Frauenkirche, Nuremberg

Frauenkirche
west façade
Location	Nuremberg
Country	Germany
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Parish church
Consecrated	1358
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Style	Gothic
Groundbreaking	1352
Completed	1361
Administration
Archdiocese	Bamberg
Parish	Parish of Our Lady German: Pfarramt Unsere liebe Frau
Clergy
Pastor(s)	Markus Bolowich
Laity
Organist/Director of music	Frank Dillmann (kantor)

The Frauenkirche ("Church of Our Lady") is a church in Nuremberg, Germany. It stands on the eastern side of the main market. An example of brick Gothic architecture, it was built on the initiative of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor between 1352 and 1362. The church contains many sculptures, some of them heavily restored. Numerous works of art from the Middle Ages are kept in the church, such as the so-called Tucher Altar (c. 1440, originally the high altar of the Augustinian church of St. Vitus), and two monuments by Adam Kraft (c. 1498).

History

Interior of the church

The church was built in the grand market, in place of the former Jewish synagogue, which was destroyed during the pogrom of 1349 (which followed an outbreak of Black Death). The architect was probably Peter Parler. Charles IV wanted to use the Frauenkirche for imperial ceremonies, which is reflected in the porch with the balcony, and in the fact that the church is relatively unadorned except for the coats of arms of the Holy Roman Empire, the seven Electors, the town of Nuremberg, and the city of Rome, where the Holy Roman Emperors were crowned. Construction of the church continued until the 1360s.

Charles IV's son Wenceslas was baptized in the church in 1361, on which occasion the Imperial Regalia, including the imperial reliquaries, were displayed to the people. References to Wenceslaus can be found throughout the sculptural program of the church. Beginning in 1423, the Imperial Regalia was kept permanently in Nuremberg and displayed to the people once a year on a special wooden platform constructed for that purpose. In 1442 and 1443 Heinrich Traxdorf from Mainz built a "medium and a small organ". In 1487 the sacristy burned down. It was rebuilt in 1496. The current west gable of the church dates from 1506-8 and was designed by Adam Kraft. In 1525 the church became Lutheran and galleries were added in the aisles. In 1810, the church was acquired by a Catholic parish which removed the galleries and restored the church in 1816 under the direction of Lorenz Rotermundt.

The church was almost completely destroyed in the Second World War in the bombing of Nuremberg with only the nave walls and facade remaining. This damage was repraired by 1953. There was a more extensive restoration between 1989-1991.

Architecture

The Frauenkirche is a hall church with two aisles and a tribune for the emperor. The church contains nine bays supported by four columns.

The triforium, named the Imperial Loft or St. Michael's Loft, opens on to the nave by means of an arcade, the arches of which are filled with floating tracery, consisting of three rosettes supported by a segmental arch.

The narthex of the church contains tracery. All three sides of the narthex have portals, the jambs and archivolts of which are decorated with sculptures. The gable contains many niches, which used to house sculptures.

Männleinlaufen

The Männleinlaufen.

One of the most notable features of the church is the Männleinlaufen, a mechanical clock that commemorates the Golden Bull of 1356. The clock was installed in the church between 1506 and 1509. The Holy Roman Emperor is shown seated with the prince-electors surrounding him.

The clock mechanism is activated at midday, when a bell is rung to start the sequence and is followed by the trumpeters and drummer. Then there is a procession of the electors around the figure of the Holy Roman Emperor.

Organ

The organ

The earliest reference of a church organ dates from 1442. The current organ was built in 1988 by Klais Orgelbau of Bonn, re-using 20 ranks from the previous instrument.

I Hauptwerk C–a3 26. Gedackt 16′ 27. Principal 8′ 28. Doppelflöte 8′ 29. Gemshorn 8′ 30. Octave 4′ 31. Spitzflöte 4′ 32. Quinte 22/3′ 33. Superoctave 2′ 34. Mixtur V 35. Cornet V 8′ 36. Trompete 8′

II Positiv C–a3 14. Bourdon 8′ 15. Quintade 8′ 16. Principal 4′ 17. Flötgedeckt 4′ 18. Nasard 22/3′ 19. Octave 2′ 20. Terz 13/5′ 21. Larigot 11/3′ 22. Scharff IV 23. Cromorne 8′ 24. Vox humana 8′ 25. Tremulant

III Schwellwerk C–a3 1. Holzprincipal 8′ 2. Rohrflöte 8′ 3. Gamba 8′ 4. Vox coelestis 8′ 5. Geigenprincipal 4′ 6. Flûte octaviante 4′ 7. Blockflöte 2′ 8. Plein jeu V 9. Basson 16′ 10. Trompette harmonique 8′ 11. Hautbois 8′ 13. Tremulant

Pedal C–a1 39. Principalbaß 16′ 40. Subbaß 16′ 41. Quinte 102/3′ 42. Octave 8′ 43. Rohrgedackt 8′ 44. Tenoroctave 4′ 45. Rauschpfeife IV 46. Posaune 16′ 47. Trompete 8′

• Couplers: II/I, III/I, III/II, I/P, II/P, III/P, III 4'/P (Nr. 12, 37, 38, 48-51)
• Registration aids: Two free combinations, 32-bit electronic combination settings

Modern history

In Triumph of the Will, Leni Riefenstahl's 1935 propaganda film about the 1934 Nuremberg Rally, the final scene consists of a military parade through downtown Nuremberg, with Adolf Hitler shown receiving salutes from Nazi troops with the Frauenkirche in the background.

Since 1948, the balcony of the church, below the Männleinlaufen, is used for the opening ceremony of the Christkindlesmarkt.

The church parish and the neighboring Parish of St. Elizabeth are known collectively as the "Katholische Innenstadtkirche Nürnberg" (Catholic Downtown churches of Nuremberg).

Gallery

• 
  Print showing the interior of the church in 1696.
• 
  Adolf Hitler with the Nuremberg Frauenkirche in the background, 1928.
• 
  Christkindlesmarkt opening speech
• 
  Western facade with the main market

References

• This page is based on the article on German Wikipedia.

External links

• Parish Official Website (in German)