St. Mauritius (Cologne)
The parish church of St. Mauritius in Cologne has its origins in high medieval times. It was first mentioned in 1135.
location
The mighty structure stands on the Mauritius Church Square named after him. This is bounded to the east by the Mauritiussteinweg street, and the Jahnstraße that begins here runs on the south side. To the west of the square opens the Arndtstrasse and to the north the street Am Rinkenpfuhl. The Mauritiuskirchplatz is located in the Altstadt-Süd district and belongs to the city center of Cologne.
Beginning as an own church
The Abbey of St. Pantaleon had considerable property in suburbio coloniensis civitatis in what was then the suburb. The abbey's “ own church ” also stood here, but it is not possible to date it precisely with regard to its construction. There were well over 100 of these churches in Cologne. The highest level in the private church system is in the 9th and 10th centuries. One example is the “family church” of St. Gregorius im Elend , which still exists in this form today, in the southern part of Cologne. The time of the construction of this first predecessor church, the later monastery church of the Benedictine nuns in the Pantaleonspengel, predates the Salic in the Ottonian period.
It was subordinate to the abbey of St. Pantaleon belonging to the same order , which Otto the Great had founded in the 10th century. It was later elevated to a parish church.
Growing parish
The constantly increasing population also caused a strong rush of believers to the services. It even interfered with the course of the monastic liturgy ( religious rites ) of the monks in the abbey church of St. Pantaleon. In order to do justice to this increase in believers in the expanding residential area of the Sprengels , it was decided to build a new church offering more space. It should become the parish church of the new parish of St. Mauritius.
End of the “own church” and new building
As a replacement of the torn off private church donated in 1135 to the wealthy citizens of Cologne Hermann de Scipiona, also called "Stave" or "out of character", and his wife Ida, the funds for the construction of a new larger church. The family of the "Staben" (von Stabe, de baculo), whose residence is still reminiscent of the street name "Stavenhof" near the Eigelstein Gate, is mentioned several times in the chronicle of the city of Cologne. The church was after six years of construction by Archbishop Arnold I of Cologne in 1141 in honor of St. Maurice consecrated .
The dates for the first mention vary between the year 1135 and 1141 and the information on the monastery and church in 1144. The year 1135 refers to the start of construction, because a construction period of 6 years is mentioned, the year 1141 to the consecration. The mention in 1144 refers to both buildings, the monastery and the parish church.
New building in the Pantaleon suburb
It was built directly in front of the first Roman city wall , the remains of which can still be seen today in the gardens of the rows of houses on the Mauritiussteinweg behind the church (east, towards the city).
Like the churches that were already neighboring it at that time, St. Aposteln , located to the west of it, or St. Pantaleon in the south, St. Mauritius was not yet part of the actual city area. After the second city expansion in the western area of the city in 1106, the church was one of the first new churches on the emerging, later (around 1180) also fortified suburban area of the growing Pantaleon suburb.
In a document dated 1144, Arnold I of Cologne expressly decreed that the west building of the church with its Michael's chapel and the west gallery be given to the Benedictine nuns' monastery next to the church for their services.
Building and inauguration
The church was built in the style of a Romanesque pillar and vaulted basilica . Its nave , without the flat wooden ceiling that was common up to now, was the first church in Cologne to be vaulted at the same time as its aisles .
The three-aisled building without a transept had three bays and was terminated with a three-apse at the eastern end . Ornate, slender flank towers as stair towers separated the finely tiered apses of the church facade towards the city. The towers were connected to the nave by a cornice that encompasses them .
The upper facade walls of the nave and the west building had windows arranged in pairs and outer blind arcades . The square central building of the west building in front of the basilica had two-storey side wings on the north and south sides. The side aisles of the nave continued in these wings up to the west facade . The nave itself was connected to the westwork in this combination by an intermediate yoke. The side wings with small gables rose above the side aisles that merged into them. In the middle of the mezzanine floor , the side wing and nave overlooking the central building with its foundation as a base, a mighty tower building, ending in a four-sided pyramid , rose .
Slight changes were made in the late Gothic period. In order to increase the incidence of light, the windows of the aisles and the apses were enlarged. The interior of the church was changed by a new high altar donated in 1483 . An event in 1572 is the removal of the pastor who dared to preach in the spirit of Martin Luther . A western vestibule, which was mentioned in 1572, must have been removed later. In the 18th century the furnishings of the church were changed to Baroque style.
The church was equipped with a nuns gallery. This installation, often richly decorated with paintings, was often found in medieval monastery churches. In the churches that remained after the secularization , they were, as here, often torn down.
End as a monastery church
The end of the parish and monastery church in the 19th century began with the events and effects of the French occupation of the city. After the abolition of the monastery in 1802, the church was auctioned off - all church property had been nationalized. In 1830 the western part of the church was torn down down to the basement. Although city architect Johann Peter Weyer had built a wooden tower to hold the bells two years later, and the parish had even drawn up a cost plan for maintenance in 1842, the end of the church could not be stopped. The remainder of the church building was closed by the authorities in 1846 due to alleged considerable structural damage and the risk of collapse despite the contrary expertise of the cathedral builder Ernst Friedrich Zwirner from 1845. The final demolition (with the exception of parts of the substructure) in 1859 was preceded by long debates about repair or demolition.
Benedictine monastery
The first Benedictine nuns for the convent on St. Mauritius probably came from the mother house of the nuns on the island of Rolandswerth on the Rhine: Nonnenwerth was formerly called Rolandswerth. Archbishop Arnold I of Cologne also describes the Rhine island as Insula beatae Mariae Virginis - as Liebfraueninsel - in a document . The monastery was founded at the time of the literary activity of the Benedictine nun Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179).
A dispute between the abbey and the nuns regarding land ownership and canonical jurisdiction soon broke out, prompting the archbishop to intervene.
He decreed for the Convention:
“That the nuns, whom he called here from Nonnenwerth, should be left to their own devices and free in the handling of their external affairs, so they should not be dependent on the abbot either in shortages or in excess; that they had to obey the abbot in the pastoral care and the observation of the rule of the order after the archbishop. The mother or headmistress should be freely chosen by the sisters, but not be called the abbess, but only the prioress . "
The archbishop also ordered that the abbot should give the sisters of the monastery 25 acres of land and some parcels of land at the church for use, but subject to the property rights of the abbey. He decreed for the church: “that the same as parish church (ecclesia parochialis) belongs to the church of St. Pantaleon (pertinens); that the abbot should therefore continue to have the right that he had until then, namely the right of investiture or employment of the pastor, as well as immunity (freedom from taxes, duties and other burdens). "
The monastery soon acquired considerable property. In 1152 Abbot Wolbero of St. Pantaleon donated eight acres of land to the nuns, near Sülz (ad curtem in Sulpze), in order to benefit from it. 1157 authenticated Archbishop Friedrich II. That the nuns of St. Mauritius, which is built on the outskirts of Cologne, in the Villa Marsdorp three Mansi for 130 marks have legally acquired. Only a few years later, the next Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald von Dassel, also confirmed the legal acquisition of extensive properties by the convention:
- A farm in Hönningen near Rondorf (curtem in hoingen), six men;
- A farm in Meschenich (Meschingin), at 48 marks for 90 acres;
- Individual possessions in Rath (Rothe);
- A farm in Junkersdorf (Guntersdorp), partly from the founder of the monastery and the church, Hermanus and Ida;
- Some properties in Remagen (Rinage);
- Two men on site next to the monastery (in pago juxta clausterum), each of whom had to pay an annual “solidi” interest;
- Fifteen acres in Lich and forty-five acres in Emb (Embe);
In the following centuries, land and property were donated through the entry of wealthy daughters into the monastery, as in 1459 by Adam von Haren, the elder, an important farm , the Baelä estate with lands west of Aachen and by Adam von Haren, the younger the Hanbruch estate .
The nunnery, which was built at the same time as the church, was not on the site of the later Alexian monastery in Cologne , but further back from the street. It leaned against the southwest side of the church and enclosed it with its residential and courtyard buildings. The garden of the monastery lay along the old Taubengasse and bordered on the extensive properties of the Wolfer Hof. The monastery had a direct connection to the church, with the lower cloister leading into the tower hall and the upper corridors leading to the nun's gallery. The parish and monastery church in its dual function not only offered the nuns a separate place to pray, but also their own altar in the choir apse . The parish altar, standing in the middle of the church at the beginning of the nave, and the nuns' altar also served as a table for gifts. Donations of money and material from the faithful that were deposited there fell to the parish or to the convent, depending on the chosen altar.
In the years 1770 to 78, the buildings of the monastery were renewed. Also with was courtyard provided baroque square built, which remained until the present day receive.
End of the monastery
In contrast to the rest of the monastery complex (west building of the church), this part of the monastery complex, known as the “ Wolkenburg ” in Cologne today, survived the later days of secularization and the world wars of the 20th century.
The monastery existed until the occupation of Cologne under Napoleon . In 1802 the ownership of the Order of the Benedictine Sisters was secularized, the Abbey of St. Pantaleon and with it the Benedictine Community of St. Mauritius was abolished. The nuns were temporarily admitted to the monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Sisters in Schnurgasse, then their trace is lost. All possessions of the monastery fell to the domain administration , were auctioned and thus came into private or municipal possession. The convent of the Benedictine Sisters, which was closely connected to the St. Mauritius Church and had existed for centuries, no longer existed.
Alexians
In June 1829 the “ lay brothers ” of the Alexians in Cologne, also known as “Lungebröder” after their previous domicile in Lungengasse, purchased the property with some arable land for 15,500 thalers . They stayed there until the turn of the century.
The Josef-Schwartz green area borders on the back of the former monastery property used today for catering purposes . It was given a memorial stone in honor of a deserving member of the Cologne men's singing association "Cäcilia Wolkenburg" .
Construction of the neo-Gothic church
The small Frankstrasse within sight of the church is reminiscent of Kommerzienrat Heinrich Nikolaus Frank, the founder of the neo-Gothic church. It was built in 1865 at the request of the founder according to plans by the Cologne master builder Vincenz Statz . The foundation stone was laid in 1861. A three-aisled basilica was built, the elaborate design of the east side of which was modeled on the Trier Liebfrauenkirche . The inauguration of the then quite representative church, built in yellow brick , took place in mid-1865. The completion of the with a larger than life figure of St. Mauritius crowned tower, which completed the building in the west, did not take place until the end of 1866.
New building after the Second World War
After 1945 only parts of the outer walls and the tower of the church remained. In 1956 the construction of a now smaller church began.
Polygonal one-room church
In the post-war years from 1951 to 1956, the Cologne architect Fritz Schaller developed plans for the redesign and reconstruction of the church building, which was severely damaged in the Second World War . Its conception included a transverse, polygonal one-room and an octagon crowning the east apse as the roof of the choir , taking into account the outline of the partially preserved building . He redesigned the former nave into a light inner courtyard with covered side corridors between the church hall and the separate tower. The tower, which was damaged but retained its substance, the lower parts of the nave and the choir area, which have also been preserved, were thus harmoniously connected and integrated into the new building in an aesthetically convincing manner. Schaller's first drafts still provided for the preservation of the crossing vault and the overall cruciform layout. Against the wishes of the community, the architect insisted early on that the delicate, minaret-like choir-flank towers should be preserved. In the east view they contribute significantly to a harmonious centralization of the building composition.
Tower and portal
On the tower that has been preserved there is an approximately 3.50 m high figure of Saint Mauritius representing the patron saint of the church, which was created by the cathedral sculptor Peter Fuchs (1829–1889).
The neo-Gothic groups of sculptures located above the former main portal of the tower were also created by Fuchs. They show the martyrdoms of Saints Dionysius , Mauritius and Reinoldus . The choice of motifs by the sculptor underlines the medieval affiliation of the Mauritius church to the monastery of St. Pantaleon. Reinoldus was a monk in this abbey and was slain by stonemasons working there, of which he was the overseer.
The modern window, which replaces the former main entrance, shows a stone seven-armed chandelier designed by Ludwig Gies .
Today's interior
In today's interior of the church, only a few pieces of equipment have survived from the old church. The Cologne sculptor Elmar Hillebrand designed the new liturgical furnishings of the church.
The windows in the round of the octagon above the semicircular choir and the window galleries on the side walls, in which the remaining neo-Gothic pillars of the old outer walls are integrated according to Schaller's concept, were designed by the Cologne glass painter Franz Pauli (1927–1970).
Some special pieces of equipment are a forked cross made in Cologne around 1415, a 17th century painting depicting the torture of St. Reinoldus (against the backdrop of a Cologne cityscape) and a late Gothic crucifixion group in the choir, which was created around 1520-25 .
Baptismal font in the upper center of the church
Martyrdom of Reinoldus (17th century)
Madonna and Child
Confessional in one of the niches
Others
The church is surrounded by a narrow green area framed with bars and partly covered with trees and shrubbery. However, there are no remains of an old churchyard , grave crosses, steles or epitaphs . The ground floor room of the church tower, the garden-like inner courtyard and parts of the church square were used as a café . It is possible to climb the church tower by appointment. Since 1994 St. Mauritius has been cared for by the neighboring parish Herz Jesu.
Bells
Five bells hang in the tower . The previous bell from 1879 (b 0 –c 1 –d 1 –es 1 ) was destroyed by the effects of the war. The large Mauritius bell is one of the largest bells in Cologne and has a counter pendulum due to static problems. It sounds every Friday outside of Holy Week at 3 p.m. to commemorate the hour of Christ's death. The smallest was donated by Konrad Adenauer , who was baptized on January 25, 1876 in St. Mauritius. It serves as an angelus bell . At weekday masses the bells ring Brother Konrad and Elisabeth , at Sunday masses brother Konrad, Elisabeth, Michael and Maria . The bell rings at high festivals.
| No. | Surname | Casting year | Caster | Diameter (mm) |
Mass (kg, approx.) |
Percussive ( HT - 1 / 16 ) |
inscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mauritius | 1960 | Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock |
1,980 | 4,900 | as 0 +5 | + HL. MAURITIUS ACCIPITE ARMATURAM DEI + |
| 2 | Maria | 1958 | Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock |
1,550 | 2,300 | c 1 +4 | SALVE REGINA |
| 3 | Michael | 1958 | Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock |
1,291 | 1,350 | it 1 +5 | HL. MICHAEL QUIS UT DEUS |
| 4th | Elisabeth | 1958 | Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock |
1,140 | 900 | f 1 +6 | HL. ELISABETH CARITAS CHRISTI URGET NOS |
| 5 | Brother Konrad |
1959 | Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock |
945 | 500 | as 1 +6 | HL. BROTHER KONRAD PORTA COELI |
Remarks
- ↑ Hiltrud Kier, Ulrich Krings, Volume III
- ^ Cologne: The Romanesque Churches, Volume I, Helmut Fußbroich, page 561
- ↑ Lacomblet, BI page 289
- ^ Chronicle of the City of Cologne, printed in the Annalen des Hist. Association for the Lower Rhine. Issue 16, p. 58
- ↑ Historical information on the Church of Saint Mauritius - information board of the parish.
- ^ The Chronicle of Cologne, page 65
- ^ Adam Wrede, Volume II, page 178
- ↑ Cologne Churches, page 58
- ↑ Wolfgang Peters
- ↑ Kölm: The Romanesque Churches, Volume I, Helmut Fußbroich, St. Mauritius
- ^ Cologne: The Romanesque Churches, Volume I, Helmut Fußbroich, page 566
- ↑ Wolfgang Peters, Ulrich Krings, page XIVI.
- ↑ Christian Quix: Historical-topographical description of the city of Aachen and its surroundings . Du Mont-Schauberg Cologne and Aachen 1829, p. 137f.
- ↑ Hanburch Manor
- ^ A b Thomas, Adolph: History of the parish of St. Mauritius in Cologne. Pages 38 to 45
- ^ Adam Wrede, Volume I, p. 23
- ↑ cf. detailed planning history and source representation by Emanuel Gebauer: Fritz Schaller. The architect and his contribution to sacred buildings in the 20th century (= Stadtspuren 28). Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-7616-1355-5 (Phil. Diss. Mainz 1995).
- ↑ Cologne churches. P. 125.
- ↑ Gerhard Hoffs: Glockenmusikischer Kirchen Kirchen Köln , Cologne 2009, pp. 168–192, PDF document. ( Memento of the original from April 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Literature / sources
- Manfred Becker-Huberti , Günter A. Menne: Cologne churches, the churches of the Catholic and Protestant communities in Cologne. JP Bachem Verlag, Cologne 2004, ISBN 3-7616-1731-3 .
- Emanuel Gebauer: Fritz Schaller. The architect and his contribution to sacred buildings in the 20th century (= Stadtspuren 28). Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-7616-1355-5 (Phil. Diss. Mainz 1995).
- The Chronicle of Cologne. Chronik Verlag, Dortmund 1991, ISBN 3-611-00193-7 .
- Parish St. Mauritius, Cologne: Information on the church history of St. Mauritius.
- Hiltrud Kier, Ulrich Krings: Cologne: The Romanesque churches (= Stadtspuren, Volume I and III - Monuments in Cologne .) JP Bachem Verlag, Cologne 1984, ISBN 3-7616-0763-6 .
- Adam Wrede : New Cologne vocabulary. 3 volumes A – Z, 9th edition. Greven Verlag, Cologne 1984, ISBN 3-7743-0155-7 .
- Wolfgang Peters: The foundation of the Benedictine convent St. Mauritius. In: Yearbook of the Cologne History Association. 54: 135-166 (1983).
- Monastery guide Christian places of reflection in German-speaking countries. Matthias Grünewald Verlag, 1981, ISBN 978-3-7867-2617-3 .
- Cologne churches. Church architecture in Cologne from the beginning to the present. Greven Verlag, Cologne 1959.
- Adolph Thomas: History of the parish St. Mauritius in Cologne. With an illustration of the old Abbey of St. Pantaleon after Stengelius. JP Bachem, Cologne 1878.
- Theodor Josef Lacomblet: The document of the Archbishop Everger of Cöln for the abbey of St. Martin there from the year 989. In: Archives for the history of the Lower Rhine. 111th volume, 1.
Web links
- "History of the St. Mauritius Church" and "A virtual tower ascent of St. Mauritius" and the Internet presence of the parishes Herz Jesu and St. Mauritius in Cologne on the homepage of the Archdiocese of Cologne
- Digitized archive holdings on St. Mauritius in the digital historical archive in Cologne
Coordinates: 50 ° 56 ′ 0 ″ N , 6 ° 56 ′ 40.8 ″ E