[1] Collegiate church of St Johannisberg
View of the Protestant collegiate church in the St. Johannisberg district with Skywalk
A view into the chancel of the collegiate church, with the pulpit.
The organ in the gallery was built by Friedrich Carl Stumm. The Stumm family are among the world’s leading organ builders.
Description
The collegiate church of St Johannisberg, situated high above the Nahe Valley, is one of the oldest on the River Nahe. No details are available regarding its exact origins. It is thought that the church was built by one of the earliest ancestors of the ancient Wild Counts of Dhaun. It is believed that this was Gottfried (1263–1301). The first documented reference to it as a Wild Count possession dates from 1283. In 1318, the church was elevated to the status of a collegiate church, under the authority of the Bishop of Mainz. Following the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, the church openly declared its support for the Reformation; in 1561, the collegiate church officially became the ‘Evangelical Superintendency of St Johannisberg’.
The church also owes its particular renown to the wealth of outstanding monuments of funerary art, including works by Hans Trapp and Johann of Trabach. The oldest monument in the church is the sarcophagus lid of Johann II, dating from 1383. The only tomb not made of stone is that of Wolfgang Friedrich and his family. It is made of wood and is likely to be the result of a lack of funds following the Thirty Years’ War.
The 22 ornate tombs and commemorative plaques dating from the era of the Wild Counts and Counts of the Rhine of Dhaun, from 1323 to 1756, make the collegiate church an art-historical monument of the highest order.
The beautiful, valuable pulpit dates from the 17th century.
Another special treasure is the organ, purchased second-hand in 1844 from the municipality of Laubach for 500 taler. It was built by Friedrich Carl Stumm, one of the world’s most renowned organ builders. Its distinctive sound can be heard during church services or occasional concerts.
The church remained the burial place of the Dhaun Wild and Rhine Counts until their line died out in the mid-18th century. Until 1890, the dead from St. Johannisberg, Hochstetten and Dhaun were buried in the churchyard.
Since 2005, the collegiate church has held the ‘Reliably Open Church’ seal of approval from the Office for Community Development of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland. It is now also a place of meditation on the Hildegard von Bingen Pilgrimage Trail.
