User:Hatsepueh/St. Martin (Freiburg-Altstadt)

St. Martin's Church

The church of St. Martin is a Roman Catholic parish church on the town hall square in the historic city of Freiburg, also a Dominican convent church. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours and was originally built as a Franciscan convent church.

History

The church was built by Franciscan monks who settled in Freiburg around the year 1226 - initially in one of its suburbs. Due to the great increase in the number of monks, the congregation decided to found a monastery in the city. For this reason, the order was given the St. Martin's chapel, which was officialy documented in 1206, along with further land by Konrad I, a count of Freiburg, in 1246. Once the chapel became too small, it was replaced by a new building, which is now the choir. Parts of a Romanic moulding of the first chapel were found during restoration works. In the year 1262, further land, which is known through official documents, was acquired. The cloister, which is still partially preserved, was built at this time. The order was strongly supported by various sponsors, which is why the city council inhibited any additional purchases of land. In the year 1286, the construction of the choir was completed, the nave not until 1318. In order to keep the boundaries, the northern wall of the aisle had to be angled. Bishop Tillmann of Basle consecrated the church anew in 1518.

After the Thirty Years' War many extensive repairs had to be done. The interior of the church was converted to Baroque style in the process. In the following time there was a lot of equipment added. During the French siege in 1713/14 the church was strongly damaged. Those damages were repaired in the years 1721/24, whereby the interior was remodeled with a stuccoed ceiling by F.J. Vogel. (Schon) In 1719, )In the west side of the church, there was a baroque portal built on whose gable an Immaculate statue stands between the two saints of the congregation Francis of Assisi and Anthony of Padua. In 1775, the church tabernacle by Trudpert Walter was added. Paintings, statues and the Nepomuk altar were transferred from the old Freiburger parish church in 1792.

From the year 1807 onwards, pastor Biechele started to clear the church from elements of the Baroque period. He wanted to bring 'brightness, beauty and religious simplicity' to the church. Some of the baroque altars were removed in 1816/21, the floor was repaired with pavers of the Freiburger Minster. In 1845, the monastery building in the south and a part of the cloister were teared down and with this the Freiburger Townhall Square (Main square?) was created. The archiepiscopal builiding department, under the direction of Lukas Engesser, arranged that the interior of the church was emptied out and remodeled in a neo-Gothic style in the year 1875. In doing so (in the process?), the massive rococo high altar was removed and the choir-loft windows were opened again. In the following years 1877/79 the Lady chapel (the chapel of St. Mary) was used as a confessional chapel and baptistery. Glass painting on the windows and a new organ followed (were added?) in the next three years. The highlight of the historicizing transformation was the construction of the church steeple in the years 1890-93 by the Freiburger architect Max Meckel. The church which was under mendicant monastic order, had only a flèche up to that point. Church steeple and present high altar trace back to the work of the most prominent pastor of the church Heinrich Hansjakobs, who hold office from 1884 to 1913. However, he became more famous as an writer than as a pastor.

The neo-Gothic décor was lost during the air attack on Freiburg on 27th November 1944: The church was set on fire because of the phosphor bombs and the spire collapsed into the nave. The burnt out building was rebuilt during 1949-1951 and newly inaugurated on St. Martin's Day in 1951. In 1974/1975 the church was fundamentally renovated, at which the tower also received a new roof: They did not resort to the high spire anymore but the flat pyramidal broach roof of the reconstruction was replaced by a steeper pyramidal shape. Since 2009, the Dominicians have taken over the pastoral care in the church whereby a new chapter of church work began. On 10th february 2012 the convent St Martin was established. The congregation is known for its ecumenical orientation. The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic community St. Josaphat is also domiciled in the church which can be seen on multiple icons in the church interior.

Décor

The church has a length of 65 metres including the choir, a width of 17.50 metres with both aisles and a height of almost 12 metres at the nave. The plain, light central nave, which is flanked by two smaller aisles, is exposed by lancet windows with a simple tracery in the aisles, plus a tall window on the western front and it is overstrung by a flat wooden ceiling. The choir room in contrast is vaulted. In the front longhouse are still remains of paintings of the 14th century. A painting fragment, picturing Saint Martin, originates from the Freiburger Minster and was installed in 1975. The vitrification of the choir windows dates back to 1919, the remaining windows were newly designed in the 1950s.

The high altar, a replica of the altar of the Doberan Minster, was inaugurated on 23rd january 1887. The draft and the implementation of the panel paintings are from the painter Martin von Kiedrich. The execution of the carving and carpenter work is from sculptor Josef Eberle from Überlingen. The angel figures making music on the predella were recreated from the ones of Oberwesel. The two high reliefs on the shrine portray the Marriage at Cana as well as the Multiplication of the Loaves in the desert. The inner wings visualise on the one hand the victims of Melchizedek and Isaac and on the other hand the Manna Rain (Manna Regen) and the Paschal lamb. On the outer wings you can see the Saints Augustine, Sebastian, Martin and Francis of Assisi on the right side and on the left side the Saints Elizabeth, Clare, Barbara and Catharine.

Leading Figures

• Berthold Schwarz was said to have discovered the black powder in the Freiburger Franciscan monastery around 1359.
• Bernhard Galura, later prince-archbishop of Brixen (1829–1856), was pastor from 1810 to 1815 in St. Martin's church.
• Heinrich Hansjakob, pastor, regional author, historian and politician, was the city pastor of St. Martin's church from 1884 to 1913.
• Johann Baptist Knebel, a german dean and theologian, was city pastor from 1916 to 1924.
• Franz Philipp, catholic church musician and composer, operated as choirmaster and organist from 1919 to 1924. In this time, he presumably composed the St. Martin's Landlord Song which is still sung today in St. Martin, especially on the patronal festival of 11th November.