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St. Leonhard is a
The church began as a
International English-speaking Roman Catholic Parishes / Frankfurt am Main Area
St. Leonhard's {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Leonhard, Frankfurt Roman Catholic churches in Frankfurt Gothic architecture in Germany Roman Catholic Diocese of Limburg Churches completed in 1219 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Germany
St. Leonhard is a parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of the Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
Catholic Church
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 ...
in Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
, Germany. Its historic church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
dates to 1219, when it was erected in the centre of the town close to the river Main
Main may refer to:
Geography
* Main River (disambiguation)
**Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany
* Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province
*"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries
...
, as a Romanesque-style basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
. From 1425, it was remodeled to 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. St. Leonhard was the only one of nine churches in the Old Town that survived World War II almost undamaged. Today, the parish is part of the ''Domgemeinde'' (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 ...
parish) and serves as the parish church of English-speaking Catholics. It is a monument of Frankfurt's history as well as church history and medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
crafts.
History
The church began as a Romanesque style
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
1219, built in the centre of the town close to the river Main
Main may refer to:
Geography
* Main River (disambiguation)
**Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany
* Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province
*"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries
...
. It is dedicated to St. Leonhard
Leonard of Noblac (also Leonard of Limoges or Leonard of Noblet; also known as Lienard, Linhart, Leonhard, Léonard, Leonardo, Annard; died 559), is a Frankish saint closely associated with the town and abbey of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, in Hau ...
. It featured twin steeples and a richly decorated portal to the north. The church was remodelled c. 1425 with a late Gothic 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 ...
, possibly after a design by Madern Gerthener
Madern Gerthener (1360/1370 – 1430) was a German stonemason and late Gothic architect.
Biography
Gerthener was born in Frankfurt to Johann Gerthener, a stonemason whose business the younger Gerthener took over by 1391. In 1395 he entered the ...
, with extant balconies and stained-glass windows from c. 1435. The church was expanded to 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 four aisles between 1508 and 1520. A chapel in the south was added by H. Baltz c. 1515. In 1792, French troops occupied the building, used it for storage, and sold much of its furniture.
The church was the only one of nine churches in the Old Town that was almost completely undamaged during World War II. Today, the parish is part of the ''Domgemeinde'' (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 ...
parish) and serves as the parish church of English-speaking Catholics. It is a monument of Frankfurt's history as well as church history and medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
crafts.
The interior of the church has been under restoration since 2011. During this time, services are held at the cathedral and at the Heilig-Geist-Kirche. Excavations revealed a stone statue called Atzmann, which served as a stand for liturgical music. Similar stands are found in the Frankfurt Cathedral, Limburg Cathedral
Limburg Cathedral (german: Limburger Dom, also known as ''Georgsdom'' ("George's Cathedral") after its dedication to Saint George, is located above the old town of Limburg in Hesse, Germany. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Limburg ...
and Naumburg Cathedral Naumburg Cathedral (german: Naumburger Dom St. Peter und St. Paul, ), located in Naumburg, Germany, is the former cathedral of the Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz. The church building, most of which dates back to the 13th century, is a renowned landmark ...
. Five of the Gothic window panes were moved to a convent in Heidelberg in the 18th century, but are planned to be returned to their original position. One of them shows the patron saint.
Literature
* Wolfgang Klötzer, Gottfried Frenzel, Ingeborg Limmer (ill.): ''St. Leonhard zu Frankfurt am Main.'' Karl Robert Langewiesche Nachfolger, Königstein im Taunus 1982. * Matthias Theodor Kloft: ''St. Leonhard Frankfurt am Main.'' 4th ed. Schnell & Steiner Kunstführer No. 2196, Regensburg, . * Herbert Natale: ''Die St. Leonhardskirche im Spiegel der Frankfurter Stadt- und Kirchengeschichte.'' In: ''Archiv für mittelrheinische Kirchengeschichte.'' 18. Jahrgang, Jaeger Druck GmbH, Speyer 1966.References
External links
*International English-speaking Roman Catholic Parishes / Frankfurt am Main Area
St. Leonhard's {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Leonhard, Frankfurt Roman Catholic churches in Frankfurt Gothic architecture in Germany Roman Catholic Diocese of Limburg Churches completed in 1219 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Germany