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September 11, 2005
Decorated churches in the Rhine-Pfalz
The interior decoration of some of the smaller churches I visited during my all too brief visit to the Rhinelands were quite fascinating. They ranged from the highly ornate "Baroque" to a much simpler style, frequently related to whether they were "Lutheran" or "Catholic".
The interior of a beautiful Lutheran church with tiered galleries and a magnificent Baroque organ. The sign on the left says "Please turn off your mobile phone, we still talk to God in the old fashioned way."
Typical examples were found in several places as these photos show. In the first I have managed to capture the interior of a beautiful Lutheran Church in Speyer, unfortunately closed to visitors but still visible through the glass screen doors. In the city of Mainz not far from the massive red sandstone Dom, stood a magnificent monastic Church, part of an Augustinian Monastery. The interior a riot of stucco and painted ceilings.
The magnificent Baroque interior of the Augustinian Monastery Church in Mainz. The exterior belies the magnificence of the interior!
Externally the building, while interesting, gives little indication of the feast for the senses that lies hidden within.
I found the contrast between the medieval architecture of many of the Rhineland Cathedrals and older churches and these later Baroque buildings fascinating. The great "Dom" Churches speak of a nation of confident security, political certainity and power, built more for the statement they make about the authority of the Bishops or Kings building them, than their use as a place of worship. The smaller Baroque buildings with their riotous decoration speak of a nation at ease with itself and enjoying prosperity and security, comfortable with it's faith and expressing itself in the decoration and simpler architecture.
The most striking feature of the great churches is the soaring height of the nave, and then the width of the aisles, frequently almost as high as the nave. The great sweep of the nave from West to East is designed to inspire awe, and it is a place for dramatic political events such as coronations, enthronements and the great festivals of the church. By contrast the smaller Baroque churches are more intimate and less dramatic in size - but make up for that in their decoration.
Definitely something I want to explore further - there is just so much more to see!
Posted by The Gray Monk at September 11, 2005 03:41 PM
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Comments
I think that's a very good point you make here about the difference between the 'big' and the 'small' churches. At the time the cathedrals were built the bishops had probably more political influence and power in (what is now known as) Germany than anywhere else in Europe.
Posted by: The Scarlet Manuka at September 11, 2005 09:12 PM