Lost in time this statue of St. Laurentius stands as a testament to faith. It stands as a testament to resilience. Our story begins in Heidingsfeld a town now part of Würzburg. Here we find St. Laurentius Church. It is not just a building. It is a landmark. The church is dedicated to Saint Laurentius of Rome a martyr. He died during the reign of Pope Sixtus II. His feast day is August 10th.
Imagine Heidingsfeld long ago. A church stood here in the 8th century. By the 12th century it bore the name of St. Laurentius. This early church was a three-aisled basilica. It featured a nave and transept. Around 1200 a stone tower was erected. The churchyard was fortified with two gates and Romanesque foundations.
In 1408 a Gothic choir was added. Around 1510 a crucifix from Tilman Riemenschneider’s workshop graced the chancel arch. But tragedy struck in 1945. An air raid completely destroyed the church. Only rubble remained.
The people of Heidingsfeld known as Hätzfelder showed amazing spirit. From 1947 to 1950 they rebuilt their church. Architect Hans Schädel led the effort. The rebuilt church became a home for the growing community. Especially for those in the new Katzenberg area. In 1973 the church was renovated and modernized. Bishop Dr. Josef Stangl consecrated it on December 16th. Later a new kindergarten and parish center were added.
Inside St. Laurentius today you will see a special altar area. It is set before the high choir. The altar the ambo and the seats are made of shell limestone. Relics of martyrs St. Laurentius Speziosa and Candida are housed in the altar. A crucifixion group from Riemenschneider’s workshop stands in the high choir. A sacrament stele by Herbert Spielmann adds to the beauty.
Look to the sides of the nave. There are figures by Oskar Müller from 1963/64. To the right is Mary with Child. To the left is St. Laurentius carved from limewood. On the left wall a Lamentation relief honors Anna Eltlein. It is also by Tilman Riemenschneider. At the rear of the nave is a baptismal font with a copper lid. It dates back to 1581. Michael Kern the Younger is believed to have created it.
Before 1945 St. Laurentius had a distinct look. The flat-roofed Romanesque nave contrasted with the vaulted transept and choir. The Baroque high altar from 1712 displayed the martyrdom of St. Laurentius. Statues of St. John the Baptist and St. Stephen were also featured. The ceiling painting honored St. Sebastian. Angels were shown attending to him after his martyrdom.
Remarkably some treasures survived the 1945 destruction. A late-Gothic sacrament house from 1450 was saved. The red sandstone fragments were collected from the rubble. Also a sandstone corpus from the former churchyard cross was recovered. Since 2010 these items have been in the Old Oil Mountain Chapel.
Originally St. Laurentius had six bells. They were made in 1889 by the Klaus Brothers bell foundry. Three bells were melted down for war in 1918. In 1925 two replacement bells were installed. But the entire set was lost in World War II. Today the tower holds four bells. A smaller bell is in the roof turret. These bells were cast in 1948 by the Junker bell foundry.
The Marian Chapel is in the basement of the Romanesque tower. It features a stone altar. Paintings by Karl Clobes from 1959 depict the Assumption of Mary. They also show scenes from the Lauretanian Litany and a Pietà.
The Stations of the Cross consist of 15 stations. Karl Clobes created them in 1965. The parish of St. Laurentius forms a community. It unites with the Holy Family parish and St. Bruno parish.
So as you gaze upon St. Laurentius remember its story. It is a story of faith destruction and rebirth. It is a story etched in stone and spirit.