Pause for a moment and consider this: How many churches can trace their origins back to the year 804? St. Georg in Freiburg im Breisgau is one of them. This Roman Catholic parish church stands proudly in the St. Georgen district. It’s part of the St. Georgen-Hexental pastoral care unit. This unit falls within the Freiburg deanery of the Archdiocese of Freiburg.
Let’s journey back in time. A knight named Gisalher made a donation to St. Gallen Benedictine Monastery. This donation included a church in Hardkirch village. Hardkirch later became part of St. Georgen. The church was dedicated to St. George in 1178. The name St. Georg for Hardkirch appeared in writing in 1322 as “kilche sant Georium.”
In 1516, the Knights Hospitaller built a new church in the Gothic style. This Hardkirche stood until the 19th century. It got a Baroque makeover in the 18th century.
By the 19th century, the parish had grown significantly. The Hardkirche, with its 400 seats, couldn’t accommodate everyone. Catholics were expected to attend Sunday Mass. There was only one Mass on Sundays. A new building became necessary.
Heinrich Hübsch was the original architect. He wanted to build the new church next to the old Hardkirche. He had the community’s support for this plan. Hübsch’s successor changed the plan. He worked with the archiepiscopal building authority, the municipal council, and St. Georgen residents. However, residents from Uffhausen and Wendlingen disagreed. These villages were also part of the parish.
The current St. Georg church was built between 1866 and 1869. Lukas Engesser designed it with a wide nave and two narrow side aisles. The church was consecrated on February 7, 1869. Over time, the interior was updated. The last major renovation took place in 2005 and 2006.
The church’s design reflects the Romanesque Historicism style. This style was common at the time. Heinrich Hübsch also used this style in churches in Sulzburg and Schallstadt-Mengen. The old Hardkirche was torn down in 1865 to make way for the new building. Some of the old church’s furnishings were moved into the new one. The new church faces Baslerstrasse, the main street. This was typical for the time.
Inside St. Georg, you’ll find treasures from the past. The Renaissance baptismal font dates back to around 1600. A Baroque figure of Saint Sebastian also came from the demolished Hardkirche.
Look above the entrance. Franz Xaver Reich created the figure of St. George on the outside.
Joseph Dettlinger created the high altar. It was installed during the church’s first renovation in 1896. It’s a copy of Hans Bongart’s late Gothic winged altar from Kaysersberg dating to 1518. It depicts scenes from the Passion. Dettlinger also used these motifs for the Stations of the Cross in the Church of Our Lady in Karlsruhe’s Südstadt.
In 1961, the Augustinermuseum Freiburg gave the church the Baroque altar of the Mary Altar. Freiburg sculptor Bruno Knittel created the celebration altar.
The organ at St. Georg dates back to 1869. Merklin and Fröhlich built the original instrument. The organ housing comes from the Sängerhaus in Freiburg. In 1978, Fischer & Krämer rebuilt the instrument. Some of the old registers were reused. Today, the instrument has 34 registers on two manuals and a pedal. The actions are mechanical. Orgelbau Mühleisen renovated the instrument in 2008.
St. Georg’s octagonal belfry sits above the entrance. A four-part bell hangs in a steel bell frame. A historic bell from 1507 is joined by three bells. Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling cast these in Heidelberg in 1962.
All four bells are part of the tower clock’s strike mechanism. Bell 1 strikes the full hours. The others mark the quarter hours. Clock faces on all four sides of the tower visually display the time.
St. Georg stands as a testament to faith. It also serves as a marker of history. Its stones echo with stories from centuries past. Take a moment to appreciate the blend of styles. Notice the dedication to preserving history. This church is more than just a building. It’s a living chronicle.