St. Stephen and Vitus (Corvey)
The Roman Catholic parish church of St. Stephanus and St. Vitus is a listed church building and part of Corvey Castle in Höxter in North Rhine-Westphalia . The church houses relics of St. Vitus and St. Stephan . The baroque furnishings are among the most important in the Archdiocese of Paderborn .
In June 2014, UNESCO granted Corvey World Heritage status . Today's Catholic parish is part of the Corvey pastoral network in the Höxter deanery.
History and architecture
Adalhard the Elder Ä. and Walle, two cousins of Charlemagne , founded a Benedictine abbey in Hethis around 815 and relocated it shortly afterwards to Corvey .
The construction of the monastery church began around 830. The cubic structure behind the facade was built in the 9th century. A risalit-like porch is in front of the central tower , it is popularly known as the Königserker. The square central tower initially towered far above the side towers. The so-called imperial church was housed in it. The Roman-German emperor stayed here twenty times until 1145. From 1954 to 1961 remains of colored wall paintings were uncovered, some of which show motifs from ancient mythology . The color version is only rudimentary and its symbolism is recognizable. The ground floor was probably bright red, as a symbol of the fire of limbo . Here the emperor passed through a room of purification . The bones of St. Vitus were brought to Corvey from St. Denis in 836 . The church was consecrated in 844 . After a fire in the choir in 870, the eastern parts were probably replaced by a larger new building by 873. The westwork on the entrance side was raised from 873 to 885, the lower three floors are still preserved. There was an atrium in front of the westwork ; it was flanked by two-story arcades . During the renovation from 1146 to 1159, the towers with the acoustic arcades were raised , the middle one removed and the front between the towers raised. The westwork was redesigned into a facade with two towers in 1185 due to the dilapidation of the central tower. From 1585 to 1616 the towers were equipped with gables and pointed helmets .
The Carolingian monastery church was demolished in the middle of the 17th century due to the consequences of the Thirty Years War, except for the westwork and replaced by a new building. The Carolingian predecessor church was a three-aisled basilica with a wide central nave and very narrow side aisles, which was followed in the east by an almost square choir the width of the central nave, which was raised. It was continued in an extension with an apse . There was a crypt underneath . Not long after completion and before construction began on the westwork, the so-called building I was redesigned to building II. The rectangular choir bay was drawn in and the apse was semicircular. A crypt with a walkway was built around the choir apse , at the same time a cross-shaped chapel was built in the east , the cross arms of the choir were extended. The monastery church was badly damaged in the Thirty Years War and demolished in 1665.
The foundation stone for the new baroque church was laid by Christoph Bernhard von Galen . The floor plan , the windows and the vaults have Gothic features, the interior decoration in the colors red and gold is baroque. The construction was completed in 1671. The former abbey church of the Corvey Monastery is a plastered quarry stone hall with three bays, it was built after 1667 in the post-Gothic style. The choir, closed on five sides, is just as long. The upstream Carolingian west building dominates the impression. The west facade is crowned by two tall, Romanesque towers. The Benediktuskapelle in the east has two bays with a three-sided end. With the exception of the three-lane pointed arched windows with tracery of fish bubbles , the walls are unadorned, the choir is structured by buttresses . A copper-plated roof turret with a curved lantern towers above the choir . The choir vault rests on volute brackets. There are room-high niches in the walls to accommodate side altars and confessionals . The sanctuary and the parish room are separated from each other by a communion bench .
In the last few years the church and the baroque furnishings were restored in 13 construction phases. The nave was newly plastered, the sandstone masonry of the westwork was re-grouted. Both towers were re-covered with wooden shingles, the wooden roof structure was renovated and the roof made of Solling sandstone was refurbished. As part of the external renovation, the nave was plastered, the sandstone masonry of the westwork was grouted, the two towers were re-covered with wooden shingles, the Solling sandstone roof was renovated and the wooden roof construction was renovated. The interior renovation included the renewal of the church heating as underfloor heating, thermal insulation of the vaulted ceiling, revision of the interior version using lime technology and the new laying of the floor panels. All work was carried out in close collaboration with all the departments of the Westphalian Office for Monument Preservation in Münster.
research
Various area excavations were undertaken under the direction of the Provincial Conservators Wilhelm Rave , Theodor Rensing and Hermann Busen . Uwe Lobbedey undertook excavations in the westwork and in the entire church from 1974 to 1977. The construction sequence has been largely clarified through various building studies and the systematic excavations from 1974 to 1975 in the church, from 1977 in the west building and 1995 on the western forecourt. According to a research report by the working group for early medieval wall painting , investigations were carried out in 1988 under the direction of Florentine Mütherich and Alfred A. Schmid .
Draft sketches were uncovered on the masonry above the six pillars , showing larger-than-life figures with red chalk. These preliminary drawings for figures in half-relief must have been made before 875.
Furnishing
The rich interior from the Baroque period contrasts with the simple architectural shell in the Gothic style. It was designed by the court painter of the Paderborn Prince-Bishop, Johann Georg Rudolphi from Brakel . It was probably inspired by engravings from Italy . The workshop of Johann Sasse from Attendorn carried out the work according to these drafts . Anton Splithoven from Beckum took over the gilding and the setting . The artisans of the Sasse workshop lived on site from 1674 to 1677. Sasse was contractually obliged not to accept any further orders during this time. The red and gold paint on the altars, the colors of the Corvey Abbey, was probably done by Anton Splitthoven, who was the court painter for Ferdinand von Fürstenberg .
- The huge high altar is the center of the church, the architecture and the origin of the motif point to Roman triumphal arches. The large altar leaves were painted by Tobias Querfurt and Hieronymus Sies . Depending on the festive season of the church year , they could be changed. Four of these original six sheets have survived. They show the birth of Christ, the crucifixion and the ascension of Mary. Above the altarpiece is in Tondo , the Trinity represented. The frame is surrounded by two angels, they turn their faces towards the center. In the pediment above a representation of the handkerchief of Veronica with the face of Christ is shown. Between the volutes adorned with putti , pedestals carry angels with the instruments of Jesus' passion, the scourge column and the cross. In the niches between the spiral columns there are figures of Stephen and Vitus. The large shell above is the symbol for the union of God and man and the sign of a process of change. The tabernacle is in the classical style. The side doors show Charlemagne and Louis the Pious. The coat of arms of the founder of the high altar, Christoph Bernhard von Galen , is marked 1675 above the figure of Vitus.
- The choir stalls were made in the Sasse workshop. In front of it are rotating folios . At the back there are relief figures of deceased abbots and saints in niches .
- The reliquary cabinet is on the left wall of the nave . It was built by Heinrich Papen and donated by Prince Abbot Florence von dem Velde . The donor's coat of arms is placed in front of the entablature in the middle. The cabinet is decorated with foliage and crowned with a bust of Vitus.
- The antependium of the celebration altar is an openwork carving. It originally comes from the Johanneschor and was built by Heinrich Papen from 1716 to 1718.
- The Lady Chapel is in graceful forms from the late 18th century.
- On the pillars in front of the side altars are the pulpit on the right and the monument to Vitus on the left. The confessionals are crowned with figures of repentant sinners. The Vitus Monument was designed by Rudolphi and executed by Johann Sasse . The figure of St. Vitus is probably a work by Heinrich Papen from around 1680. It stands in an aedicule that is decorated with a shell and shows the attributes of a lion and an eagle.
- Also from the Papen workshop are the blue reliquary shrines of Saints Stephen and Vitus.
- The confessionals are decorated with angel heads and flower garlands. The three arcades of the confessional on the north side are framed by two spiral columns. On the right side the depiction of the prodigal son and on the left side Christ with the cross can be seen. The inscription in the cartridge reads: I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
- Four epitaphs from alabaster have been created from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century for abbots in the Papen workshop. They show the figures of the deceased.
Baroque organ
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The instrument was built in 1681 with 27 sounding stops by Andreas Schneider from Höxter and is one of the most important and beautiful organs in Westphalia. The organ gallery is supported by four larger than life angels standing on pedestals . The prospectus is attributed to the sculptor Thomas Freden . The parapet is decorated with putti playing instruments . The middle pipe is supported by three putti tower, two putti bearing the coat of arms of Prince Abbot Christoph von Bellingshausen . Andreas Schneider designed the wind chests of the Corveyer organ using spring- loading technique. Today only about seven springboard organs are in use worldwide.
In 1718 Johann Matthias Naumann (Hildesheim), a former journeyman of Arp Schnitger , added a Rückpositiv to the organ . The choir organ from the same period was installed in 1822 as the main organ in the new Catholic Church in Amelunxen . In the 19th century, the instrument was rebuilt several times, including in 1830 the spring lockers were partially replaced by slider chests and a carillon was added. Around this time the Rückpositiv was probably removed.
During the restoration by Paul Ott from Göttingen , the sliding box in the breastwork , the couplings and the tremulant were revised. In 1994 the instrument was repaired by the organ building company Sauer ( Ottbergen ). But in the following years large parts of the pipe work were damaged by progressive corrosion (infestation with lead sugar ), whereby the pipe material was eaten away and dissolved. The resulting holes and cracks in the pipes had seriously affected the sound. For another comprehensive restoration, the organ building company Flentrop from Zaandam (NL) transported the organ to their workshop and, after three years of work, started the re-installation in autumn 2019.
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Bells
The four bells from four centuries hang in the middle of the westwork. After the Thirty Years' War, the bells were reformed and gradually rebuilt.
- The largest bell, named Cantabona, was cast by Hermann Bock and Hans Vogelmann in 1584 according to the inscription from the bell donated by Abbot Druthmar in the 11th century. She was tuned to the tone f1 +5. In 2000, the Westphalian Museum of Archeology in Herne presented a replica of the Cantabona, which took place as part of the state exhibition. This was a project of the regional association and the parish. The bell was consecrated on April 23, 2006, the bell is on permanent loan .
- Two bells were cast by Claudius Bricon in 1683 , they are tuned to the notes f sharp 1 + -0 and a1 + 4.5.
|
No. |
Surname |
Casting year |
Foundry, casting location |
Diameter (mm) |
Mass (kg, approx.) |
Percussive ( HT - 1 / 16 ) |
| 1 | Cantabona (St. Vitus) | 1584 | Hermann Bock and Hans Vogelmann | 1266 | 1500 | f 1 +5 |
| 2 | Benedictus | 1683 | Claudius Bricon, Steinheim | 995 | 600 | f sharp 1 ± 0 |
| 3 | Maria, Ansgar, Rembertus, Adelhard | 1782 | Greve, Meschede | 867 | 380 | a 1 +4.5 |
| 4th | St. Joseph | 1st half of the 20th century | Humpert (?) | 602 | 130 | e 2 ± 0 |
literature
- Ursula Quednau (arrangement): Dehio-Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, North Rhine-Westphalia, Volume II: Westphalia. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2
- Theodor Arens, Stanislaus Kandula, Roman Mensing: Barock im Erzbistum Paderborn , Bonifatius Verlag Paderborn 2001, ISBN 978-3-89710-495-2
- Elmar Arnhold and Sandor Kotyrba Corvey Former Reichsabtei and Residenz Koch Druck Halberstadt, 4th edition 2015 ISBN 978-3-942712-18-7
Web links
- Pages of the community
- Photo of the coat of arms of Prince Abbot Florence von dem Velde
- 1150 years of Vitus worship (PDF file; 233 kB)
- Corvey Castle
- Saint Vitus - Relic Worship in Corvey
- Historical background on the website of the architect Henne
Individual evidence
- ^ Sites in Latin America and Germany inscribed on World Heritage List. World Heritage Committee , June 21, 2014, accessed June 24, 2014 .
- ↑ Pastoral Association ( Memento of the original from January 15, 2013 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.
- ↑ Effect of the interior
- ^ Draft of the westwork
- ↑ Project description
- ↑ renovation
- ↑ Researching the murals
- ↑ Description of the sketches
- ^ Scylla and sculpture. A Carolingian find in the Corvey Monastery by Dirk Schümer in FAZ of December 24, 1992, page
- ^ History and photo of the organ
- ↑ orgel-owl.de; Amelunxen St. Peter and Paul, cath.
- ↑ Corveyer auxiliary organ recovery and assurance
- ^ The dismantling of the organ in Corvey Abbey has begun. Dutch experts have been working on the restoration for two and a half years, which will cost one million euros. By Simone Flörke in "Neue Westfälische" October 12, 2016
- ↑ The first parts of the restored baroque organ are being returned to the Corvey Abbey near Höxter. Technical installation has started. By Sabine Robrecht in "Westfalen-Blatt" September 4, 2019
- ↑ Cantabona comes to Corvey
Coordinates: 51 ° 46 ′ 41.3 " N , 9 ° 24 ′ 37" E