Christ Church, Windhoek

Christ Church, Windhoek

The Christ Church (or Christuskirche) is a historic landmark and Lutheran church in Windhoek, Namibia, designed by architect Gottlieb Redecker.[1]

The church was built following the wars between the Germans and the Khoikhoi, Herero, and Ovambo. The foundation stone was laid on 11 August 1907,[2] while on 16 October 1910 the church was officially dedicated.[3] It was originally known as the Church of Peace.[4]

Christ Church was constructed from quartz sandstone mined from the vicinity of Avis Dam.[1] It has a mixture of neo-Romanesque, Art Nouveau and Gothic revival influences.[4] Its spire is 24 m (79 ft) high.[4]

Christ Church and Reiterdenkmal

The portico was made from Carrara marble imported from Italy.[1] The clock and part of the roof was shipped from Germany, as were the three bronze bells cast by Franz Schilling.[5] They bear the inscriptions "Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe" (Glory to God in the highest), "Friede auf Erden" (Peace on earth), and "Den Menschen ein Wohlgefallen" (Goodwill towards men).[1] During a confirmation service in the 1960 the clapper of the main bell came loose, smashed through the window and fell on the street. Window bars were installed in reaction to this.[5]

The colorful stained lead glass windows in the sanctuary were a gift from Emperor Wilhelm II.[4] In the late 1990s a tourist noticed that all of them were installed with the sun protection on the inside. In the two years following this discovery, all window elements were restored and turned around.[5]

The Church is located on a traffic island on Robert Mugabe Avenue, opposite the Tintenpalast.[4]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christuskirche Windhoek.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Christuskirche in Windhoek". NamibWeb. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Oermann, Nils Ole (1999). Mission, Church and State Relations in South West Africa Under German Rule (1884-1915). Franz Steiner Verlag. p. 122. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Walther, Daniel Joseph (2002). Creating Germans Abroad: Cultural Policies and National Identity in Namibia. Ohio University Press. p. 99. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Namibia Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing". World Guides. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Bause, Tanja (24 May 2010). "Landmark church celebrates centenary". The Namibian.

Coordinates: 22°34′04″S 17°05′14″E / 22.56778°S 17.08722°E / -22.56778; 17.08722

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.