ewe vonDetten

The Evangelical Reformed Church is a cruciform church from the 13th century in Bunde in East Frisia. The brick church consists of three buildings, a Romanesque nave (around 1200), an elaborate eastern part (around 1270) in the Romano-Gothic style and a classicist west tower from 1840. The church, which is of national architectural significance, has undergone numerous renovations and changes over the centuries . The church was originally called “St. Martin” because she bore the patronage of St. Martin. There was probably a wooden church in front of the Romanesque building, possibly before 1000 AD. Remains of a sandstone coffin with Christian symbols and ornaments were found in the transept, which predates the current brick church. Ecclesiastically, Bunde was assigned to the Hatzum provost in the diocese of Münster in the Middle Ages. Today's, originally flat-roofed nave was built around 1200, making it one of the first brick buildings in East Frisia. As early as 1270/1280, the nave was expanded to include the transept and the choir to form a mighty cruciform church that reflects the wealth and self-confidence of the place. After the expansion through the eastern part, most of the arched portals in the nave were bricked up and the smaller Romanesque windows were replaced by larger Gothic ones. The original west tower has not been preserved and, according to the chronicle of Eggerik Beninga, is said to have fallen victim to a hurricane in 1246 during or shortly after construction ("Op ditmael is daer dorch de groote torn tho Bunde nedergevallen"). The substructure remained until the 19th century Century stood and served as a bell tower. In addition, choir flank towers were probably built as early as the 13th century, which were demolished around 1500 or fell victim to hostile Groningers in 1501, who, according to Beninga, looted and burned down the place and the church (“and de kercke with den Dorpe upgebrant”). During the Reformation, the parish switched to the Protestant faith around 1528. Folcardus and Johann van Hoorn were the first Reformed pastors in Bunde. The northern gallery was built in 1651. In 1696, after a fire, the choir gable was demolished and rebuilt, as the year on the top of the gable testifies. The roof in the eastern part was flattened in 1705 after the vaults in the transept and choir were removed or collapsed. Instead, all ceilings were provided with a flat wooden barrel vault. Until then, the nave had a wooden beam ceiling. The inscription on the south gable made of yellow stones states the year 1705 and the names of the church governors at the time, Jacob Didden and Ocke Eggericks, who immortalized themselves in this unusual way. Today's west tower was built in 1840 by Marten Bruns Schmidt (Ditzum). In 1896, the entrances to the transept received wind portals in the neo-Gothic style.

20.07.2022