St. Nikolaus von der Flüe (Colbitz)

Exterior view

The church Sankt Nikolaus von der Flüe , also known as St. Klaus von der Flüe for short, is the Catholic church in Colbitz , a municipality in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt . It belongs to the parish of St. Christophorus, based in Haldensleben , in the Stendal deanery of the Magdeburg diocese . The church named after St. Niklaus von Flüe is located in the southeast of Colbitz, Loitscher Weg 2.

history

With the Reformation in the 16th century, the population in the Colbitz area also became Evangelical-Lutheran . The exact time of the introduction of the Reformation in Colbitz is not known.

In 1910 a census in the Wolmirstedt district showed that 36 Catholics were already living in Colbitz. It was mainly seasonal workers from Upper Silesia who found work on the manors in the Colbitz area and who had settled there.

After the Second World War , the number of Catholics in the Colbitz area increased due to the influx of refugees and displaced persons from Silesia and the Sudetenland . Initially, Catholic services were occasionally held in Protestant churches. In 1955, Vicar Feldmann, a Catholic priest, was sent to Colbitz. In March 1956, Colbitz became the seat of a board of trustees which , in addition to Colbitz, also included the villages of Angern , Blätz , Burgstall , Dolle , Lindhorst , Rogätz , Sandbeiendorf and Wenddorf . Colbitz was previously part of the parish in Wolmirstedt . In the same year, a plot of land was purchased on which there was a barn that had not been used since 1936.

In 1957, the architect Anton Schneider from Köthen began planning the conversion of the barn into a church. In the years 1957 to 1959, various building applications were rejected or not answered by the state authorities of the GDR . In the summer of 1959, however, the conversion of the barn into a church began. In the autumn of 1960 Feldmann was transferred to Hohenleipisch to protect him from criminal prosecution. His successor was Kuratus Müller, previously vicar in Schönebeck . In November 1960, the establishment of the church was finally approved by the state. At this point in time, the conversion to a church was so far advanced that the first Holy Mass could take place there on Christmas Eve 1960 with the Christmas mass . The church was consecrated in 1962 . On August 19, 1962 the altar was consecrated by Friedrich Maria Rintelen , the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Paderborn , who resided in Magdeburg , to which Colbitz belonged at the time.

The bell tower was built from 1962 to 1965, also according to plans by Schneider, and the bells were consecrated on September 25, 1965 . Also in 1965 the parish room was inaugurated, which was created by expanding a stable to the west of the church . In 1966, Theobald Hillmann (1931-2010), previously a curate at the St. Petrus Church in Kalbe , served as curate in Colbitz for about ten years. In 1966, triggered by the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council , the chancel was redesigned and the still existing ambo was built. The rebuilt altar was consecrated on May 24, 1966. The organ was built from 1967 to 1969 .

The church has not had a local priest since the mid-1970s, and the rectory has since been sold. On January 1, 1982 the Colbitz Curate was repealed and the church belonged to the parish in Wolmirstedt from then on. In December 2006 it became known that the church was to be profaned ; However, this could be prevented by the initiative of community members and sponsors. On March 1, 2007, the community association Haldensleben- Eichenbarleben - Groß Ammensleben - Weferlingen - Wolmirstedt was founded, to which the church in Colbitz belonged from then on. On May 2, 2010, today's parish of St. Christophorus emerged from the community. In addition to the Colbitz Church, it also includes the churches of St. Johannes Baptist in Althaldensleben , Holy Cross in Calvörde , St. Benedikt in Eichenbarleben, St. Peter and Paul in Groß Ammensleben, St. Liborius in Haldensleben, St. Josef and St. Theresia from the child of Jesus in Weferlingen, St. Josef in Wolmirstedt and the St. Anna pilgrimage chapel at Gut Glüsig . The 2011 census in the European Union showed that of the 3246 inhabitants of the political municipality of Colbitz, 81, or 2.5%, belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. The vast majority of Colbitz residents do not belong to any religious community today. Today, services are rarely held in the church, but it is also used for concerts, readings and other events.

Architecture and equipment

inside view

The church was built by converting a barn, it has around 72 seats. In its free-standing tower there are two bronze bells made by the bell foundry in Apolda in 1964 , of which the larger bell is dedicated to St. Nicholas von der Flüe and the smaller bell to St. Mary (mother of Jesus) . A representation of St. Nicholas von der Flüe, the patron saint of the church, is on the south gable of the church; it was created in 1963 by the sculptor Rudolf Hilscher ( Köthen ). The sacristy and a confessional chapel, which is also used as a baptistery, are built on the east side of the church .

There is a hanging cross above the altar, the ambo is a work of artificial stone and wrought iron. In the chancel there is another, smaller statue of St. Nicholas of the Flue. The statue of the Virgin Mary made of sandstone, in front of which sacrificial candles can be placed, also comes from Hilscher; it was installed in the church in 1960. The pipe organ is the work of the organ builder Friedrich Löbling from Erfurt . The interior of the church also includes twelve stations of the cross . The confessional and the baptismal font erected in 1964 are located in the confessional chapel, which is open to the nave . In the church there are permanent exhibitions about the history of the church and the life of St. Nicholas of the Flue.

literature

Ernst Nielebock: The Catholics in Colbitz and their church. Colbitz 2008.
Catholic Church of St. Nikolaus von der Flüe, Colbitz. Leaflet, Colbitz, around 2010.

Web links

Commons : St. Nikolaus von der Flüe (Colbitz) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

52.314907 11.612155Coordinates: 52 ° 18 ′ 53.7 " N , 11 ° 36 ′ 43.8" E

[1] ttp://www.elbe-heide.de/verzeichnis/objekt.php?mandat=40191

[2] ttp://www.bistum-magdeburg.de/front_content.php?idcat=2712&idart=16352&lang=5

[3] ttp://www.bistum-magdeburg.de/front_content.php?idcat=1409&idart=2463&lang=5

[4] ttp : // kath- kirche- gross Bäumenleben.de / Global / pfarramt.htm