St. Peter (Cologne)

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St. Peter in Cologne (2016)

Sankt Peter is a Gothic church in Cologne that was built between 1513 and 1525 and is run by Jesuits . It is the baptistery of Peter Paul Rubens . The church houses the Sankt Peter art station , a center for contemporary art, music and literature.

History and architecture

St. Peter and St. Cecilia around 1665
Interior of St. Peter, 1895

The parish church of St. Peter is the latest Gothic church building in Cologne that is still preserved. It was built between 1513 and 1525 on the remains of Roman and Romanesque predecessor buildings as a three-aisled gallery basilica with a three-sided gallery installation. Its interior is 37.5 meters long and 21 meters wide. The Romanesque west tower dates from 1170. This is why this church is also looked after by the Friends of Roman Churches in Cologne . Together with the neighboring Cäcilienkirche , St. Peter forms the only remaining double church complex of a collegiate church with a parish church in Cologne.

Destruction in World War II

During the so-called "Peter and Paul attack" on the night of the bombing of June 29, 1943 in World War II , the parish of St. Peter was almost completely wiped out, the church was destroyed down to the foundation walls and pillars. Despite efforts to secure the church's most important furnishings such as altarpieces or church windows, large parts of the opulent woodwork of the altars and pulpits, as well as the organ built in 1907 by Cologne organ builder Ernst Seifert in the old case from 1820, fell victim to the flames of war.

reconstruction

After the first security measures, the reconstruction work began in 1950 under the direction of government master builder Karl Band and architect Wilhelm Schorn and was almost completed by 1960. The reconstruction was determined by limited resources and the prevailing zeitgeist to document the destruction of the building by emphasizing the lost proportions for posterity. Although Karl Band carried out the restoration of the church interior very “sensitively, but ultimately only as a fragment”, the theologian Nicolas Weiser attests that the church interior, which was newly built at the time, had an almost “Protestant” appearance compared to the pre-war state. A stepped chancel, covered with bluestone, served as a demarcation to the lay room, which was equipped with reddish brick. The spatial impression in the sparsely furnished gallery basilica was mainly determined by a new, dark wooden coffered ceiling, "whose effect was like a coffin lid", as city curator Hiltrud Kier noted. The vaults that were left standing between the upper cladding windows are still reminiscent of the destroyed net vaults “like architectural tears”. Only a few restored or reconstructed furnishings, such as the medieval baptismal font or wrought-iron bars from the Baroque period and some fixtures in the spirit of the 1950s, adorned the church when the Jesuits moved into St. Peter in July 1960 and Father Alois Schuh SJ joined them from September 1960 was entrusted with pastoral care in the community. In the following years a new, simple stone high altar was consecrated, in 1961 the altarpieces by Schut and Rubens returned to the church and the preserved church windows were reinstalled.

Refurbishment 1997 to 2000

The conception of the basic interior design during the renovation in the years 1997 to 2000 by the architecture office Wiegmann & Trübenbach aimed to create a holistic, harmonious overall impression through colors, shapes, materials and lighting. The still existing natural stone of the pillars was the starting point for the color design, which included all room-defining elements. The stone high altar and the raised altar erected after the war were removed, the brick floor in the nave and on the gallery replaced by a gray, jointless screed, which exudes shine and calm thanks to a special surface treatment. The walls were given a new plaster in a warm stone color to match the original stone parts and integrate pillars, arches, vault ribs and balustrades into the spatial effect. A new wooden ceiling in a light gray tone replaces the dark post-war ceiling and increases the incidence of light. Elements that had been added in the style of the time in the 1950s have been removed and historically reconstructed. The renovation concept was awarded the North Rhine-Westphalia Architecture Prize.

Furnishing

Works of art

The crucifixion of Peter by Peter Paul Rubens , commissioned in 1638 by the Cologne entrepreneur and art collector Eberhard Jabach , and the sculpture Gurutz Aldare (2000) by Eduardo Chillida are the most important treasures of the church.

The windows of the apse and the side aisles are a remarkable testimony to Cologne's artistic creation in the early 16th century. Its Renaissance stained glass dates from the years 1528 to 1530. The choir windows depict the story of the Passion from the carrying of the cross to the crucifixion to the descent from the cross. Below these windows are further windows with stained glass showing the donors of the windows, such as Elisabeth von Manderscheid who was the abbess of the Cäcilienkloster.

Don't Worry is the name of the light installation by the London artist and Turner Prize winner Martin Creed , which is located on all outer sides of the tower above the sound openings. This English lettering is translated into Latin, Greek and German on the other three sides of the tower: "Noli solicitus esse - Mη mεριμνα - don't worry". From the middle of this confusion of language, the reader can develop his personal understanding and filter out the good news of the Sermon on the Mount. In doing so, it proclaims both: the neglect of what has been said and the liberation of what has been considered.

In the lattice chapel, the shrines with the relics of Saints Evergislus and Paulinus from 1802 are laid out. Saint Everigisil is the patron saint of glaziers and the Cologne painters' guild, Paulinus was a deacon of the first Cologne bishop Maternus .

Organs

Sankt Peter has an organ system consisting of a main organ and a choir organ. Both instruments were built in 2004 by the organ builder Willi Peter (Cologne), whereby the two neo-baroque predecessor organs from 1968 and 1971 were integrated; Since 2006 both organs have been expanded by organ builder Peter. The organs are among the most advanced instruments of contemporary organ building worldwide. The classic work principle and a corresponding design of the brochures were abandoned, the inclusion of new registers and percussion offer the possibility of fundamentally new musical design.

The organ system currently has 102 stops and playing aids. Their disposition is characterized on the one hand by a large number of aliquot registers for better dissonance ability, and on the other hand by numerous, also new percussion parts. Furthermore, both instruments contain some registers creations according to the idea of Peter Bares, such as the Physharmonikaensemble (64'-8 ') in the main work, and the effect register silver sound , Bronceton , the rotating Cymbeln, Beck Stern , Yowler , Siren and Hahnenschrei . Coupling solutions connect the plants. There is thus the possibility of assigning unusual registers to each manual or pedal via a coupling mechanism .

All sounds are actually controlled electrically, but generated in a purely mechanical way. The organs of St. Peter stand in the old tradition of organ building and at the same time create a link to the continuation of this culture in the modern age.

Main organ

Main organ

The main organ hangs over the gallery. It has a four-manual general console from which the choir organ can also be played: the first manual of the choir organ from manual I, the two other manual works of the choir organ from manual IV. The main organ and the swell of the main organ (II. And III. Manual) have electric slide chests.

The conventional stops of the main organ are divided into the II. Manual (main work), the III. Manual (swell) and the pedal .

The main organ also has a Spanish trumpet mechanism ( trumpeteria ). The main organ also contains a fund of innovative registers. These are divided into two works: On the one hand the swellable coupling mechanism (multiplex tray), and the percussion mechanism. Each of these works can be played individually by all four manuals and the pedal of the main organ: The multiplex system makes it possible to register the coupling and percussion mechanism individually for each individual manual and pedal. The registers of the Koppelwerk are partly extracts. Individual registers of the coupling mechanism can only be connected to the pedal.

The instrument also has a pool of effect registers. This also includes the possibility of striking the bells in the church tower. In addition, the instrument contains a wide range of coupling and other playing aids, especially for the performance of newer music, such as a key chain to lock the tone and a wind throttle with which the amount of wind can be regulated.

II Hauptwerk C – g 3
01. Pommer 16 ′
02. Principal 08th'
02. Reed flute 08th'
04th Octave 04 ′
05. Covered 04 ′
06th Nasard 02 23
07th flute 02 ′
08th. Mixture IV-V 02 ′
09. third 01 35
10. Sept 01 17
11. None 089
12. Cymbel III 012
13. Trumpet 08th'
Tremulant
14th Physharmonica (c 1 - g 3 ) 0 64 ′
15th Physharmonica (c 0 –g 3 ) 32 ′
16. Physharmonica (C – g 3 ) 16 ′
17th Physharmonica (C – g 3 ) 08th'
Tremulant I.
Tremulant II
III Swell C – g 3
18th Principal 08th'
19th Covered 08th'
20th Black viola 08th'
21st Octave 04 ′
22nd recorder 04 ′
23. Back set III 0 02 23
24. Super octave 02 ′
25th Mixture IV-VI 01 13
26th Night horn 01'
27. Eleventh 0811
28. Schalmey 16 ′
29 Trumpet 08th'
30th Clarine 04 ′
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
31. Principal 16 ′
32. Sub-bass 16 ′
33. Fifth 10 23
34. Principal 08th'
35. flute 08th'
36. Fifth 05 13
37. Octave 04 ′
38. Transverse flute 04 ′
39. Back set IV 0 02 23
40. Night horn 02 ′
41. trombone 16 ′
42. Trumpet 08th'
Coupling plant
43. saxophone 32 '
44. saxophone 16 ' A.
45. saxophone 08th' AP
46. saxophone 04 ' AP
47. cello 08th'
48. cello 04 47 AP
49. cello 04 ′ AP
50. cello 03 15 AP
51. cello 02 ′ AP
52. Willow pipe 04 ′
53. Cornett III 03 15
54. Cornett III 05 13 AP
55. Cornett III 02 23 AP
56. Mixture V – VIII 02 23
57. Aeolian harp IV 0 02 23
58. Aeolian harp IV 01 13 AP
59. Aeolian harp IV 023 AP
60. Whistle 01'
61. 1. Cymbel III 025
62. 2. Cymbel III 027
63. 3. Cymbel III 0421
64. 4. Cymbel III 0215
Tremulant
Trumpeteria
65. Trompeta magna 16 ′
66. Trompeta da batalla 0 08th'
67. Clarin brilliant 04 ′

Percussion
Bells 16 '
Xylodur
Xylodur permanent 0
Pelvis (C – f 1 ) P
Harp (c 0 –f 3 ) 08th'00
Psaltery (C – f 0 )
Bell cymbals CO
Bell cymbals permanent

Effect register
Tower bells
Pelvic star
Silver tone
Yelp
siren
  • Remarks
A = extract
P = register that can only be played on the pedal
CO = register in the choir organ
  • Couple
    • Normal coupling: III / I, IV / I, I / II, III / II, IV / II, IV / III, I / P, II / P, III / P, IV / P
    • Special normal couplings: P main organ / I, P choir organ / I
    • Sub-octave coupling: I / II, III / II, III / III
    • Super octave coupling: I / P, III / P
    • Others: Organ relocation
  • Game aids
    • Shelf: Pedal main organ down, pedal choir organ down
    • Permanent circuit: Xylodur 8 ', Psalterium
    • Others: Electronic setting system, wind throttles, key chains
    • Rotations of the cymbals: Quadrupla I 3f, II 6f, III 6f, 4 9f, IV 3-9f (speed controllable)

Choir organ

Choir organ

The choir organ is in the north aisle and has 40 stops on three manuals and a pedal. The swell was subsequently expanded by four registers and the pedal by seven registers. In the choir organ there is part of the percussion that can be played from the 1st and 2nd manual as well as from all manuals and from the pedal of the main organ. With the exception of the III. Manuals (electric cone drawer) are the registers on mechanical slider drawers.

I. Manual C-g 3
Covered 08th'
Principal 04 ′
recorder 02 ′
Principal 01'
Scharff III – IV 01'
Fifth 023
Wooden cymbal II 0 012
third 025
Bear whistle 16 ′
Vox humana 08th'
Tremulant
II. Manual C-g 3
Gemshorn 08th'
Reed flute 04 ′
Sesquialtera II 0 02 23
Principal 02 ′
Fifth 01 23
Cymbel III 023
musette 08th'
Tremulant
III Swell C – g 3
Violon 16 ′
Violin principal 08th'
Gamba 08th'
Salicional 08th'
Celeste 08th'
Silent 08th' (v)
Violin principal 04 ′
Night horn 04 ′ (v)
Transverse flute 04 ′
Night horn 02 ′ (v)
Flageolet 02 ′ (v)
bassoon 16 ′
oboe 08th'
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
Covered bass 16 ′
Pommer 08th'
Violon 16 ′
Violon 08th'
Silent 0 05 13 (v)
Chord III 04 ′ (v)
overtone 02 23 (v)
bassoon 08th' (v)
oboe 05 13 (v)
oboe 04 ′ (v)
oboe 02 ′ (v)
Effect register
Xylophone (Cc 1 )
Xylophone permanent
Bell cymbals
Bell cymbals permanent
Bronze tone
Cuckold (c 0 , e 0 , g sharp 0 )
  • Coupling: II / I, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
  • annotation
(v) = planned register, currently vacant

Bells

The church had a collection of six bells between the beginning of the 19th century and the Second World War . The three larger bells in the west tower formed the Sunday and holiday bells. The big bell, cast by Christian Duisterwalt in Cologne in 1424, was taken over from the demolished St. Mariengraden Church . The bell, 1.25 meters high and weighing around 1,200 kilograms, was dedicated to Our Lady . The middle bell in tone g ′ with a diameter of 109 centimeters was cast by the same founder in 1416, also in honor of the Mother of God. It also served as a weather bell, as its inscription shows: dvnre in vngeweder I dissolve . This bell was also taken over from St. Marien. Nothing is known about any predecessors of the two larger bells. The third bell, 103 centimeters in diameter, in tone a ′ is dedicated to the church patron and apostle Peter . The inscription written in Kölsch in Gothic minuscule runs around her shoulder : I am gemat in peters hers . It also gives the casting date March 20, 1393. This makes the bell one of the oldest dated in the world. A small measuring bell with a diameter of 38 centimeters, cast by Johann Wickrath in Cologne in 1700 and consecrated to St. Peter, was hung in the roof turret on the nave roof . It was cast together with the two clock cymbals, 52 and 43 centimeters in diameter, attached to the east side of the tower spire.

With the exception of the big bell and the two clock bells, all bells survived the firestorm of World War II; they could be welded in 1959/60. In addition, the larger of the two surviving bells from St. Cäcilien, cast by Derich and Heinrich von Cöllen in 1560/70, was hung in the tower of St. Peter, as was the remaining small measuring bell. In 2000, the Gabriels bell was cast for St. Peter, based on the lost bell of St. Cäcilien from 1493. In 2005 the bell was extended again: The bell that had been lent by St. Cäcilien to St. Maria in Lyskirchen of the 14th century as well as the newly cast Gertrudis bell were hung in the wooden bell cage built for this purpose and all bells were equipped with an electric beer system in addition to the conventional bell drive. The Gertrudis bell takes the place of the destroyed large Marien bell from 1424, albeit in a smaller and simpler form, and with the remaining Mariengraden bell and the old Petrus bell reflects the previous three-part Sunday and holiday bells, as it existed until 1945. The two clock cymbals and the roof turret were not restored, however.

Every Saturday from 4.45 p.m., Sunday is rung in with six bells , along with the bells of the Antoniterkirche and of St. Apostles. The angel of the Lord is rung every day as follows: First, the old Peter bell is struck three times with three strikes each, after which a short signal is rung with the old measuring bell.

No. Name, dedication Fig. Foundry, casting location Casting year Diameter
(mm)
Weight
(kg)
Strike tone
(a ′ = 435 Hz)
Provenance
1 Gertrud Gertrudis Bell Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock , Gescher 2005 1,120 758 f '- 5 / 16
2 Maria Marienbell Christian Duisterwalt, Cologne 1416 1,090 about 800 g '- 8 / 16 St. Maria ad Gradus
3 Peter Peter Bell anonymous 1393 1,030 about 700 a '- 3 / 16
4th Maria Little bell of Mary Derich and Heinrich von Cöllen 1560/70 990 about 600 as' ± 0 St. Cecilia
5 Christ Christ bell anonymous 14th century 870 approx. 460 b '+ 1 / 16 St. Cäcilien, St. Maria in Lyskirchen
6th Gabriel Gabriel Hans August Mark , Brockscheid 2000 780 320 c ″ ± 0
7th Petrus (formerly measuring bell) Small Petrus Bell Johann Heinrich Wickrath, Cologne 1700 380 about 40 approx it ″ ′

Art station Sankt Peter Cologne

The Kunst-Station Sankt Peter Köln as a center for contemporary art and music was founded in 1987 by Friedhelm Mennekes SJ . Since then, exhibitions of contemporary art and concerts of new music have taken place here.

The late Gothic church, which was redesigned between 1997 and 2000, with its emptiness - in which services are still regularly celebrated - has since provided a place for the targeted staging of temporarily installed works of art in confrontation with Catholic spirituality. The exhibited works, usually developed specifically for the site, are not intended to illustrate the belief that has been formulated. Rather, the artists are called upon to pose existential questions of life to the community and the visitors in their own way. For more than 30 years, the Kunst-Station Sankt Peter Köln has been opening a space in which the otherwise separate areas of contemporary art and liturgy can enter into a dialogue without taking over one another.

The artists who realize an exhibition or an art intervention in the art station Sankt Peter are selected and invited by an independent and honorary advisory board appointed by the community. Applications are not possible.

Artists represented with exhibitions or interventions since 1987

  • 2010: Katja Strunz, Tessa Knapp, Motoi Yamamoto , Erik Schmidt, LAb [au]

Church music

Organist at Sankt Peter has been Dominik Susteck (* 1977 in Bochum) since February 2007, succeeding Peter Bares (* 1936 in Essen; † 2014 in Sinzig-Bad Bodendorf), who has held the post since 1992. During this time Peter Bares worked as organist , composer and spiritual father of the extraordinary organs at Sankt Peter. In January 2007 Peter Bares was appointed titular organist at Sankt Peter together with the organist, composer and professor for organ at the State University of Music in Freiburg im Breisgau Zsigmond Szathmáry (* 1939 in Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary) . The organ sounds every first Sunday of the month at 7.30 p.m.

In addition to the improvisation concerts, there will be premieres by younger composers of New Music a . a. as "Composer in Residence" in cooperation with Deutschlandfunk such as Niklas Seidl , Samir Odeh-Tamimi , Peter Köszeghy , Martin Schüttler , Christina Cordula Messner , Anna Korsun , Oxana Omelchuk , Simon Rummel , Joana Wozny and others. a. in the festival organ mixes . Organist Dominik Susteck also played portraits of modern composers a. a. for the Wergo label : John Cage , György Ligeti , Wolfgang Rihm , Karlheinz Stockhausen , Mauricio Kagel , Hans-Joachim Hespos , Gabriel Iranyi , Adriana Hölszky , Jörg Herchet and Gerhard Stäbler . The German Record Critics' Prize was awarded for two productions .

local community

The parish of Saint Peter is run by Jesuits.

After his ordination in 1991 and his doctorate at the University of Freiburg, Kessler worked as a youth pastor and teacher at the St. Blasien college from 1992 to 1997. He then worked as a research assistant to Karl Suso Frank at the theological faculty of the University of Freiburg. From 2001 he was the training prefect of the German Jesuits in Munich, from 2005 to 2016 he was Regens of the supra-diocesan seminary Sankt Georgen and lecturer at the university there. He has been pastor at Sankt Peter Cologne since September 2017, where he was introduced on October 22, 2017 as the successor to Fr Werner Holter SJ, whose term of office ended on September 1, 2017.

Holter previously worked as a teacher and superior at the St. Blasien college, as a lecturer at the Heinrich-Pesch-Haus in Ludwigshafen and as head of academic pastoral care in the Speyer diocese, as well as being responsible for setting up and managing the A4 Forum in Mannheim. In 2008, Father Holter was first appointed head of the Karl Rahner Academy in Cologne , before he became pastor of Sankt Peter and rector of the art station after Father Mennekes' retirement in August 2008. There he led u. a. 2014 the sermon series Im Dialog , in which a dialogue between sermon and interview was conducted at Sunday Mass. Interlocutors were u. a. as the 24th guest on June 19, 2016 the writer and publicist Navid Kermani or as his 34th and last guest on August 20, 2017, the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet .

Before his activity in Cologne, Mennekes was professor of practical theology and sociology of religion at the Philosophical-Theological University of Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main from 1980 to 2008 and from 1979 to 1985 pastor at Sankt Markus in the Frankfurt workers' suburb of Nied. In 1979 he began exhibiting, initially in Sankt Markus until 1985, then until 1989 in the Frankfurt am Main Hbf art station in Frankfurt Central Station. In 1989 he founded the Sankt Peter Art Station as a center for contemporary art and music. In the years 1997 to 2000 Mennekes was responsible for the conception of the basic interior design of St. Peter.

literature

  • Mariana Hanstein: Peter Paul Rubens' Crucifixion Petri. A picture from the Peterskirche in Cologne. Böhlau, Cologne - Weimar - Vienna 1996. ISBN 3-412-14695-1 .
  • Hiltrud Kier : Gothic in Cologne . Wienand, Cologne 1997. ISBN 3-87909-540-X .
  • Nicolas T. Weiser: Open to one another, spatial dimensions of religion and art in the art station Sankt Peter Cologne. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2002. ISBN 3-7954-1539-X .
  • Michael Gassmann, Karl Wilhelm Boll, Kurt Danch: Tools of Silence - The new organs in Sankt Peter zu Cologne. Wienand, Cologne 2004. ISBN 3-87909-859-X .
  • Hiltrud Westermann-Angerhausen / Guido Schlimbach: Museum Schnütgen and Sankt Peter Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2005. ISBN 978-3-7954-6503-2 .
  • Ivo Rauch and Hartmut Scholz: Sankt Peter zu Köln - masterpieces of glass painting. Schnell + Steiner, Regensburg 2007. ISBN 978-3-7954-1959-2 .
  • Friedhelm Mennekes: Between Freedom and Bonding In conversation with Brigitta Lentz about church and art, Wienand, Cologne 2008. ISBN 978-3-87909-957-3 .
  • Guido Schlimbach: For Friedhelm Mennekes. Art station Sankt Peter Cologne . Texts by Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Arnulf Rainer, James Brown, Peter Bares a. a. Wienand, Cologne 2008. ISBN 978-3-87909-961-0 .
  • Guido Schlimbach: For a long moment. The art station Sankt Peter Cologne in the field of tension between religion and art , Verlag Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2009. ISBN 978-3-7954-2110-6 .
  • Dominik Susteck: Peter Bares. Composer and organ visionary. Dohr, Cologne 2011. ISBN 978-3-936655-17-9 .
  • Guido Schlimbach: One of the best pictures my hand has created. Peter Paul Rubens, The Crucifixion of Peter . Kunst-Station Sankt Peter Köln, Cologne 2015. (without ISBN).
  • Hoffs, Gerhard (ed.): Bell music of Catholic churches in Cologne. , Pp. 205-213. (PDF file; 2.44 MB)

Web links

Commons : St. Peter  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. On the historical development of the double church complex St. Cäcilien - St. Peter: Schlimbach 2009, pp. 237–248
  2. Weiser 2002, p. 85
  3. Weiser 2002, p. 85
  4. Kier 1997, p. 83
  5. Kier 1997, p. 83
  6. Schlimbach 2015, p. 47
  7. Comprehensive information on the organ
  8. Information on the disposition of the main organ
  9. Information on the disposition of the choir organ
  10. a b Gerhard Hoffs (ed.): Bell music of Catholic churches in Cologne . Pp. 201-211. ( 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. (PDF file; 5.3 MB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.glockenbuecherebk.de
  11. Martin Seidler: Cologne bells and peals . In: Förderverein Romanische Kirchen Köln e. V. (Ed.): Colonia Romanica . tape IV . Greven-Verlag, Cologne 1989, p. 19-25 .
  12. Gerhard Richter: Grauer Spiegel , accessed on May 6, 2020
  13. Alyosha: Alterocentric Eudaimonia , accessed on April 19, 2019
  14. Media. In: Sankt Peter Köln (website). Retrieved May 10, 2020 .
  15. www.con-spiration.de/; accessed on August 28, 2018

Coordinates: 50 ° 56 ′ 3.7 ″  N , 6 ° 57 ′ 6 ″  E