House of the Gospel in Lutsk, Ukraine, is a

Baptist church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

. It is located in "Old Lutsk", the historical and

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

part of the city. The Church was built in 1907 for the city's

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 ...

community. From the time it was built, it was the principal place of worship for the Germans living in Volyn. The church fell into decline as a result of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the church was used as an

archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

. Restoring the church in 1990s, the Baptist community of Lutsk became the new owner of the church after Church Restitution in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

in the early 1990s. The

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 ...

of the Lutheran Church is the most significant feature of the church's architecture.

History

In the 18th century, the

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

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 ...

church of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

was built on the site. In 1741, Anatol Bazalski donated 19,000 zloty for the church and for the Carmelite community from the village of Borokhiv. The church was built in the

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 ...

style. The walls and ceiling were adorned with

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

s. Damaged by fire, the church was rebuilt in 1764. After being totally gutted by fire in 1845, the building lay in ruins for a period until the debris was removed, leaving small fragments of the walls and the foundations. Following annexation to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

in 1795, Volyn was colonised by Germans thanks to the encouragement of the Russian government which sought to extend agriculture and industry. The German colonies grew rapidly in the 1870s and 1880s. As most Germans were Lutherans, permission to build a new church was sought from the Lutsk authorities who made the site of the former Carmelite church available. Initially, Lutsk and

Torchyn Torchyn ( uk, Торчин, pl, Torczyn) is an urban-type settlement in Lutsk Raion of Volyn Oblast in Ukraine. It is located on the banks of the Serna in the drainage basin of the Dnieper. Population: Economy Transportation The closed railway ...

competed to have the new church. Although Torchyn had hundreds of Germans, the church administration preferred Lutsk as it was closer to the administrative institutions and to the railway. Construction of church to the design of architect Christian Beutelspacher began on 25 June 1905 in the idiom of

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. With the help of members of the Lutheran community, the building was completed 15 months later. A large bell from the German city

Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...

was placed in the central

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

. An organ with 16

register Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), the ...

s from the Austrian firm ( Gebrüder Rieger was installed. The church's single

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 ...

was brightly illuminated with high lancet windows. The three

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

windows were decorated.

Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish and Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in ...

's picture of Christ filled the central window. Work on decorating the interior continued until 1911. In 1914 Sigismund Loppe (born on 12 February 1872) was the adjunct pastor of the Lutheran congregation of Lutsk.DIE EVANGELISCH-LUTHERISCHE KIRCHE IN RUSSLAND. 1914
Retrieved 26 August 2014. The church was damaged in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1921, A. Kleindienst became the new pastor. In accordance with the

Peace of Riga The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga ( pl, Traktat Ryski), was signed in Riga on 18 March 1921, among Poland, Soviet Russia (acting also on behalf of Soviet Belarus) and Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended the Polish–Soviet War. ...

, Volyn became part of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...

. Volyn Voivodeship was restored. The Lutheran adjuncture of Lutsk was confirmed by the Polish Lutheran consistory of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

In 1927, the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

and school were built near the church. In 1929,

Ignacy Mościcki Ignacy Mościcki (; 1 December 18672 October 1946) was a Polish chemist and politician who was the country's president from 1926 to 1939. He was the longest serving president in Polish history. Mościcki was the President of Poland when Germany ...

, president of the Second Polish Republic, visited the church. The Soviet and German authorities agreed to evict German colonists from Volyn during the Second World War. The Lutheran Church was therefore left without a congregation. In 1951, it was reconstructed as an archive. The tall spire was destroyed by a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

in 1960 and the roof was gutted by fire in 1972. Some architectural features were removed. Restoring the church in 1990s, the Baptist community of Lutsk became the new owner as a result of the terms of the Church Restitution in Ukraine. The dusty brickwork was cleaned and war damage was repaired. The community restored the spire and installed a cross on the central bell spire. Interior restoration included a new altar, carved furniture, balconies and a pulpit. The bricked-up windows of the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

were restored. New stained glass windows were designed by Olexandr Yurchenko.

Architecture

The church was built in a non-plastered

Neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style using yellow bricks 27х13х7 cm made by "Łuczanin", a local brickworks. The building consists of a single nave with a bell tower above entrance

portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

, . The pulpit stands to the left of the altar. The altar itself is located in an apse while an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

structure accommodates the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

. There is no longer a

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

. The entrance consists of a portal with a lancet profile with a steep

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

. The height of central spire is 24 m. It is visually supported by lower lateral spires located above the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

. The tall bell tower and spire are an important feature of the old town.

Gallery

File:ЛуцькКар.jpg, Carmelite church. Painting from the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

File:Lutsk old town.jpg, Lutsk old town File:ЛуцькПастор.jpg, Rectory

Sources

Baptist Church «House of the Gospel» in Lutsk
* Kneifel, Eduard: «Die evangelisch-augsburgischen Gemeinden in Polen 1555–1939», Selbstverlag des Verfassers, Vierkirchen 1971

* Костюк М. Євангелічно-лютеранська церква в Луцьку: історико-архітектурний нарис. – Луцьк, 2010

References

{{Refimprove, date=September 2014 Buildings and structures in Lutsk 19th-century Lutheran churches Churches completed in 1907 Tourist attractions in Lutsk Churches in Ukraine Baptist Christianity in Ukraine Gothic Revival church buildings in Ukraine