The Stiftskirche (''Collegiate Church'') is an inner-city church in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, the capital of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is the main church of the

Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg () is a Lutheran member church of the Protestant Church in Germany in the German former state of Württemberg, now part of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The seat of the church is in Stuttgart. It ...

(''Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg'') as well as the parish church of the evangelical (

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 ...

) inner-city church district of Stuttgart. Stiftskirche Stuttgart 2015 01

History and structure

Recent research found structures of a small Romanesque church dating to the 10th and 11th centuries within the outline of today's church. In 1240, a stately three-naved church with two towers was built in the Romanic style, apparently by the Counts of Württemberg who from around that time were residing in the nearby Old Castle. The remains of

Ulrich I, Count of Württemberg Ulrich I (25 February 1265), nicknamed the Founder (), was Count of Württemberg from 1241 until his death in 1265. Life Ulrich's relation to his predecessors is uncertain. The historian Hansmartin Decker Hauff labelled Ulrich as a son of Herma ...

and his second wife, Countess of Württemberg, Agnes von Schlesien-Liegnitz (both died in 1265) rest in a double tomb in the south tower chapel that dates to the late 13th century. When Stuttgart became the new residence of the

rulers of Württemberg A ruler, sometimes called a rule, scale, line gauge, or metre/meter stick, is an instrument used to make length measurements, whereby a length is read from a series of markings called "rules" along an edge of the device. Usually, the inst ...

, they added a new Gothic chancel between 1321 and 1347. Ulrich V added a Late Gothic nave in the second half of the 15th century. In 1500, a coloured, later (from the 19th century) golden pulpit was added. With the adoption of the Lutheran

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

in Württemberg in 1534, all pictures and altars were removed from the naves, pewage and a gallery were added. The tombstones were moved to the interior of the church. The Lutheran reformer

Johannes Brenz Johann (Johannes) Brenz (24 June 1499 – 11 September 1570) was a German Lutheran theologian and the Protestant Reformer of the Duchy of Württemberg. Early advocacy of the Reformation Brenz was born in the then Imperial City of Weil der S ...

, the main Protestant Reformer of Württemberg, was buried under the chancel after his death in 1570. From 1574, small statues of all the Counts of Württemberg (i.e. since Ulrich I) were added at the North wall of the chancel. In 1608, a new grave crypt or burial vault was added. All of the Württemberg rulers until 1677 were buried there.

Catherine Pavlovna of Russia Catherine Pavlovna of Russia (; – 9 January 1819) was Queen of Württemberg from 30 October 1816 until her death in 1819 as the wife of William I of Württemberg. Catherine was born as the fourth daughter of Paul I of Russia, Emperor P ...

, Queen of Württemberg from 1816 until 1819, was buried here from 1819 to 1824, before her remains were brought to a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

on the Württemberg mountain. In 1826, the roof of the chancel was renovated, as was most of the interior of the church in the 1840s. Near the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the church was heavily damaged by the bombing raids on Stuttgart in 1944. The church was rebuilt in the 1950s, however, the interior was rebuilt in a modern style.

Gallery

File:Stuttgart Stiftskirche - Nave View towards Chancel.jpg, Nave to chancel view. File:Stuttgart Stiftskirche - View from Chancel towards Nave. .jpg, Chancel to nave view.

Other burials

Eberhard I, Count of Württemberg Eberhard I (13 March 1265, in Stuttgart – 5 June 1325, in Stuttgart) was Count of Württemberg from 1279 until his death. He was nicknamed 'der Erlauchte' or the Illustrious Highness. Life Eberhard's half-brother and predecessor Ulrich II ...

Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Württemberg Elizabeth of Brandenburg-Ansbach (29 November 1451, Ansbach – 28 March 1524, Nürtingen) was a princess of Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg by birth and by marriage Duchess of Duchy of Württemberg, Württemberg. Life Elizabeth was ...

Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg Friedrich I of Württemberg (19 August 1557 – 29 January 1608) was the son of George I of Württemberg-Mömpelgard, George of Montbéliard, Mömpelgard and his wife Barbara of Hesse, daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. Several refer ...

Sibylla of Anhalt Sibylla of Anhalt (28 September 1564 – 26 October 1614) was a German princess from the House of Ascania who became Duchess of Württemberg as the wife of Duke Frederick I. Life Sibylla of Anhalt was born in Bernburg on 28 September 1564, as th ...

John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg John Frederick of Württemberg (5 May 1582, in Montbéliard – 18 July 1628) was the Duke of Württemberg from 4 February 1608 until his death on 18 July 1628 whilst en route to Heidenheim. Life John Frederick of Württemberg was the eld ...

Barbara Sophie of Brandenburg Barbara Sophia of Brandenburg (16 November 1584 – 13 February 1636) was duchess of Württemberg by marriage to Duke John Frederick of Württemberg and acted as regent of the Duchy of Württemberg for their minor son, Duke Eberhard III of Wür ...

Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg Eberhard III (16 December 1614, Stuttgart – 2 July 1674, Stuttgart) ruled as Duke of Württemberg from 1628 until his death in 1674. Eberhard III became the heir under guardianship in 1628 during the Thirty Years' War at the age of 14 after t ...

*Duchess Anne Catherine of Salm *Maria Dorothea Sophia of Oettingen-Oettingen *

William Louis, Duke of Württemberg William Louis (7 January 1647 – 23 June 1677) was Duke of Württemberg from 1674 until his death in 1677. William Louis was born in Stuttgart, the ninth child of Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg, and his first wife Anna Catharina of Salm- ...

Magdalena Sibylla of Hesse-Darmstadt Landgravine Magdalena Sibylla of Hesse-Darmstadt (28 April 1652 – 11 August 1712) was regent of the Duchy of Württemberg from 1677 to 1693, and was a prominent German composer of baroque hymns. Life Magdalena Sibylla, Duchess of Württe ...

Renovation

The latest major renovation took place from 1999 to 2003. The design and realization of the new concept comes from the Hamburg-based Architect Bernhard Hirche. The altar sculpture was created by the Sculptor Holger Walter.

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Churches in Stuttgart Stuttgart Stiftskirche Lutheran cathedrals in Germany Stuttgart Stiftskirche Stuttgart Stiftskirche Burial sites of the House of Württemberg