St Bartholomew's Church, Themar

The St. Bartholomew's Church is the parish church of the Thuringian town Themar.

The town church Themar is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew. It belongs to the richly decorated churches of the upper Werra Valley. It is one of the few buildings in the 796 since historically demonstrable small town on the Werra, which survived the storms of time. The upper church at the top gate and the lower church at the Werra were the first houses of worship in the town. Of the Romanesque lower church remains in the sacristy and the overlying bottom two floors of the church tower are still standing.

History

Pope Sixtus IV issued after mediation of the Countess Margaret of Henneberg on 14 May 1484 approving the construction of the new church. On 3 May 1488 Canons of the Premonstratensian monastery Veßra and pastor of Themar Anthony King laid the foundation stone for the construction of the present church. 1502 Late Gothic hall church was completed with its impressive choir.

The Reformation was introduced in Themar on October 5, 1544 by Count Ernst von Henneberg. After the Reformation, the church received several smaller carved altars from other churches. The church itself was rebuilt again and again over the next few decades, since 1541. Since 1541 the barrel vault and the double galleries were built, their supporting beams were provided with unique Bartmann heads. Similar can be found in the heads located near Meiningen churches in pipe and Herpf. Also, the galleries were decorated on the pillars Share with reliefs of saints and apostles, some originating from earlier Gothic altarpieces. Also Bible verses are in the galleries attached, for example, exactly opposite the pulpit of the saying: Rom.10, 16:17 Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report? " So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of Christ.

Equipment

The altar of

In the presbytery there is the valuable Marie altar, which was created by the Bamberger Meisterhans walnut around the year 1510. The midfield of the altar depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ child, standing by her side, the archangel Michael slaying the dragon with his lance, the St. Bartholomew, the patron saint of the church and the old cloth makers, tanners and rafters city Themar. On the wings of the altar stations from the life of Mary are: announcement of the birth of Jesus, the Lord's birth, Adoration of the Magi, The Lamentation of Mary by the apostles. The backs of the wings show on panel paintings female saints Barbara, Dorothy, Margaret, Catherine. on the predella of the altar is to see the Holy Kinship. In addition to its artistic value of the Lady altar also has great importance for the history: he saved the city Church in the Thirty Years' War before the cremation. After the defeat of Sweden in 1634 at the Battle of Nördlingen set fire to the " commander of all Croats ", the cavalry general Johann Ludwig Hektor of isolated pawn, the country's Thuringian princes. On the Saint Gall in 1634 (16 October ) went Themar (same day also Suhl ) after the sack by the Croats on command Isolanis in flames. Also in the town church fire torch passed, but a pious Italian officer was in sight of Marie altar the command to delete the arising in the church fire.

Other carvings and art treasures are: The Apostle shrine, which is named because of the expressive elaborate nose - mouth - parts of the figures in the vernacular " nose altar ," from the period of 1500 ( back sides of the wings: tablature Apostle farewell), the pilgrimage altar on the north wall (rear sides the wing " chicken legend" of Santo Domingo de la Calzada ) and the Pietà altar on the south wall of the nave, and a high Gothic crescent Madonna (after revelation 12:1 ), a building under choir Epitaph in Renaissance style.

Worth mentioning Next until 1934 uncovered frescoes, depicting Saint Catherine, the 1644 coming pulpit with sounding board and reichverziertem pulpit, which is also derived from the mid-17th century Epistelstuhl and some paintings.

In 1900, the stained glass windows have been donated in the choir room, they show biblical scenes: the prodigal son, the blessing of the children, the Good Samaritan. In 1972 the interior of the Church of St. Bartholomew was renovated.

The organ

The organ in the town church was built in 1851 by the organ builders Johann Michel and William Holland ( Schmiedefeld ) originally built on the east wall of the nave. From the 1629 -built way - organ three pedal stops were taken. 1866, the organ was converted to the second extended west gallery and fundamentally renewed by the company Rösel & Hercher organ building for the last time in 1999 /2000 and rehabilitated.

From 1668 to 1684 worked Georg Christoph Bach, the eldest uncle of Johann Sebastian Bach as cantor at the town church and a teacher at the Latin School Themaraner. He was appointed in 1684 to Schweinfurt and was the progenitor of the Schweinfurt Bache.

The tower

From the church tower in the Renaissance style, the three bells sounds of the city. The oldest bell was built in 1488, poured another 1507. The 1520 cast Bartholomew's bell had to be delivered in 1942. For a steel bell was installed in 1955. On the church tower remained until the mid-1950s the family watchman Rust. There are there to still see the three parlors and the winch, were pulled outward with the food, water and carbon on the steeple in the watchman's apartment.

50.50222222222210.614444444444Koordinaten: 50 ° 30 '8 " N, 10 ° 36' 52" E

• Church building in the district of Hildburghausen
• Bartholomew Church
• Gothic building in Thuringia
• Themar
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