St. Pirminius (Pfungen)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen
View from the northwest

The Church of St. Pirminius is the Roman Catholic parish church of Pfungen in the Winterthur district . The parish belonging to this is responsible for the places Pfungen, Neftenbach , Berg am Irchel , Buch am Irchel , Dättlikon , Dorf , Flaach , Henggart and Volken . The Church of St. Pirminius is a rare architectural testimony to a type of building that was widespread in Roman Catholic churches in the canton of Zurich at the end of the 19th century: a single-nave church with an attached rectory turned 90 degrees. This type of building can only be found a second time in the canton of Zurich today, namely at the church of St. Antonius in Kollbrunn. The church of St. Pirminius is classified by the cantonal monument conservation as a protected object of supra-communal importance .

history

Depiction of St. Pirminius in front of the church

St. Pirminius and Pfungen

Today's Catholic Church in Pfungen was named after St. Pirminius , who came to eastern Switzerland as an Irish missionary in the 8th century after the Moors expelled Christians from Spain through what is now France. According to Reichenau tradition, St. Pirminius had settled down in the years 723-724 on his hike in the area of ​​Pfungen near the Pirminsbrünnlein , which is located at the Steinerner Steg over the Töss , and built a cell . Then St. Pirminius moved to the island of Reichenau , on which he is said to have founded the monastery in 724. In the vicinity of Winterthur there is another fountain named after St. Pirminius, namely the St. Pirminius fountain on the Chomberg three kilometers southwest of Winterthur .

In connection with St. Pirminius, the Lords of Wart donated the area around Pfungen to Reichenau Monastery in the following period. Even before the year 1000 there was a small church in Pfungen, which was consecrated to St. Pirminius. After the Reformation in 1523, today's Reformed Church of Pfungen was built on the site of this church in the 17th century.

Development and construction history

In 1850 the first six Catholics since the Reformation moved to Pfungen. With industrialization , the number of Catholic guest workers from eastern and central Switzerland , but also from Catholic countries, increased continuously in the decades that followed . The Edict of Tolerance of the Zurich Government Council of September 10, 1807 had allowed a Catholic community in Zurich for the first time. The so-called First Church Law of Zurich in 1863 finally recognized the Catholic parishes in addition to Zurich, also in Winterthur , Dietikon and Rheinau (the last two were traditionally Catholic places). On the basis of association law, Catholic branches could then be established throughout the canton. With the help of sponsoring associations such as the Piusverein (founded in 1857) and the Catholic Society for Domestic Missions (founded in 1863), further pastoral care stations and later parishes in the canton of Zurich, including Bülach in 1882, were set up in quick succession in the 1860s from also the Catholics in Pfungen received pastoral care. From the parish of Bülach four daughter parishes emerged in the 20th century, of which Pfungen was the first. The later parishes founded by Bülach are St. Petrus Embrachertal (Kirchbau 1924, parish establishment 1974), St. Christophorus (Niederhasli) (Kirchbau 1925, parish establishment 1954 and 1995) with St. Paulus (Dielsdorf) (Kirchbau 1960–1962) and the parish of Glattfelden – Eglisau – Rafz with the churches of St. Josef (Glattfelden) (parish founded in 1967, church building 1950), St. Judas Thaddäus (Eglisau) (church building 1949) and the Resurrection Church of St. Maria Magdalena (Rafz) (church building 1993).

In 1895 a pastoral care station was established in Pfungen and on November 8, 1896 the first Catholic service in Pfungen since the Reformation was celebrated. Until the construction of the St. Pirminius Church, the Catholic services took place in a hall in the Pfungen blanket and cloth factory and later in the Sternen inn. The men's association founded in 1896 was the driving force in Pfungen, which drove the rapid development of the pastoral care station into an independent parish. A collective association was founded in 1899 to build the church . In the years 1900–1901, one year before the construction of today's Trinity Church in Bülach, today's church of St. Josef and St. Pirminius was built. It was built with limited funds by master builder Caspar Wachter-Germann from Winterthur according to plans by the then well-known church architect Johann Meyer from Lucerne (1820–1902). The first Holy Mass took place in the church at Pentecost . In 1901 Pfungen became a parish vicariate and was also responsible for the Catholics in the communities of Neftenbach and Dättlikon. In 1902 St. Pirminius was raised to an independent parish by the Bishop of Chur and separated from the parish of Bülach. At this time, the parish also added the villages of Berg am Irchel, Buch am Irchel, Dorf, Flaach, Henggart and Volken. On August 25, 1907, the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Chur, Johannes Fidelis Battaglia, giving the church two patrons: St. Joseph , the patron saint of workers, and St. Pirminius, who lived in the area for two years Pfungen is said to have lived.

The parish of St. Pirminius, with its 2,902 members (as of 2017), is one of the smaller Catholic parishes in the canton of Zurich.

Building description

Church tower and exterior

The exterior of the simple neo-Gothic church of St. Pirminius has changed little since it was built. Following the example of the Catholic churches in Kollbrunn and the first Catholic church building in Langnau am Albis , it is a community building of church and rectory. The church consists of a longitudinal building on which a roof turret houses a bell. Attached to the choir of the church is the rectory, the gable of which does not connect to that of the church, but is rotated by 90 degrees. In the roof turret of the church there was a bell from the 16th century until 1903, which was then replaced by a newer one. In 1947 the ridge got its current bell, which is coordinated with the chimes of the Reformed Church. This bell was cast by H. Rüetschi , Aarau and sounds on the tone d ''.

Interior and artistic equipment

Equipment until 1961

Chancel between 1907 and 1961
Equipment 1962–1977

When the first Holy Mass was celebrated in the newly built church on Pentecost Sunday 1901, there was neither a high altar nor an organ in the church. In the years that followed, the interior of the church was gradually purchased up to the consecration in 1907: a high altar for the choir of the church, a side altar to the left and right of the choir. The communion bench , the confessional and the pulpit were also part of the initial equipment of the church until its consecration in 1907 . The church was later painted in the chancel as well as other decorations. The stained glass windows come from Danner & Renggli stained glass, which was founded by Eduard Renggli (1863–1921) and Johann Danner. In 1909 the church received electric light.

Post-Vatican transformations

The original design of the church was reduced in 1961/62 when the church was renovated under the architect Otto von Rotz from Cham. The two galleries to the left and right of the choir were also covered with plastered panels. After the liturgical reform , a simple first popular altar was placed in the church choir . In 1977/78 the architect Alfred Noser carried out a major renovation of the church, with the specifications of the Second Vatican Council being implemented with newly created liturgical furniture by the sculptor Werner Ignaz Jans . During the renovation in 1977/78, the original pews were made more comfortable by correcting the cheeks. In 1978 the new altar was consecrated by Abbot Viktor Schönbächler of the Disentis Monastery . In a renewed renovation in 1997 under architect Walter Hollenstein, the windows were redesigned during an exterior renovation and the church received a new color scheme on the inside in 1998.

Chancel 1978-2014

Artistic design 1978–2014

In order to give the church warmth and security, Werner Ignaz Jans used wood, which he worked with a bare ax . The wood for the tabernacle and the Madonna came from the parish area ( Neftenbacher Hueb ), the rest of the wood from nearby Andelfingen . The altar consisted of four trunks and was reminiscent of the four evangelists , but also of the four cardinal points. The four tribes touched and gaped; thus they were symbolic of the earth on which sacrifices were and are still being made. The crosses of the apostles ran trustingly over the altar like a bird's footsteps, and one of them dubiously reached into the wound; this was reminiscent of the doubting apostle Thomas , who only wanted to believe if he could touch the wounds of Christ. The Corpus Christi was missing from the lecture cross , but was indicated in the shape of the wood in the cross. The tabernacle consisted of a tree trunk that was hollowed out to make room for the ciborium . The Madonna also consisted of roughly hewn wood and stood on the floor of the church as a sign that the Mother of God was not raptured, but was close to people. The face of Mary and the baby Jesus did not have a shape predetermined by the artist, but were given their faces by the changing daylight. Originally on the side walls of the church, later in the back corner, were the fourteen bronze plaques of the Way of the Cross , also created by the sculptor Werner Ignaz Jans.

The tapestry in the church choir was made by the artist Ernst Egli (1912–1999). He addressed the Jesus word of the birds of the sky and the lilies of the field. Bar-shaped sunbeams and a subtly created cross complemented the motifs of the tapestry, which were kept in warm colors and corresponded to the works of Werner Ignaz Jans. The painted window reveals were also created by Ernst Egli. They pick up on the colors of both the windows and the tapestry. Since 1987 there has been a late Gothic Madonna and Child in the niche next to the main entrance to the church. It comes from the Lake Constance area and is dated to the first half of the 16th century.

Today's design by Frédéric Dedelley
View to the organ gallery

Today's artistic design

During the renovation of the church in 2014–2015, the artistic furnishings from 1978 were replaced by a new concept. Only the paintings by Ernst Egli in the window reveals were preserved and refreshed. The Zurich artist Frédéric Dedelley designed the modern folk altar, the ambo, the tabernacle, the baptismal font with Easter candlestick as well as the holy water vessels and the eternal light, so that the church interior received a visual calm . The attachments are made of polished brass. Through the use of oak, which is also used for the existing pews, the new elements fit into the interior design that has been preserved. The shape of the altar, tabernacle and ambo is based on the rectangle, which Dedelley creates a reference to the window reveals by Egli. The most striking element of the new equipment is the light object designed by Madleina Lys in the choir room. It consists of thousands of porcelain plates that are attached to nylon threads and floats over the altar like a cloud condensing downwards. For Frédéric Dedelley, “this light object embodies the Holy Spirit and the eye of God in a contemporary form , which float over us quietly, attentively and radiantly.” The crucifix in front of the choir wall has been in the parish's possession for a long time and has so far been used in the Good Friday liturgy. Refurbished and given a new footing, it gives the design its Christian character. On April 19, the Bishop of Chur , Vitus Huonder , inaugurated the newly designed church.

organ

The Kuhn organ from 1948
Organ prospectus, detailed view

The first organ was installed in the Church of St. Pirminius as early as 1901. She came from Lommis (TG). In 1964 the church received its present organ, which could be taken over by the Reformed Church in Pfungen. It is an instrument made by the company Kuhn , Männedorf, which was built in 1947/48 for the Reformed Church in Pfungen. In September 1964 the instrument was installed in the gallery of the church of St. Pirminius, whereby some improvements according to P. Stefan Koller, Einsiedeln, were made (softer mechanics, exchange of 2 registers). Further revisions by Kuhn took place in 1978 and 1996. The organ has 15 registers, which are divided between two manuals and a pedal.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
Principal 8th'
Gemshorn 8th'
octave 4 ′
Reed flute 4 ′
Mixture VI – V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
II Swell C – g 3
Dumped 8th'
Principal 4 ′
recorder 4 ′
Night horn 2 ′
Larigot 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
Cymbel III-IV 1'
shawm 8th'
Pedal C – f 1
Sub bass 16 ′
flute 8th'
Choral bass 4 ′
  • Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P (manually and as steps)
  • Playing aids : two combinations (Forte, Tutti), sills, storage (Mixtur 1 ′, Cymbel 2 ′, Shawm 2 ′), hand buttons for shutter release (B, F, T)

literature

  • Episcopal Ordinariate Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese of Chur. Chur 1980.
  • Parish Church Foundation Bülach (Ed.): Parish Bülach 1882–1982. 100 years of Catholic pastoral care in the Zurich Unterland. Bülach 1982.
  • Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Zurich. Zurich 1989, p. 192.
  • Christian Renfer: Catholic Church Bülach. Society for Swiss Art History. Bern 1992.
  • Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (Ed.): 100 years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. Pfungen 2001.
  • Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (Hrsg.): Catholic Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen. Renovation 2014–15. Pfungen 2015.

Web links

Commons : Pirminius Pfungen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): Catholic Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen. Renovation 2014–15. P. 22.
  2. ↑ a b Episcopal Ordinariate Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese of Chur. P. 233.
  3. ↑ Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): 100 years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. Pp. 2-3.
  4. ↑ Cf. inscription at St. Priminsbrunnen on Chomberg.
  5. ↑ a b c Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): 100 years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. P. 2.
  6. ↑ a b Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (Ed.): 100 Years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. P. 4.
  7. ^ Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Parishes of the City of Zurich. Zurich 1989, p. 192.
  8. ^ Christian Renfer: Catholic Church Bülach. Pp. 4-5.
  9. ↑ Episcopal Ordinariate Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese of Chur. P. 233 and Parish Church Foundation Bülach (Ed.): Parish Bülach 1882–1982. 100 years of Catholic pastoral care in the Zurich Unterland. P. 14.
  10. ↑ Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): Catholic Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen. Renovation 2014–15. P. 9 and 17.
  11. ↑ a b c d Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): 100 years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. P. 8.
  12. ↑ Catholic Church of the Canton of Zurich (Ed.): Annual Report 2017. , Zurich 2017, p. 83.
  13. ↑ Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): 100 years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. P. 9.
  14. ↑ Markus Lischer: Renggli. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . August 19, 2010 , accessed November 7, 2013 .
  15. ↑ Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): Catholic Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen. Renovation 2014–15. Pfungen 2015. p. 12.
  16. ↑ Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): 100 years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. P. 9.
  17. ↑ Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): 100 years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. P. 3 and 9.
  18. ↑ Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): 100 years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. Pp. 25-27.
  19. ↑ Andrea Eschbach: The dignity of the liturgy. In: Kirchgemeinde St. Pirminius Pfungen (Ed.): Catholic Church St. Pirminius Pfungen. Renovation 2014–15. P. 24.
  20. ↑ Frédéric Dedelley in: Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (Ed.): Catholic Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen. Renovation 2014–15. P. 24.
  21. ↑ Andrea Eschbach: The dignity of the liturgy. In: Kirchgemeinde St. Pirminius Pfungen (Ed.): Catholic Church St. Pirminius Pfungen. Renovation 2014–15. Pp. 24-26.
  22. ↑ Parish of St. Pirminius Pfungen (ed.): 100 years of the Church of St. Pirminius Pfungen 1901–2001. P. 9.
  23. ^ Organ in Pfungen, Catholic Church . Retrieved February 7, 2015.

Coordinates: 47 ° 31 '2.3 "  N , 8 ° 38' 32.8"  E ; CH1903:  six hundred and ninety thousand six hundred seventy-three  /  two hundred and sixty-three thousand six hundred forty-six