Wendish-German double church
Encyclopedia
The Wendish-German double church (Lower Sorbian Serbsko-nimska dwójna cerkwja we Wětošowje) is a so-called double church in Vetschau (Wětošow)
/Spreewald
, Germany
. The Protestant church consists of two naves standing side by side, with a common tower and vestry
.
living there. This Wendish church was built using stones found in fields and bog iron
. In the course of the Reformation
, the church became Protestant in 1540, following the choice of the lords von Schlieben. When fire broke out in the city in 1619, the church was burnt down. Further damage was incurred in a fire in 1642. Only the base of the tower was preserved. This original construction still forms the lower part of the steeple.
s. The western tower was at first not reconstructed. A chapel was added on the northern side, which was used by the local German lords during religious services. For them and for the few other resident Germans, services were held in German as required.
The construction that was later to be known as the Wendish church is designated in a registry entry from 1673/1674 as the principal church. It was used primarily for church services held in Wendish
for the inhabitants of the 10 neighbouring Wendish hamlets, although services were also held in German. There were however efforts on the part of the Germans to have the German chapel recognised as the principal church.
increased, while the surrounding countryside remained largely dominated by the Wends
. The German townsfolk sought to distinguish themselves from the rural Wendish population, including in their religion. Attendance grew at the church services held in German, so that the chapel, which probably had no pulpit and had been provisionally repaired following a fire, was not able to meet the needs of the Germans any more. The order was given to tear down the chapel and to replace it with a proper church for the growing German-speaking congregation. The local priests were apparently opposed to this new construction.
The chapel was torn down in 1689 and the foundations were laid for the German church on the 31st of May 1690. It was completed three years later in 1693. Its late Baroque
nave was made of bricks and was rectangular in shape. It had arched windows that were divided into two or three sections. The ceiling took the form of a barrel vault
. There were galleries with lodges for the lords along the southern and western walls, as well as along part of the northern wall. On the 30th of January 1694, the General Superintendent Römer from Lübben consecrated the new construction. There were now two naves directly beside one another, and both a German and a Wendish congregation existed completely side by side. The Wendish church remained the principal church, the more elaborate German church fulfilled a secondary role under its archdeacon
. The churches were connected by a vestry located before the eastern gable
. The vestry, which was built with a double groin vault
, was probably erected at the same time as the German church. Besides the vestry, the steeple of the Wendish church was also used by both churches.
es. The tower was topped with a bell-shaped roof with a cupola
and point. Before the completion of the tower, a wooden frame had been used to house the church bell. In 1715, all of the bells were repaired or recast. An upright Star of Bethlehem
placed over a procumbent half moon was added to the very top of the tower to mark the defeat of the advancing Ottoman Empire.
The church was damaged by lightning in 1847 and 1849.
In the second half of the 19th century, a comprehensive reconstruction was undertaken in the Wendish church. In order to gain more space, two-storey galleries were inserted. The previously flat roof, which inhibited the galleries, was replaced with a barrel vault
. Because the galleries blocked the access of light into the church, a half-rounded window was made where the altar now stands. At the same time, a new organ from the Kaltschmidt firm in Stettin was added. The old pulpit, which is supposed to have looked more like a barrel, made way for a pulpit altar which was crowned with a cross. There were originally quotes from the Bible in a predella
to both sides of the pulpit, but these were painted over later.
The German church was painted at this time in the neo-gothic
style, which replaced its original late Baroque
colours. Towards the end of the 19th century, the western vestibule of the German church was renovated. The original roof construction was preserved but the timber framing was replaced with a brick construction. A new organ from the firm Schlag & Söhne from Schweidnitz (Schlesien) was added in 1899. New windows were put in at the same time.
Both church naves were nonetheless still used for regular church services until 1977. The Wendish church was designated as a country church, the German church as a town church at this time. From 1977 onwards, the Wendish church was used only as a storage space. It was used to store parts of the Pritzen town church which had had to make way for a brown coal surface mine
.
In 1990, the organ in the German church was restored.
.
Every year since 1995, there has been a church service in Wendish (lower Sorbian) on the German European Heritage Day
in the Wendish church.
and is surrounded by a frame designed to look like acanthus. The second, which is from the beginning of the 18th century, is located in the southern half of the eastern gable
.
The interior of the German church dates for the most part back to the original construction. The original Baroque
colour scheme has nonetheless been changed. The altar pedestal is said to be a work of Abraham Jäger from Doberlug. The decoration on the pedestal shows Jesus’ empty grave following his resurrection. The wooden pulpit on the northern wall features a roof in the form of a crown which is topped by an angel with a trumpet.
To the left of the altar is a Baptismal font
from the 13th century, which originates from the Schönfeld
church. The Schönfeld
church was a victim of brown coal surface mining. The font lid is to be found in the Kittlitz
. To the right of the altar is the so-called princely lodge. The name comes from the coat of arms on the lodge, which features a prince’s crown.
The Organ in the German church was built in the space of five months in 1899. Its functioning and pneumatic controls are a tribute to the technical feats of the time.
The church treasury in the vestibule of the German church is marked with the date 1645 and is also of note. On the steeple, a plaque honours the memory of the lower Sorbian poet Hans Bock
, who was born in Vetschau in 1569.
recounts a tale that he had been told by his father Gottfried and that takes place in the double church in 1866:
Vetschau
Vetschau is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in southern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated in the Spreewald, 18 km west of Cottbus. Lower Sorbian name is Wětošow.-Buildings:...
/Spreewald
Spreewald
The Spreewald is situated about 100 km south-east of Berlin. It was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1991. It is known for its traditional irrigation system which consists of more than 200 small channels within the area. The landscape was shaped during the ice-age...
, 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...
. The Protestant church consists of two naves standing side by side, with a common tower and vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
.
Original construction
The first church construction was probably carried out at the end of the 13th Century during the Christianisation of the WendsWends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
living there. This Wendish church was built using stones found in fields and bog iron
Bog iron
Bog iron refers to impure iron deposits that develop in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in the solutions. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite...
. In the course of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, the church became Protestant in 1540, following the choice of the lords von Schlieben. When fire broke out in the city in 1619, the church was burnt down. Further damage was incurred in a fire in 1642. Only the base of the tower was preserved. This original construction still forms the lower part of the steeple.
The construction of the Wendish church
A new church made of bricks was erected on the old foundations, most likely after the end of the Thirty Years’ War. It had a flat roof, visible crossbeams and tall lancet windowLancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s. The western tower was at first not reconstructed. A chapel was added on the northern side, which was used by the local German lords during religious services. For them and for the few other resident Germans, services were held in German as required.
The construction that was later to be known as the Wendish church is designated in a registry entry from 1673/1674 as the principal church. It was used primarily for church services held in Wendish
Sorbian languages
The Sorbian languages are classified under the Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. They are the native languages of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority in the Lusatia region of eastern Germany. Historically the language has also been known as Wendish or Lusatian. Their collective ISO 639-2 code...
for the inhabitants of the 10 neighbouring Wendish hamlets, although services were also held in German. There were however efforts on the part of the Germans to have the German chapel recognised as the principal church.
The construction of the German church
Over time, the percentage of Germans in the town of VetschauVetschau
Vetschau is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in southern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated in the Spreewald, 18 km west of Cottbus. Lower Sorbian name is Wětošow.-Buildings:...
increased, while the surrounding countryside remained largely dominated by the Wends
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
. The German townsfolk sought to distinguish themselves from the rural Wendish population, including in their religion. Attendance grew at the church services held in German, so that the chapel, which probably had no pulpit and had been provisionally repaired following a fire, was not able to meet the needs of the Germans any more. The order was given to tear down the chapel and to replace it with a proper church for the growing German-speaking congregation. The local priests were apparently opposed to this new construction.
The chapel was torn down in 1689 and the foundations were laid for the German church on the 31st of May 1690. It was completed three years later in 1693. Its late Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
nave was made of bricks and was rectangular in shape. It had arched windows that were divided into two or three sections. The ceiling took the form of a barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
. There were galleries with lodges for the lords along the southern and western walls, as well as along part of the northern wall. On the 30th of January 1694, the General Superintendent Römer from Lübben consecrated the new construction. There were now two naves directly beside one another, and both a German and a Wendish congregation existed completely side by side. The Wendish church remained the principal church, the more elaborate German church fulfilled a secondary role under its archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
. The churches were connected by a vestry located before the eastern gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
. The vestry, which was built with a double groin vault
Groin vault
A groin vault or groined vault is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. The word groin refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults; cf. ribbed vault. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round...
, was probably erected at the same time as the German church. Besides the vestry, the steeple of the Wendish church was also used by both churches.
Reconstruction work
At first, the steeple was left in ruins. Its reconstruction began in 1704 and was completed in 1709. An octagonal extension in brick was erected on top of the remains of the square tower base using trussTruss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
es. The tower was topped with a bell-shaped roof with a cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
and point. Before the completion of the tower, a wooden frame had been used to house the church bell. In 1715, all of the bells were repaired or recast. An upright Star of Bethlehem
Star of Bethlehem
In Christian tradition, the Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, revealed the birth of Jesus to the magi, or "wise men", and later led them to Bethlehem. The star appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew, where magi "from the east" are inspired by the star to travel to...
placed over a procumbent half moon was added to the very top of the tower to mark the defeat of the advancing Ottoman Empire.
The church was damaged by lightning in 1847 and 1849.
In the second half of the 19th century, a comprehensive reconstruction was undertaken in the Wendish church. In order to gain more space, two-storey galleries were inserted. The previously flat roof, which inhibited the galleries, was replaced with a barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
. Because the galleries blocked the access of light into the church, a half-rounded window was made where the altar now stands. At the same time, a new organ from the Kaltschmidt firm in Stettin was added. The old pulpit, which is supposed to have looked more like a barrel, made way for a pulpit altar which was crowned with a cross. There were originally quotes from the Bible in a predella
Predella
A predella is the platform or step on which an altar stands . In painting, the predella is the painting or sculpture along the frame at the bottom of an altarpiece...
to both sides of the pulpit, but these were painted over later.
The German church was painted at this time in the neo-gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style, which replaced its original late Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
colours. Towards the end of the 19th century, the western vestibule of the German church was renovated. The original roof construction was preserved but the timber framing was replaced with a brick construction. A new organ from the firm Schlag & Söhne from Schweidnitz (Schlesien) was added in 1899. New windows were put in at the same time.
The decline of the Wendish church
In 1910, both congregations were united in one parish. The German authorities were trying at the time to repress the Sorbian culture and language in favour of those of the German population. With the discontinuation of school education in Wendish at the start of the 20th century, the Wendish language lost a lot of importance and support. Attendance at the Wendish church service fell, and the last such service took place in 1932. It is speculated that an over-eager obedience to the Nazis, who took power in 1933, led to this development.Both church naves were nonetheless still used for regular church services until 1977. The Wendish church was designated as a country church, the German church as a town church at this time. From 1977 onwards, the Wendish church was used only as a storage space. It was used to store parts of the Pritzen town church which had had to make way for a brown coal surface mine
Surface mining
Surface mining , is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed...
.
In 1990, the organ in the German church was restored.
The Wendish church as a cultural site
On the 10th of October 1995, an organisation called Wendische Kirche e.V. was founded to promote the use of the Wendish church as a cultural site. Both churches were restored in 2000 and 2001. The German church is still used by the congregation, but the Wendish church was taken over by the town Vetschau for use as a cultural site. It regularly plays host to concerts and exhibitions. One exhibition recalls the churches that were destroyed in the region to make space for brown coal surface minesSurface mining
Surface mining , is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed...
.
Every year since 1995, there has been a church service in Wendish (lower Sorbian) on the German European Heritage Day
European Heritage Days
European Heritage Days is a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission involving all 50 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention under the motto, Europe: a common heritage. The annual programme offers opportunities to visit buildings, monuments and sites, many of...
in the Wendish church.
The interior
Besides the features of note in the Wendish church already mentioned, there are two gravestones. The first, for an E. von Schlieben who died in 1668 is in the northern half of the eastern gableGable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
and is surrounded by a frame designed to look like acanthus. The second, which is from the beginning of the 18th century, is located in the southern half of the eastern gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
.
The interior of the German church dates for the most part back to the original construction. The original Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
colour scheme has nonetheless been changed. The altar pedestal is said to be a work of Abraham Jäger from Doberlug. The decoration on the pedestal shows Jesus’ empty grave following his resurrection. The wooden pulpit on the northern wall features a roof in the form of a crown which is topped by an angel with a trumpet.
To the left of the altar is a Baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
from the 13th century, which originates from the Schönfeld
Schönfeld
-Places in Germany:*Schönfeld, Brandenburg, in the district Uckermark, Brandenburg*Schönfeld, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the district of Demmin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern*Schönfeld, Saxony, in the district Riesa-Großenhain, Saxony...
church. The Schönfeld
Schönfeld
-Places in Germany:*Schönfeld, Brandenburg, in the district Uckermark, Brandenburg*Schönfeld, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the district of Demmin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern*Schönfeld, Saxony, in the district Riesa-Großenhain, Saxony...
church was a victim of brown coal surface mining. The font lid is to be found in the Kittlitz
Kittlitz
Kittlitz is a municipality in the district of Lauenburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
. To the right of the altar is the so-called princely lodge. The name comes from the coat of arms on the lodge, which features a prince’s crown.
The Organ in the German church was built in the space of five months in 1899. Its functioning and pneumatic controls are a tribute to the technical feats of the time.
The church treasury in the vestibule of the German church is marked with the date 1645 and is also of note. On the steeple, a plaque honours the memory of the lower Sorbian poet Hans Bock
Hans Bock
Hans Bock was a German painter of the 16th century, who flourished at Basle, where he executed within and without the Rathhaus, some colossal frescoes, which render his name famous. The Rathhaus also possesses a painting of the 'Calumny of Apelles,' by him. His works, though mannered, display much...
, who was born in Vetschau in 1569.
The double church in literature
In his work Die Lebensuhr des Gottlieb Grambauer, Ehm WelkEhm Welk
Emil Welk, known by his nickname Ehm Welk , was a German journalist, writer, professor and founder of Volkshochschulen...
recounts a tale that he had been told by his father Gottfried and that takes place in the double church in 1866:
- The Wendish priest had two beautiful white benches in front of his door on which we often sat. Sometimes also with young girls, decent ones mind you. He always chased us away. “You’d do better sitting on a bench in church,” said he, “but I don’t see you there!” As we had two churches side by side - the German church and the Wendish church - I asked him: “In which of the two churches should we sit?” He was quite taken aback, but then he answered: “The Lord God doesn’t care!” Well, I thought, here we go, and asked: “If the Lord God doesn’t care, then why do we have to have two of them?” Thereupon he swore something about “cheeky rascals” and ran after us.
Further reading
- Hans-Joachim Beeskow, Führer durch die evangelischen Kirchen des Kirchenkreises Lübben, Lübben 1998, ISBN 3-929600-14-5, Seite 222 ff.
- Die Wendisch - Deutsche Doppelkirche, Faltblatt der Stadt Vetschau, 2006