St. John's Church, Lüneburg

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Johannis is the oldest church in the town of Lüneburg. It is located in the city center and is considered a major monument of the North German brick gothic.

Exterior

The five-nave Gothic church was built in 1289-1470. The first documentary mention of the previous building dates back to 1174th The majority of the church building was completed in 1372, the tower completed in 1384 with a height of 110 meters. After some further extensions of the construction of the church in 1470 can be considered complete. Particularly striking is the slightly leaning tower, which belongs to a present height of 108.7 meters to the highest church towers in Lower Saxony.

The after a fire caused by lightning in 1406 newly built tower of St. John ( completion in 1408 ) seems wrong from all sides: The roof is corkscrew -shaped deformed at the top. The spire is 220 cm from the Lot. According to legend, the architect, after he had noticed the error, thrown from an upper window of the church tower, but was so happy caught by a passing hay cart that he stayed alive.

Equipment

The carved is a masterpiece of the 15th century. To the Crucifixion in the center left and right are seven scenes from the Passion and Easter story grouped. Two groups of ten apostles (top) and 16 female figures ( below) frame the cycle. The paintings on the wing outboard sides of the altar ( Legends of Saint George, John, Ursula, Cecilia ) are important examples of late medieval painting in northern Germany. They originate from the Hamburg painter Hinrik Funhof ( 1482 ).

Large notoriety has acquired the historic organ of St. John. It was completed in 1553 by Hendrik Niehoff and Jasper Johansen and expanded twice, in 1652 and 1715. At her worked from 1698 to 1733 Georg Boehm, the famous St. John Cantor, the here, the young Johann Sebastian Bach should have listened.

On 23 May 2010, another organ in St. John was ordained. Their sound is geared to the French romance. The choir organ was built by the firm of Kuhn from Männedorf on Lake Zurich.

The Gothic Marie chandelier is a magnificent north German work from the late 15th century, depicting Mary under a gilded canopy with the child in the aureole. For a thorough interior renovation in 1856 were part of a " iconoclasm " and similarly in 1909 " expendable beauties from Catholic times " sold. The stained glass windows of the chapel Elisabeth Charles Crodel created in 1969. The interior of the church and the organ was completely renovated in 2007.

Bells

St. John's has a historically and phonetically valuable peal of five bells. The main peal consists of three large bells. Its largest is the 1436 cast of Ghert Klinghe in Bremen apostle bell, which is a sonically outstanding example of its time. The addition of bells, the two bells, which were cast in an extremely heavy rib construction. The Watch bell with six tons was drafted in World War for armaments and melted down. It is planned that a successor is poured and re-installed after a hundred years (as of 2013).

Compared with the peals of the three Hauptpfarrkichen St. John's has the heaviest (~ 11,600 kg ), St. Nicolai the tontiefste (on a0) and St. Michael the largest bells (10 bells).

Personalities

Well-known personalities who have worked at the St. John, were the predecessors of Georg Böhm, organist Christian Flor, of the office from 1676 to 1697 held that 1692 amt thus retired Superintendent Johann Wilhelm Petersen and from 1714 to 1725, the Superintendent Johann Christopher Jauch.

Tourist importance

As the churches of St. Nicholas and St. Michaelis is also St. John of high tourist interest. All three churches are important buildings of brick Gothic and form stations on the European Route of Brick Gothic. As a reliable open churches they are during the day, opened except to worship times for visitors.