St. Mary's Church () in

Marienberg Marienberg is a town in Germany. It was the district capital of the Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis (Central Ore Mountains district) in the southern part of Saxony, and since August 2008 it has been part of the new district of Erzgebirgskreis. As of ...

in the German state of Saxony is an

Evangelical-Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

church in the southeast of the county of

Erzgebirgskreis Erzgebirgskreis is a district ('' Kreis'') in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after the Ore Mountains (German: ''Erzgebirge''), a mountain range in the southern part of the district which forms part of the Germany–Czech Republi ...

. It is the most recent of the three

Ore Mountain The Ore Mountains (, or ; ) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: ''Keilberg'') at ab ...

Late Gothic

hall church A hall church is a Church (building), church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height. In England, Flanders and the Netherlands, it is covered by parallel roofs, typically, one for each vessel, whereas in Germany there is often one s ...

es.

Architecture and construction

After the Protestants in the town had been given a loghouse church in 1537, the year of

the Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

, this was demolished to make way for the new St. Mary's church. After its

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

had been laid in April 1558, the new church was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

in February 1564. Construction was initially led by Wolf Blechschmidt from

Pirna Pirna (; , ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a ''Große ...

and, in 1560, taken over by Christoph Kölbel from Plauen. During the town fire on 31 August 1610 the church was burned down apart from its outer walls, the tower and the later vestry. From 1611 to 1616 it was given a roof, posts and

rood loft The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

, all made from wood. In 1616, services were held once more in the church and the

triumphal cross A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixion ...

was set up again. A new altar was installed in 1617. The wooden posts and roof were replaced from 1669 to 1675 by Andreas Klengel using Tuscan stone columns and a

groin vault A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: La ...

with

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

ed ribs. The hall of the

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

building is 45 metres long and 26 metres wide and has an irregular, pentagonal

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 ...

in which the old vestry with its inflexed arch windows and door is located. The three aisles are the same height. Chancel and nave have high two-storey, four-panelled

round arch In architecture, a semicircular arch is an arch with an intrados (inner surface) shaped like a semicircle. This type of arch was adopted and very widely used by the Romans, thus becoming permanently associated with Roman architecture. Termino ...

windows with

tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support th ...

and a rich profile. In the cornice beneath the eaves, Renaissance figures are visible. The high

gable roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof c ...

has numerous

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a Roof pitch, pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the ...

s, grouped in a triangle. The

onion dome An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate (drum) upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. They taper smoothly upwards to a point. It is a typical ...

of the west tower, which is flanked by two

staircase tower A staircase tower or stair tower (, also ''Stiegenturm'' or ''Wendelstein'') is a tower-like wing of a building with a circular or polygonal plan that contains a stairwell, usually a helical staircase. History Only a few examples of staircase ...

s, dates to 1616. The lavishly decorated portal at the west end dates to the period before the great fire and has an

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

ogee arch An ogee ( ) is an object, element, or curve—often seen in architecture and building trades—that has a serpentine- or extended S-shape (sigmoid). Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combination of two semicircular curves or arcs that, as ...

and ''Verstabungen''. In the old

baptistry In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptist ...

is a plain rib with a portrait, characteristic of Blechschmidt. In the porch of the left hand tower, as well as Blechschmidt's

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

's marks are portraits presumably of Prince Elector Augustus and his wife,

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

, which were richly given to the building, as well as other stonemason's marks.

Interior architecture

The stellar vaulting in the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

and the two adjacent rooms date to the first phase of building. A

pointed arch A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown meet at an angle at the top of the arch. Also known as a two-centred arch, its form is derived from the intersection of two circles. This architectural element was partic ...

portal with ''Verstabungen'' leads to the tower staircase. The vault of the light, seven-

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

nave, despite its Gothic arches, is characterised by stucco in the

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. Above the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

s of the mighty columns are free-standing

acanthus Acanthus (: acanthus, rarely acanthuses in English, or acanthi in Latin), its feminine form acantha (plural: acanthae), the Latinised form of the ancient Greek word acanthos or akanthos, or the prefix acantho-, may refer to: Biology *Acanthus ...

branches, separating arches and the

transverse arch In architecture, a transverse arch is an arch in a vaulted building that goes across the barrel vault. A series of transverse arches sitting on tops of the columns on the sides of the nave was typical in the churches of Romanesque architecture ( ...

es of the side aisles with stuccoed acanthus ornamentation. The stuccoed cloth hangers (''Tuchgehänge''), fruit cords (''Fruchtschnüre'') and 25 angels' heads on the balustrades of the surrounding rood screens were prepared under the direction of Italian stuccoer, Alessandro Pernasione, who had been commissioned by the senior state architect (''Oberlandbaumeister''),

Wolf Caspar von Klengel Wolf Caspar Klengel, from 1664 von Klengel (8 June 1630 – 10 January 1691), was a German architect in Saxony. Biography Wolf Caspar von Klengel was born in 1630 in Dresden as the son of the electoral councillor and chief tax accountant Caspar K ...

. The design of the organ loft of 1896 is less accomplished. The ribbed vaulting of the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

on the eastern side dates to the years 1558 to 1560.

Furnishings

The richly decorated altar is built on wooden columns and has scrollwork by Andreas Hellmert dating to 1617. The

mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

paintings are by the court artist in Dresden, Kilian Fabricius. The

eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

is portrayed in the

predella In art a predella (plural predelle) is the lowest part of an altarpiece, sometimes forming a platform or step, and the painting or sculpture along it, at the bottom of an altarpiece, sometimes with a single much larger main scene above, but oft ...

, the birth of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

in the main panel, his entombment in the upper panel and the

annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

on the sides. On the halter of the donkey is the inscription ''"DAMNARE POTEST QUI MELIORA FACIT"'' ("He may criticize, who does better"). On the collar of the dog is the date 1616. The figures of

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

and

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

probably date to the 16th century. The sandstone

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 ...

, with its steps, a simple pedestal and rich

strapwork In the history of art and design, strapwork is the use of stylised representations in ornament of ribbon-like forms. These may loosely imitate leather straps, parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings, and often interwoven in ...

ornamentation was made after 1610. The pulpit ceiling dates to 1896 and bears the Latin inscription: ''"QUI EX DEO EST VERBUM DEI AUDIT Johann 8"'' ("Whoever belongs to God hears what God says"). The

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...

is made of Crottendorf marble and dates to 1860. It was given to the church by an anonymous donor from the parish. During the renovation and repainting of the nave in 1896 a stained glass window was installed by the Zittau firm of Türcke, which portrays Christ as the judge of the world. In 1954 the interior was painted in a shade of grey. The lifesize crucifix dates to the mid-17th century. The two lifesize wooden mining figures were carved in 1687 and were formerly

caryatid A caryatid ( ; ; ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient t ...

s for the pew used by the mining office. The two mining lanterns date to 1614 and 1743. The Late Gothic carved altar from a workshop in

Freiberg Freiberg () is a university and former mining town in Saxony, Germany, with around 41,000 inhabitants. The city lies in the foreland of the Ore Mountains, in the Saxon urbanization axis, which runs along the northern edge of the Elster and ...

was manufactured in the early 16th century and comes from the hospital church in Lengefeld that burned down in 1892. In the centre panel Mary is depicted between Saints Peter and Paul; on the inner face is the Passion and on the outer sides the Evangelists. The wings probably came from the workshop of Michael Wohlgemut. The altar was restored and set out again in April 2001. The small carved altar with

Anna selbdritt The Virgin and Child with Saint AnneTinagli, Paola. 1997. ''Women in Italian Renaissance Art: Gender, Representation and Identity.'' Manchester: Manchester University Press, p. 159. or Madonna and Child with Saint Anne is a subject in Christian a ...

comes from the Marienberg chapel of St Fabian and St Sebastian, which had been built shortly after the foundation of the town near the Zschopau Gate.

Organ

The great organ by Carl Eduard Schubert was built from 1872 to 1879. The mechanical instrument, designed like a Silbermann has 51

organ stop An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air (known as ''wind'') to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; each can be "on" (admitting the passage of a ...

s on three manuals and pedals with 3,158 pipes.More information on the history and disposition of th
Schubert Organ
/ref> * ''

Couplers Coupler may refer to: Engineering Mechanical * Railway coupler, a mechanism for connecting rolling stock on a train ** Janney coupler ** SA3 coupler ** Scharfenberg coupler for multiple unit passenger cars * Quick coupler, used in construction m ...

:'' II/I, III/I, III/II, I/P * ''Accessories:'' Fixed combinations (p, f, Tutti), 256 setting, swell pedal (''Crescendowalze'').

Literature

* Georg Dehio: '' Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler Sachsen: II. Regierungsbezirke Leipzig und Chemnitz.''

Deutscher Kunstverlag The Deutscher Kunstverlag (DKV) is an educational publishing house with offices in Berlin and Munich. The publisher specializes in books about art, cultural history, architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and bu ...

, Munich, 1998, pp. 874f. * Wolfgang Ranft: ''Die St. Marienkirche zu Marienberg.'' In: Sächsische Heimatblätter 52 (2006), Vol. 3, pp. 264–271

References

External links

Homepage of the parish

Homepage of the society
{{Authority control Marienberg