The Protestant Church (Evangelische Kirche or. Ev. Kirche) in

Borgholzhausen Borgholzhausen is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Teutoburg Forest, approx. 20 km north-west of Bielefeld. Borgholzhausen is a sister city to New Haven, Missouri in ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

, Germany, is the church of the

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 ...

parish there, which belongs to the Halle district of the

Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen The Protestant Church of Westphalia (german: Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen, EKvW) is a United Protestant church body in North Rhine-Westphalia. The seat of the praeses (german: Präses, the head of the church) is Bielefeld. The EKvW emerged o ...

. The building dates back to the 14th century. It features a unique carved stone

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

from 1501.

History

A church in Borgholzhausen was first mentioned in a 1169 document as a church (''Eigenkirche'') of the

Counts of Ravensberg Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

.Schoof, Frank
Evangelische Pfarrkirche
in: ''Geschichtsspuren: Kalter Krieg in Borgholzhausen'' (in German), ISBN 978-3-74-947459-2, p. 16 The present church, replacing earlier structures, was built beginning in 1340. It was expanded by a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

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 ...

in 1496.Evangelische Kirche
(in German) Heimatverein BorgholzhausenEv.-Luth. Kirche Borgholzhausen
(in German) erfolgskreis-gt.de A carved stone altarpiece was added in 1501. The church became

during the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, with the reformer Johannes Sandhagen. He was born in 1492, and introduced the Reformation in Borgholzhausen in 1535, followed by more pastors from his family.Schaaf, Georg-Friedrich
Zum 500. Geburtstag von Johannes Sandhagen / Reformator Ecclesiae Borcholthusanae
in: ''Geschichtsspuren: Kalter Krieg in Borgholzhausen'' (in German), pp. 12–21 Catholic services were permitted at the church until 1624. The interior of the church was restored in 1955/56. In 1975/76, additions from the 19th century were removed, archeological excavations were performed, and ornamental decoration of the ceiling refreshed. The exterior, especially the plaster, was restored In 2010/11. A monument in front of the church was erected in memory of soldiers who fell in the wars between 1864 and 1871.Skulpturen und Denkmäler / Kriegerdenkmal vor der Ev. Kirche
(in German)

Church and parish belong to the of the

.Evangelisch-lutherische Kirchengemeinde Borgholzhausen
(in German) Kirchenkreis Halle

Building

The church is a

hall church A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an archi ...

in late-Gothic style with one aisle. The main feature is a carved stone altarpiece dated to 1501,Ev. Kirche
(in German) teutoburgerwald.de aimed at the majority of the congregation that could not read. It is a unique work of art in Westphalia. It depicts the

Passion of Jesus In Christianity, the Passion (from the Latin verb ''patior, passus sum''; "to suffer, bear, endure", from which also "patience, patient", etc.) is the short final period in the life of Jesus Christ. Depending on one's views, the "Passion" m ...

in 13 scenes.

Gallery

Ev Kirche Borgholzhausen 1908.jpg, View to the choir in 1908 Ev Kirche Borgholzhausen Steinmetzzeichen.jpg, Signature of stonemasons, around 1500 Ev. Kirche, Borgholzhausen, Altar.jpg, Altar area Ev. Kirche, Borgholzhausen.jpg, Baptism service on 11 July 2021

References

External links

* * Eckey, Christian
BorgholzhausenOrgelpfeifen klingen mit neuem Ton
(in German) ''Haller Kreisblatt'' 6 October 2015
Evangelische Kirche, Borgholzhausen. Außenanlage: Lageplan/Pflanzplan Bauteil I
deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de {{coord, 52, 6, 9.4, N, 8, 18, 7.6, E, display=title Borgholzhausen 14th-century churches in Germany Lutheran churches in Germany Protestant churches converted from Roman Catholicism Gothic architecture in Germany