St. Theresia (Zurich-Friesenberg)

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St. Theresa Church, exterior view
Outside sculpture by Albert Schilling
View of the chancel with the frescoes by Richard Seewald
There is no room for Mary and Joseph in the hostel
Christmas
Presentation in the temple
Escape to Egypt
The twelve year old Jesus in the temple
The holy family

The Church of St. Theresa is the Roman Catholic parish church in Zurich 's Friesenberg district . It is considered a remarkable example of modern church architecture in Switzerland.

history

Location and naming

Friesenberg is a quarter at the foot of the Uetliberg , which emerged from the Wiedikon quarter . From the 1930s onwards, the area was built on in a first wave, followed by a second wave after the Second World War . Because of the apartments and row single-family houses of numerous housing cooperatives , a district of Zurich with many children was created.

On April 28, 1926, the first Catholic religious instruction took place in Friesenberg. This was held by Christian Herrmann, the pastor of the Herz-Jesu-Kirche Wiedikon. On the way back after the first lesson, the pastor decided to appoint St. Theresa of the Child Jesus as the patroness of the new parish to be founded in what was then the district with the largest number of children in the city of Zurich .

Building history

On March 20, 1928, the Diocesan-Kultus-Verein purchased the first piece of land for today's St. Theresa Church on behalf of the parish Herz Jesu Wiedikon . The remainder of the church's property was acquired in two further steps by 1931. In 1928 various architects applied for the contract, including Fritz Metzger . He designed the churches of Maria Lourdes (Seebach) and St. Felix and Regula (Hard) . In April 1932 the project planning contract went to Fritz Metzger, in September 1932 his project was approved by the church council and the bishop of Chur , Laurenz Matthias Vincenz . The groundbreaking ceremony took place in November 1932, and the foundation stone was laid in March 1933 . After the consecration of bells in November 1933, the church was consecrated on December 10, 1933.

By decree of November 30, 1933, Bishop Laurenz Matthias Vincenz named the area of ​​St. Theresa an independent parish and separated it from the Herz Jesu Wiedikon. The bishop blessed the church on December 10, 1933.

In 1978/1979 the church was renovated under the architect Walter Moser and the weekday chapel was redesigned by the artist Max Rüedi . In 2001/2002 the church was renovated again by the architects Thomas Twerenbold and Martin Schneider. At the same time, the church was largely restored to its condition in 1933 and the weekday chapel was redesigned.

The parish of St. Theresia, with 3,573 members (as of 2017), is one of the medium-sized Catholic parishes in the city of Zurich.

Building description

Exterior

From Borrweg you get to the portal of the building via a square designed as a long rectangle . The wide, low tower of St. Theresa erected above the entrance, with the visible bells and the tower cross, indicates the Christian character of the building. Cubic shapes characterize the church and the rectory , which are provided with low hipped roofs that are barely visible from the church square . The church and the rectory meet at right angles and thus frame the forecourt of the church in an L-shape.

Church tower and bells

The shape of the tower resembles a high rectangular disc, which only towers over the church by the height of the bell chamber. In the church tower there are three bells that were cast by the F. Schilling bell foundry in Apolda in 1933.

number Weight volume dedication inscription
1 1040 kg it Christ child "Little Christkind we all want to be your own"
2 491 kg G Maria "Ave woman, we are high to serve you"
3 293 kg b St. Theresa of Lisieux "I will sprinkle roses on the earth from heaven" and "Whoever makes himself small like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven"

On the facade of the bell tower, above the main entrance to the church, there is the statue “Christ as a Child Friend” by Albert Schilling (1904–1987). Another statue, depicting a human head, is on the long wall of the church.

Interior and artistic equipment

The church portal leads to a Theresienkapelle (60 seats) located across Borrweg, to which the church (430 seats) adjoins at a right angle. A low side aisle is attached to the church on the south side.

The main room of the church consists of an approx. 8 meter high, 27 meter (without organ loft) long and 11 meter wide hall. On the longitudinal walls of the church there are rows of windows with glass windows in light tones. There is a meditation room behind the front wall. On the left side of the chancel there is a massive cubic pulpit designed by Fritz Metzger with a canopy plate protruding freely from the wall .

The altar , ambo and tabernacle base were created by Frédéric Dedellay in 2001/2002 from white terrazzo, the tabernacle from brass.

As in the Maria Lourdes Seebach church, also built by Fritz Metzger, the murals in St. Theresa are by Richard Seewald (1889–1976), who transferred his designs to the walls of the interior between May and September 1946. Eight of the frescoes show scenes from the childhood of Jesus, which refers to the epithet of the church patroness. The following motifs are depicted in the choir: Annunciation to the shepherds (left), Our Lady enthroned with child (center), Annunciation (right). The paintings on the left side wall show (from left to right) the search for the inn, the birth , the offering in the temple , the flight to Egypt , the twelve-year-old Jesus in conversation with the scribes and the Holy Family in Nazareth .

On the front wall of the aisle there is another fresco by Richard Seewald, which shows Saint Theresa kneeling in prayer in front of the crucified. A group of wooden figures carved by the wood sculptor Beat Gasser (1892–1967) from Lungern comes from the time after the church was inaugurated . It is a Maria with child, which is located in the Theresienkapelle, a Pietà , which stands in the middle of the aisle, and a nativity scene consisting of eleven figures , which is used here at Christmas time.

  • Historical interior view

  • Triptych in the chancel: The Shepherds

  • Mother of God with baby Jesus

  • The Annunciation

  • St. Theresa (side altar)

Weekday chapel

The St. Theresa Chapel in the original design from 1933
Max Rüedi's weekday chapel, 1979–2000

Since the church was built in 1933, there had been a working day chapel under the organ gallery for the first few decades, which was furnished with simple wooden benches and a simple altar and was called the Theresienkapelle .

As part of the renovation in 1978–1979, the artist Max Rüedi designed a new design for the weekday chapel, which followed the requirements of the liturgy constitution of the Second Vatican Council . The straight pews were replaced by rows of chairs arranged in a semicircle, so that the communion idea of ​​the Vatican was given expression. A wooden table formed the center of the chapel and indicated the importance of the Lord's Supper as the center of the assembled congregation. The wall behind the altar was designed by Max Rüedi in shades of blue and yellow; a cross in a yellow circle formed the center of the mural.

  • The weekday chapel from 1979 to 2000

  • The altar from 1979

Based on the letters of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus and her work Histoire d'une ame , Max Rüedi designed six stained glass windows with motifs from the life of the church patroness. The windows show the following motifs from left to right: The first glass window contains a seed with cotyledons . The roots of the plant are deep in the earth, the leaves rise to the light, a flower opens to the sky. The second glass window shows two flames that blaze towards one another and together form a large fire. St. Theresa used this image to express her devotion to God. The third window depicts the cross of Christ . "The cross stands on the earth, cold and dark, but its arms take up the movement of heaven." A bird can be seen on the fourth glass window , above which a threatening cloud has formed in the sky. The sun can be seen above the cloud. Griete Rüedi writes about this depiction: "I am a small, frightened bird. The sky is overcast, but I know that HE is there." The fifth stained glass window shows another vision of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus. In one of her letters she wrote that she felt like a plaything , forgotten by God, waiting patiently in the corner until God played with him again. The sixth glass window finally addresses man's relationship to God, represented by two pairs of hands that strive towards one another. "I scream to you from below. You scream at me from above. Our hands belong together," writes Griete Rüedi about this last glass window in the cycle.

  • Glass window by Max Rüedi: the seedling

  • The two flames

  • The frightened bird

  • The cross of Christ

  • God's plaything

  • The two pairs of hands

Ceramic relief Luke 13, 10-13, by Ruth Meyer-Züllig Foyer parish center

During the church renovation in 2001–2002, Max Rüedi's weekday chapel was dismantled and replaced by a new design. For this purpose, a planning group was set up that developed the concept based on a concept by the artist Christoph Hänsli. The architects Twerenbold and Schneider implemented what they had worked out for the overall renovation of the church. This third concept for the Theresienkapelle is based again on the original weekday chapel from 1933. Bench seats arranged in a straight line follow the alignment given by the organ gallery to the altar area, which is located on the eastern wall of the church. On this wall behind the newly designed altar area there are three canvas pictures , which form a triptych . They were designed by Christoph Hänsli (* 1963) and Christoph Wachter (* 1966) and show heavenly moods from Leiden NL, Babelsberg BRD and Chełmno PL. The altar and baptismal font in the weekday chapel were designed by Frédéric Dedelley. This redesign of the Theresienkapelle was rounded off by a clay figure of St. Anthony , who is lovingly touched on the neck by the baby Jesus. This figure is located at the main entrance of the church and was modeled by Sr. M. Caritas Müller from Cazis in 2001/2002.

Since 2010 there has been a relief by the artist Ruth Meyer-Züllig (1921-2010) in the foyer of the parish center. The work of art was created in 1989 for the prayer room in the Affoltern a. A., but no longer fit into the new concept after the hospital renovation, which is why it was moved to the St. Theresia parish center. The relief shows the healing of a sick woman through Jesus Christ according to Luke 13, 10-13.

organ

The Späth organ from 1940

In 1940 the organ was inaugurated, which comes from the company Gebrüder Späth , Rapperswil SG . It has 24 registers , which are divided between two manuals and a pedal. In 1979 it was renovated by H. Senn, Unterengstringen .

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
Principal 8th'
Hollow flute 8th'
Gemshorn 8th'
octave 4 ′
Night horn 4 ′
octave 2 ′
Mixture IV 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
II Swell C – g 3
Reed flute 16 ′
Suavial 8th'
Reed flute 8th'
Salizet 8th'
Principal 4 ′
recorder 4 ′
Nasat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
Forest flute 2 ′
third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
Larigot 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
Zimbel III 1'
Trumpet 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
Sub bass 16 ′
Subtle bass 16 ′
Octave bass 8th'
Reed flute 8th'
Flute bass 4 ′
Principal 4 ′
Night horn 2 ′

Appreciation

St. Theresia is an early example of modern church building in Switzerland and the most consistent design in the design language of the Bauhaus style by architect Fritz Metzger. In contrast to the St. Felix and Regula church built by Fritz Metzger between 1949 and 1950, the architect still used the principle of longitudinal construction for St. Theresa .

Architect Fritz Metzger wrote about his project: «The church should be a place of worship of St. Theresia be vKJ. She does this by practicing the 'little virtues', which corresponds to caring for the simplest and most inconspicuous forms. Like Theresia, she believes that humility is truth, which means renouncing effects and gestures, appearances and frills. The humility corresponds to the simplicity in the distribution of light and dark, in the relationship between aisle and main aisle, surface and painting, spatial form and furnishings ... This 'purity and intimacy' should be so great that one is shocked ... But will the dear people in Friesenberg understand that? "

See also

literature

  • Kirchgemeinde Herz Jesu Wiedikon (Ed.): Herz Jesu Pfarrei Zürich Wiedikon. Festschrift for the 50th anniversary of the parish. Zurich 1971.
  • Guido Kolb: 100 years of St. Peter and Paul. Zurich 1974.
  • St. Theresia Foundation (ed.): Jesus as a child. From God's picture book in the St. Theresa Church in Zurich. Zurich 1979.
  • Episcopal Ordinariate Chur (ed.): Schematism of the Diocese of Chur. Chur 1980.
  • Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Zurich. Zurich 1989.
  • Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. (Swiss Art Guide, No. 784, Series 79). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 2005, ISBN 978-3-85782-784-6 .
  • Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. New Year's Gazette Industriequartier / Aussersihl. Zurich 2012.

Web links

Commons : St. Theresia Zürich  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. P. 4.
  2. ↑ See article in Wikipedia on Friesenberg.
  3. ↑ Parish Herz Jesu Wiedikon (ed.): Herz Jesu Pfarrei Zürich Wiedikon. P. 92.
  4. ↑ Parish Herz Jesu Wiedikon (ed.): Herz Jesu Pfarrei Zürich Wiedikon. P. 93.
  5. ^ Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Parishes of the City of Zurich. P. 194.
  6. ^ City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development (Ed.): Catholic Churches of the City of Zurich. Inventory of Monument Preservation of the City of Zurich. Zurich 2014. p. 182.
  7. ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 54.
  8. ^ City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development (Ed.): Catholic Churches of the City of Zurich. Inventory of Monument Preservation of the City of Zurich. Zurich 2014. p. 182.
  9. ↑ Parish Herz Jesu Wiedikon (ed.): Herz Jesu Pfarrei Zürich Wiedikon. Pp. 98-99.
  10. ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 54.
  11. ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 54.
  12. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. P. 10.
  13. ↑ Catholic Church in the Canton of Zurich: Annual Report 2017. p. 84.
  14. ^ Rainald Fischer, in: Guido Kolb: 100 years of St. Peter and Paul. P. 197.
  15. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. P. 9.
  16. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. Pp. 9-10.
  17. ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 54.
  18. ^ Rainald Fischer, in: Guido Kolb: 100 years of St. Peter and Paul. P. 197.
  19. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. P. 11
  20. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. Pp. 18 and 23
  21. ^ Robert Schönbächler: Churches and places of worship in the city of Zurich. P. 54 and 117. As well as: Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. P. 19.
  22. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. P. 18.
  23. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. Pp. 20-21.
  24. ^ Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Parishes of the City of Zurich. P. 194.
  25. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. Pp. 22-23.
  26. ↑ Griete Rüedi: The stained glass windows in St. Theresa Zurich. Texts on the art cards of the stained glass windows by Max Rüedi. Zurich, 1979.
  27. ↑ Griete Rüedi: The stained glass windows in St. Theresa Zurich. Texts on the art cards of the stained glass windows by Max Rüedi. Zurich, 1979.
  28. ↑ Griete Rüedi: The stained glass windows in St. Theresa Zurich. Texts on the art cards of the stained glass windows by Max Rüedi. Zurich, 1979.
  29. ^ Fabrizio Brentini: The Church of St. Theresa in Zurich. Pp. 16 and 22-25.
  30. ^ Works by Ruth Meyer in public space. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  31. ^ Henri Truffer: Association of Roman Catholic Parishes of the City of Zurich. P. 194
  32. ^ Parish website, title page. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  33. ↑ See article in Wikipedia about St. Felix and Regula (Zurich-Hard).
  34. ^ Fritz Metzger: Explanatory report on the design for a Theresienkirche in Friesenberg. In: City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development (Ed.): Catholic Churches of the City of Zurich. Inventory of Monument Preservation of the City of Zurich. Zurich 2014, p. 182.

Coordinates: 47 ° 21 '39.5 "  N , 8 ° 30' 16.6"  E ; CH1903:  six hundred eighty thousand five hundred twenty-seven  /  two hundred forty-six thousand one hundred sixteen