St. Trinitatis (Holy

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

), or colloquially Trinitatiskirche, is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church in

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...

, Lower Saxony, Germany, consecrated in 1719. Designed by

Hermann Korb Hermann Korb (1656, Niese (near Lügde) - 23 December 1735, Wolfenbüttel) was a German architect who worked mainly in the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Life Little is known of his early life. It is generally believed that he starte ...

, it is a rare

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church in Lower Saxony. It also serves as a concert venue.

History

The Lutheran congregation in

held its services in the first floor of a historic gate building, the Kaisertor (Imperial Gate) built by in the 17th century, after its church was demolished. When it became too small for a growing number of worshipers, a church was planned from around 1692.

First Baroque church

A church was designed by Johann Balthasar Lauterbach, the duchy's master builder. He used the foundations of the gate and designed a domed hall in

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

, with a highly decorative facade framed by two stone towers that were not taller than the building; the facade, with a pediment, recalled that of Salzdahlum Palace. Construction was halted in 1694 when Lauterbach died and also from lack of financing.

, his successor, was finally able to finish the plans by using wood instead of stone. The church was consecrated in 1700, named St. Trinitatis. This building was destroyed in 1705 by fire resulting from a lightning strike.

Second Baroque church

The present church was designed by Korb. Building began in 1716, now with exterior walls in stone and the interior structure in wood. This church, seating more than thousand people, was consecrated in 1719, with details completed by 1722. The church retained the facade to the west and the two towers from the first design. The hall was built on a rectangular floor, with an

octagon In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a ...

of columns that carry two floors of balconies and a

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

ceiling. The main altar by A. Trew was added in 1754. The interior had colourful paintings that have not survived. The first organ, built circa 1617, was originally in the court chapel in

Schöningen Schöningen () is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography The town is located on the southeastern rim of the Elm hill range, near the border with the state of Saxony-Anhalt. In its cur ...

. It was moved in 1722, on the order of Duke August Wilhelm. While the Baroque case was retained, the organ was replaced from 1964 to 1967 by an instrument of 29 stops and 2016 pipes. The church is a typical Lutheran ' with focus on the sermon. The church is the seat of the bishop of the Lutheran Church in Brunswick. It also serves as a concert venue.

Gallery

Wolfenbüttel-Trinitatiskirche-Kirchenschiff-Altar.jpg, Interior, view to the altar Wolfenbüttel-Trinitatiskirche-Kirchenschiff-Orgel.jpg, Interior, view to the organ Wolfenbüttel-Trinitatiskirche-Ostseite.jpg, View from the east

References

External links

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''St. Trinitatis-Kirche''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trinitatis, Wolfenbuttel Churches completed in 1719 18th-century Protestant churches Lutheran churches in Lower Saxony Buildings and structures in Wolfenbüttel Baroque architecture in Lower Saxony Baroque church buildings in Germany