St. Bernward is a Catholic church and parish in Döhren, part of
Hanover, the capital of
Lower Saxony, Germany. It was consecrated in 1893 to
Bernward of Hildesheim, when part of
Christoph Hehl's design of a
basilica in
Romanesque revival style
Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...
were built, but was completed after
World War II. Major artwork was added for the centenary in 1993. It became the centre of a larger parish in 2010.
History
With industrialisation in the late 19th century, families especially from the
Eichsfeld The Eichsfeld ( or ; English: ''Oak-field'') is a historical region in the southeast of the state of Lower Saxony (which is called "Untereichsfeld" = lower Eichsfeld) and northwest of the state of Thuringia ("Obereichsfeld" = upper Eichsfeld) in th ...
area increased the number of Catholics in .
The only Catholic church of Hanover then was
St. Clemens. In 1887, a Catholic school was built. The present church was designed by
Christoph Hehl in
Romanesque revival style
Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...
as a
basilica with three naves. In the beginning, only one nave was built, without transept and choir. The missing elements were added in 1959.
The church was consecrated on 8 September 1893, dedicated to
Saint Bernward
Bernward (c. 960 – 20 November 1022) was the thirteenth Bishop of Hildesheim from 993 until his death in 1022.
Life
Bernward came from a Saxon noble family. His grandfather was Athelbero, Count Palatine of Saxony. Having lost his parents at ...
. He had become
bishop of Hildesheim 900 years earlier, and the consecration was performed by his successor .
The parish grew further. The building survived the
bombing of Hanover in World War II with only minor damage to the roof and windows.
When the number of Catholics exceeded 8000 in 1955, caused by the arrival of many refugees from
Silesia, the church was expanded, finally realising the original plans, with a transept and apse. It was completed in 1960. After the
Second Vatican Council of 1962, the altar area was remodelled.
In 2010, the parish was merged with those of in Mittelfeld and St. Michael in Wülfel to "Katholische Pfarrgemeinde St. Bernward, Hannover".
Organ
The
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
was built in 1983 by from Höxter, who retained former
stops
Stop may refer to:
Places
*Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Facilities
* Bus stop
* Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck dri ...
and the case dating back to 1894. It has 34 stops on two
manuals and
pedal.
Centenary
For the centenary in 1993, created new artworks, including decoration of the apse and the
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...
. In the apse, he based his work on the oldest
icon of Christ, held at
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...
. The depiction is accented by golden drapery and steel tubes forming a cross pattern. The stations of the cross are reduced to symbolic basic postures in sparse lines.
Further reading
*''Was ist das, St. Bernward?'', Festschrift of the parish, 1993
*Wolfgang Puschmann: ''St. Bernwardskirche.'' In: ''Hannovers Kirchen. 140 Kirchen in Stadt und Umland.'' Hermannsburg: Ludwig-Harms-Haus 2005, , pp. 12–15.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernward, Hanover
Churches in Hanover
Churches in the Diocese of Hildesheim
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1893
Romanesque Revival church buildings in Germany