St. Peter and Paul (Betzendorf)

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Round tower church of St. Peter and Paul
View of the round tower in summer
View of the church

The Protestant Church of St. Peter and Paul is a listed church building in Betzendorf , a municipality in the district of Lüneburg ( Lower Saxony ). The Evangelical Lutheran parish belongs to the Lüneburg church district in the Evangelical Lutheran regional church of Hanover . The round tower is the landmark of the place, originally the church was under the patronage of the apostles Peter and Paul.

History and architecture

The Romanesque round tower is one of the few of its kind in a wide area, it dates from around 1250, an exact construction time is not documented. It was built as a defense and round tower and, with a secret passage, offered residents the opportunity to leave the site inconspicuously in the event of an attack. The church made of field stone , like the village, was owned by the von Oedeme family in Lüneburg in 1300 ; in 1341 they gave away the patronage to the provost and the convent of the Lüne monastery . The sovereign took over the patronage in 1529, after the Reformation. In the north wall of today's church there are still remnants of the masonry from around 1350, the former probably had a low roof and a flat wooden ceiling, as well as an altar niche on the east side. During the renovation between 1450 and 1460, the building was renewed while retaining the outer walls. Buttresses were added to support the new vault. The walls of the new choir room are divided by five windows. Renovation and reconstruction measures are documented for the years 1598, 1639, 1738, 1879–1881, 1928, 1951, 1984. During the measure in 1879, two half-timbered additions , which served as a mortuary and sacristy, were demolished. Three new windows were installed in the walls and access to the gallery was created through the tower. From the former windows of the sacristy three glass pictures with symbols of the evangelists have been preserved. The central aisle was laid out in 1881. The new choir windows were made to designs by Siegfried Steege, the theme is God's creation and we humans . All windows are the same size, they show God's spirit hovering over the primordial sea, God created the light, God created a fortress: the land, God created the universe, God created plants and animals in the water and on the land, God created higher animals , Expulsion from Paradise, Jesus' resurrection - "the gardener", outpouring of the Holy Spirit . The round windows above have the theme of The Eye of God, The Seed, Grapes, Chalice of Communion, The Pelican who feeds its young with its own blood . The shape of the six side windows in the nave is different from that of the choir windows. The four glass pictures that were inserted in the window on the north wall were previously in the sacristy windows. They show the evangelists Matthew, John, Luke and Mark in their symbols. The names of the founders and the first teacher in Betzendorf are written under the glass pictures. The glass panes were rimmed with lead in 1984.

tower

A sound opening from the early Romanesque period has been preserved on the east side of the round tower , the middle column is made of plaster from the Lüneburg shield stone . This opening has been covered by a pointed roof since 1450. The walls of the tower made of field stone are divided by openings, on the one hand there are entrances to the gallery and the interior, on the other hand there are sound openings. According to a year carved into a beam, the tower received a new roof in 1598, this repair is also recorded in an old church account book. This roof structure had to be renewed in 1659 with oak beams. The masonry tapers from bottom to top, without this being visible from the outside, the interior increases accordingly. At the height of the foundation the walls are 2.63 meters wide, at the height of the sound openings 1.17 meters. The tower has a total height of 24.86 meters, the roof structure a height of 11.20 meters. The tower roof in the form of a ten-sided pyramid was covered with copper plates in 1965, the previous slate roofing was from 1869, before that there was a round shingle roof made of oak shingles. A lightning strike in 1907 destroyed the tower clock and caused damage to the structure. The former burial place for the Estorff family from Barnstedt was accessed through a corridor, which, however, is no longer completely preserved. The burial chamber became the property of the parish in 1859. The weather vane is on a globe. The crowning cross bears the inscription IHS 1659 1907 .

Furnishing

Altar shrine

The altar shrine is the center of the choir area, it was carved by Volkmer Klovesten from Lüneburg between 1450 and 1460 . The figures in the triptych stand or sit on a pedestal. The shrine is 155 cm high and 224 cm wide, the wings are 112 × 155 cm in size. In 1881 a predella was added. In the middle there is the sacrament niche, it can be closed with an iron grille. The area above the figures is decorated with tracery and below with ornamental ribbons. The central figures in the middle are Jesus and Mary , Jesus raised his right hand, Mary folded her hands in prayer. The other figures are depictions of the apostle Judas Thaddäus with the attribute club, the disciple Phillippus with the attribute cross staff, the apostle Thomas with the lance, Bartholomäus with the knife, the apostle John with a chalice, Peter with the key, Mary as queen of heaven, Christ, Paul with the attribute sword, the apostle James the younger with the walker's stick, James the elder with the walking stick, the apostle Simon with the saw, the apostle Matthias with the ax, the apostle Matthew with the halberd.

pulpit

The pulpit was installed between 1879 and 1881 by master carpenter August Ebeling from Lüneburg, the whereabouts of the previous pulpit is unknown. The decorations on the stairs come from the sculptor Wilhelm Tester from Bevensen, the pictures in the panels were painted by H. Fischbach from Lüneburg, they show Johannes, Lukas, Markus, Matthäus and Christ as good shepherds. The base of the basket is seven-sided, with one side left out for the staircase with seven steps. The surfaces are each 54 cm wide and 98 cm high on the outside. The basket stands at a height of 148 cm on a column. The pulpit had its place in the nave until 1881, when it was erected on the border of the choir.

Crosses

  • The crucifix from the second half of the 14th century on the south wall had its place above the altar shrine until 1984. It is 130 cm tall and 100 cm wide, the body is 79 cm high. The medallion has a diameter of 18 cm. The four passports at the ends are decorated with reliefs, they show Mathäus, John, Luke, Mark and the old Adam, who points to the new Adam with his right hand. On the back, a medallion is inserted at the intersection of the cross bar. It shows a white lamb with a victory flag , also in white, and a chalice. It used to be used as a processional cross.
  • The mahogany cross and an ebony body are on loan; it is illuminated and should be an eye-catcher.
  • Hermann Lümann from Tellmer carved the peace cross on the altar from oak in 1983. The word PAX can be seen in the quatrefoil, and Alpha and Omega in the quatrains on the right and left. XP, the Christ monogram is at the intersection of the bars.

organ

The organ was installed by the company Philipp Furtwängler & Sons from Elze in 1881, and the organ was consecrated on the 4th Advent of the same year. An electric fan was installed in 1912, and when it was revised in 1960, the instrument was adapted to the baroque ideal of sound. The night horn 2 ′ was exchanged for a trombone 16 ′ in 1972. The organ with 16 registers has just over 1000 pipes.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Principal 08th'
2. Quintad 08th'
3. octave 04 ′
4th Gemshorn 04 ′
5. octave 02 ′
6th Nasat 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
7th Mixture IV 01 1 ⁄ 3  ′
II breastwork C – g 3
8th. Dumped 08th'
9. Principal 02 ′
10. Flute 04 ′
11. Sesquialtera II
Pedals C – f 1
12. Sub bass 16 ′
13. Principal 08th'
14th octave 04 ′
15th Mixture III
16. trombone 16 ′

Baptismal font

  • The baptismal font is 90 cm high and has a diameter of 68.5 cm. The inscription on the upper edge reads ANNO DN M CCC L'XVIII MEYNE SCULTE + GODEKE WE'SFAL + IURATI ME D'BOIS ECCE HUI DAVERUT (In the year of the Lord 1368 the Jurats Meyne, Schulte, Godeke and Westfal von Goods donated to this church). The inscription on the upper edge reads IOHES HARDE DEDIT BONA SUA HOC OP (Johannes Harde gave from his estate to this work.) Four bearer figures stand on a ring, they hold the kettle. Of these figures, three carry the load on their necks and one on their shoulder. Two figures support the kettle with both hands and two with only one hand. The meaning of these figures is not known, presumably they were selected at random from existing models before the casting. The reliefs in the middle of the outer wall show the crucifixion of Christ, St. Peter with the attribute key, St. Mauritius with a shield and a spear on which a flag with the sign of the cross hangs. The reliefs are divided by medallions, the meaning of which is unknown. The reliefs at the bottom show Christ as judge of the world, the ascension of Christ, Jesus with two disciples in Emmaus, the resurrection of Christ, the crucifixion, Jesus before the high council, the flight into Egypt, the birth of Jesus and the announcement to Mary.

Other equipment

  • A medieval crucifix from around 1360 hangs above the front entrance on the south wall.
  • The grave slabs set into the side walls are for people who were previously buried under the altar.
  • Heinrich Niebuhr from Betzendorf built the lectern in 1984.
  • The benches were made in 1881, the benches from around 1661 are on the gallery.
  • The first tower clock was purchased in 1589, it ran until 1904. A new clock was purchased in 1907, it had three dials and a bell mechanism. A steel cable that kept the bell hammer out of the swing path of the first bell broke in 2001, and a side hammer was installed.
  • The chandelier in the center of the interior was created by Siegfried Steege from Schwarmstedt in 1992. Before that, a brass chandelier hung on this spot , which had to be delivered in 1917 because of the First World War . The swooping dove of peace carries a twig in its beak, which it brings to humanity. Figures of misery can be seen in the body of the chandelier.

Bells

Originally two bells hung in the tower, the one from 1591 melted down in 1920, the other from 1789 was delivered in 1917 because of the First World War. They bore the inscriptions H o PAGEL o KASTENS o HINRICH o MEIGER o GARBERT o DIREKES o KASTENS o MORINCK o ANNO o 1591 o ANDREAS o HEINECKE o MEFEZIT. and GOD. ALONE . THE . HONOR. E. BECKER - PREDIGER TO. BETZENDORF. IN THE . YEAR . ANNO. 1789. IC HAUTSCH. AROUND . GOSS. ME. Currently the ringing consists of two bells, the smaller one has the strike tone G ', it was cast in 1921 and has a diameter of 106 cm. It bears the inscriptions + PEACE SEI WITH YOU + WHO IS FROM THE TRUTH HEARS MY VOICE and + GEGOSSEN VOM JJ RADLER U. SÖHNE IN HILDESHEIM 1920 + . The other bell with the strike note F 'was cast in 1956 and has a diameter of 110 cm. The inscriptions read HEAVEN AND EARTH WILL PASS + BUT MY WORDS WILL NOT PASS + MATTH + 24/35 + , as well as SACRIFIED IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR 1917 + REBENDERED in 1920 + SACRIFIED IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1942 + CREATED FOR THE THIRD TIME IN 1956 + .

literature

  • Margarete Luise Goecke-Seischab: The most beautiful churches in Germany: 1000 churches and church treasures from the North Sea to Lake Constance. Anaconda Verlag, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3-7306-0013-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Belonging to the regional church
  2. ↑ Patronage
  3. ↑ Margarete Luise Goecke-Seischab: The most beautiful churches in Germany: 1000 churches and church treasures from the North Sea to Lake Constance. Anaconda Verlag, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3-7306-0013-9 . P. 140
  4. ↑ Margarete Luise Goecke-Seischab: The most beautiful churches in Germany: 1000 churches and church treasures from the North Sea to Lake Constance. Anaconda Verlag, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3-7306-0013-9 . Field stone
  5. ↑ Prehistory
  6. ↑ Margarete Luise Goecke-Seischab: The most beautiful churches in Germany: 1000 churches and church treasures from the North Sea to Lake Constance. Anaconda Verlag, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3-7306-0013-9 . P. 140
  7. ↑ window
  8. ↑ Sound aperture
  9. ↑ Tower
  10. ↑ Altar shrine
  11. ↑ Crucifix
  12. ↑ Cross from Africa
  13. ↑ Lühmann Cross
  14. ↑ Information about the organ (as of November 26, 2018)
  15. ↑ Baptismal font
  16. ↑ Tower clock
  17. ↑ Candlesticks
  18. ↑ Bell

Web links

Commons : St. Peter and Paul (Betzendorf)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 53 ° 8 ′ 16.4 ″  N , 10 ° 18 ′ 47.1 ″  E