Hamburg ~ Cruise Stop #7

 The ship docked at the German port city of Kiel. OFD and I chose to visit Hamburg via a bus ride and to explore the city on our own. OFD had done the research on a couple of historic places and a place to eat. Hubby chose to stay at the port city, close to the ship, after the long day in Berlin.

St. Michaelis 

The present church building is the third one at this site. The first one was built from 1647 to 1669. In 1786, a new construction was completed. This is the church as we know it today.

The church was reconstructed twice in the 20th century: after catching fire in 1906 during construction work and after the bombings of 1944 and 1945. ~ Wikipedia

Martin Luther

The (bronze) statue, unveiled in 1912, was sculpted by Otto Lessing. It depicts Martin Luther in his priestly robes, holding a Bible and clutching his robes, symbolizing his faith. ~ AI

doorway from the narthex to the sanctuary

I could not find any information or the significance of this Bible in the narthex of the church. It was under glass and on a pedestal, but there was no signage.

This is an Offering Box. It was also in the narthex. It is about 2' wide and 2' tall and weighs 400 lbs.

From the signage: Donated in 1763 by Ernst Georg Sonnin, the church architect Forged from iron, the baroque-style offering box was used to collect alms for the poor. Along with the marble baptismal font, which also stems from 1763, it is the only work of art to survive the fire that consumed the old church in 1906. To this day, the box is still used to collect funds for our congregation's social and welfare activities.

Made from wood, the predecessors of today’s altar weren’t so lucky and, after the second fire at St. Michael’s in 1906, the Hamburg residents had learned their lesson, creating the new altar from marble. The parish also wanted the retable, which illustrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, to be able to survive a fire. If you look very closely, you’ll notice that the image is not painted, but rather comprises many small glass tesserae. ~ St. Michaelis

Whilst the old wooden pulpit was destroyed in the 1906 fire, today’s marble pulpit was made to resemble its predecessor. ~ St. Michaelis 

The sculptor Otto Lessing from Dresden created the pulpit in 1910. The large pulpit roof is crowned by the Angel of Annunciation. ~ Wikipedia

The angel on the roof of the pulpit just might be the most beautiful  St. Michael’s. The reason he’s here in the first place is the uncertain fate of his predecessor, who fell from the pulpit during the extensive bombing strikes of 1945. When it came time to dig up the 200 kg heavenly messenger from the rubble, he had suddenly gone missing without a trace. Apparently stolen. There’s been no sign of him ever since. Instead, the new angel stands watch above the pulpit. ~ St. Michaelis

Family pews. This was the first church that we toured on this cruise that had the family pews, with doors and high sides. We had seen them in churches in some areas of the northeast US, like Boston and New York City. Each Family Pew had its own carvings and ornamentation.

atop the altar

From the crypt to the loft, organs can be found throughout St. Michael’s, with six instruments delivering a unique sound experience. That makes them part of a grand tradition, as the church has had extraordinary instruments since the 18th century. 

Each of the organs at the church today has its own unique characteristics and some even have a secret. One organ rings tubular bells, another seems to make it rain, and yet another conceals a nightingale in the form of a small pipe which sounds like the call of the bird. Combined, all the St. Michael’s organs boast more than 11,000 pipes. ~ St. Michaelis

The Great Organ

Organ builder G. F. Steinmeyer & Co. based in Oettingen, Bavaria, rebuilt the imposing instrument in 1962.  It was completely overhauled in 2009, whilst a glockenspiel was added in 2015 for an especially festive sound. St. Michaelis

The Concert Organ (built in 1914)

The concert organ was damaged during the devastating nights of bombing in Hamburg in World War II, but was later renovated and updated. During the 2009 repair, it was returned to its original state. ~ St. Michaelis

The Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach Organ

The concert organ is the son of the famous Johann Sebastian Bach, referred to as ‘Hamburg Bach’. Whilst built for a baroque sound in 2010, it offers features that make it a modern instrument. It occasionally surprises listeners with one of its 676 pipes, which sounds like the call of a nightingale. ~ St. Michaelis

ceiling in St. Michaelis

Tympanum window of St. Michael's Church, Hamburg, where "The Holy Spirit pours his blessing on Hamburg". The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit and God's blessing, which spreads over the church and the city. It was made by August Vogel in 1911. ~ StainedGlassHeaven

 

bronze doors from the narthex to the church

the south street entrance

St. Michael's Victory over the Devil, sculpture above the main entrance