St Martin-in-the-Fields
The Anglican Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields stands at Trafalgar Square in London . It was built between 1721 and 1726 according to the plans of the architect James Gibbs and consecrated to Martin von Tours . The shape of the facade with a tower integrated into the portico was considered an architectural novelty at the time and was heavily criticized. It was later often imitated, especially in the United States .
Building history
The previous medieval building, first mentioned in 1222, was literally "in the fields" between the cities of Westminster and London until the 16th century . Rebuilt and expanded in 1542 and 1607, also spared the Great Fire of London , the church was only built from scratch after the Parliament in 1711 in the "Act of the 50 New Churches" ensured an acceleration of sacred building activity in the rapidly growing city would have. The architect James Gibbs designed the church, built in Portlandstein between March 1722 and December 1724 , which was still surrounded by dense buildings into the 19th century and only opened to the then newly laid out Trafalgar Square after 1820 . The construction cost was £ 33,661 including the architect's fee.
The main work of the Scottish architect not only influenced church architecture in London in the first half of the 18th century, but also became exemplary throughout the Anglo-Saxon world.
architecture
The architectural idea can be seen most clearly in the preserved model of the church: the rectangular nave merges into the equally dimensioned tower house, which is marked on the outside of the longitudinal walls, as is the choir area, by double column positions. As in other buildings, Gibbs has framed the two-story windows with cuboids because of the galleries.
The combination of the bell tower with the monumental gabled vestibule in the form of an ancient temple is the most important feature of this widely imitated building. The gable profile continues over the entire length of the roof, although this does not appear due to the balustrades on the eaves.
The brightly lit interior is divided into five bays and three naves by slender Corinthian columns . It is vaulted by a barrel decorated with white stucco reliefs , made by the Ticino plasterers Giuseppe Artari and Giovanni Bagutti. The sparse gold decoration is concentrated on the sanctuary , the choir just closed is windowed through by a serliana and is flanked by boxes for the royal family and the admiralty.
Monarchs, admirals and poor people
Traditionally, this church in London has two functions:
- It is the Royal Church of London as the nearby Buckingham Palace is part of the parish of St Martin.
- St Martin's is a church of the Admiralty , which is why at official functions of the British fleet to the church White Ensign is hoisted, the British Seekriegsflagge .
Furthermore, in October, St Martin is the annual meeting place for the Pearlies (market people from the East End whose hallmark is a kind of uniform decorated with mother-of-pearl buttons and who collect for charitable purposes). Here they choose their chairpersons ("Pearly King & Pearly Queen").
William Hogarth , Thomas Chippendale and Joshua Reynolds , among others, are buried in St Martin-in-the-Fields .
Since Dick Sheppard's tenure as Vicar of St Martin (1914–1927), this church has been an important meeting point for the poor and homeless.
Others
Concerts are often held in the church ; the orchestras performing there include u. a. the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and New Trinity Baroque from the USA . In the crypt one has cafe set up in the sometimes jazz groups occur.
organ
The St Martin organ was built in 1990 by organ builder JW Walker & Sons. She has 48 registers on three manuals and pedal and was as a concert instrument in the French romantic scheduled . The Spieltrakturen are mechanically, the Registertrakturen electrically, the coupling selectively mechanically and electrically. The organ is equipped with an electronic composer system.
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- Coupling : I / II, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ The church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields: Description , in: Survey of London: Volume 20, part III: Trafalgar Square & Neighborhood. London County Council, London 1940. p. 22. Also digital .
- ↑ More information on the organ ( Memento of the original from August 29, 2011 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. (English)
literature
- Heinfried Wischermann: London , Stuttgart 1985, pp. 394-395 (with floor plan).
- Gater, GH; Hiorns, FR, (Ed.): Survey of London: Volume 20: St Martin-in-the-Fields , part III: Trafalgar Square & Neighborhood. London County Council, London 1940. pp. 31-54, 128. Also digital .
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 32 " N , 0 ° 7 ′ 37" W.