which in the meantime served as Marienkapelle) to store the monastery files, as well as a library above the new sacristy. These rooms were accessed via the rood screen stage, which in turn was accessible via the tower stairs. The choir was rejuvenated in 1669 with a generous vault. In 1732 Jacob Carl Stauder created a ceiling painting in the nave.

The appearance of the interior of the church was standardized between 1769 and 1772 through structural measures and an overarching stucco cladding in a baroque style. The work was under the direction of the Vorarlberg plasterer Martin Fröwis. He had the rood screen removed so that the choir was now open across its entire width to the central nave. There was extensive repair work in the dilapidated nave, which also received new windows, side doors and a gallery above the rearmost yoke. There was also a new vestibule in front of the west facade. The building was renovated in 1887/88 and 1921–1924. Under the supervision of the federal and cantonal preservation authorities, the church was extensively restored in the last quarter of the 20th century, 1978–1980 on the outside, 1986–1992 on the inside. The aim was the best possible representation of the state of 1772; At the same time, extensive archaeological investigations were carried out.

Structure and equipment

The southern flank of the Martinskirche meets the Kirchgasse, which runs from west to east. On the east, north and west sides, the building is surrounded by the church square, once the area of ​​the cemetery. The choir and the nave, both from the second half of the 14th century, present themselves as typical representatives of the architecture of the early beggar order . The two lowest floors of the church tower on the north side date from around 1200, the middle part dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries, the top two floors are from the late 15th century. The top of the church tower is formed by the tower dome from 1629 with four clock gables. The sacristy and the Marienkapelle are built on the south flank of the choir (1478 and 1608 respectively). The outer walls of the nave have arched window and door frames, the windows of the choir are round arches with painted rocailles in the apex. Painted gray bands accentuate the white plastered facade on the plinths, on the building edges and at the seams of the church tower. The sign on the west facade clearly shows baroque features , in the form of a square portal building open in three arched arcades with stone sculptures on the roof gable.

Choir room with baroque choir grille, high altar and cross altar (left)

Seen from the entrance, the choir appears as a round-arch case, which is tailored to the dimensions of the high altar at the opposite end. Stuck clad ribbed on Corinthian pilasters divide the space into three Volljoche, a Halbjoch next to the Arch and a yoke with three-piece cap compartments (in the polygon). The crown of the head, cheeks and stitch caps are covered with stucco cartouches . The ribs are surrounded by rocailles , acanthus and other decorations. Six coats of arms stuccoed in the stitch caps above the side walls are reminiscent of canons. The frescoes in the crown medallions, designed by Franz Fidel Bröchin , depict the coat of arms of Bishop Heinrich von Thun, the seal image of the Canon Monastery and the alliance coat of arms of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband Franz I Stephan .

The high altar, completed in 1606, combines elements of the German Gothic with those of the Italian Renaissance . The reredos encompass a predella , a three-axis main floor with cranked beams and a pair of columns, an attachment with a hermen pilaster and an image of the title saint (St. Martin on a horse). The main frieze is adorned with carved tendrils , putti , jumping deer and grimaces . The main leaf depicts the Adoration of the Shepherds , the top leaf the coronation of Mary ; Statues of the four evangelists fill the niches in the side axes. On the side walls of the choir there are two rows of ten seats with carved parapets and back walls; The choir organ from 1770 is housed in a cuboid housing. A wrought-iron choir grille with rocaille and plant patterns separates the nave from the nave; An archducal hat is placed on it as a symbol of the protection of the Austrian rulers.

The central nave of the nave has no structuring due to the architecture, which is why this is imitated by various stucco work. These include octagonal, encased round pillars, curvatures, consoles , window and picture frames, rocailles and vaulted mirrors. Further frescoes by Bröchin adorn the ceiling of the three naves , with the following motifs: In the central nave, Maria as Queen of Heaven (center), the Adoration of the Kings (front) and the offering of Christ in the temple (back); in the south aisle Maria as a snake stepper with Adam and Eve in front of the tree of knowledge (middle), the birth of Mary (back) and the passage to the temple of Mary (front); in the north aisle the Annunciation (center), the Visitation (back) and Mary's admission to the temple service (front). The pear-shaped picture fields on the high walls show the Evangelists (north side) and the Latin church fathers (south side).

There are seven altars in the nave, three of them in the central nave and two each in the side aisles. The cross altar , a cafeteria without a retable, is made of stucco marble and leans against the choir grille. A crucifix and a group of figures are combined to form a crucifixion scene. The work, which is completely set in gold, is probably a work by Johann Isaak Freitag . The side altars in the central nave are also made of stucco marble, their pictures depict the Three Kings and Saint Anne . The altars in the south aisle are dedicated to Saints Fridolin and Franz Xavier . The rosary altar and the altar of the Sebastian Brotherhood can be found in the north aisle . The pulpit , a work by Fröwis, is also made of stucco marble ; its basket bears no figurative ornament, while the sound cover is decorated with evangelist symbols and a trumpet angel . On the west side, the gallery spans all three aisles, on which an organ installed in 1991 stands (the oldest evidence of an organ dates from 1519).

From the south aisle, a round arch leads to a small baptistery , the size of which corresponds to the south yoke of the former rood screen. The archive and library can be reached via a narrow spiral staircase in the south-west corner of the room, in front of the north wall there is a black and white marbled font . Another round arch leads from the baptistery to the Lady Chapel. In this cross-vaulted room there is an altar on the east wall, the sections of which can be assigned to five different phases. The rich church treasures are kept in the sacristy, which is accessible from the choir .

regional customs

Every year the parade of the Sebastian Brotherhood begins in the church on December 24th and 31st, followed by fountain singing.

literature

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Schib: History of the City of Rheinfelden , pp. 92–93.
  2. ↑ Schib: History of the City of Rheinfelden , pp. 94–95.
  3. ^ Schib: History of the City of Rheinfelden , pp. 96–97.
  4. ^ Hochreiter et al .: Inside, outside, there. Pp. 36-37.
  5. ^ Hochreiter et al .: Inside, outside, there. Pp. 64-69.
  6. ↑ Schib: History of the City of Rheinfelden , p. 352.
  7. ^ Hochreiter et al .: Inside, outside, there. Pp. 173-175.
  8. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 91-93.
  9. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. P. 96.
  10. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 98-99.
  11. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 100-102.
  12. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 103-104.
  13. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 105-106.
  14. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. P. 106.
  15. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 106-109.
  16. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. P. 109.
  17. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. P. 110.
  18. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 111-113.
  19. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 113-114.
  20. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 115-116.
  21. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. P. 99.
  22. ↑ Hunziker, Hoegger: The monuments of the Canton of Aargau. Volume IX. Pp. 116-119.

Coordinates: 47 ° 33 '  N , 7 ° 48'  E ; CH1903:  six hundred and twenty-six thousand six hundred forty-four  /  267103