St. Sebaldus Church (''St. Sebald'', ''Sebalduskirche'') is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

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 ...

. Along with Frauenkirche (Our Lady's Church) and St. Lorenz, it is one of the most important churches of the city, and also one of the oldest. It is located at the Albrecht-Dürer-Platz, in front of the old city hall. It takes its name from

Sebaldus Sebaldus (or Sebald) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to Germania, Germany in the 9th or 10th century. He settled down as a hermit in the , of which city he is the patron saint. Legends Almost all details of the life of Sebaldus are uncertain, b ...

, an 8th-century

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

and

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

and

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of Nuremberg. It has been 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 ...

parish church since the

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

History

The construction of the building began in 1225. the church achieved parish church status in 1255 and was completed by 1273–75. It was originally built as a Romanesque

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

with two

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 ...

s. During the 14th century several important changes to the construction were made: first the side

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s were widened and the

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a relig ...

s made higher (1309–1345), then the late gothic hall

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 ...

was built (1358–1379). The two towers were added in the 15th century. In the middle 17th century galleries were added and the interior was remodelled 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 ...

fashion. The church suffered serious damage during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was subsequently restored. Some of the old interior undamaged includes the Shrine of St. Sebaldus, works by

Veit Stoss Veit Stoss (, also spelled Stoß and Stuoss; ; ; before 1450about 20 September 1533) was a leading German language, German sculptor, mostly working with wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic art, Gothic and the North ...

and the

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows. In the church the famous epitaph of the Tucher family can be found. Image:Monument of St Sebaldus.jpg, Monument of St. Sebaldus, a work of

Peter Vischer the Elder Peter Vischer the Elder (January 7, 1529) was a German sculptor, the son of Hermann Vischer, and the most notable member of the Vischer Family of Nuremberg. Biography Peter was born in Nuremberg, where he also died. He became "master" in 1489, a ...

and his sons. Begun 1508, completed 1519 Image:sebald cyark 1.jpg, 3D historical restoration of the Romanesque-period form of the St. Sebald Church Image:sebald cyark 3.jpg, 3D historical restoration of the early Gothic-period Saint Sebald Church Image:sebald cyark 4.jpg, 3D historical restoration showing Saint Sebald's late Gothic East Choir addition superimposed on the early Gothic church Image:sebald cyark 2.jpg, 3D historical restoration showing the Romanesque-period Saint Sebald Church superimposed on the current Church File:Epitaffio di lorenz tucher di hans süss von kulmbach 03.JPG, Tucher Epitaph

Organ

The church had an organ by the 14th century, and another by the 15th. The main organ had been built in 1440–41 by Heinrich Traxdorf, who also built two small organs for Nuremberg's Frauenkirche. The Traxdorf organ was rebuilt in 1691. The modified case was destroyed by the Allied forces during a bombing raid on 2 January 1945. The new 4 manual, 122 rank, 84 stop organ by ''Peter'' of Cologne was installed in 1975. * ''Couplers:'' II/I, III/I, III/II, IV/I, IV/II, IV/III, I/P, II/P, II 4'/P, III/P, IV/P

Organists

The position of organist of St. Sebaldus was the most important one of this kind in Nuremberg, and several important composers occupied this post. Organists who worked at St. Sebaldus include the following (almost all held the post until their death, except where stated otherwise): * 1446–1450:

Conrad Paumann Conrad Paumann (c. 1410January 24, 1473) was a German organist, lutenist and composer of the early Renaissance. Born blind, he became one of the most talented musicians of the 15th century, and his performances created a sensation wherever he went ...

, secretly left for

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

* 1522–1524: Hans Seber * 1564-1561: Sebald Heyden * 1567–1571: Hans Haiden * 1596–1616: Hans Christoph Haiden, dismissed for

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

* 1616–1618: Kasper Hassler * 1618–1634: Johann Staden * 1634–1658: Valentin Dretzel * 1658–1686: Paul Hainlein * 1686–1695: Georg Caspar Wecker * 1695–1706:

Johann Pachelbel Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and ...

* 1706–1719: Johann Siegmund Richter * 1719–1764: Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel (Johann's son) * 1764–1775: Cornelius Heinrich Dretzel * 1783–1810: Egidius Bauer * 1969–1991: Werner Jacob (left)

Judensau

The church features a

Judensau A ''Judensau'' (German for "Jews' sow") is a folk art image of Jews in obscene contact with a large sow (female pig), which in Judaism is an unclean animal. These first appeared in the 13th century in Germany and some other European countries, ...

, an antisemitic sculpture depicting Jews engaged in obscene activities with pigs. The Judensau depicts a large sow, with two Jews hanging on the teats. A third Jew is feeding the sow on the left side, while a fourth is collecting the excrement on the right. The sculpture was made in the 1380s and is placed at a height of about 7 meters on the church.

Burials

References

* Christoph Wolff. "Paumann, Conrad", ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

'', ed. L. Macy
grovemusic.com
(subscription access). * Harold E. Samuel, Susan Gattuso. "Nuremberg", ''

'', ed. L. Macy
grovemusic.com
(subscription access).

External links

St. Sebald Official Site
Includes a brief description in English
St. Sebaldus church at Archiseek.com
Includes brief descriptions and photographs
Saint Sebald Church digital media archive
(

creative commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...

-licensed photos, laser scans, panoramas), data from a Christofori und Partner/ CyArk/Bavarian State Department of Monuments and Sites research partnership {{Authority control Antisemitism in Germany Buildings and structures completed in 1275 Churches completed in the 1270s Buildings and structures completed in 1379 Churches completed in the 1370s Judensau

Nuremberg Sebaldus