Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf

St. Mary and Clemens is a Romanesque church in double Schwarzrheindorf. It is located in the district of Bonn Schwarzrheindorf / Vilich -Rhine village north of Beueler center in the district Beuel. It is particularly because of their rich ceiling paintings one of the most important Romanesque churches in Germany and stands as a monument historical monument. The upper church is the Mother of God, consecrated the church under the Holy Clemens.

History

The church was built on behalf of Arnold II of Wied (from 1151 to 1156 Archbishop and Elector of Cologne ) and its sister Hadwig of Wied middle of the 12th century. Following a tip located in the apse of the church interior was lower in the presence of the Hohenstaufen King Konrad III on April 25, 1151. consecrated. It has a Latin cross plan and was originally a central building. The building was erected on the Hofgut of Wied, who was in his role as Archbishop of Cologne and provost from 1138 Chancellor of King Conrad III. had.

Not long after the inauguration of the Church founded by Arnold Wied's sister Hadwig after the death of his brother ( 1156 ) here a convent of Benedictine nuns. Hadwig stood as abbess before the monasteries of food and Gerresheim. From the upper floor was now the exam church of the nuns. Later the monastery was converted into a noble lady pen. The village and the pin Schwarzrheindorf were a sub- rule in the Electoral Cologne Bonn Office. The abbess of the pen had the Low jurisdiction.

After taking possession of various parts Kurkölns right of the Rhine by the Prince of Nassau- Usingen (1803 ), the pen and the glory Schwarzrheindorf 1804 have been resolved.

The church lost much of their equipment. To the preservation of the church itself Helfrich Bernhard Hundeshagen had merit. The Romanesque ceiling paintings came under the applied in the 17th and 18th centuries, whitewash into oblivion. Mid-19th century they were rediscovered and excavated, restored in 1863. Since 1868, the church is used as a parish church.

At the end of the 20th century, the original grave of Arnold von Wied was found in the context of work on the underfloor heating. His bones were embedded in a steel box and found a place under the 1997 closed grave stone.

Architecture

The church building is dominated by a mighty crossing tower. It consists of a lower church, the so-called lower church, and an overlying church, known as the Upper Church. An octagonal opening connecting both church rooms, so from the basement of view reference is made to the paintings of the upper church apse, the spring from the medieval idea of the heavenly Jerusalem. Inspiration for the church apparently was the Palatine Chapel in Aachen. The model of " double church " was again proven in many castle chapels. The in older literature frequently expressed argument that the lower church was established church, was the upper church of the Graf family, can no longer hold, according to recent research. A precise knowledge of the use of space missing.

The ground plan of the church is determined by a rectangular central building, in its side walls are four conches. The side facing east apse conch is enlarged to and delimited with a Vorjoch to church out architecturally. The upper church follows the cruciform shape of the church building (without conches ). To the first floor a dwarf gallery is made ​​with richly decorated columns. As the Court Church of Count von Wied was converted into a monastery church, extended to the western transept two bays to the west in order to set up a nuns' choir upstairs can.

Today existing lateral demolition residues have earlier buildings (probably the castle of the von Wied ) out of which existed from direct access to the upper floor. Today, built on the site of the 1820 Bernhard Hundeshagen documented remains of the castle complex components ( bow and sacristy cultivation), were built from 1903 to 1905.

Both church rooms have a well-preserved murals. The in the lower church dates from the mid-12th century, the upper church dates from 1173rd

The themes of the paintings relate to the theology of Rupert of Deutz and Otto of Freising. In the ceiling paintings in the Upper Church (after 1166 ), are the founders Arnold of Wied and his sister Hedwig, Abbess of the monastery later at the same place, at the foot of a representation of Christ enthroned ( Majestas Domini ) mapped.

Northeast view

Of facade (south side)

Dwarf Gallery

Dwarf gallery with cultivation ( access from the castle? )

Lower church inside

Upper Church inside

Majestas Domini - Christ the Judge surrounded by the four symbols of the Evangelists

Landscape with church of Schwarzrheindorf, painting by Andreas Achenbach, 1839

Organ

The in 1728 by Johann Michael Stumm ( 1683-1747 ), Rhaunen Sulzbach - built organ came after several stations in 1936 after Schwarzrheindorf and is placed there in the upper church. It was originally built for the Franciscan church in Koblenz. Since no pedal stops and no play table were present, the company built Klais of Bonn a new console and a new pedal assembly. The instrument now has 25 stops on two manuals and pedal. 1968/1976, the original state is restored and can now be played as both the electric console also from the reconstructed mechanical console.

• Pairing: Normal Couplers: II / I, I / P, II / P

Bells

The crossing tower is a peal of seven bells attached. The oldest of them dates from 1636; she was abducted by French revolutionary troops to Mirecourt in 1964 and came back to Schwarzrheindorf. In return, Mirecourt received a new bell as a gift of the State of North Rhine -Westphalia. Since then, there is a partnership between the cities and Mirecourt Beuel.

The old bell was in 1965 supplemented by six bells in the bell foundry Mabilon from Saar castle. These seven bells form after the bells of St. Joseph in Beuel and the cathedral basilica of the most comprehensive inventory of Bonn bells.