Hospital of the Five Wounds, Hildesheim
Encyclopedia
The Hospital of the Five Wounds is a half-timbered house in the city of Hildesheim
in Lower Saxony
, Germany
. It is in the southern part of the old city center, opposite St. Godehard's Church and behind St. Nicolai's Chapel
.
The name refers to the wounds which were inflicted on Jesus during the crucification.
From the 19th century on, the building was used by a nearby catholic hospital which still exists today.
During World War II
, the Hospital of the Five Wounds was only slightly damaged by bombs on 22 February 1945
and on 22 March 1945
, and the damage could be repaired very soon. The building was renovated in 1981. Today it is used as a training college for nurses.
roof.
The ground floor which was built of rubblestones has a representative baroque
portal above which the year of construction (1770) is indicated in Latin in a noteworthy chronogram
:
CVra BonIfaCII, prIMo, qVo praefVIt Anno Abbas SpeCtatos CoLLoCat Hos CeLares.
One M = 1000, six C = 6 x 100 = 600, three L = 3 x 50 = 150, three V = 3 x 5 = 15, five I = 5 x 1 = 5, 1770 altogether .
Above the portal, which was the main entrance of the building, the coat of arms of an abbot
can be seen as well. The upper floors, which housed the St. Nicolai Hospital, were built in a half-timbered style. This hospital had its own entrance in the east of the building where a statue of the patron saint can be seen.
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, 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...
. It is in the southern part of the old city center, opposite St. Godehard's Church and behind St. Nicolai's Chapel
St. Nicolai's Chapel, Hildesheim
St. Nicolai's Chapel is a former Catholic parish church in the city of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is in the southern part of the old city center, opposite St. Godehard's Church.- History :...
.
History
In 1770, a large half-timbered house was built in Hildesheim to house two different hospitals which had already been founded several centuries before. The ground floor was given to the Hospital zu den Fünf Wunden (Hospital of the Five Wounds) and the upper floors to the Hospital Sankt Nicolai (Hospital St. Nicolai). Later, both hospitals were united to form the Vereinigte Hospitäler (United Hospitals). The building, however, kept the name Hospital zu den Fünf Wunden.The name refers to the wounds which were inflicted on Jesus during the crucification.
From the 19th century on, the building was used by a nearby catholic hospital which still exists today.
During 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 Hospital of the Five Wounds was only slightly damaged by bombs on 22 February 1945
Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II
The German city of Hildesheim, ca. 30 kilometres south of Hanover was target of several Allied air raids in 1945.-Hildesheim during World War II:In 1939, Hildesheim had about 72,000 inhabitants...
and on 22 March 1945
Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II
The German city of Hildesheim, ca. 30 kilometres south of Hanover was target of several Allied air raids in 1945.-Hildesheim during World War II:In 1939, Hildesheim had about 72,000 inhabitants...
, and the damage could be repaired very soon. The building was renovated in 1981. Today it is used as a training college for nurses.
Architecture
The Hospital of the Five Wounds is one of the largest half-timbered houses in Hildesheim. The address is Godehardsplatz 9-11 which is a large place in front of the romanesque St. Godehard's Church, but actually it is in a small and rather steep side lane. The building has four floors and a half-hipHip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
roof.
The ground floor which was built of rubblestones has a representative 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...
portal above which the year of construction (1770) is indicated in Latin in a noteworthy chronogram
Chronogram
A chronogram is a sentence or inscription in which specific letters, interpreted as numerals, stand for a particular date when rearranged. The word, meaning "time writing", derives from the Greek words chronos and gramma . In the pure chronogram each word contains a numeral, the natural chronogram...
:
CVra BonIfaCII, prIMo, qVo praefVIt Anno Abbas SpeCtatos CoLLoCat Hos CeLares.
One M = 1000, six C = 6 x 100 = 600, three L = 3 x 50 = 150, three V = 3 x 5 = 15, five I = 5 x 1 = 5, 1770 altogether .
Above the portal, which was the main entrance of the building, the coat of arms of an abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
can be seen as well. The upper floors, which housed the St. Nicolai Hospital, were built in a half-timbered style. This hospital had its own entrance in the east of the building where a statue of the patron saint can be seen.