Church of the Dead (Neckarbischofsheim)
The parish church of St. Johann, known as the Church of the Dead, in Neckarbischofsheim in the Rhein-Neckar district in northern Baden-Württemberg , has been the original parish church of the village since the 14th century . It got its common name today because of the numerous historical tombs of the Lords of Helmstatt , whose main line was based in Neckarbischofsheim. Because of its numerous grave monuments, the church is one of the most important cultural monuments of the Kraichgau .
history
Today's Church of the Dead in Neckarbischofsheim was first mentioned as a parish church in 1330 on the occasion of the confirmation of an exchange of goods and rights between Raban I von Helmstatt and the diocese of Worms in the previous year . In the course of this exchange, the patronage right of the church against five courtyards in Grombach and the Oberbiegelhof went to the Bishop of Worms. The church was originally consecrated to John the Baptist and at the time of the exchange had existed since the time of the " ancestors ". The oldest parts of the church show elements of late Romanesque style , which is why the church was probably built in the 11th or 12th century. In 1348 the right of patronage passed to the Wimpfen monastery . The church was originally smaller and has been rebuilt several times. By means of dendrochronological studies, timbers in the roof structure could be dated to 1364 and 1405. The church was once surrounded by the cemetery. A vaulted sacristy was built to the south , in front of which remains of the foundations are still visible. In the cemetery there was an ossuary mentioned in 1552/53 and 1598 , the exact location of which is no longer known.
The frieze-like choir paintings, which show scenes from the creation story of the Old Testament on the north side , while New Testament scenes from the life of Jesus are depicted on the south side , were probably made between 1350 and 1375 . The painting was probably done by monks from Wimpfener Stift. The paintings in the nave are a little younger.
There is evidence that since the middle of the 14th century the church served as the grave church of the Lords of Helmstatt, whose most important line was to Bischofsheim. The aristocrats were buried in or near the church, their graves covered with stone tombstones. Ornate grave monuments ( epitaphs ) were also put up showing the deceased as life-size sandstone sculptures. The oldest grave slabs are those of Raban II († 1343) and Dieter († 1344). In total there are over 40 historical tombs in and on the church.
In the 15th century the choir was redesigned and got its Gothic windows. The purpose of the choir renovation was possibly the creation of a first crypt in the choir area, which, in addition to written mentions around 1700, is also indicated by the extraordinary depth of the foundation in the choir area of over 3 meters. Before 1575, the sacristy facing south was demolished, as the first burial in the "broken sacristy" is recorded for a child who died on January 1, 1575. From 1593 to 1595, the nave was extended and the gallery moved in.
The lords of Helmstatt, who were inclined to the Reformation early on , reformed Neckarbischofsheim around 1525, after which the place, apart from the local Jewish community , remained almost entirely Protestant until the 19th century. In the 17th century the Johanneskirche lost its importance as a parish church in favor of the Neckarbischofsheimer Stadtkirche St. Salvator, which was completed in 1612 . In 1604 the Johanneskirche is still referred to as the parish church, in 1660 it is referred to as the “outer parish church”, so that at that time both churches could have been parish churches, in 1698 the church is referred to as the “death church” for the first time and the town church of St. Salvator appears to have become the only parish church.
In 1769 Carl Christoph von Helmstatt († 1795) created a new crypt in which the members of the von Helmstatt family were buried until the middle of the 19th century. After the cemetery around the church had become too small for the place, a new cemetery was created on the outskirts in 1860. The von Helmstatt family bought 15 grave sites there and had the Helmstatt Chapel built there around 1890 . After the construction of the new cemetery, there were no more burials in the church for the time being.
After a Catholic community had developed, the Church of the Dead was used for Catholic services from the 1840s until the construction of the Catholic Church Maria Königin in 1955. During this time, the overpainted frescoes of the church were rediscovered in 1908 and restored in 1910/11.
When it became clear around 1960 that the von Helmstatt family would die out, the family members buried in the new cemetery were reburied in the crypt under the Church of the Dead. The last family members found their final rest there after their death. The last burial in the Church of the Dead took place in 1966.
From 1973 to 1975 the church was extensively renovated, including the reconstruction of the window on the north side, which was rebuilt in the 19th century, based on a drawing from 1832. Friedrich Weigle built the organ in 1975 , the instrument has four registers .
From 2007 to 2011 the church was again extensively renovated. One focus was the preservation of the 24 historical grave monuments outside, tombs inside as well as the building itself were also preserved.
description
architecture
The Totenkirche is a single-aisled hall church with a rectangular choir built to the east . Both the nave and the ship are covered by a gable roof . In the transition between the two roofs, a roof turret is placed as a bell tower. The choir has two tracery windows , while the nave is illuminated by narrow rectangular window niches, which also show tracery occasionally with inserted three-pass windows . A balcony-like and roofed outer pulpit is built into the east-facing choir gable.
A flat wooden ceiling is drawn into the interior of the nave, and the choir, which is accessed through a wide triumphal arch, has a wooden barrel vault . A wooden single-storey gallery runs around the west and south walls of the nave .
Funerary monuments
The grave monuments of the Church of the Dead are partly tombstones and tombstones, partly also epitaphs . Most of them are grave monuments of the lords of Helmstatt, due to the origin of their wives or the marriage of their daughters in these families, the names and coats of arms of the lords of Neipperg , Landschad von Steinach , lords of Hirschhorn , lords of Venningen and other noble families can be found. The oldest tombs date from the 14th century and are still labeled in Latin, beginning with the tomb of Eberhard von Helmstatt († 1427), the labels are then in German. Some of the grave slabs that used to lie on the floor of the choir or the nave are heavily worn, the ones that used to stand outside are partly badly weathered, while the epitaphs that have always been placed inside are better preserved.
The artistically most demanding epitaphs are on the choir walls, above all on the south wall the largest, four-meter-high epitaph of Johann Philipp von Helmstatt (1545–1594) and his two wives, which came from the workshop of the Heilbronn sculptor Jakob Müller in the late 16th century. Century; the people are depicted here in a life-size form. On the opposite north wall of the choir, there are more life-size sculptures of Philipp von Helmstatt (1496–1563) and his first wife, as well as Christoph von Helmstatt († 1578). The three-meter-high epitaph for Weiprecht I († 1408) on the north wall of the nave is of outstanding importance and shows - again in life size - the city founder of Bischofsheim under a Gothic canopy with allegorical figures, namely with a dog and a lion as a sign of loyalty and strength.
In the interior are the grave slabs and epitaphs for the following people:
- Agnes Philippina von Helmstatt zu Helmstadt († 1632), daughter of Peter von Helmstatt (tombstone, red sandstone)
- Heinrich von Helmstatt zu Helmstadt (1553–1627) (tombstone, gray sandstone)
- Walburga, b. von Neipperg († 1604), first wife of Pleickard I von Helmstatt zu Hinsingen (tombstone, gray sandstone)
- Magdalena, b. Hiltmarin († 1429), Mrs. Weiprechts IV. (Tombstone, gray sandstone)
- Hans I von Helmstatt († 1422), son of Weiprecht I (grave slab, gray sandstone)
- Dieter von Helmstatt († 1344), son of Raban I (grave slab, gray sandstone)
- Raban II of Helmstatt († 1343), son of Raban I (grave slab, yellow sandstone)
- Reinhard the Elder J. von Helmstatt († 1404), youngest son of Weiprecht I (grave slab, gray sandstone)
- Johann Philipp von Helmstatt (1545–1594) (epitaph, gray sandstone)
- Agnes, b. Landschadin von Steinach († 1580), first wife Johann Philipps von Helmstatt (epitaph, gray sandstone)
- Dorothea, b. Landschadin von Steinach († 1606), second wife Johann Philipps von Helmstatt (epitaph, gray sandstone)
- Christoph von Helmstatt († 1578) (epitaph made of gray sandstone, his tombstone also preserved)
- Philipp von Helmstatt zu Grumbach (1496–1563) (epitaph made of gray sandstone and grave slab)
- Margaretha, b. von Neipperg (1500–1547), first wife of Philip von Helmstatt zu Grumbach (epitaph, also preserved gravestone made of gray sandstone)
- Johann Adam († 1605), Philipp Ludwig († 1617), Maria Agnes († 1619), children of Ludwig Carl von Helmstatt and Agatha Maria von Helmstatt (children's epitaph, sandstone)
- Anna Felicitas († 1630) and Johann Carlin († 1631), children of Ludwig Carl von Helmstatt and Anna Wilhelmina von Eltz (children's epitaph made of yellow sandstone, their gravestone has also been preserved)
- Hans Adam von Venningen († 1601), six-year-old son of Wilhelm von Venningen and Helena von Helmstatt (epitaph made of yellow sandstone, a small grave slab has also been preserved)
- Possibly a daughter of Johann Philipps von Helmstatt († around 1600) (children's epitaph, Keupersandstein)
- Salome von Helmstatt († 1591), daughter of Philipp von Helmstatt (tombstone, gray sandstone)
- Agatha Maria von Helmstatt († 1619), first wife of Ludwig Carl von Helmstatt (tombstone, gray sandstone)
- Agatha, b. von Massenbach († 1604), widow of Adam von Helmstatt and mother Agatha Marias (tombstone, gray sandstone)
- Helena von Eltz, b. von Seckendorf († 1624), mother of Anna Wilhelmina von Eltz (epitaph, gray sandstone)
- Weiprecht I. von Helmstatt († 1408) (epitaph made of Keupersandstone)
- Weiprecht IV. Von Helmstatt († 1445) and second wife Anna von Hirschhorn († 1442) (tombstone made of red marble)
- Eberhard von Helmstatt († 1427), son of Hans I (tombstone fragment made of gray sandstone)
- Ludwig Carl von Helmstatt (1578–1632), son of Johann Philipps von Helmstatt (gravestone made of gray sandstone)
Weiprecht I. (1343–1408), epitaph on the north wall
Philipp von Helmstatt (1496–1563), epitaph on the north wall of the choir
Margarete von Neipperg (1500–1547), wife of Philipp von Helmstatt
Epitaph of Johann Philipp von Helmstatt (1545–1594)
Agnes Landschadin von Steinach († 1580)
Dorothea Landschadin von Steinach († 1606)
Epitaph of Christoph von Helmstatt († 1578)
Gravestone of Ludwig Carl von Helmstatt (1578–1632)
Children's epitaph from the 17th century
Children's epitaph
Children's epitaph
Epitaph Hans Adam von Venningen († 1601)
The grave monuments of the following people are located outside the church:
- Helena, née von Morsheim († around 1600) (tombstone made of red sandstone)
- August Raban von Helmstatt (1776–1842) (epitaph)
- Johann Philipp von Helmstatt (1545–1594) (gravestone made of gray sandstone)
- Georg Philipp von Helmstatt († 1619) (tombstone fragment, yellow sandstone)
- Weiprecht II of Helmstatt († 1421) (grave slab made of red sandstone)
- Anna Adelheid, b. von Ehrenberg († 1377), wife of Raban III. (Grave slab made of yellow sandstone)
- Raban III. von Helmstatt († 1393), son of Raban II (tombstone made of yellow sandstone)
- Weiprecht III. von Helmstatt († 1478) and Getze von Werberg († 1465) (grave slab made of yellow sandstone)
- Raban I (d. J.) von Helmstatt († 1344), father of Rabans II. And Dieter (tombstone made of yellow sandstone)
- Sibylla Landschadin von Steinach († 1577), sister-in-law of Johann Philipp von Helmstatt (grave slab made of yellow sandstone)
- Agnes, b. Landschadin von Steinach († 1580), first wife Johann Philipps von Helmstatt (tombstone made of yellow sandstone)
- Sara von Helmstatt (1542–1616), wife of Heinrich von Helmstatt (tombstone made of yellow sandstone)
- Christoph von Helmstatt († 1578) (tombstone made of sandstone)
- Wolfgang Heinrich von Helmstatt (1681–1720) (tombstone)
- Carl Valentin von Helmstatt (1647–1702) (grave slab)
- Pleickard Maximilian Augustin von Helmstatt (1728–1802) (grave slab)
- Juliana Charlotta b. Tritschler von Falkenstein (1690–1761), wife of Wolfgang Heinrichs von Helmstatt (tombstone)
- Anna, born von Neipperg († 1415), Mrs. Weiprechts I (tombstone fragment made of red sandstone)
In addition, the tomb of the doctor Rudolf Schlick († 1596), a no longer legible tombstone probably belonging to a nobleman on the outer west wall and four tombstones from the 17th and 18th centuries of civil origin on the southern outer wall have been preserved in the Church of the Dead.
Raban III. from Helmstatt
Helena von Morsheim
Sara from Helmstatt
Wolfgang Heinrich von Helmstatt
Carl Valentin von Helmstatt
Julia Charlotta, b. Tritschler from Falkenstein
August Raban from Helmstatt
Bleickard Maximilian von Helmstatt
Frescoes
Judging by the existing fragments, the whole church was once brightly painted. Large parts of the frescoes were lost as a result of renovation work, especially the installation and attachment of the numerous grave monuments. The remains of the wall paintings, which had been painted over over time, were rediscovered in 1908 and restored in 1910/11.
The choirs were created between 1350 and 1375 and show scenes from the creation story of the Old Testament on the north side , while New Testament scenes from the life of Jesus are depicted on the south side , including the Lord's Supper , Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and Jesus with the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane. It is believed that there was once a representation of the church patron Johannes in the choir.
The inside of the choir arch is painted with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins , the outside shows a fragment of the entry of the virgins into heaven.
The nave, which was probably painted a little later than the choir, shows a large depiction of St. Christopher on the north wall and numerous other smaller depictions of saints in the window reveals, including St. Catherine, Elisabeth, Maria Ägyptiaca and Wolfgang.
Detail from the south wall of the choir: Last Supper
Detail from the south wall of the choir: Jew with a Jew hat
Detail from the north wall of the choir: Adam and Eve
Detail from the nave side of the choir arch
Bell jar
The bell in the bell tower bears the inscription "M + CCC + LXVI" and should therefore have been from 1366. However, in Altensteig near Calw a bell from the year 1467 is known from the same workshop, from this and from the letter position of the Neckarbischofsheimer bell dating it is concluded that the lettering is a casting error and the bell was only cast in 1466.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Funding report 2007 of the Monument Foundation Baden-Württemberg , page 3.
- ↑ Funding report of the Denkmalstiftung Baden-Württemberg ( 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. (PDF file; 1.6 MB)
literature
- Peter Beisel: The old parish church of St. Johann . In Neckarbischofsheim 988-1988 , ed. from the Association for Home Care, Neckarbischofsheim 1988
- Peter Beisel: The old parish church of St. Johann ("Totenkirche") in Neckarbischofsheim - a gem in the northern Kraichgau . In Kraichgau - Contributions to landscape and local research , Volume 20, 2007, pp. 155–161.
- Hermann Stein with Arnold Scheuerbrand: Origin and history of the (Neckar-) Bischofsheimer main line of the Lords of Helmstatt - their tombs and their buildings , Heimatverein Kraichgau , Bretten 2005
- Martin Kares, Michael Kaufmann, Godehard Weithoff: Organ guide Rhein-Neckar-Kreis . Heidelberg 2001, ISBN 3-932102-07-X .
Web links
- Heimatbuch contribution by Peter Beisel ( Memento from August 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 49 ° 17 ′ 39.7 " N , 8 ° 57 ′ 36.7" E