Is it possible that one of the most richly adorned village churches in the Leipzig area stands right before you? This is the Kirche Podelwitz. It has stood for centuries. It has remained almost unchanged. It was spared from damage and destruction.
The Kirche Podelwitz’s history stretches back to 1250. Markgraf Heinrich III of Meißen gifted the church to the Teutonic Order. This is documented in a deed. The church combines Romanesque, Gothic, and Historicist elements.
Once, the Kirche Podelwitz was the heart of a settlement area. It sits on the border between Podelwitz and Rackwitz. From 1815, the Saxon-Prussian border ran between these places. Thirteen villages once belonged to this church.
Originally a Romanesque hall church, it was rebuilt in the late Gothic style. The Kirche Podelwitz’s towering spire probably dates back to the early 17th century. Julius Zeißig oversaw renovations in 1909. Thuringian slate covers the church tower and nave.
Inside the Kirche Podelwitz, net vaults and tracery windows catch the eye. The triple-winged altar is especially rich. Steffan Hermsdorf created it. Double galleries feature a painted picture Bible. The Kirche Podelwitz also holds the Mende organ. Epitaphs commemorate M. Jakobus Bedelius, Hans von Maschwitz, Katharina von Eheleben. Johann Siegmund von Carlowitz and Pastor Zeithopf are also memorialized. Three historic bronze bells reside in the tower. They date back to the 13th and 17th centuries.
The triple-winged altar from 1520 is a highlight. Its weekday and Sunday sides display four panel paintings each in the central shrine. The festival view presents carved and gilded three-quarter sculptures. Mary with the Child is centered. Six holy figures surround her. The opened predella shows a carved depiction of Mary’s death. Four gilded holy figures stand beside it. Leipzig’s sculptor Steffan Hermsdorf created this altar. It is one of his last. The altar was restored in 2001 and 2002.
The pulpit dates from 1594. It features rich ornamentation. Painted depictions of the four evangelists adorn it. Images of Paul and Christ decorate the pulpit basket. A Moses depiction graces the pulpit support.
The double galleries date from 1593. Michael Kortzer and August Roßmäßler designed them in the early 18th century. Biblical scenes from creation to revelation appear on the gallery panels.
A relief from 2012 stands in the Kirche Podelwitz’s entrance. It commemorates victims of war, violence, and injustice in the 20th century. Leipzig artist Markus Gläser created it. It encourages remembrance. It promotes understanding and peace.
Johann Gottlob Mende built the organ in 1841. Johannes Lindner restored it in 1993. This followed 16 years of disuse. Hermann Eule Orgelbau Bautzen reconstructed two rare historical reed stops. These are the Physharmonika and Oboe. This largely restored the original condition.
The organ had to be removed soon after. There was an acute infestation of dry rot in the organ gallery. It could sound again by Easter 2014.
The Kirche Podelwitz’s tower holds three historic bronze bells. One is among the oldest in Saxony. These bells were spared from being melted down for war during both World Wars.
The bell system was in poor condition until 2005. The bells could only be rung by hand. They hung on crooked steel yokes in a steel frame. In 2005 and 2006, the bell chamber was completely renovated. The bells received new wooden yokes and a new wooden bell frame. Linear motors now drive them. The ringing arms on the new yokes allow for manual ringing by rope for special occasions.
Since January 1 12, the Kirche Podelwitz has belonged to the Evangelical Lutheran Parish of Podelwitz-Wiederitzsch. The Stiftung KiBa supported the church’s renovation in 2005. They donated 10000 euros. As you leave, remember the Kirche Podelwitz. It stands as a testament to faith and history. It connects generations through art, music, and community.