St. Sixti (Northeim)
The Evangelical Lutheran St. Sixti Church is a listed church building in Northeim , in the Northeim district ( Lower Saxony ). The parish belongs to the parish of Leine-Solling.
History and architecture
A chapel stood on the site of today's church as early as the ninth century after the area was Christianized. There are no documented records of this building, only guesses. After that, there was probably a simple stone church built in the early 13th century. There is no reliable knowledge about this church either, corresponding archaeological excavations have not yet taken place. There has been evidence of a pastor since 1209 and in 1229 the monastery was given patronage over the church.
In 1539, the reformer Anton Corvinus drew up the Northeim church order, which was accepted by the council and the citizens. After that, the city became Protestant and the new city church became the spiritual center, as was previously the monastery of St. Blasien . In 1459 the council decided to build a new one because the old church was in disrepair. The patronage was still with the monastery, but the city raised the majority of the funds, which were supplemented by donations and foundations from the guilds and citizens. A homestead that stood on the site of today's choir was acquired and demolished in 1464. The foundation stone for the choir was laid in 1470, and construction work began at the same time.
The construction work is to be divided into three sections.
First construction phase from 1470–1481
The construction plans were drawn up by Hans Meinecke, who was also the master builder for the first construction phase. In many Gothic churches of the 14th and 15th centuries, the construction of the new choir began from the east side. The previous church, which presumably extended into the fifth yoke of the current nave, remained standing. This measure was necessary in order to be able to celebrate services during the construction period. In this first phase of construction, the apse and the two bays up to the triumphal arch and the two bays of the new two-story chapel extensions were built in the north aisle. The choir was consecrated in 1478, the vaulting took place until 1481. After that there was a break in construction, which lasted until 1492, probably due to lack of money. The time of the demolition of the previous church is not known. It may also have been used as a temporary measure together with the new choir.
Second construction phase from 1492–1497 / 98
The construction of the other nave took about five years. During this time, the two aisles and the nave from the triumphal arch to the height of the tower, which was preserved from the previous building, were completed. The vault was completed later.
Third construction phase approx. 1500–1519
In this construction phase, the tower chapels were built on the south and north sides and the vaults in the three naves. The construction work was finished in 1519. The first equipment and furnishings took place up to the Reformation in 1539.
View of Northeim, Merian 1654
St. Sixti, detail
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Building description
The three naves of the mighty, 23-meter-wide structure are spanned by a shared red tile roof. The church tower, on the other hand, looks too small. The apse on the east side has a polygonal floor plan. Two-story chapels under offset pent roofs are attached to the tower on both sides. The 14.5 meter high buttresses absorb the thrust of the vaults and guide it into the foundations, they are stepped upwards. The walls are divided by mostly three-lane, slim windows. The middle window in the choir and the one above the side entrances have four lanes.
In the area of the pointed arches, the ribs merge into tracery, which can be seen in connection with the effect of the colored windows in the interior. The tracery is rich and lively, each window is designed differently. The style elements are uniform and strictly chosen, but the windows of the tower chapels and above the bridal door are kept in the elements of the late Gothic. The change from the strict to the playful forms can be recognized by the back of the donkey in a fine curve above the bridal door, which is crowned by a finial, accompanied by two pinnacle towers. The turrets are decorated with shrimp and foliage. The framework in the cladding of this door overlaps in many layers, the consoles used to be decorated with figures. Another reason for the rich decoration of these doors can also be seen in the special location of the church, it stands on the historic outskirts almost directly on the city wall. The richly decorated doors point to the city, the less ornate doors on the south side directly to the city wall.
The buttress on the north-west side has rich decorations and a lantern that is illuminated during Advent. The framework in the lintel of the window to the left of the tower door is adorned with curtain-like framework. Above the door to the north aisle, the Lamb of God can be seen, which is probably a spoil from the Romanesque period of the previous building. Above the tower entrance there is a representation of St. Barbara with the attribute "tower". The figure is a replica, only the original torso is preserved. The Liebfrauenkapelle stood on the south side until it was demolished in 1871; the outlines can still be seen from the outside. In a niche that is crowned by an eyelash with pinnacles, there used to be a statue of Mary. An inscription in the gable field names 1492 as the start of construction for the chapel. Like the sacristy, the so-called penitential chamber is located in the two eastern bays of the south aisle and can be reached via a stair tower called Wendelstein. The Wendelstein arches from the corner of the wall as a three-quarter circle into the interior, which had grown through numerous estates and foundations. In earlier times the penitents entered the penitentiary chamber via a small balcony, visible to all church visitors. It is not known which event the year 1519 above the door refers to. Presumably the Ruman family from Alt-Northeim donated something at this time, as both coats of arms refer to this family. Where the Wendelstein protrudes into the vault, there is a naked mermaid with a human upper body and two fish tails. It is not known whether it is a mermaid or a water spirit. It is supposed to symbolize something demonic or sensual. The devil's face under the balcony is a console figure that is supposed to represent a demonic, the head is between the legs. The pentagram behind a flap in the southern wall in the direction of the choir is clearly visible from the ship, it serves to ward off evil. This wall with the pentagram blocked the penitent's view of the service in the penitentiary, he could only take part in it by hearing. In later times and until a few years ago, this room served as accommodation for the church library.
The mighty roof space, which is also approx. 15 m high and extends over all the ships, impressively shows the skills of the earlier builders with its beams and buttresses.
Stained glass window
The stained glass windows of the north aisle show an image of a saint and four depictions of the Passion of Christ. These windows were donated in 1478 by the parish, the guilds and the Northeim city council. They used to be built into the end of the choir. During the Thirty Years' War they suffered severe damage from fire, some of which were repaired in 1898. The windows show depictions of the Last Supper, the imprisonment of Jesus in Gethsemane, the flagellation of Jesus and the carrying of the cross, during which Jesus is accompanied by his mother Mary, John and Simon of Cyrene. The depictions of saints show Catherine of Alexandria and St. Eligius with the attributes of hammer and pliers, as the patron saint of blacksmiths. The remains of these late Gothic stained glass are considered to be of artistic value. The original play of colors is only weakly preserved. The pastor Lubecus, who served as priest at the church from 1575 to 1584, emphasized the importance of these windows in his chronicle.
tower
The masonry on the ground floor of the Romanesque tower was probably built around 1250, the spolia in the Romanesque style was reused as capitals in the vault of the tower hall. The tower was probably added to the previous church at the time Northeim was founded and was demolished at the beginning of the 15th century up to the height of the cornice still visible on the outer wall. Then it was rebuilt in its present form, the sound openings, the bell chamber and the helmet also come from this time. The four sound openings are arranged in pairs. The eastern ones are hidden by the roof of the church. From this it can be concluded that the previous church was much narrower and lower. The keystone of the ribbed vault in the tower hall shows the Lamb of God in a naturalistic representation with a cross and a flag. The vault, which is supported by four consoles, has replaced the flat wooden ceiling that had been drawn in since around 1500. The interior of the church is accessed through the tower hall.
Furnishing
High altar
The high altar is a Marian altar because of its theological statement. It shows the Coronation of Mary and was made between 1420 and 1430, so it was already in the previous building. In the later Gothic church it was placed on a block of stone wall. The top of the cafeteria is seamlessly made of Sollingen sandstone, it is 3.40 meters long and 1.47 meters wide. The triptych is supported by a 75 centimeter high predella. The depiction of the Coronation of Mary forms the center of the altar, which is emphasized by a circle of angels who musically accompany the event with instruments. This type of representation is a typical example of late medieval devotion to Mary. Furthermore, the Saints Sixtus and Blasius, John the Baptist and the twelve apostles are shown. The predella is divided into five niches, the middle one is closed, this used to be the holy of holies. In the other niches there are figures of the apostle James the Elder. Ä., Philip, Simon and Judas Thaddäus. When the side wings are closed, one sees paintings with scenes from the Passion. On the right side the carrying of the cross and on the left side the flagellation of Jesus is shown. A crucifix with the evangelist symbols on the four ends dominates the shrine in the middle. The cross is a work from around 1510, it was originally probably used as a lecture cross in Catholic times. The six wooden figures on either side of the music-making angels stand on pedestals of different heights. One explanation for this is that the figures, which are slightly different in size, are older than the altar and were assembled in it.
Mary Altar
The English greeting AVE MARIA GRACIA PLENA on the borders of the robes of the figures shown indicates the patronage of Mary. This altar is one of the original eight altars from the pre-Reformation period. When the wings are open, you can see pictures from the Passion, under a richly decorated canopy men take the body of Christ and let it slide to the ground. The women express their grief with great gestures, Maria presses her left hand over her chest and sinks to the floor. The disciple John catches them. Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathäa can also be recognized as accompanying figures . The inner wings are painted, they show Christ before Pilate and the carrying of the cross and on the right side the resurrection and the lamentation. With the wings closed, the four evangelists can be seen. They were painted in the usual grisailles painting of that time with influences from Italy and France. The evangelists are represented with their attributes winged man, lion, bull and eagle.
Other equipment
- A sundial hangs on the seventh buttress on the south side.
- There is a statue of Christ on a pillar, it was created in 1990.
- The baptismal font from the beginning of the 16th century was cast in Braunschweig. The chalice is decorated with throats, bulges and ribbons, the lid has the shape of an octagon.
organ
The previous instrument was built by the organ builder Germer from 1549 onwards, it was a small swallow's nest organ . It was located on the south side on the upper floor of the former Liebfrauenkapelle. This instrument was accessible via a stone spiral staircase that was later demolished along with the chapel. In order to underline the importance of the city of Northeim, the church and city councils commissioned the organ builder Johann Heinrich Gloger in 1721 to build a new instrument with 50 registers . This instrument was built from 1721 to 1734 including the magnificent late baroque prospectus . The coloring and gilding took place in 1738. At the same time, thorough cleaning and changes to some registers were carried out.
Stephan Heeren in 1790 and Conrad Euler in 1836 made further sweeping changes, in line with current tastes . Between 1872 and 1876 Alexander Strobel created an almost new organ work using existing registers. For this purpose, the prospectus was laterally extended by two large, flat pipe fields. The first mechanical action was later pneumatized because of the difficult playing style.
Even before the Second World War, extensive work was planned due to the poor condition of the instrument, which Paul Ott carried out between 1954 and 1958 . Using the Gloger registers that had been preserved, an almost new instrument was created behind the historical prospectus, the disposition of which was very closely based on that of 1721. Rudolf Janke , a student of Otts, carried out a major overhaul in 1984, during which, among other things, the typical neo-baroque weaknesses of the sound were eliminated. J. Diedrichs from Berka restored the prospectus a few years later.
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- Coupling : II / I, III / I, I / P
Bells
- The decorations on the oldest bell indicate that it was cast in the first half of the 13th century.
- The second bell shows the year 1317
- The third bell, weighing 3,700 kg, was cast around 1445.
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
- ↑ Belonging to the church district
- ↑ Predecessor churches
- ↑ 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 . Page 148
- ^ Reference to Anton Corvinus
- ↑ Building history
- ↑ 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 . Page 148
- ↑ Bußkammer and Wendelstein
- ↑ stained glass window
- ↑ Remnants from the Romanesque period
- ↑ Tower building
- ↑ Mary Altar
- ↑ Sundial
- ↑ Baptismal font
- ↑ Information about the organ and the disposition on the website of the parish
- ↑ bells
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 42 ′ 19.3 " N , 10 ° 0 ′ 11.1" E