To the Holy Spirit (Grafengehaig)

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Fortified church Grafengehaig
Church interior
Defense tower with half-timbering
Cemetery with gate tower to the market
Sacristan's house
Parts of the defense system from the north
Tomb of those von Wildenstein 1636

The fortified church of the Holy Spirit stands in the center of Grafengehaig ( Bavaria ). It is one of the best-preserved and oldest fortified churches in Germany . The remote location of Grafengehaig, the deep valleys and steep slopes as well as the height of the village may have contributed to this. The church is included in the list of fortified churches and fortified churches.

Creation dates

The historical beginnings of Grafengehaig are likely to be around the first millennium. This was also associated with the construction of settlements on the market and the construction of churches at the current location.

  • 11./12. Probably the first chapel was built in the 19th century, little settlement
  • 13th century construction of the first church to be destroyed by fire, moderate settlement
  • 14th century construction of the second church, considerable boom in settlement construction
  • 15th century construction of the third, today's church, parts of the second church have been preserved, further boom in settlement construction

Church interior, design

The fortified church has the basic shape of its current shape from a solid structure from 1448. Parts of the nave core masonry are on the remains of a system from the 13th / 14th centuries. Century. The hall has three aisles, four mighty round pillars support the vault .

  • 1448 solid construction of today's church
  • 1450 Installation of the sacrament house
  • In 1507 a renewal of the nave was attested, the stair tower construction and the mighty main tower also date from this time
  • 1520 The octagonal Gothic pulpit is installed
  • In 1532 a valuable wooden crucifix was described on the pulpit wall
  • In 1636 grave monuments of those von Wildenstein were attached
  • The painting of the interior of the church was mentioned for the first time in 1652
  • 1678 reworking of the originally round font into an octagonal shape
  • In 1767 the altar was erected in the choir room

Weir systems, church surroundings

The fortifications were probably built as a result of the Hussite riots in 1455 and also served as a fortification for the cemetery. They originally comprised four gateways, which were oriented towards the four cardinal points. The gate access to the south on the market, which was renewed in 1732, is the only one that has survived. The still existing defensive wall system stretches from east to south to west, where the sacristan's house forms its end. This was built as a schoolhouse around 1640 after the Thirty Years War .

  • 1455 Construction of the weir system
  • 1640 Establishment of today's sacristan's house
  • 1680 Construction of the sister house with a half-timbered upper floor facing the market next to the gate tower
  • 1692 construction of the rectory, renovations in the 18th and 19th centuries century
  • 1732 Renewal of the gate tower to the market
  • 1835 significant expansion of the cemetery
  • 1949 Construction of the morgue

Battlements

It is unclear whether there were battlements to the fortified church. Although in the past underground passages were often encountered during road construction work, it cannot be determined whether these cellars were used by the population or were actually battlements to the church. According to tradition, these battlements should actually have existed. But there are no clues in and on the church, nor in written form.

research

In 2001/02 archaeological excavations were arranged as part of the church renovation. Five baby graves were found inside the church in front of the outer wall of a previous building from the 13th century, which was probably destroyed in a fire disaster. In addition, numerous ceramic shards and coins from the 14th / 15th centuries were found. Century. One of these coins is on display in the Obermain Landscape Museum on the Plassenburg in Kulmbach .

Web links

Commons : Heilig-Geist-Kirche (Grafengehaig)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 12 ′ 15.9 "  N , 11 ° 35 ′ 33.3"  E