St. Severus (Boppard)

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St. Severus in Boppard
The church in the cityscape
Floor plan of the St. Severus Church
"The Burgplatz in front of the electoral castle Boppard around 1853" by Nikolaus Schlad with the Serverus Church in the background.
Lithograph of the church from 1861

The Basilica of St. Severus is a Catholic parish church of the same parish in Boppard . The church belonging to the diocese of Trier was built in the 12th and 13th centuries in the Rhenish transition style. Patron is St. Severus of Ravenna .

The parish church of St. Severus is protected as a registered cultural monument within the meaning of the Monument Protection and Maintenance Act (DSchG) of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition, it has been part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002 . Pope Francis elevated St. Severus to a minor basilica in December 2014 .

location

The St. Severus Church was built on the site of the former Roman fort Boppard , at the height of the former north wall of the fort on the site of the former military bath. From there the area slopes down towards the Rhine, so that a certain flood safety is given. To the east of the church is the medieval market square. The southern area, which is now connected to the market square, initially belonged to the monastery district of St. Severus and originally housed the cemetery. This monastery district originally extended from the church to the southern city wall and was only interrupted by today's pedestrian zone, the former east-west axis of the fort.

history

After the Roman troops had withdrawn from Boppard, the castle facilities were continued to be used by the local residents and, for example, the abandoned military bath was converted into a church. During excavations under St. Severus, the remains of an early Christian church from the 6th century with a keyhole-shaped pulpit ( ambo ) and an early Christian baptismal font were found. This first previous building comprised a 9 × 32 meter assembly and church room. To the east there was a semicircular apse while there were four smaller side rooms on the south side. According to Nickenig, the size of the church and the baptistery (baptistery) suggest that the Boppard Christian community is of central importance. Even for this early period of Christianity on the Middle Rhine, it can be said that a. Recognize a church organization through found tombstones, which proves that the region was Christianized by Boppard.

In the 10th century this first church was destroyed by fire and initially replaced by a smaller church. Later, the Johannes and Michael chapel were built to the east of it. The collegiate body was first mentioned in a document around the year 1000. Several canons lived in this college, who were responsible for pastoral care in Boppard and the region.

The current church building was erected in three sections in the 12th and 13th centuries. The two church towers date from the middle of the 12th century, the nave was built at the beginning of the 13th century and its likely completion is dated to 1225. Here, for the first time, St. Severus is mentioned as the church patron, while the apostles Peter and John the Baptist were church patrons before. The choir finally dates to around the year 1234.

The church in the year 1236. According to calculations was completed by Ferdinand Pauly church on December 13, 1237 was of Archbishop Theodoric ordained .

The building is strongly oriented, like the church of St. Peter in Bacharach , to the Andernach Liebfrauenkirche , all works of late Romanesque church architecture in the Rhineland . The pointed helmets of the church towers, which determine the silhouette of Boppard today, were built at the beginning of the 17th century and replaced the original diamond helmets. As part of this construction work, the two towers were connected with a tower bridge, which was demolished again in 1859, see St. Severus Tower Bridge .

The cemetery, which had previously been in the churchyard south of the parish church, was moved to the Säuerling in 1785.

During restoration work in 1841, the previous baroque high altar of St. Severus and St. Paul in the high choir was removed and placed in the side aisle of the Carmelite Church .

In the years 1963 to 1967 the parish church was extensively restored. In particular, the vault at risk of collapse had to be secured. In addition, the early Christian baptismal font was exposed during excavations, the chancel was adapted to the requirements of the liturgical reorganization and a baptistery was set up in the southern tower. On March 19, 1967, the church was then reopened with a pontifical office. By the company organ workshop leaders are still used today was in 1973 Organ completed.

At the beginning of the 1990s, damage to the plaster, paint and roof became noticeable. A comprehensive exterior renovation was therefore initiated. In 1997 the north tower and the sacristy , in 1998 the south tower and the choir and in 1999 the nave and the west facade were restored. In October 2010, a renewed interior restoration of the St. Severuskirche began. Among other things, the early Christian baptismal font, which is located below the nave near the main entrance, was made accessible to church visitors, the tabernacle was moved behind the high altar and a new lighting concept was implemented. In addition, the wall paintings were restored, the original central aisle restored and the relics of the Boppard martyrs cleaned for the first time since 1748. For the parish festival on December 13, 2011, the church was reopened with a pontifical ministry. To ensure barrier-free access to the church, the market square in front of the south portal was lowered from the end of October to the beginning of November 2012.

On December 18, 2014, Pope Francis elevated the church to the “Basilica Minor”, ​​at the time it was the ninth basilica in the Diocese of Trier.

description

Triumphal cross

Triumphal cross with evangelist symbols
Interior of St. Severus

The church is equipped with a 285 cm high and 248 cm wide triumphal cross in the choir above the altar, which was created around 1220/30. The figure of Christ on this cross does not wear a crown of thorns , but a royal crown, which characterizes him as the victor over death. The cross was restored in 1967 and previously hung on the east gable wall of the nave. The responsible restorer Grete Brabender judged: "Apart from the religious significance of this triumphal cross, its artistic and historical rank, from a material point of view it should be noted that triumphal crosses in this generally excellent condition are extremely rare."

Romanesque Madonna

On the front wall of the north aisle there is a Madonna figure from around 1260. The enthroned Madonna, carved from alder wood, is 78.5 cm high and, along with the triumphal cross and the death bell, is one of the three particularly valuable furnishings from the time the basilica was built.

crypt

In the crypt below the choir , sources from 1363 and 1681 respectively show two altars. After the vault was demolished at the end of the 19th century, however, the room was only used as a coal store for the heating system. Only when the basilica was restored at the beginning of the 21st century was the crypt restored to its original meaning. It received an altar from the secular chapel of Haus Helvetia in Bad Salzig and was consecrated again on December 12, 2014.

Baptistery

In the southern bell tower there is now a baptistery with a baptismal font donated by Mayor Goswin Klöcker in 1745.

Pews

The oldest pews in the north aisle of the basilica are dated to 1692.

Church window

In the mid-1980s, the artist and glass painter Krista Jörg, who lives in Boppard, was married. Steiner (* 1941 in Vallendar; † April 14, 2000) was entrusted with the design and manufacture of the church windows in the south aisle of today's basilica. The windows, which include a representation of Saint Hildegard von Bingen and Saint Martin , were donated by families and associations (neighborhoods and volunteer fire brigade, Boppard fire brigade). Before the windows were installed, there were violent disputes between the church and the state preservation of monuments on the one hand and the parish of Saint Severus and the possible donors on the other. The donors made their willingness to finance windows conditional on the windows being designed by local artists.

Liturgical objects

Particularly noteworthy are u. a. the Gothic tower monstrance from around 1400 , a gilded chalice from the early 14th century and vessels for liturgical oils from the 15th century.

Pope coat of arms

With the award of the title of a minor basilica on December 18, 2014 by Pope Francis, his coat of arms was carved in stone above the west portal of the church, this refers to the special connection with him. The coat of arms of the incumbent Pope is affixed in color above the south portal.

organ

Organ on the west gallery

The organ was built in 1973 by the organ building company Alfred Führer (Wilhelmshaven) on the west gallery from the time it was built. The organ structure was consciously adapted to the architecture of the church and harmonized with the shape of the rosette in the west gable. During the renovation in 2011, the organ was given a general overhaul and a small carillon was added.

The slider chests -instrument has 26  registers on two manuals and pedal . The action mechanism is mechanical, the stop action is electric.

I Rückpositiv C – g 3
1. Dumped 8th'
2. Quintad 8th'
3. Principal 4 ′
4th recorder 4 ′
5. Forest flute 2 ′
6th Sesquialter II
7th octave 1'
8th. Scharff IV
9. Dulcian 16 ′
10. Krummhorn 8th'
Tremulant
II Hauptwerk C– g 1
11. Pommer 16 ′
12. Principal 8th'
13. Reed flute 8th'
14th octave 4 ′
15th Dumped 4 ′
16. Nasard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
17th octave 2 ′
18th Mixture VI
19th Trumpet 8th'
Pedals C – f 1
20th Principal bass 16 ′
21st Sub bass 16 ′
22nd Octave bass 8th'
23. Dacked bass 8th'
24. Wooden flute 4 ′
25th Mixture IV
26th trombone 16 ′

Bells

The medieval ringing of St. Severus with its five bells has been completely preserved to this day. The oldest bell is the death bell from the first half of the 13th century; it probably dates from the time the church was completed (around 1236). The midday bell is from 1249, the fire bell and the Ave Maria or ten o'clock bell from 1379 and the measuring bell from 1439.

After the secularization, two bells from the Benedictine Abbey Marienberg von Boppard were placed in the tower of the Severus Church in 1802 ; the bells were cast in 1738 by Johann Jakob Speck from Kirrweiler. The larger of these two bells, the so-called. Hofglocke (originally Marienglocke) is the lowest bell of the six-part peal today. The smaller St. John's bell from Marienberg, which was cast around in 1866 due to a crack, was melted down in 1942 for armament purposes.

The bells hang in wooden chairs in the two free storeys and the gable of the south tower. On the top floor hang the measuring bell, the fire bell and the death bell; The midday bell and the ten o'clock bell hang below, the court bell below. In 1956 an electr. Bell system installed, which also controls the church tower clocks.

No.
  		Surname
  		Casting year
  		Caster
  		Weight
(kg) 		Ø
(cm) 		rib
  		Nominal
(16th note) 		Inscription (s)
 
1 Court bell
Maria		 1738 JJSpeck, Kierweiler 1300 1332 light d 1 +9
2 Noon Bell
Severus		 1249 unknown 1300 1284 heavy f 1 +2
3 Ten o'clock bell
Maria		 1379 Johannes v. Frankfurt 1600 1314 overweight f 1 +6
4th Fire bell
Johannes and Maria		 1379 Johannes v. Frankfurt 800 1053 overweight as 1 −4
5 Measuring bell
Maria		 1439 unknown 550 910 overweight ces 2 −1
6th Death bell 1st half of the 13th century unknown 350 775 overweight f 2 −1

Monument protection

The parish church of St. Severus has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley since 2002 . In addition, it is protected as a registered cultural monument within the meaning of the Monument Protection and Maintenance Act (DSchG) of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

See also

literature

  • Sebastian Ristow : The term “early Christian” and the classification of the first church in Boppard on the Rhine. In: Ulrike Lange, Reiner Sörries (ed.): From the Orient to the Rhine. Encounters with Christian Archeology. Peter Poscharsky on his 65th birthday. Dettelbach 1997, pp. 247-256.
  • Heinz E. Missling: Boppard. A guide through the city , Dausner Verlag, 1993, ISBN 3-930051-00-1 .
  • Willi Nickenig: The windows of the parish church St. Severus in Boppard. Boppard 2011.
  • Willi Nickenig: Monasteries and religious orders in Boppard , Boppard 2015.
  • Willi Nickenig: St. Severus Basilica in Boppard , Boppard 2016.
  • Ernst Götz and Susanne Kern: The parish church of St. Severus in Boppard . Rheinische Kunststätten issue 540, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3-86526-084-0 .

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilhelm Lübke: The art of the Middle Ages. P. 163, accessed August 30, 2014.
  2. ^ A b General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate (ed.): Informational directory of cultural monuments - Rhein-Hunsrück district. Mainz 2019, p. 9 (PDF; 1.7 MB).
  3. ↑ a b c Boppard Parish Association : Parish Church of St. Severus - minor basilica. Retrieved November 10, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b Parish letter of the Boppard parish association for December 2011, p. 15 Archived copy ( memento of February 1, 2015 in the Internet Archive ).
  5. ^ State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (ed.): The art monuments of Rhineland-Palatinate . tape 2 .1: The art monuments of the Rhein-Hunsrück district. Part 2.1: Former county St. Goar, the first town of Boppard I. . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-422-00567-6 , p. 204 f. and 223 f .
  6. ↑ History Association for Middle Rhine and Vorderhunsrück (Ed.): From the old Boppard - A continuous chronicle for the years 1855 to 1876 by Wilhelm Schlad . Rhedruck, Boppard 1989.
  7. ^ Ferdinand Pauly: The dioceses of the church province of Trier. The Archdiocese of Trier 2. The monasteries St. Severus in Boppard, St. Goar in St. Goar, Liebfrauen in Oberwesel, St. Martin in Oberwesel. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin and New York 1980, ISBN 978-3-11-008001-8 , pp. 13 .
  8. ^ Bernhard Kahl: The Catholic parishes . In: Heinz E. Missling (Ed.): Boppard. History of a city on the Middle Rhine . Third volume. Boppard 2001, ISBN 3-930051-02-8 , pp. 448 .
  9. ↑ Organ ( Memento from February 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  10. ^ Bernhard Kahl: The Catholic parishes . In: Heinz E. Missling (Ed.): Boppard. History of a city on the Middle Rhine . Third volume. Boppard 2001, ISBN 3-930051-02-8 , pp. 460 .
  11. ↑ St. Severus, Boppard ( Memento from August 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ↑ www.klosterlexikon-rlp.de: Building and Art History Stift St. Severus (Boppard) Retrieved on November 5, 2011.
  13. ↑ See brochure "The Windows in the Parish Church of St. Severus" by Willi Nickenig, Boppard, 2009
  14. ↑ Information on the organ ( memento of February 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) on the community's website
  15. ^ State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (ed.): The art monuments of Rhineland-Palatinate . tape 8 : The art monuments of the Rhein-Hunsrück district. Part 2: Former county St. Goar, the first town of Boppard I . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-422-00567-6 , p. 258 .
  16. ↑ See the information about the bells on the website of the parish (seen on April 11, 2018)

Coordinates: 50 ° 13 ′ 56.4 "  N , 7 ° 35 ′ 30"  E