St. Matthäus (Chemnitz-Altendorf)
The Church of St. Matthew in the Altendorf district of Chemnitz is the parish church of the Evangelical Lutheran parish of this district. It was built in 1885 according to the plans of the architect Christian Friedrich Arnold . On January 1, 1884 this parish was founded; after the incorporation in Chemnitz in 1900, it and the church belonging to it were given the name St. Matthew. The church in Zinzendorfstrasse is a protected cultural monument . The associated Matthäus cemetery is also a protected entity with its cemetery chapel and its grave monuments.
history
At least since the Reformation was introduced in Chemnitz in 1539, Altendorf and its branch church, along with a few other villages, belonged to the St. Nikolaikirche on Stollberger Straße; For centuries it was outside the city of Chemnitz. The church, which was rebuilt in the 17th century, was much too small and dilapidated in the 19th century. In 1882 it had to be closed because the tower was in danger of collapsing and it was dilapidated, and the construction of a larger church was planned.
Like other congregations very far away from the church, the Altendorf, which had grown in population, wanted to have its own church and parish. The parish in Altendorf was founded on January 1st, 1884. After it was incorporated into Chemnitz in 1900, it and the church, which was consecrated in September 1885, were given the name of St. Matthew.
The new church
It is a characteristic church building of the German imperial era, but in restrained neo-renaissance forms. It has a slender bell tower with a pointed hood. The church was built according to the plans of the Dresden architect Christian Friedrich Arnold . The groundbreaking ceremony took place in 1884, and the inauguration ceremony took place on September 27, 1885.
Furnishing
In the lower picture - "View of the altar" - you can see part of the nave and the chancel. There is a pulpit with the four evangelists and in the middle the altar with the painting "The blessing Christ" by Erhard Ludewig Winterstein . Above the altarpiece is the saying from the Gospel of Matthew: “SEE, I AM WITH YOU ALL DAYS, UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD”. The left window shows the workers in the vineyard with the silhouette of Chemnitz in the background. The right window shows the Emmaus disciples with the silhouette of Altendorf in the background.
St. Matthew Church from the side
Church front
portal
View of the altar
Monument to the founding of the cemetery
Protected cultural monument with park and war memorials
St. Matthäus, Zinzendorfstrasse 16, is an Evangelical Lutheran church with a small, listed park surrounding it, in which there are two protected war memorials. The first monument - in front of the church - is an interestingly designed war memorial for the fallen of the First World War, the second is for the fallen of the Franco-Prussian War 1870/71 and the fallen of the First World War.
Church and war memorials are protected cultural monuments with the file number 09204672.
War memorial for the fallen soldiers of the First World War
inscription
Perspective
Plaque
Matthew Cemetery
The Matthäus-Friedhof is also a cultural monument - it is a protected entity, i.e. a building ensemble of various other monuments, which is protected in its entirety.
It is located in the middle of old trees at the end of Zinzendorfstrasse, above Waldenburger Strasse. After the inauguration of the cemetery in 1891, the cemetery chapel, which is now a listed building, was built in Art Nouveau in 1911 according to plans by Waldemar Pfalz . In the meantime, it has been restored according to the historical model and the St. Matthäusgemeinde celebrated the 100th anniversary of the chapel in 2011.
The park-like character of the cemetery invites you to linger with its hedges, bushes and meadows. More than half of the total area of 2.6 hectares is green. There are some old family graves that are listed as historical monuments, and a statue of Christ that was modeled on one of Thorwaldsen's in Copenhagen and designed and cast by Heinrich Pohlmann .
See main article: Matthäus-Friedhof (Chemnitz-Altendorf)
literature
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments. Saxony II. Administrative districts Leipzig and Chemnitz. Edited by Barbara Bechter, Wiebke Fastenrath, Heinrich Magirius et al. Munich, Berlin 1998.
Web links
- http://www.matthaeus.kirche-chemnitz.de/geschichte.html Website of the church parish, accessed on January 4, 2017
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 50 ° 49 '54.9 " N , 12 ° 53' 8.3" E