Christuskirche (Mainz)
Encyclopedia
The Christuskirche is a Protestant
church located in Mainz
. The Christuskirche was built between 1896 and 1903 designed by Eduard Kreyßig. It was consecrated on 2 July 1903. After demolition during the air raids of World War II
the church was reconstructed between 1952 and 1954.
In the predominantly Catholic Mainz of 1802, only some hundred Protestants could be traced at the end of the Ancien Régime
. Napoleon Bonaparte was the first to grant them the right of freely practising their religion and he expanded their civil rights. Previously Protestants had the status of „tolerated“ human beings, a status they shared with the Jews
. Around the year 1900 already 33% of the inhabitants of Mainz had the Protestant confession
.
Due to increase of the Protestant community, they had to search for new space. The extension of the old city borders by the new expanded town Mainz-Neustadt during the last trimester of the 19th century opened the opportunity to demonstrate the self-confidence of the Protestant community by erecting a new church building. Along with the Kaiserstraße, a new twin lined three-lane boulevard, the church was erected by Eduard Kreyßig, the master builder of Mainz, in Renaissance Revival style. The church was intended to be a representative counterbalance to the Catholic Mainz Cathedral
. The mighty dome
excels other churches and buildings of the inner city of Mainz.
Besides services, the Christuskirche is shared by lovers of music, since Diethard Hellmann
founded in 1954 the Bach Choir and Bach Orchestra to perform especially Bach's cantata
s. Traditionally the opening mass services of the University of Mainz at the beginning of the academic term
take place here.
NS=50/00/26/N °N EW=08/15/59/E °W
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
church located in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. The Christuskirche was built between 1896 and 1903 designed by Eduard Kreyßig. It was consecrated on 2 July 1903. After demolition during the air raids of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the church was reconstructed between 1952 and 1954.
In the predominantly Catholic Mainz of 1802, only some hundred Protestants could be traced at the end of the Ancien Régime
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
. Napoleon Bonaparte was the first to grant them the right of freely practising their religion and he expanded their civil rights. Previously Protestants had the status of „tolerated“ human beings, a status they shared with the Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
. Around the year 1900 already 33% of the inhabitants of Mainz had the Protestant confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
.
Due to increase of the Protestant community, they had to search for new space. The extension of the old city borders by the new expanded town Mainz-Neustadt during the last trimester of the 19th century opened the opportunity to demonstrate the self-confidence of the Protestant community by erecting a new church building. Along with the Kaiserstraße, a new twin lined three-lane boulevard, the church was erected by Eduard Kreyßig, the master builder of Mainz, in Renaissance Revival style. The church was intended to be a representative counterbalance to the Catholic Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral or St. Martin's Cathedral is located near the historical center and pedestrianized market square of the city of Mainz, Germany...
. The mighty dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
excels other churches and buildings of the inner city of Mainz.
Besides services, the Christuskirche is shared by lovers of music, since Diethard Hellmann
Diethard Hellmann
Diethard Hellmann was a German Kantor and an academic in Leipzig, Mainz and Munich.-Professional career:...
founded in 1954 the Bach Choir and Bach Orchestra to perform especially Bach's cantata
Bach cantata
Bach cantata became a term for a cantata of the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach who was a prolific writer of the genre. Although many of his works are lost, around 200 cantatas survived....
s. Traditionally the opening mass services of the University of Mainz at the beginning of the academic term
Academic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
take place here.
Literature
- Franz Fredriksson: Die neue evangelische Christuskirche in Mainz. In: Zentralblatt der Bauverwaltung. Jg. 23 (1903), Nr. 65 (15. August 1903), , S. 406-408. (Fünf Abbildungen)
Weblinks
NS=50/00/26/N °N EW=08/15/59/E °W