St. Andrew's Church, Lübbecke
Encyclopedia
The present-day Evangelical-Lutheran parish church of St. Andrew (St. Andreas) in Lübbecke
is one of the ancient parishes (Urpfarreien) of the Bishopric of Minden
.
of St. Andrew in Lübbecke had been founded as a chapter of St. John (Johanneskapital) at Ahlden
on the Aller, before it moved to Lübbecke in 1295. In 1280 it was at first moved to Neustadt am Rübenberge and in 1295, for security reasons, to Lübbecke. The Church of St. Andrew in Lübbecke was elevated to a collegiate church. In 1550 the Reformation was introduced at St. Andrew's and the church became a Lutheran parish church. In 1624 there were five Lutheran and a Roman Catholic canon. The collegiate chapter was not abolished until 1810 by the French government in Kassel (Kingdom of Westphalia
).
The stone of the former castle of Meeseburg on the summit of the Meesenkopf
in the Wiehen Hills was supposed to have been used to build the church.
Since the end of 2008 the tower of the church has been externally lit at night by floodlights.
Lübbecke
Lübbecke is a town in northeast North Rhine-Westphalia in north Germany. This former county town lies on the northern slopes of the Wiehen Hills and has around 26,000 inhabitants. The town is in the Eastwestphalian district of Minden-Lübbecke...
is one of the ancient parishes (Urpfarreien) of the Bishopric of Minden
Bishopric of Minden
The Bishopric of Minden was a Roman Catholic diocese and a state, Prince-bishopric of Minden , of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Minden which is in modern day Germany.-History:...
.
Construction history
The originally single-nave, cross-shaped building with a west tower was built, probably from 1160 to 1180, in the Romanesque style. In 1350 it was converted into a Gothic hall church by the addition of two side aisles. This change of style can still be clearly recognised in the interior of the church. As the inscribed stone dating to 1350 states in Latin "In the year 1350, when the plague came, when the Geisler was carried out and the Jews were killed, this church was extended." During restoration work in 1959–62 the remains of wall and ceiling paintings inside the church were uncovered, some of which dated to as early as the 13th century. The church's fittings include a cup-shaped Gothic baptismal font, a lifesize Christ on the cross made around 1200, and an organ casing from 1628, that was modified in 1642. In addition, a large number of epitaphs have been preserved. The tower is almost 70 metres high, making it one of the highest church towers in a town anywhere in Germany.History
The collegiate churchCollegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
of St. Andrew in Lübbecke had been founded as a chapter of St. John (Johanneskapital) at Ahlden
Ahlden
Ahlden is a municipality in the Heidekreis district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Aller, approx. 15 km southwest of Bad Fallingbostel, and 30 km southeast of Verden....
on the Aller, before it moved to Lübbecke in 1295. In 1280 it was at first moved to Neustadt am Rübenberge and in 1295, for security reasons, to Lübbecke. The Church of St. Andrew in Lübbecke was elevated to a collegiate church. In 1550 the Reformation was introduced at St. Andrew's and the church became a Lutheran parish church. In 1624 there were five Lutheran and a Roman Catholic canon. The collegiate chapter was not abolished until 1810 by the French government in Kassel (Kingdom of Westphalia
Kingdom of Westphalia
The Kingdom of Westphalia was a new country of 2.6 million Germans that existed from 1807-1813. It included of territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte...
).
The stone of the former castle of Meeseburg on the summit of the Meesenkopf
Meesenkopf
The Meesenkopf, also called the Mesenkopf, is a hill in the Wiehen range, south of the town of Lübbecke in Northern Germany. Whilst not particularly prominent, the hill is historically significant as the site of a medieval castle....
in the Wiehen Hills was supposed to have been used to build the church.
Oberbauerschaft dependency
Until the construction of the church in Oberbauerschaft in 1899 the inhabitants of that village, which lies to the south on the other side of the Wiehen ridge, had to make their way to Lübbecke if they wished to attend services. A forest track to Lübbecke, the Alte Kirchweg ("Old Church Way") and a separate entrance door on the north side of St Andrew's are witness to this historical situation.Since the end of 2008 the tower of the church has been externally lit at night by floodlights.
Literature
- Helmut Hüffmann: Die St. Andreas-Kirche in Lübbecke. Lübbecke 1990.
- Maria Spahn: Das Kollegiatstift St. Andreas zu Lübbecke. Ein Beitrag zur Stadtgeschichte. In: Mindener Beiträge 17. Minden 1980.
- Westfälisches Klosterbuch. Band 1, S. 546–550.