St. Jacobi is 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 parish in
Werther, North Rhine-Westphalia
Werther () is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the Teutoburg Forest, approximately 10 km (6 miles) north-west of Bielefeld. It is best known for the Werther's Original c ...
, Germany. The present building was begun in the 14th century, and was expanded in 1876. The parish became Lutheran in 1570.
History
The location of Werther appeared as "Wartera" first in a document before 1009.
A church was first mentioned in 1312. Archeological research below the church found remnants of a building from the 9th century,
described as a simple building without tower, surrounded by a cemetery.
Around 1200, a church was built in the shape of a cross from .
The nave of the present church was begun in the 14th century in
Gothic style
Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...
, with a ribbed vault over consoles and semicircular wall templates.
The church was dedicated to
Jakobus der Ältere, as a document from 1748 supports.
In 1570, Werther and its church became Lutheran.
The building was expanded in 1876/77 by a
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 ...
and a
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 ...
, following designs by A. Hartmann in
Gothic Revival style
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an 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 of the 19th century ...
. He decorated the south transept with a display facade (''Schaufassade''). The transepts have galleries. The stained-glass choir windows were created by the ''Königlichen Institut für Glasmalerei'' (Royal Institute for Stained Glass) in Berlin in 1878, the central one being a donation by the Prussian King. In 1981, the historic interior of the late 19th century was restored.
The foundation of the west tower was dated in the 13th century, while the upper tower was added in 1876/77.
It is the highest building in Werther, dominating the skyline. The parish belongs to the Halle district of the
Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen. It took until 2009 to find confirmation in the archives that the original dedication was to Jakobus the Elder (
James the Great
James the Great ( Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles t ...
), and not to Jakobus the Younger (
James, son of Alphaeus
James, son of Alphaeus (Greek: , ; Aramaic: ; ; ; ) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, appearing under this name in all three of the Synoptic Gospels' lists of the apostles. He is generally identified with James the Less ( , Mark 15:40) a ...
).
References
Further reading
* Lobbedey, Uwe u. Neugebauer, Manfred, Die Ausgrabung in der ev.-luth. Kirche in Werther, in: Westfalen 61 (1983) 1, pp. 175–188.
External links
*
St.-Jacobi-Kirche Wertherarchitektur-bildarchiv.de
Ev. St. Jacobi Kirche in Werther (Westf.)outdooractive.com
{{authority control
14th-century churches in Germany