The Bergkirche (Mountain Church) is one of four main
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
churches in
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...
, the capital of
Hesse
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
, Germany. It was completed in 1879 in
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
based on a design by
Johannes Otzen. The church is focused on having the altar and pulpit close to the congregation, following
Luther's concept of a
universal priesthood
The priesthood of all believers is the common priesthood of all Christians (a concept broadly accepted by all churches), while the term can also refer to a specific Protestant understanding that this universal priesthood precludes the ''ministeri ...
. It also serves as a concert venue for church music.
History
Plans for a second Protestant church, after the
Marktkirche, date back to 1837, but were not realised until decades later, due to the two wars (
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...
and
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
) that Prussia had to fight between 1866 and 1871.
Building began in 1876,
and was completed in 1879.
The Protestant Bergkirche was built in
Gothic revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
style, designed by
Johannes Otzen who would write the
Wiesbadener Programm. The building process was supervised by
Hans Grisebach. It was named Bergkirche because it was built on a high plateau within Wiesbaden's inner city, and the surrounding quarter is named after the church. The steeple, with a slate roof, dominates the area.
The Wiesbadener Programm was written by Otzen and
Emil Veesenmeyer, minister of the Bergkirche, in 1891, aiming at an unobstructed view from every seat in the church to the combined location of altar, pulpit and organ. The third Protestant church in Wiesbaden, the
Ringkirche, followed this program, completed in 1894 after Otzen's design,
as well as the fourth church, the
Lutherkirche, opened in 1911.
Architecture
The building recalls elements of a 13th-century parish church.
Olten followed the "Eisenacher Regulativ", an official regulation for church buildings which required, as in a
Gothic church
Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...
, a cross as a floorplan and the
choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
to the east. He shortened the nave and made the
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
octagonal, as the central focus for
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
and
pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
close to the congregation. The result is a ''protestantische Predigtkirche'' (Protestant sermon church) according to
Martin Luther
Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
's concept of a
priesthood of all believers
The priesthood of all believers is the common Priest, priesthood of all Christians (a concept broadly accepted by all churches), while the term can also refer to a specific Protestantism, Protestant understanding that this universal priesthood pre ...
. The interior features paintings, stained-glass windows and sculptures.
Church music
A first
pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...
was built in the Bergkirche in 1879 by
E. F. Walcker & Cie. It was replaced in 1931 by from
Oettingen in Bayern, but retaining the front and a few stops.
Albert Schweitzer
Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German and French polymath from Alsace. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. As a Lutheran minister, ...
was consulted for the rebuilding of the organ.
In 1948, the organ was remodelled by . A new organ was built in 2016 by , with 40 stops on three manuals and pedal.
The church has a mixed choir, Kantorei der Bergkirche, conducted by Christian Pfeifer, which performs in services and in concerts such as in 2019 Arvo Pärt's ''
Johannespassion
The ''Passio secundum Joannem'' or ''St John Passion'' (), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the earliest of the surviving Passions by Bach. It was written during his first year as director of church music in Leipzig ...
'' with
as the organist,
and Handel's ''
Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
'' as part of the
Wiesbadener Bachwochen
(Wiesbaden Bach Weeks) is a biennial festival of music around Johann Sebastian Bach in Wiesbaden, the state capital of Hesse, Germany. It was initiated and has been run by Martin Lutz. The city awards the Bachpreis der Landeshauptstadt Wiesbaden ...
festival.
Gallery
Bergkirchenviertel.jpg, The Bergkirche in the quarter named after it
Udo Gottfried, 12plus1.jpg, Choir, with a temporary art exhibit
Klaus Uwe Ludwig Bergkirche Wiesbaden September 2016.jpg, at the organ, September 2016
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Churches completed in 1879
Gothic Revival church buildings in Germany
Protestant churches in Wiesbaden