, image = Lehre Kirche.JPG , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = Germany Lower Saxony#Germany , pushpin label position = bottom , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , map caption = , coordinates = , location = Mühlenwinkel 1,

Lehre Lehre is a municipality in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The current population is 11,539 and is situated approximately southwest of Wolfsburg, and Braunschweig. The municipality received the name of Lehre on June 10, 88 ...

, country = Germany , denomination =

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

, previous denomination =

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, membership = , attendance = , website = , former name = , bull date = , founded date = , founder = , dedication = , dedicated date = , status =

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

, functional status = active , heritage designation = , designated date = , architect = , architectural type =

aisleless church An aisleless church (german: Saalkirche) is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways on either side of the nave and separated fr ...

quire , style = Romanesque

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

(interior) , groundbreaking = 1200s , completed date = by 1214 , construction cost = , closed date = , demolished date = , capacity = , length = , width = , width nave = , height nave = , spire height = , materials = , bells = ~3 , bells hung = 1 , bell weight = 1649 –
1674 – , parish = Lehre Congregation (Kirchengemeinde Lehre) , deanery = , synod =

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick (german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche in Braunschweig) is a Lutheran church in the German states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The seat of the Landesbischof (bishop) is Wolfenbüttel. Its d ...

, seniorpastor = , pastor = Joachim Schreiber , sacristan = , organist = , warden = , verger = The Holy Cross Church (german: link=no, Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche, more formal also: ''Kirche zum Heiligen Kreuz'') is a church located in the town of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is currently a

church and part of the

, which owns around 480 churches.

History

Exterior

The first mention of the community of Lehre was in 888 in old manuscripts at the

Fulda monastery The Abbey of Fulda (German ''Kloster Fulda'', Latin ''Abbatia Fuldensis''), from 1221 the Princely Abbey of Fulda (''Fürstabtei Fulda'') and from 1752 the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (''Fürstbistum Fulda''), was a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedicti ...

. Construction of the church began in the late 12th century or early 13th century. A date inscription found on the tower dates the construction and possible completion of the church to 1214. The church consists of a large square tower with two tall

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

s, each with four-sided, pyramidical roofs. They give the church a unique look. The two spires are connected by a wooden bridge, jokingly said to be the highest bridge in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. The main tower has round-arched windows facing each direction. During the next several centuries, the church underwent a series of reconstructions and additions. In 1489, a porch was added to the southern wall. A semicircular choir on the eastern wall was also added in the 15th century. There is still a small walled-arched window on the north wall that dates from the first phase of the Romanesque period. Holy Cross Church - Lehre

Following the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, Pastor Bernhard Friedrich Lasdorff, who arrived in 1646, became a strong advocate for reconstructing the semi-dilapidated church and spearheaded a number of major changes beginning in 1649. A new bell was cast, weighing , with the inscription, "Zu Gottes Ehre in Lehre (To the Glory of God in Lehre)". The roof and walls were expanded by while the

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d roof was upgraded with a polygonal design. Large, pointed-arch windows of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

also date from this time. Upon completion of the repair work, the church was given the name "Holy Cross" and given the patron St. Laurentius. Since the surrounding community was unable to fund the reconstruction, they relied heavily on large donations. Donations were received from the larger cities of

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also calle ...

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

, and

Fallersleben Fallersleben is a part (''Ortsteil'') of the City of Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population of 11,269 (as of 2010). The village of Fallersleben was first mentioned in 942 under the name of ''Valareslebo''. Fallersleben became a city ...

. Other donations came from

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

, and well-off citizens. In 1674 another bell was cast weighing over . In the 18th century the two steeples were renovated along with the two church clocks. One clock is located on the western wall of the main tower structure and the other faces east on the roof of the southern steeple.

Interior

The basement is supported by two large arches. In 1649, along with numerous exterior changes, the nave was redesigned in a

style with ornate murals, a flat stucco ceiling was installed, and depictions of

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

and

Philipp Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon. (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lu ...

were also added. In 1766 the pulpit was moved to the south wall and the northern and western mezzanines were restored to include paintings of 20 Old and New Testament scenes. Wall paintings and panel decorations were rediscovered after being painted over in 1833; these were restored in 1910 by . An organ reredos dating to 1833 was removed in 1965. Additional restoration of paintings was completed between 1987 and 1991.

Today

The church currently houses an Evangelical Lutheran congregation. It currently accommodates weddings, baptisms, confirmations, funerals, and other church-related events.

References

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