St. Niklas (Ehrenfriedersdorf)
The Protestant Church of St. Niklas is a Gothic choir tower church in Ehrenfriedersdorf in the Erzgebirge in Saxony . It belongs to the parish of St. Niklas Ehrenfriedersdorf in the church district of Annaberg of the Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony and is known for its artistically significant late Gothic altar by the master HW. The church, which can be seen from afar, characterizes the appearance of Ehrenfriedersdorf.
History and architecture
The two-aisled, three-bay hall church with a mighty choir tower was built in the 15th century as a plastered quarry stone building. Restorations took place in 1975/77 and 1994/95. Since the high three-storey choir tower with a rectangular plan in the middle floor embrasures has, the structure is as Wehrkirche interpreted. The tower has dormers on the curved tower roof. The nave has a gable roof with a high turret from 1629 and is illuminated by arched windows from 1507 with simple tracery, some of which were later changed. On the west side, the building is accessed through a classical portal from 1833.
The two-aisled hall is characterized by deep ribbed vaults with red and white grooved ribs and arches over two octagonal central pillars. Two-story galleries with marbled parapet panels from the 17th and 18th centuries are built into the north and south sides. The organ gallery in the west is built over three pointed arches. A heavy, pointed triumphal arch connects the nave with the two-bay choir with cross-ribbed vaults that show the eagle and Agnus Dei in the keystones .
Furnishing
The unusually large winged altar of high artistic quality with two changes dates from the years 1507–1512 and was donated by the princes of Kursachsen , Wettin and Waldenburg according to the coats of arms on the inactive wings . The carved figures were created by master HW, who is sometimes identified in literature with Hans Witten . The paintings are works by Hans von Cöln. The altar was restored after 1996.
In the predella , behind the veil, there is a relief depicting the resurrection. In the central shrine there are carved figures of the crescent moon Madonna carried by two angels, crowned by a representation of the Holy Trinity and flanked by figures of Saints Nicholas and Catherine . Saints Erasmus and Barbara are depicted in the wings . The finely crafted branch canopies as well as the masterfully depicted folds and the individual design of the facial features of the figures are noteworthy.
In the first transformation there are four expressive paintings with a keel-arch frame and gilt edging, as well as the medallions below, the typological juxtapositions of
- the Lord's Supper and the giving of men ,
- the scene of the Mount of Olives and King David playing harp ,
- the flagellation and embrace of Joab and Abner as well
- Christ before Pilate and the circumcision of the beard of King David's messenger.
The second change shows the large-figure painted representations of the apostles Andreas and Bartholomäus as well as the bishops Wolfgang and Martin in the inactive wings .
The rich and splendidly designed crack is covered with winding pinnacles adorned with crabs and shows the crucifixion in the center, flanked by the hand washing of Pilate and the representation of Christ before Pilate, with carved tracery windows in the background.
The elaborate pulpit with the pulpit stairs was created in 1685. The basket with twisted columns shows the evangelists in fields. The sandstone baptism from the beginning of the 18th century is adorned with leaf and branch reliefs. The foot shows leaf shapes superimposed like scales. The wooden top is decorated with an openwork acanthus motif.
The organ is a work by Kreutzbach from 1889 with 31 stops on two manuals and pedal , which was modified in 1939 by the organ building company Eule Orgelbau Bautzen and extensively restored in 2001/2002.
In the roof turret hangs the 911 bell , which was cast by Wolfgang Hilliger in Freiberg in 1569 . In the choir tower there is an hour-striking bell cast in 1940, the large bell cast by Wolfgang Hilliger in Freiberg in 1543 and the baptismal bell from 1430.
literature
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments. Saxony II. The administrative districts of Leipzig and Chemnitz , Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-422-03048-4 , pp. 209–210.
- Fritz Löffler : Die Stadtkirchen in Sachsen , 4th edition, Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Berlin 1980, p. 209.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information about the organ on the website of the St. Niklas parish Ehrenfriedersdorf. Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Information about the bells on the website of the St. Niklas parish Ehrenfriedersdorf. Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
Coordinates: 50 ° 38 ′ 42 " N , 12 ° 58 ′ 14.4" E