| St. Bonifatius | |
|---|---|
 | |
 St. Bonifatius | |
| 50°4′46″N8°14′22″E / 50.07944°N 8.23944°E /50.07944; 8.23944 | |
| Location | Wiesbaden, Hesse |
| Country | Germany |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | bonifatius-wiesbaden |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | St. Bonifatius |
| Consecrated | 1849 (1849) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect | Philipp Hoffmann |
| Administration | |
| Province | Cologne |
| Diocese | Limburg |
| Laity | |
| Music group | Chor von St. Bonifatius |
St. Bonifatius inWiesbaden, Germany, is the centralCatholic parish and church in the capital ofHesse. The present building was designed by architectPhilipp Hoffmann inGothic Revival style and built from 1844 to 1849. Its twin steeples of 68 m (223 ft.) dominate the Luisenplatz. The parish is part of theDiocese of Limburg.
As Wiesbaden was Protestant after theReformation, the first Catholic parish after the Reformation was founded in 1800. The congregation first met in aBethaus (oratory) in the Marktstraße. It soon became too small for the growing number of Catholics in the town, which prospered as aspa andResidenz ofNassau. The parish received grounds adjacent to theLuisenplatz [de] from theDuke of Nassau, and from 1829 to 1831Friedrich Ludwig Schrumpf [de] built a rigidlyNeoclassical church, in keeping with the buildings around the square. Soon after the building was completed, it collapsed on 11 February 1831. A likely reason is insufficient foundation on ground which had previously been ponds.[1][2][3]
On 24 May 1843, the youngPhilipp Hoffmann received the commission to build a church. He had already participated in building the town castle. His design is reminiscent of Gothic architecture, but also includes elements ofRomanesque architecture and naturalistic ornaments to be found later in theJugendstil. The foundation was laid on the day of thepatron saintSt. Bonifatius, on 5 June 1845. The interior was consecrated by the Bishop of LimburgPeter Josef Blum on 19 June 1849.[1] Arib vault is supported by 22 columns. The facade was completed in 1856, and the towers in 1866.
In World War II the church suffered severe damage. An air raid on 2 February 1945 destroyed all the windows, the roof, and part of the vault. Repairs made in 1949 replaced the vault with a simple construction. The vault was re-built in a general restoration in 1965, which also took into account the changes of theSecond Vatican Council. A new altar byElmar Hillebrand was added in 1967. The new windows arestained glass in mainly white, red and blue, designed by Johannes Beeck. Sculptor Karl Hoffmann created a crucifixion scene and a sculpture of bothSt. Francis andTeresa of Ávila.[1]
An organ was built in 1954 byOrgelbau Romanus Seifert & Sohn [de]. In 1985 the instrument was expanded byHugo Mayer Orgelbau; in 1995 three electronic bass stops were added.[1] TheKantor wasGabriel Dessauer from 1981, the conductor of the 120-memberChor von St. Bonifatius, founded in 1862, the children's choirKinderchor von St. Bonifatius, and the Schola forGregorian chant. He was succeeded byRoman Twardy. The church choir sings at services, including regular orchestralmasses of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert for Christmas and Easter. Every year, typically on 3 October, a choral concert is performed. Other annual features are choral and organ concerts organised around a theme, calledBoni-Musikwochen, including concerts of organists such asKent Tritle andIgnace Michiels, and the project choirReger-Chor. On 7 November 2015, as part of the 21st festivalWiesbadener Bachwochen, the church presented a concert dedicated to French church music, Gabriel Fauré'sCantique de Jean Racine andRequiem and Olivier Latry'sSalve Regina. A project choir of 150 singers performed, led by three conductors of the Diocese of Limburg, with soloists and members of the orchestra of theHessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.[4]
Dessauer ended conducting the choir in 2019, succeeded by interim conductorRoman Twardy. His term as church musician ended with 2021. He was succeeded byJohannes Schröder.[5]
The priests of St. Bonifatius were at the same timeStadtdekan (dean) of Wiesbaden, including:
Gottfried Kiesow [de]:Architekturführer Wiesbaden – Durch die Stadt des Historismus, 2006,ISBN 3-936942-71-4, pp. 75 (in German)
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Historicist churches ofWiesbaden | ||
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Years indicate period of construction | ||
