Transfiguration of Christ (Feldberg)
The Church of the Transfiguration of Christ , often simply called the Feldberg Church, on the Feldberg at 1245 meters above sea level, was the highest parish church in Germany at the time of construction . It belongs to the Catholic pastoral care unit Eastern Black Forest and is located within the extensive municipality of Feldberg (Black Forest) on the Feldberg-Ort district, a little north of the federal road 317 and just a little east of the Feldberg pass .
history
The church was designed by the architect Rainer Disse , whose 1961 competition design won first prize. Construction began in 1962; the foundation stone was laid in 1963 and the church was consecrated by Archbishop Hermann Schäufele on August 28, 1965 . Before that, the Catholics of Feldberg-Ort and the holiday guests had celebrated church services in the chapel “Maria Rast” from 1889 at the nearby hotel “Feldberger Hof”, later in the Herz-Jesu-Kapelle from 1925 at the “Caritas-Haus”.
The patronage for this mountain church is taken from the New Testament: the transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor , when only three disciples were present and Peter said: Lord, it is good that we are here. If you want, I'll build three huts here. (Mt 17.4)
In 1971 and 1981, large masses of snow caused damage to the structure: in 1971, several panes burst due to high snow pressure, and on December 26, 1981, during the service, an almost four-meter-high wet snow load crushed the roof. This damage was then completely repaired.
The church with 250 seats is no longer fully occupied, since 2011 services have only been celebrated at longer intervals. In addition, the extreme location causes high costs for the maintenance of the structure.
description
The square church building with a side length of 30 meters is covered by a cantilevered roof that extends to the ground on the other side, which on the one hand evokes the deeply drawn roof of the Black Forest house, on the other hand protrudes south into the landscape like a ship's bow. Here, on the entrance side, there is a wide terrace. In the north corner, on the mountain side, is the altar.
The pointed tower rises above the north corner, which is only formed by two triangular concrete slabs at right angles to each other, in which three individual bell houses are hung. The three bells were cast by Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling in Heidelberg in 1965/66 and bear the names of the three apostles who accompanied Jesus to Mount Tabor.
| Surname | diameter | Dimensions | Chime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter | 2133 mm | 6856 kg | g 0 |
| James | 1774 mm | 3917 kg | b 0 |
| John | 1566 mm | 2644 kg | c 1 |
The painter Carl Heinz Wienert created the generous glazing on the south side, in which lead glass surfaces in red and blue tones alternate with surfaces made of clear glass. The altar was created in collaboration with the Black Forest sculptor Franz Gutmann, who also created the other furnishings (church doors and tabernacles, lectern, Easter candlesticks, altar candlesticks and baptismal font). Two old works of art are the cross in the chancel, created in Graubünden at the end of the 14th century, and a Madonna and Child from the 17th century. An organ from the Johannes Klais Orgelbau workshop was built in 1969 on the gallery in the south corner of the church.
Web links
- Website of the pastoral care unit for the Feldberg Church
- Karin Berkemann: It's not a fir tree . The Church of the Transfiguration of Christ on the Feldberg, on the website "Strasse der Moderne - Churches in Germany"
- Kerstin Deubel: The Church of the Transfiguration of Christ , on the website outdooractive.com
- Information on the Feldberg Church
Coordinates: 47 ° 51 '26.07 " N , 8 ° 2' 13.69" E