Tabor Church (Berlin-Wilhelmshagen)
Encyclopedia
Tabor Church is one of the three churches of the Evangelical
Berlin-Rahnsdorf Congregation, a member of today's Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
. The church building is located in the quarter Wilhelmshagen, locality Rahnsdorf
, borough Treptow-Köpenick
of Berlin
. The church was named in memory of the Transfiguration of Jesus
, which allegedly took place on Mount Tabor הר תבור
in today's Israel
.
in 1920. Due to the high number of new parishioners moving in at the beginning of the 20th c. the congregation decided to build an additional church in # 48, Schönblicker Straße, in the then newly developed quarter of Wilhelmshagen (today's 12589 Berlin-Wilhelmshagen).
In 1910 the congregation commissioned the architects Peter Jürgensen and Jürgen Bachmann to build the new church. On 9 April 1911 Tabor Church was inaugurated. The church is situated as a landmark in the middle of a round square, joined by streets from six directions. The quire of the church is not oriented
, but directed to the south. Since baroque times church buildings are often not build according to the biblical tradition of orientation. The outside of yellow bricks is partly covered with a plaster, structured by rusticated
strips of pilaster
s. The church consists of one nave
covered by a saddle roof
, drawn down to also roof the aisle
s. Northerly attached to the nave is a massive tower of a rectangular groundplan, topped by a squat spire, covered with shingles of slate
. The building weathered the Second World War intact.
, decorated with putti symbolising the theological virtues
of Faith, Love, and Hope. The nave is covered by a barrel vault. The Jugendstil furnishings by Albert Klingner comprise an altarpiece depicting the Transfiguration of Jesus
(1911) and a tableau of the Four Evangelists
John
, Luke
, Mark
, and Matthew
accompanied by scenes from the Old Testament
.
Prussian Union (Evangelical Christian Church)
The Prussian Union was the merger of the Lutheran Church and the Reformed Church in Prussia, by a series of decrees – among them the Unionsurkunde – by King Frederick William III...
Berlin-Rahnsdorf Congregation, a member of today's Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
The Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia is a Protestant church body in the German states of Brandenburg, Berlin and a part of Saxony. The seat of the church is in Berlin. It is the most important Protestant denomination in the area....
. The church building is located in the quarter Wilhelmshagen, locality Rahnsdorf
Rahnsdorf
Rahnsdorf is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:...
, borough Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick is the ninth borough of Berlin, Germany, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Treptow and Köpenick.-Overview:...
of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. The church was named in memory of the Transfiguration of Jesus
Transfiguration of Jesus
The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
, which allegedly took place on Mount Tabor הר תבור
Mount Tabor
-Places:*Mount Tabor, a hill in Israel near Nazareth believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of ChristIn the United States:*Mount Tabor, Indiana, an unincorporated community...
in today's Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Congregation and Church
The congregation's parish comprises the area of the historical village of Rahnsdorf, which has been incorporated into Berlin by the Prussian Greater Berlin ActGreater Berlin Act
The Greater Berlin Act , in full the Law Regarding the Reconstruction of the New Local Authority of Berlin , was a law passed by the Prussian government in 1920 that greatly expanded the size of the German capital of Berlin.-History:...
in 1920. Due to the high number of new parishioners moving in at the beginning of the 20th c. the congregation decided to build an additional church in # 48, Schönblicker Straße, in the then newly developed quarter of Wilhelmshagen (today's 12589 Berlin-Wilhelmshagen).
In 1910 the congregation commissioned the architects Peter Jürgensen and Jürgen Bachmann to build the new church. On 9 April 1911 Tabor Church was inaugurated. The church is situated as a landmark in the middle of a round square, joined by streets from six directions. The quire of the church is not oriented
Orientation of Churches
The orientation of churches is the architectural feature of facing churches towards the east .The Jewish custom of fixing the direction of prayer and orienting synagogues influenced Christianity during its formative years. In early Christianity, it was customary to pray facing toward the Holy Land...
, but directed to the south. Since baroque times church buildings are often not build according to the biblical tradition of orientation. The outside of yellow bricks is partly covered with a plaster, structured by rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
strips of pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s. The church consists of one nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
covered by a saddle roof
Saddle roof
A saddle roof is one which follows a convex curve about one axis and a concave curve about the other. The hyperbolic paraboloid form has been used for roofs at various times since it is easily constructed from straight sections of lumber, steel, or other conventional materials...
, drawn down to also roof the aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s. Northerly attached to the nave is a massive tower of a rectangular groundplan, topped by a squat spire, covered with shingles of slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
. The building weathered the Second World War intact.
Furnishings
The main entrance in the tower is topped by a tympanonTympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
, decorated with putti symbolising the theological virtues
Theological virtues
Theological virtues - in theology and Christian philosophy, are the character qualities associated with salvation, resulting from the grace of God, which enlightens human mind.- In the Bible :The three theological virtues are:...
of Faith, Love, and Hope. The nave is covered by a barrel vault. The Jugendstil furnishings by Albert Klingner comprise an altarpiece depicting the Transfiguration of Jesus
Transfiguration of Jesus
The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
(1911) and a tableau of the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
John
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
, Luke
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
, Mark
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
, and Matthew
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
accompanied by scenes from 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...
.