Don Quijote de Viena
Hanau am Main, Hesse (Germany), Johanneskirche (after the name of Elector Johann Georg II of Saxony), Johanneskirchgasse
(further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
John's Church (Hanau)
Southern Facade .
The John's Church (today also Old John's Church) was established in 1658 as the Church of the Lutheran community in Hanau.
North side
Historical context
It owes its existence to the biconfessionality of the German Reformation, particularly in the county of Hanau-Münzenberg. The county was reformed since the reign of Count Philipp Ludwig II of Hanau-Münzenberg. When the Counts of Hanau-Münzenberg became extinct in 1642, their heritage fell to the Lutheran Count Frederick Casimir of Hanau-Lichtenberg.
The city of residence of the county of Hanau-Münzenberg, Hanau, consisted at that time of two legally independent cities: Old and New Hanau. The latter was at the turn of the 16th to 17th Century inhabited by reformed religious refugees from France and the Spanish Netherlands. Their ruling class consisted of wealthy citizens, merchants and tradesmen who took within the county a dominant economic position, which faced a weak position of the new count at taking office. Some lords of the county of Hanau-Münzenberg tried the from the far away Hanau-Lichtenberg arrived to deny his heritage. In addition, the county was due to the Thirty Year's War heavily in debt and on the credit of the citizens. The citizens presented for the accession conditions, and Frederick Casimir had no choice but to grant the demands to ever being able to accede to his heritage. This included especially the guarantee of the future free exercise of religion of the Reformed. The Lutheran religious service for the Count and his court should be limited to the castle chapel.
Johann Georg II, presentation of a Krönungsdiarium (coronation diarie) from 1658 - name giver of the in the same year initiated John's Church
Model of the church before destruction
Construction
On 4 June 1658 the foundation stone for the Lutheran Church of John in the presence of the elector and name giver Johann Georg II of Saxony was placed. This had come from the coronation of Emperor Leopold I from the neighboring Frankfurt am Main across. This was preceded by appeals in the Lutheran abroad, as the reformed subjects, of course, refused to support such a project and the Count himself was constantly in financial trouble. The inauguration took place on 17th Januar 1664. Then the organ was built in by Abraham Fischer from Marktbreit.
The foundation stone to the tower was on 8 August 1679 laid, the works on 10th July in 1691 completed.
The building
The church was built in the old town of Hanau in relative proximity to the castle. It includes in its west wall the medieval city walls of the old one. Stylistically, it is noticeable that it is - in the middle of Baroque - serving of gothic style elements, for example, as lancet windows and a Gothicising - but north-facing - choir. The latter is due to the cutting of the available land. The main entrance was so in the south and is crowned by the on the narrow side centrally arranged 47 meters high tower. The backward-looking style choice could be due to the fact that the adjacent Reformed Mary's Church a gothic embossed building from the Middle Ages is, which architecturally should be couterbalanced or it should architecturally historicity of the Lutheran confession in Hanau be faked, that did not exist.
The interior of the church looked quite different from what the external form of architecture seemed to appear: At least after renovation and expansion in 1727 was the Interior - pulpit and altar - facing west, perhaps because such a "horizontal format" in terms of visibility from the galleries was cheaper to design.
The building further on contained the burial place for the Lutheran branch of the House of Hanau and was - even after 1736 of the Hessian heirs - to the 19th Century used but destroyed in the Second World War.
During the Second World War, the church was badly damaged. The community built as a replacement the New John's Church on other location. The remaining perimeter walls of John's Church on three sides were used in creating a community center for the neighboring community of Mary's Church. The church interior was divided horizontally by a false ceiling. Even after a renovation in the seventies of the last century this concept and this utilization have been preserved, so that in the interior not much of the historic building can be seen anymore.
In November 2012, the church with a simplified but closely based on the historical model steel structure got back its top.
Name
Originally the church was called "Lutheran Church". It was only after the beginning of the 19th Century as it came in the Hanauer Union to a unification of the Reformed and the Lutheran Church in Hanau and the previous name "Lutheran Church" was inoperable, it was given the name "John Church". It was named after the Elector Johann Georg II of Saxony, who was present as its foundation stone was laid.
Hanau am Main, Hesse (Germany), Johanneskirche (after the name of Elector Johann Georg II of Saxony), Johanneskirchgasse
(further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
John's Church (Hanau)
Southern Facade .
The John's Church (today also Old John's Church) was established in 1658 as the Church of the Lutheran community in Hanau.
North side
Historical context
It owes its existence to the biconfessionality of the German Reformation, particularly in the county of Hanau-Münzenberg. The county was reformed since the reign of Count Philipp Ludwig II of Hanau-Münzenberg. When the Counts of Hanau-Münzenberg became extinct in 1642, their heritage fell to the Lutheran Count Frederick Casimir of Hanau-Lichtenberg.
The city of residence of the county of Hanau-Münzenberg, Hanau, consisted at that time of two legally independent cities: Old and New Hanau. The latter was at the turn of the 16th to 17th Century inhabited by reformed religious refugees from France and the Spanish Netherlands. Their ruling class consisted of wealthy citizens, merchants and tradesmen who took within the county a dominant economic position, which faced a weak position of the new count at taking office. Some lords of the county of Hanau-Münzenberg tried the from the far away Hanau-Lichtenberg arrived to deny his heritage. In addition, the county was due to the Thirty Year's War heavily in debt and on the credit of the citizens. The citizens presented for the accession conditions, and Frederick Casimir had no choice but to grant the demands to ever being able to accede to his heritage. This included especially the guarantee of the future free exercise of religion of the Reformed. The Lutheran religious service for the Count and his court should be limited to the castle chapel.
Johann Georg II, presentation of a Krönungsdiarium (coronation diarie) from 1658 - name giver of the in the same year initiated John's Church
Model of the church before destruction
Construction
On 4 June 1658 the foundation stone for the Lutheran Church of John in the presence of the elector and name giver Johann Georg II of Saxony was placed. This had come from the coronation of Emperor Leopold I from the neighboring Frankfurt am Main across. This was preceded by appeals in the Lutheran abroad, as the reformed subjects, of course, refused to support such a project and the Count himself was constantly in financial trouble. The inauguration took place on 17th Januar 1664. Then the organ was built in by Abraham Fischer from Marktbreit.
The foundation stone to the tower was on 8 August 1679 laid, the works on 10th July in 1691 completed.
The building
The church was built in the old town of Hanau in relative proximity to the castle. It includes in its west wall the medieval city walls of the old one. Stylistically, it is noticeable that it is - in the middle of Baroque - serving of gothic style elements, for example, as lancet windows and a Gothicising - but north-facing - choir. The latter is due to the cutting of the available land. The main entrance was so in the south and is crowned by the on the narrow side centrally arranged 47 meters high tower. The backward-looking style choice could be due to the fact that the adjacent Reformed Mary's Church a gothic embossed building from the Middle Ages is, which architecturally should be couterbalanced or it should architecturally historicity of the Lutheran confession in Hanau be faked, that did not exist.
The interior of the church looked quite different from what the external form of architecture seemed to appear: At least after renovation and expansion in 1727 was the Interior - pulpit and altar - facing west, perhaps because such a "horizontal format" in terms of visibility from the galleries was cheaper to design.
The building further on contained the burial place for the Lutheran branch of the House of Hanau and was - even after 1736 of the Hessian heirs - to the 19th Century used but destroyed in the Second World War.
During the Second World War, the church was badly damaged. The community built as a replacement the New John's Church on other location. The remaining perimeter walls of John's Church on three sides were used in creating a community center for the neighboring community of Mary's Church. The church interior was divided horizontally by a false ceiling. Even after a renovation in the seventies of the last century this concept and this utilization have been preserved, so that in the interior not much of the historic building can be seen anymore.
In November 2012, the church with a simplified but closely based on the historical model steel structure got back its top.
Name
Originally the church was called "Lutheran Church". It was only after the beginning of the 19th Century as it came in the Hanauer Union to a unification of the Reformed and the Lutheran Church in Hanau and the previous name "Lutheran Church" was inoperable, it was given the name "John Church". It was named after the Elector Johann Georg II of Saxony, who was present as its foundation stone was laid.