The Holy Cross Church (, more formal also: ''Kirche zum Heiligen Kreuz'') is a church located in the town of Lehre,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is currently a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church and part of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick () is a Lutheran church in the German states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The seat of the Landesbischof (bishop) is Wolfenbüttel. Its district as a '' Landeskirche'' covers the former Free Sta ...

, which owns around 480 churches.

History

Exterior

The first mention of the community of Lehre was in 888 in old manuscripts at the

Fulda monastery The Abbey of Fulda (; ), from 1221 the Princely Abbey of Fulda () and from 1752 the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (), was a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine abbey and Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality centered on Fulda, in the present-day Ger ...

. Construction of the church began in the late 12th century or early 13th century. A date inscription found on the tower dates the construction and possible completion of the church to 1214. The church consists of a large square tower with two tall

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. Spire ...

s, each with four-sided, pyramidical roofs. They give the church a unique look. The two spires are connected by a wooden bridge, jokingly said to be the highest bridge in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

. The main tower has round-arched windows facing each direction. During the next several centuries, the church underwent a series of reconstructions and additions. In 1489, a porch was added to the southern wall. A semicircular choir on the eastern wall was also added in the 15th century. There is still a small walled-arched window on the north wall that dates from the first phase of the Romanesque period. Holy Cross Church - Lehre

Following the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, Pastor Bernhard Friedrich Lasdorff, who arrived in 1646, became a strong advocate for reconstructing the semi-dilapidated church and spearheaded a number of major changes beginning in 1649. A new bell was cast, weighing , with the inscription, "Zu Gottes Ehre in Lehre (To the Glory of God in Lehre)". The roof and walls were expanded by while the

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d roof was upgraded with a polygonal design. Large, pointed-arch windows of the

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 ...

and

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

also date from this time. Upon completion of the repair work, the church was given the name "Holy Cross" and given the patron St. Laurentius. Since the surrounding community was unable to fund the reconstruction, they relied heavily on large donations. Donations were received from the larger cities of

Lüneburg Lüneburg, officially the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg and also known in English as Lunenburg, is a town in the German Bundesland (Germany), state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of another Hanseatic League, Hanseatic city, Hambur ...

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

, and

Fallersleben Fallersleben is a part (''Ortsteil'') of the City of Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population of 11,269 (as of 2010). The village of Fallersleben was first mentioned in 942 under the name of ''Valareslebo''. Fallersleben became a city ...

. Other donations came from

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

, and well-off citizens. In 1674 another bell was cast weighing over . In the 18th century the two steeples were renovated along with the two church clocks. One clock is located on the western wall of the main tower structure and the other faces east on the roof of the southern steeple.

Interior

The basement is supported by two large arches. In 1649, along with numerous exterior changes, the nave was redesigned in a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style with ornate murals, a flat stucco ceiling was installed, and depictions of

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 ...

and

Philipp Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the ...

were also added. In 1766 the pulpit was moved to the south wall and the northern and western mezzanines were restored to include paintings of 20 Old and New Testament scenes. Wall paintings and panel decorations were rediscovered after being painted over in 1833; these were restored in 1910 by . An organ reredos dating to 1833 was removed in 1965. Additional restoration of paintings was completed between 1987 and 1991.

Today

The church currently houses an Evangelical Lutheran congregation. It currently accommodates weddings, baptisms, confirmations, funerals, and other church-related events.

References

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