St. Walburga (Werl)

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View of the church
View of the tower from the historic Krämergasse

The St. Walburga church in Werl is a Gothic hall building from the 14th century with a 62 meter high late Romanesque tower with a Baroque Welsch dome . It is built from local green sandstone . The church was founded in 1892 by Pope Leo XIII. raised to the provost church . The community belongs to the Archdiocese of Paderborn . The parish was one of the oldest in the Soest Dekanie in the Archdiocese of Cologne , to which it used to belong.

History and architecture

Central nave with a view of the main altar

First church

During excavations under the church in 1967, the remains of an Ottonian flat-roofed apsidal hall with low transverse arms were found. The building was 29 meters long and 9 meters wide. It was similar in type and type to the Patroklidom in Soest. The church was unusually large for the time and place. Certainly there was room for more people than just the family of Count von Werl and his own people who lived here. Two graves were excavated in the middle of the ship. According to the layout, members of the Werler count family are buried here. The construction of this church took place after 950, probably with the construction of the Werler Grafenburg. Around 1150 it was demolished for reasons that are no longer known. Count Gottfried and Hermann donated the church to the Premonstratensian monastery in Wedinghausen in 1196. This donation was confirmed by Pope Celestine II. The monastery provided the pastor and two chaplains, the abbot referred to himself as the archdeacon of Werl . A well-known pastor at this time was the Premonstratensian Bernhard Tütel, a champion for the preservation of the Catholic faith. His grave is preserved in the provost church in Werl.

basilica

During excavations, an aisle church from the middle of the tenth century and an aisle church from the middle of the twelfth century were found. A crypt was added to the east. Originally, St. Walburga was an own church of the Counts of Werl.

A basilica with a transept, narrow choir bay , apse and west building was built in its place. The two-aisled and three- bay crypt - like room in the angle between the north transverse arm and the choir , above which a tower originally rose, has been preserved. This was probably the original place of the Holy Sepulcher cult. Two monolithic central pillars served as supports for the vault, which was demolished during the construction of today's church. The essentially Romanesque tower was discontinued in the west in the 12th century. The tower hall, open on all sides in round arches, was vaulted over a central pillar in the beginning of the 13th century, the gallery above it by a ridge vault.

Step hall

The construction of today's church hall was started between 1330 and 1370 with the western aisle walls. As before, the tower with the westwork was laterally surrounded. In the second half of the 14th century, the eastern parts and the choir were bricked up. The windows in the choir were made to designs by the Benedictine brother Notker Becker, they show the risen Christ , Mary and John the Baptist . The oak roof structure, which has been preserved to this day, was completed around 1391. The three-aisled Gothic stepped hall has five bays in the central nave and six bays in the side aisles, the choir a yoke with a 3/8 end; in the north is the two-bay "old choir" under transverse roofs. The ribbed vaults close in carved keystones. The free pillars consist of a round core and four three-quarter services; the wall services are semicircular or three-quarters round in cross-section, those on the choir yoke consist of pear-rod bundles and have no capital. From 1733 to 1736 the baroque dome crowning the tower as well as the belfry below were built by the master builder Michael Moser and the master carpenter Caspar Nölle. From 1893 to 1897 the west facade was designed in a new Romanesque style. The tower gallery was reopened to the ships in 1931. For this purpose, the organ was moved to the north aisle and the tower was reinforced with a steel structure. The building material is Werler green sandstone. From 1972 to 1983 the exterior and in 1988 the interior were extensively renovated. The exterior is structured by stepped buttresses , a surrounding cornice and two- to four-lane windows, the last of which on the choir was probably completed around 1420. The walls of the four Gothic entrances (one of which is walled up) are richly profiled; two of them have arched fields with tracery. In 2014–2015 the interior was again thoroughly renovated. External renovation is planned for mid-2016.

The outer walls are structured by a circumferential base cornice, stepped buttresses and ogival, three-lane windows. There is a sundial in the pointed arch of the side entrance.

Furnishing

Only a few parts from the Gothic period have survived. During the iconoclasm , large parts of the medieval furnishings were destroyed and all altars except for the cross altar were removed. From 1590, after the old Catholic order returned, the church was redecorated. Within a short period of time, extremely rich and fairly uniform furnishings were acquired, which significantly shaped the impression of the space.

Court chair

Official court, exterior view
Judgment Seat

The court seat of the official court for the Duchy of Westphalia from 1725 is located in the church . It replaced a previous seat . The Electorate of Cologne Offizialatsgericht (highest ecclesiastical court) was laid by the then ruler, the Cologne Elector and Archbishop Clemens August Wittelsbach 1478-1483 to Werl and existed until 1802. Soest was unlike Werl during the Feud of Soest from Cologne Archbishop aposted, Werl remained loyal to him. The relocation of the court from Soest to Werl was a reward for the elector; an official spoke here in the name of the Archbishop of Cologne in spiritual and secular matters until 1821.

The judgment seat stands behind carved, openwork barriers structured by pilasters. The coats of arms of Archbishop Clemens August von Wittelsbach and the official Johann Dettmar von Mellin can be seen under the draperies. On the bars and on the judges ' seats, carvings relate iconographically to court hearings and symbolically indicate the cardinal virtues of temperance, strength, justice and prudence.

In the period from 1628 to 1630, 73 people were charged with sorcery and all of the accused were executed. The names of the victims have been handed down.

Altars

High altar

On the high altar stands a painted grand piano , it dates from around 1600 and is signed Johann tom Ring . The panels depict scenes from the childhood story of Jesus, namely the Annunciation, the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, Christmas and the presentation in the temple on the wings, and the Adoration by the Three Magi on the central picture.

Holy cross with cibory altar

Ciborian altar
Votive picture at the holy cross, the son was run over by the wagon and recovered

Until the Reformation, the so-called Holy Cross of Werl was venerated in the church for centuries . It was the central sanctuary of the Church and was considered to be miraculous. The cross was first mentioned on January 5, 1370; the body, however, dates from the 13th century. Because of the capsule with a particle of the cross of Jesus inserted in the chest, it was a point of attraction for many pilgrims and at the same time also a carrier of the church's wealth. The money raised was administered by municipal provisional officers of the Holy Cross .

It was destroyed along with the rest of the facility in the Truchseßschen turmoil in 1583. At this time, the Archbishop of Cologne , Gebhard Truchsess , who had converted to Protestantism , fled from Waldburg to Werl to seek protection in his castle there. The destroyed Holy Cross was found in the attic of the church in 1938 and after a restoration in 1953 it was put up again at the old location, the extraordinary ciboric altar built from sandstone at the end of the 14th century . An octagonal structure rises above three large profiled arches. It is richly decorated with finials, pinnacles and crabs. The sides are closed by wrought iron bars with a lily ribbon. The cross is on the back wall, it was restored in 1953, arms and legs were added. A painted enthroned God the Father as well as assistance figures from around 1420 were exposed in 1867 and restored in 1967. In this combination, the group can be interpreted as both a crucifixion and a mercy seat . On the cafeteria there are two bronze candlesticks with lions sitting on their feet, from the 15th century.

The only remnant of the veneration of the cross is a votive tablet that is located next to the altar. She tells of the miraculous healing of a child who was run over by a dung truck.

Pea salt altar

The Erbsälzer have largely determined the fate of the city of Werl since the Middle Ages . The original altar was donated in 1485 and destroyed during the iconoclasm. Like the successor altar, it was consecrated to St. Mary, the Archangel Michael, and St. Catherine and Caecilia. The so-called Erbsälzeraltar was made in 1594, it was donated in 1583/1584 for a previous altar. The version was renewed in 1934. The family symbols carved in stone on the predella above the altar table bear, with two exceptions, the coat of arms, the pan piston as a commercial symbol. A relief with the crucified Christ, between representatives of the New and Old Covenants, was placed between dividing columns . Text panels flanked by saints explain the scenery. The rich gable bears the coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire German nation with the double-headed eagle and above it a figure of Christ with the globe.

Rosary altar

Rosary altar
Altar of the Kaland Brothers

The altar made of marbled wood in 1631 is attributable to Gerhard Gröninger. In the transition style from Renaissance to Baroque, it shows a Madonna , surrounded by angels making music . Three rosaries are wrapped around them with medallions depicting the 15 secrets . The representation of the secrets of the rosary also served as a teaching image, with the help of which the statements of the church were presented to the population. Representatives of the secular and clerical classes kneel in front of the altar. The altar is divided by columns and richly decorated. The representation of the Mother of God appears motherly; Jesus sits childlike on her arm and tries to reach for the rose that Mary is holding out to him. A diagonal connects the faces of mother and child to underline the motherly love. In order to relate to the secrets of the Rosary, Mary gives a thoughtful look. The altar was built during the Thirty Years' War, although the then approximately 2,500 inhabitants of the city suffered economic hardship. Shortly beforehand, the city had paid the Duke Christian von Braunschweig 3,000 Reichstaler in redemption in order to avoid the destruction. In the following winter, 7,000 soldiers of the imperial reserve army came to the city area and had to be fed. Further weather disasters and outbreaks of the plague continued to worsen the financial situation. In order to put an end to this bad situation, a Rosary Brotherhood was founded, which by imploring the Blessed Mother Mary should make her allies and encourage her to help in ending the emergency situation. The altar, over ten meters high, should also help. He was endowed with an image of the secular and spiritual rulers who appear supplicants at the feet of Mary. In addition, the members of the Rosary Brotherhood were obliged to pray three rosaries a week and three times five Our Father's prayer. In the period from 1547 to 1577 the population was biconfessional and converted to Calvinism from 1583 to 1584. The Archbishop of Cologne recaptured the area in 1584 and re-Catholicized it as part of a reform. The foundation of the rosary altar was able to demonstrate to the sovereign that one was fully behind his measures through the devotion to Mary. The altar was the first joint project of the guilds of the salt cookers, the arable farmers and the bakers, who often disagreed in the past. This gave them an opportunity to end their inner-city conflicts and to find a common identity on a religious level. The tradition of Mary's function as a helper in pacifying competing, fighting social groups has been known since late antiquity . At the same time, according to the understanding of the time, Mary should also help after death in the afterlife and protect against a long stay in purgatory or even hell. This is underpinned by the prayer, Hail Mary . The people believed that by making advance payments through foundations and prayers, they could move the saints to fulfill their requests.

Altar of the Kaland Brothers

In 1956 the so-called rifle altar was renovated in the provost church of St. Walburga. After younger layers of paint had been removed from the base above the predella , an inscription painted in dark color became visible. The year has not been deciphered with absolute certainty and is probably 1620. Underneath, the words Fraternitas Calendarium can be read; thus the altar is not, as has been assumed for over a hundred years, the rifleman, but the Kaland altar . In a traditional festival calendar from the 17th century, an altar by the Kalandsbrüder to St. Appolonia mentioned.

The altar is a work by Gerhard Gröninger. It is divided into two floors. The framing appears strict and clear. The birth of Jesus is shown in two half-relief representations. The gable is crowned by a figure of St. Sebastian. The colored figures are flanked by columns. As can be seen from the inscriptions, the figures of Judas Makabäus and Appolonia stood to the right and left of the worship relief.

Calvary representation

Calvary representation

The group is on the west wall of the cruise ship. It was created in 1525 by Evert van Roden . The work in late Gothic style is 5.15 m high and made of Baumberger sandstone. Adam is buried at the feet of Jesus, Mary Magdalene kneels before the cross . Jesus wears a heavy crown of thorns, his mouth is slightly open. Bones, lizards and snakes lie under the crosses of the two thieves crucified with them . This is supposed to represent death and decay. The group stood outside the church until 1930. The version was renewed after 1900.

pulpit

Matthias Möseler's pulpit

The pulpit is attached to the first north pillar in the central nave. It was donated in 1668 by the Sälzer family Brandis . The family coat of arms is attached to the foot. The carved evangelist figures in the pulpit are in a baroque style. The pulpit is attributed to Matthias Möseler. The evangelists Mark and Luke were replaced in the 19th century.

Sacrament niche

The sacrament niche is on the north wall of the choir. The just closed, crowning tower and the tympanum field under the keel arch show fish bubble tracery from the early 15th century. The original wooden door in front of the Holy of Holies, with original Gothic iron fittings and the old lock has been preserved. The two foliage-decorated consoles above the door are empty, the figures belonging to them have not survived.

Prayer inscription

There is a prayer inscription on the last column of the central nave. This was painted in Middle Low German by an unknown master in the early 14th century at a height of 2.30 m: AVE + GHE + BBENNDIDE + JESV + CHRYSTVM + MARIEN ZVNNE + IK + GHRVETE + DI + WARRE + GOT + VNDE + EWEGHS + LEYFEN + VOR + BARME + OIK + OVR + MI + ARMEN + SVENDIGEN + MENNCEN . Translated: Ave, blessed Jesus Christ, Son of Mary, I greet you true God and eternal life. Have mercy on me, poor sinful people.

organ

The organ

This is an organ built in 1911 and expanded in 1964 by the organ builder Stockmann from Werl. 52 registers are distributed over four manuals and a pedal unit. 24 are still the original ones, 9 are still partially preserved and have been restored. After the implementation and modernization in 1931, the organ is located in front of the western end wall of the north aisle. The prospectus was built in the late Gothic style. The organ is particularly suitable for playing romantic, expressionistic and impressionistic organ music. In the course of the church renovation, the organ was thoroughly renovated in 2014/15 by the organ builder Stockmann from Werl.

Church treasure

The church has a number of chalices, paraments and other liturgical implements. For the most part, these were donated by the families of the Erbsälzer. The radiation monstrance is outstanding. It was made in 1763 by Johann Christian Reinhard from Augsburg. The coats of arms of von Papen and von Mellin are attached to the foot . The salters Wilhelm Christian von Papen and Christine Elisabeth von Mellin donated the monstrance.

Other equipment

  • On the south wall of the tower there is a late Gothic stone relief depicting the Gregorius Mass, first quarter of the 15th century.
  • An octagonal Romanesque baptismal font; the base and the rococo frame are marked 1776.
  • In the south wall of the choir there is a three-part Levite seat with tracery made of sandstone from the second half of the 14th century.
  • In the south wall of the choir there are three Gothic bases and canopies with the neo-Gothic statues of St. Walburga, St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph.
  • In the central nave hangs a neo-Gothic Madonna in a halo.
  • A 17th century painting by Arnold Barels shows the martyrdom of St. Cecilia.
  • A lying lion from the twelfth century, made of sandstone, holds a human figure between the front paws, it was probably originally attached to a portal as a corbel.
  • The Way of the Cross consists of 14 stations, they were made using the enamel technique with gold-plated frames. The work was carried out in the Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach.
  • A carved Pietà from around 1600, attributed to Gerhard Gröninger.
  • A painted epitaph with St. Michael, inscribed 1776
  • A painted epitaph depicting the death of St. Joseph is marked 1779.
  • An epitaph for the notary Bortrop shows Christ crucified in sandstone in a Renaissance frame. It was created around 1570.
  • The green sandstone capital fragment with mask and cross probably comes from the west building of the twelfth century church.
  • The bronze chandelier from 1657 was decorated with the coat of arms of the Erbsälzer and is crowned with a Maria
  • A Pieta by the Werler sculptor August Wäscher is placed on the western outer wall of the old choir.

Peal

A bronze bell hangs in the tower, consisting of seven bells:

  1. From the year 1700 the citizen bell , tone a 0 , 2340 kg, diameter 1630 mm, bell founder : Bernard Wilhelm Stule.
  2. The redeemer bell from 1984 , tone c 1 , 2120 kg, diameter 1495 mm, bell founder: Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock, Gescher.
  3. The prayer bell from 1495 , tone d 1 , 1480 kg, diameter 1327 mm, bell founder: Herman Vogel.
  4. From 1984 the Holy Cross bell , tone e 1 , 1025 kg, diameter 1166 mm, bell founder: Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock, Gescher.
  5. From 1984 an unnamed bell, tone f 1 , 882 kg, diameter 1090 mm, bell founder: Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock, Gescher.
  6. The shooting bell from 1984 , tone g 1 , 693 kg, diameter 995 mm, bell founder: Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock, Gescher.
  7. From 1984 the Erbsälzerglocke , tone a 1 , 571 kg, diameter 915 mm, bell founder: Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock, Gescher.

In the roof turret , a three-part Zimbelgeläute depends

  1. The small measuring bell from 1480 , tone f sharp 2 , 141 kg, diameter 580 mm, bell founder: Johan Desosato.
  2. An unnamed bell from 1997, tone h 2 , 90 kg, diameter 490 mm, bell founder: Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock, Gescher.
  3. From 1997 an unnamed bell, tone d 3 , 55 kg, diameter 400 mm, bell founder: Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock, Gescher.

Views

  • Werl, market square around 1880, drawing by Adolf Stampfer.jpg

  • Pulpit and altars

  • Pietà by Gerhard Gröninger, from around 1600

  • Reliquary Shrine, St. Walburga

  • Stone relief depicting the Gregorius Mass

  • Pietà on the outer wall, created by August Wäscher

  • Outside area, Walburga figure

literature

  • Heinrich Hanewinkel: Catholic provost church St. Walburga Werl. Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg 1997, ISBN 3-7954-4056-4 .
  • Ursula Quednau (edit.): Dehio-Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, North Rhine-Westphalia II: Westphalia. Deutscher Kunstverlag , Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , pp. 1169–1171.
  • Amalie Rohrer , Hans Jürgen Zacher (Ed.): Werl. History of a Westphalian city. Volume 1, Bonifatius Verlag, Paderborn 1994, ISBN 3-87088-844-X .
  • Theodor Arens, Stanislaus Kandula, Roman Mensing: Baroque in the Archdiocese of Paderborn. Bonifatius Verlag Paderborn 2001, ISBN 3-89710-495-4 .
  • Ludger Tewes : A treasure trove of 400 old books. The Wedinghausano-Werlensis library of the St. Walburga Propstei in Werl , in: Werl yesterday this morning 3 1986, pp. 93–96.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Description
  2. ↑ Affiliation
  3. ↑ Amalie Rohrer, Hans Jürgen Zacher (ed.): Werl. History of a Westphalian city. Volume 1, Bonifatius Verlag, Paderborn 1994, ISBN 3-87088-844-X , p. 202.
  4. ↑ Premonstratensian
  5. ↑ Previous building
  6. ↑ Tower and westwork
  7. ↑ helmutvoss.de  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.helmutvoss.de  
  8. ↑ Ursula Quednau (arrangement): Dehio-Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, North Rhine-Westphalia II: Westphalia. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , pp. 1169–1171.
  9. ↑ Structure of the outer walls
  10. ↑ Amalie Rohrer, Hans Jürgen Zacher (ed.): Werl. History of a Westphalian city. Volume 1, Bonifatius Verlag, Paderborn 1994, ISBN 3-87088-844-X , p. 271.
  11. ↑ Jurisdiction
  12. ↑ a b Ursula Quednau (edit.): Dehio-Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, North Rhine-Westphalia II: Westphalia. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , p. 1171.
  13. ^ Werner Kohn witch hunt in Werl in Werl City Yearbook 1990.
  14. ↑ Witch Chase
  15. ↑ a b c d e f Ursula Quednau (arrangement): Dehio-Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, North Rhine-Westphalia II: Westphalia. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , p. 1170.
  16. ^ A b c Rudolf Fidler: Rosary Altar and Stake - On the relationship between the veneration of Mary and the persecution of witches. Scientific report, March 2003, pp. 249–267.
  17. ^ Rudolf Preising : The Werler Kaland and its members. A look at the social stratification of the Werl bourgeoisie in past centuries. Writings of the City of Werl, Series A, Historically Scientific Articles, Issue 3, Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1958, DNB 453841341
  18. ^ Heinrich Josef Deisting: Master Matthias Möseler (approx. 1630-1700), a Styrian carver in Hüsten in: Südwestfalenarchiv. State history in the former Electoral Cologne Duchy of Westphalia and the County of Mark, Volume 1, Arnsberg 2001, p. 142
  19. ↑ Amalie Rohrer, Hans Jürgen Zacher (ed.): Werl. History of a Westphalian city. Volume 1, Bonifatius Verlag, Paderborn 1994, ISBN 3-87088-844-X , p. 272.
  20. ↑ Organ
  21. ↑ Ursula Quednau (arrangement): Dehio-Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, North Rhine-Westphalia II: Westphalia. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , p. 1169.
  22. ↑ Way of the Cross

Coordinates: 51 ° 33 ′ 9 ″  N , 7 ° 54 ′ 49.3 ″  E