Stiftskirche (12-01-04)

DIE TÜBINGER STIFTSKIRCHE

On our trip to the "Tübinger Stiftskirche", we were taken on a journey through the history of the church through extraordinary art and beauty. The church was built in 1477 under the watchful eye of Hans Augsteindreyer. The Old Gothic style was used, but throughout the years and centuries to follow, several changes were made and the New Gothic style was brought in. Still, the church was never changed completely and even today there are still slight differences detectable between the Old and the New Gothic styles (as the New style is more formal than the more lively variations of the Old style).
The church was originally built with the purpose of being used as a Catholic church. Today it is used by a Protestant congregation, but even so the catholic statues and decorations were never completely removed. Thus the history and foundation of the church was never lost.
In the middle of the 16th century the Chor of the church was changed into a cemetary for royals and nobilities and until 1593 a total of 14 noblemen and -women were buried there. The 12 Aposthels of Jesus Christ are also found in the Chor. Each of these Aposthels have their own symbols signifying who they are.

Our visit to the church came to a climax when we went up the tower. Even though we were freezing all the way up and coming face to face with our possible fears of heights, the view from the top made it all worthwhile. We had a spectacular view of the city and were all in awe of the amazing beauty surrounding us!

Our visit to the "Tübinger Stiftskirche" was one of historical facts and beauty, a trip which most of us will not soon forget!!

Report by Mirjam des Vries (University of Pretoria)