St. Valentin is the common name for the Catholic parish church and

Basilica minor Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural ...

Basilica of SS Dionysius and Valentinus in

Kiedrich Kiedrich is a municipality in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Geography Kiedrich lies in the Rheingau region on the southern slope of the Taunus mountains, approximately 2 km north of th ...

in the

Rheingau The Rheingau (; ) is a region on the northern side of the Rhine between the German towns of Wiesbaden and Lorch, Hesse, Lorch near Frankfurt, reaching from the Western Taunus to the Rhine. It is situated in the German state of Hesse and is part ...

, in

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 built at the end of the 15th century in the

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 ...

. Its organ is one of the oldest playable organs in Germany (built c. 1500). The church was a pilgrimage destination for people with epilepsy and therefore has carved wooden laity stalls, including one decorated with the "" (Spiral of justice).

History

The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

church was mainly built at the end of the 15th century in

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

style. The church is dedicated to St. Valentine, the

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 ...

people with epilepsy This is a list of notable people who have, or had, the medical condition epilepsy. Following from that, there is a short list of people who have received a speculative, retrospective diagnosis of epilepsy. Finally there is a substantial list of ...

(''Fallende Krankheit'') and lovers, housing relics which came in 1350 from

Eberbach Abbey Eberbach Abbey (German: Kloster Eberbach) is a former Cistercian monastery in Eltville in the Rheingau, Germany. On account of its Romanesque architecture, Romanesque and Gothic (architecture), early Gothic buildings it is considered one of the m ...

to Kiedrich. Income from the

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

enabled the building of the church. The main entrance in the west front is topped by a tympanum which shows both 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 ...

and the

Coronation of Mary A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

. Many people with epilepsy made the pilgrimage to the church. It was therefore furbished with unique carved laity stalls for the congregation; congregants in Gothic times normally attended service standing. The

pew A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a synagogue, church, funeral home or sometimes a courtroom. Occasionally, they are also found in live performance venues (such as the Ryman ...

s are decorated with carvings of ornaments, flowers, vines and inscriptions in

Gothic alphabet The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet for writing the Gothic language. It was developed in the 4th century AD by Ulfilas (or Wulfila), a Gothic preacher of Cappadocian Greek descent, for the purpose of translating the Bible. The alphabet e ...

. One front shows the elaborate "" (Spiral of justice), an inscription in the form of a spiral. The Kiedrich Madonna in the choir is a wooden gilded sculpture dating from 1330. Influenced by French style, it shows a young woman who turns smiling to her child. The cemetery around the church is surrounded by a wall and includes the funeral chapel, the (St. Michael's Chapel). The church is a

as of 29 June 2010. Restoration work began in 2012 and is slated to be complete in 2017. The choir, altar and stained-glass windows were completed and the organ restored in 2014. The parish is part of the Pastoraler Raum Eltville, together with

St. Peter und Paul, Eltville St. Peter und Paul, Eltville is the name of a Catholic Church, Catholic church and parish in Eltville, Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, Germany, dedicated to Saints Saint Peter, Peter and Paul the Apostle, Paul. The parish is part of the Roman Catholic Dioc ...

, , and File:Kiedrich Kutschfahrt 2011-10 2.1.jpg, Tympanum above the main entrance, with Annunciation and Coronation of Mary File:Kiedrich Pfarrkirche Blick zum Chor.jpg, Pews for the congregation File:Gerechtigkeitsspirale.jpg, The Gerechtigkeitsspirale decoration on a church pew File:Kiedrich Pfarrkirche Kiedricher Madonna 1.jpg, The Kiedrich Madonna; in the French-influenced Gothic style of the Rheinland and Cologne, circa 1330 File:Kiedrich-Kirchenbezirk der kath Pfarrkirche St Dionysius und Valentinus.png, Plan of the property with church, St. Michael's Chapel, and cemetery wall File:Kiedrich Pfarrkirche Papstwappen BenediktXVI.jpg, The church became a

in 2010 File:Kiedrich Pfarrkirche Chor Sakramentshaus.jpg, Stained-glass windows File:St-Valentinus Orgel Kiedrich 572-h.jpg, The organ was restored in 2014 File:Kiedrich Pfarrkirche Konsole Meerjungfrau.jpg, Before restoration, 2011 File:Kiedrich Pfarrkirche Konsole Meerjungfrau 2015.jpg, After restoration, 2015

Kiedricher Chorbuben

The boys' choir Kiedricher Chorbuben was first mentioned in 1333. They perform a special Germanic version of

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

, once every Sunday except during summer vacation. Members have included the siblings

Andreas Andreas () is a name derived from the Greek noun ἀνήρ ''anēr'', with genitive ἀνδρός ''andros'', which means "man". See the article on Andrew for more information. The Scandinavian name is earliest attested as antreos in a runeston ...

and Elisabeth Scholl. Elisabeth was the first girl admitted to the choir.

Organ

The organ is one of the oldest playable organs, the oldest in Hesse. The instrument was built around 1500 by an anonymous organ builder, first probably with one manual. Repairs are documented for 1686 and 1692. Elias Salvianer restored the organ in 1710. His contract documents the disposition of the organ for the first time. A pedal was added in 1722. From 1790 at the latest, the instrument was not playable. The English Baronet Sir John Sutton financed a renovation, performed from 1858 by the Belgian organ builder August Hooghuys from

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

. From 1985 to 1987, the organ was restored again by .

Literature

* Josef Staab: ''St.-Valentinuskirche in Kiedrich. 1493–1993. Zur 500-Jahrfeier ihrer Vollendung.'' (ed.): Katholisches Pfarramt St. Valentin, Kiedrich 1993, * Claudia Wels:
Die Pfarrkirche St. Valentinus zu Kiedrich und die spätgotischen Landkirchen im Rheingau. Ländliche Sakralarchitektur mit städtischem Charakter
'.

Philipps-Universität Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protes ...

2003. ( Dissertation) * Claudia Wels: ''Die Pfarrkirche St. Valentinus in Kiedrich und ihr "städtischer" Charakter''. In: Stephanie Hahn, Michael H. Sprenger (ed.): ''Herrschaft - Architektur - Raum: Festschrift für Ulrich Schütte zum 60. Geburtstag''. Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2008, , pages 17–31.

References

External links

*
Förderkreis Kiedricher Geschichts- und Kulturzeugen e.V.: Zur Baugeschichte der Pfarrkirche St. Valentin in Kiedrich

Kiedrich / in the Rheingau
Kiedricher Chorbuben
Basilika St. Valentin in Kiedrich

Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis Rheingau-Taunus is a Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis is part of the Darmstadt (region), Darmstadt region; its main administrative seat is Bad Schwalbach. Outposted sections of the local ad ...

Kiedrich (Rheingau) II/P/21 Deutschland, Hessen, Kiedrich (Rheingau) St. Valentinuskirche

Juwel der Gotik im Rheingau / Die Basilika St. Valentinus in Kiedrich
pilger-speyer.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Valentin, Kiedrich Roman Catholic churches in Hesse Gothic architecture in Germany Buildings and structures in Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis Churches in the Diocese of Limburg