Mariä Heimsuchung, Wiesbaden

Mariä Heimsuchung (Mary's Visitation) in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany, is a Catholic church in Kohlheck, part of Wiesbaden's suburb of Dotzheim, consecrated in 1966. It is dedicated to the Visitation (Heimsuchung). The tall concrete building is a landmark of Wiesbaden. It features two large triptychs by the Wiesbaden painter Otto Ritschl. The parish Mariä Heimsuchung is now part of a larger parish, in the Diocese of Limburg.

Mariä Heimsuchung
50°04′55″N 08°11′38″E
LocationWiesbaden, Hesse, Germany
CountryGermany
DenominationCatholic
Websitestpeterundpaul-wiesbaden.de/beitrag/kirchort-mariae-heimsuchung/
History
StatusParish church
DedicationVisitation
Consecrated1966 (1966)
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Administration
ProvinceCologne
DioceseLimburg

History

After World War II, Catholics who came from further east settled in Wiesbaden. Bishop Wilhelm Kempf installed a new parish, Mariä Heimsuchung, in Wiesbaden-Dotzheim in 1960. The church was built on a design by the Berlin architect Johannes Lackel. It was consecrated on 3 July 1966, dedicated to the Visitation.[1]

The shape of the building is a stylised letter "M" as a symbol for Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the floor is the Star of David, indicating that she was Jewish. The materials are predominantly concrete as the common material at the time, also slate and glass. Light comes from the west and illuminates the high wall behind the altar in the east.[2] The interior features two large triptychs by Otto Ritschl from Wiesbaden.[1][3] The artist created the works in 1973 and 1976 as abstract paintings with large shapes in bold colours, intended to invite to prayer and meditation.[4]

The church is a landmark of Wiesbaden, nicknamed Fingerzeig Gottes (God's finger) or Seelenabschußrampe (launching ramp for souls).[2] Since 1 January 2013, the parish has been part (Kirchort, church location) of the larger parish St. Peter und Paul in Wiesbaden-Schierstein, together with six other parishes in Wiesbaden's west.[5]

References
  1. Rasch, Beate (2017). "Kohlhecker Kirche Mariä Heimsuchung wird 50 Jahre alt". Wiesbadener Kurier (in German). Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  2. Dahlhoff, Benjamin (1 December 2017). "Kirchort Mariä Heimsuchung". St. Peter und Paul, Wiesbaden (in German). Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  3. "Mariä Heimsuchung" (in German). Wiesbaden. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  4. "Otto Ritschl" (in German). Kronberger Malerkolonie. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  5. "Pfarreien Wiesbaden / Eine Kirche für alle" (in German). Frankfurter Rundschau. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
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