Gestaltung von Altar, Ambo und Sedilien für St. Nikolaus, Kappelrodeck
Design of altar, ambo and sedilia for St. Nikolaus, Kappelrodeck | 2010
The design of the altar, ambo and sedilia for St. Nikolaus in Kappelrodeck was preceded by a competition organized by the Archdiocese of Freiburg. I would like to thank the parish for their trust in the realization of my design. The realization began in July 2010 in the quarry and stone works on Lake Zurich.
About the idea of the altar, ambo, sedilia and altar cross
The new altar, the new ambo, the entire chancel design refers to the church interior of St. Nicholas: I matched the grey-greenish sandstone to the sandstone already present in the church interior and its atmosphere. The material of the altar is thus integrated into the space and yet stands out from it in its clearly reduced form. The reddish copper also acts as a contrast and marker of the center in relation to what has gone before. The strong, cross-shaped copper plate divides, connects and supports the altar, which appears weightlessly balanced.
1. The idea of the division and connection of bread and wine, of life and death, which is central to the celebration of Mass, inspired me to create a three-part altar made from a single block of sandstone in multiple divisions: 1. the division and quartering in the lower stone slab of the monolithic stone block can be equated with the division of the bread, the rupture and devotion in the death of Jesus Christ.
2. The elevation of the upper stone slab creates an opening, an empty and intermediate space for a new connection (of people with God and of people with each other) through Jesus Christ.
3. Connection is also symbolized in a broader sense by the metal copper, the element of leadership and connection of our time.
In addition, the form of the altar makes a special reference to the wider space: it takes up the basic form of the neo-Gothic high altar and reflects its vertical tripartite division horizontally. This is because the high altar and the altar for church services are intended to form a single unit that provides space for communal celebrations. The altar was thus created with the church of St. Nicholas in Kappelrodeck in mind. It is based on tradition, developed from the existing structure and, with its innovative static construction, is an original that gives the center of this church an unmistakable contemporary face.
The ambo forms a unit with the altar and at the same time a second center of the church interior. It is the place of the word of God and the liturgy of the word. It also has a central axis made of copper, but there is a "deep" opening above it. This small cavity is reminiscent of the Word (of God) from the depths of the Holy Scriptures, in particular the words from the mouth of Jesus Christ, the source of Christian faith and life.
The forged copper altar cross (Fig.5) with a skin of silver solder takes the idea of connection described one step further. The everlasting "interrelationship of opposites" is reflected in the swaying crossbeam, while the scarred, fused silver solder heralds redemption.
The design of the priest's seat and the oak sedilia is derived from the altar and ambo. I deliberately chose the wood to match the existing oak furniture.
Jochen Kitzbihler, on the occasion of the altar consecration on December 5, 2010
My special thanks go to the cooperation partners:
Kuster AG, Steinwerk Freienbach/ CH
Funk Metallgestaltung, Landau/ Pfalz
Schreinerei Heizmann, Freiburg
Rauber, Raumausstattung, Freiburg
Rainer Bliss Naturstein, Oberkirch
Funk Metallgestaltung, Landau/ Pfalz
Schreinerei Heizmann, Freiburg
Rauber, Raumausstattung, Freiburg
Rainer Bliss Naturstein, Oberkirch