Busskirch

Busskirch is an old church village in the municipality of Rapperswil -Jona in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Geography

Busskirch located southeast of Rapperswil on the banks of the upper Lake Zurich and is now a residential area.

Social History

Busskirch was 842/843 for the first time ecclesiam as Fossonas, 854 as Fussinchirichun and 1209 as Buschilche mentioned. In Roman times it was probably a trade center on the Thoroughfare Winterthur / Zurich - Chur - Italy. The location on the lake shore and a depression in the embankment southeast of the church can be an indication of a small port or a boat dock. The Roman ruins under the church could have been part of its infrastructure ( warehouse, office buildings, residential house). The hub Busskirch would have been at low water level of importance as it is the direct water connection between Lake Zurich and upper lake was probably not navigable. In this case, the goods were unloaded from ships to cars and overland from Busskirch the Roman settlement Centum Prata ( Kempraten ) - can be brought to be then shipped again - and vice versa. From the Roman Vicus and port Kempraten led a land in a straight line to Busskirch. The Roman colonization of Busskirch took, based on findings until at least the 3rd century AD The settlement Busskirch formed with Jonah a Allmendfeld cooperative. They belonged to the Counts of Rapperswil and later the city of Rapperswil.

The early medieval parish church of St. Martin and its cemetery are the remains of a Roman estate or storage building from the 1st to the 4th century. The parish belonged Busskirch 840-1838 of the Benedictine Ragaz, which had the Kollatur, tithes and extensive real estate. The parishes Rapperswil Jona and belonged to the 12-13. Great for century parish church and mother Busskirch. 1253 joined Count Rudolf III. Rapperswil his right of patronage to the convent Pfäfers to free the city of Rapperswil church, which belonged to the parish of Pfäferser Busskirch. In 1369 the church of the monastery Mariazell Wurmsbach was slammed to the area of the parish of Busskirch. 1945, the parish Busskirch was integrated into the parish Rapperswil. The Catholic Church is a popular wedding church today.

Church of St. Martin

The at least six predecessor churches of the Church of St. Martin are on Roman wall residues revealed during the interior renovation in 1975. They belong to a building with several phases. In 1927 remains of an ancient floor heating system were found. The original building from the second half of the 1st century AD was first extended with additional rooms to the east. In the 3rd century AD, the floor was raised in a part of the building, probably because the lake level was permanently increased. Roman walls of the same building complex were also found north of the church. About 200 meters north- west of the church were destroyed several cremations in the construction of residential buildings. Maybe they belonged to a Roman burial ground, which was the road that from Busskirch after Kempraten führte.Noch in the early Middle Ages (ca. 7th century ) was built directly within the Roman ruins floor plan, a first small St. Martin of Tours, dedicated church hall. An indication of the early Christianity in Linthgebiet. A larger hall church probably dates from the Carolingian period - most likely it involves that church that is mentioned 842/843 AD smelters in the Churratic Empire Urbar documented. Around 1100 AD, erected a Romanesque church with apse. Only 200 years later this was removed down to the ground and built on the foundations of a new, late-Romanesque church. This formed the core structure for the subsequent rebuilding of the church. 1482-1483 the church was remodeled by the cultivation of the polygonal Gothic choir and the tower. Thus the church was at its existing buildings are still visible today. 1656 destroyed the Zürcher the late Gothic interior of the walled church during the siege of the city of Rapperswil. 1848 the nave was remodeled Biedermeier classical and extended in the west to a Fensterjoch. The ossuary was canceled in 1850. The neo-Gothic altar set up in 1905 comes from the Brothers Mueller from Wil SG. The underlying church Roman excavations can be visited.