St. Michael (Obermerzbach)
The small Evangelical Lutheran branch church of St. Michael is the center of the Untermerzbach district of Obermerzbach in the Haßberge district ( Lower Franconia ). The Romanesque choir tower church is one of the oldest preserved sacred buildings in Lower Franconia.
history
The oldest part of the church, which was probably built in the 12th and 13th centuries, is likely to be the basement of the choir tower, to which the rectangular nave was added a little later . The first written mention of the small church comes from the year 1232. From the beginning the church was a branch of the parish church of the nearby Untermerzbach, which was mentioned for the first time in 1225. Under Kunz II von Rotenhan, Ober- and Untermerzbach became Protestant in the 16th century.
The upper floors of the choir tower were built around 1615 (inscription on the west gable) in half-timbered construction and were crowned with a slate-covered pointed helmet. In 1693 the church was renovated and a simple gallery was added .
From 1950 to 1953 the church was extensively renovated and consecrated again on September 18, 1953. Another major renovation took place in 1982 and 1983, and a new tower clock system was installed in 1984. The renovation work cost a total of 224,980 German marks, the equivalent of around 110,000 euros.
At present, services or weddings are only occasionally held there, and the church is open to visitors during the day.
description
The church stands a little higher above the village road at 279 m above sea level. NN. The unplastered nave (approx. 10.5 × 6 m) made of regular sandstone blocks is accessible through a round arched portal , the reveal of which was renewed in the 17th century. The portal lies within a rectangular, profiled panel, which is closed off by a Romanesque round arch frieze. In the arches of this frieze, two snakes are curled up, devouring their heads in the middle. On both sides of the portal panel there are grooves characteristic of medieval churches , which are likely to have been created by scraping off “healing” stone powder.
The choir has a half-timbered structure from 1615 and an octagonal pointed helmet on a flat hipped roof from the beginning of the 19th century.
The retracted, almost square choir is spanned by an archaic ribbed vault with ribs made from a heavy, semicircular bulge. What is striking is the lack of the keystone, which was obviously knocked out. The round arched choir arch rests on pillars with Attic bases and sloping battlement plates . The northern fighter slope is decorated with a pattern of carved triangles. A heavily repelled figure is interpreted in the inventory tape as a man carrying a second one on his shoulder. However, the interpretation of the representation as Mother of God with the child is more common. The simple pulpit and baptismal font were built around 1615, the galleries on the west and north sides were probably built during the renovation in 1693.
literature
- The art monuments of Bavaria, III, 15, District Office Ebern . - Munich, 1916 (Reprint Munich, 1983, ISBN 3-486-50469-X )
- Edgar Maier: The Church of St. Michael in Obermerzbach . Untermerzbach 2007 ( ISBN 978-3-00-022470-6 )
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 7 ′ 54.8 " N , 10 ° 50 ′ 41.6" E