St. Lorenz, Nuremberg

St Lorenz
St Lawrence

West facade of the St Lorenz
Basic information
Location Nuremberg
Affiliation Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Parish Church
Architectural description
Architectural type Church
Architectural style Gothic
Groundbreaking 1250
Completed 1477
Specifications
Direction of façade W
Length 91.2m
Width 30.0m
Width (nave) 10.4m
Height (max) 80.0m

St. Lorenz (St. Lawrence) is a medieval church of the former free imperial city of Nuremberg in southern Germany. It is dedicated to Saint Lawrence. The church was badly damaged during the Second World War and later restored. It is one of the most prominent churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria.

Architecture

The nave of the church was completed by around 1400. In 1439, work began on the choir in the form of a hall church in the late German Sondergotik style of Gothic architecture. The choir was largely completed by 1477 by Konrad Roriczer,[1] although Jakob Grimm completed the intricate vaults.

In the choir one can find the carving of the Angelic Salutation by Veit Stoss, and the monumental tabernacle by Adam Kraft. The latter includes a prominent figure of the sculptor himself.

The building and furnishing of the church was cared of by the city council and by wealthy citizens. This is probably the reason why the art treasures of St. Lawrence were spared during the iconoclasm during the Reformation period. Despite St. Lawrence being one of the first churches in Germany to be Lutheran (1525), the wealthy citizens of Nuremberg wanted to preserve the memory of their ancestors and refused the removal of the donated works of art.

The west facade is richly articulated, reflecting the wealth of the Nuremberg citizens. The facade is dominated by the two towers, mirroring St. Sebald and indirectly Bamberg Cathedral with a sharp towering West portal doorway, and an indented rose window 9 metres in diameter.

Organs

The hall choir including the sacrament house by Adam Kraft

The church has three organs.

Coordinates: 49°27′04″N 11°04′41″E / 49.451°N 11.0780555556°E / 49.451; 11.0780555556

Organists of St. Lorenz

The church has employed organists for over 500 years, many of them prominent musicians within Bavaria. Amongst the famous names are the following:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Frankl, 1960, p. 149.
  2. ↑ The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Don Michael Randel. Harvard University Press.
  3. ↑ Companion to Baroque Music. Julie Anne Sadie. University of California Press. 1998

Sources

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