St. Johannis Harvestehude Hamburg
Encyclopedia
St. Johannis-Harvestehude (St. John
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...

-Harvestehude), Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

, is a neo-gothic Protestant
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...

 church built between 1880 and 1882.
The church is one of the best-preserved turn-of-the-century monuments of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

.

History

Foundation of the parish of St. John-Harvestehude on the 27th of January, 1879.

The first parish council, presided by the future mayor Dr. I. H. Mönckeberg, selected the design of the architect Wilhelm Hauers
Wilhelm Hauers
Wilhelm Hauers was a German architect. His works include the St. Johannis Harvestehude Hamburg....

 out of seven proposals. The “provisorial committee for the construction of a church in front of the Dammthor” had already settled issues of property with the town and could provide capital, so that the works could swiftly be carried out within the years 1880 to 1882.

The architect Hauers designed the church in the spirit of the “Eisenacher Regulativ” of 1861. The result is an architectural composition that is nearly complete in its neogothical sense of art. The pews, chairs and lecterns may be counted among this, as well as the organ prospectus, the terrazzo-floor and the fresci. The spires of St. John are clearly visible, in particular at night, from various parts of the town.

The Altar

St. John is entirely focused on Jesus and the Altar, which is wood-carved and gold-plated. The latter, a work of the Hamburg sculptor Neuber, shows the Lord three times:
  1. In a copy of Leonardo da Vincis "Communion", titled with the words: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavenly laden and I will give you rest."
  2. In the depiction of a group of crucifixion scenes above the Holy Communion, which is a reproduction of the work of the renowned wood carver Tilmann Riemenschneider. It is embroidered with a mandorla.
  3. On the pediment of the Altar depicted as the Resurrected Christ.


In the window above, Jesus is shown as the Lord, wearing a red toga, caring the keys in the left and the Book of Life in the right.

Stained glass

The designs for the glass paintings, that have been manufactured in a workshop in Innsbruck, Austria, derive from artists belonging to the renowned "Nazarene
Nazarene movement
The name Nazarene was adopted by a group of early 19th century German Romantic painters who aimed to revive honesty and spirituality in Christian art...

" group circling Schnoor von Carolsfeld. They still do radiate as brilliantly as they used to a hundred years ago, which is due to the protective windshields that have prevented any decay through environmental erosion. They do show a coherent biblical cycle, beginning on the main entrance’s left with three depictions of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...

, proceeding with the "Christmas window" at the crossing, the images of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...

 in the Choir
Quire (architecture)
Architecturally, the choir is the area of a church or cathedral, usually in the western part of the chancel between the nave and the sanctuary . The choir is occasionally located in the eastern part of the nave...

, the "Pentecostal window" and, eventually, three pictures dealing with subjects of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....

.

The Organ

The organ dates the same time of origin as the church. In 1882, the company Marcussen und Sohn of Apenrade built a duo-manual instrument with 27 resonating voices. It experienced several alterations and was changed for the last time in 1933 by Furtwängler&Hammer of Hannover. The now tri-manual instrument with 49 registers and 3494 pipes has ever since been employed.

After the war, this concert organ was the only one in Hamburg to be of use. In the 1970’s, it was thoroughly cleansed and renovated. Then, in 1974, the company Peter of Cologne, created a new playing table, for the first time incorporating electronic technology. Thanks to this, the organ is suited for all kinds of musical literature, from prebaroque to modern, and improvisation.

External link to the Congregation's Website

http://www.st-johannis-hh.de

Location

St. John-Harvestehude is located in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 in the Harvestehude quarter of Hamburg, street Turmweg, near the Außenalster
Außenalster
Außenalster or Outer Alster Lake is one of two artificial lakes within the city limits of Hamburg, Germany, which are formed by the river Alster . The size of the Außenalster is 1.6 km²....

, at coordinates 53°34′15.30"N 9°59′36.15"E.
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