Church in Schortens-Sillenstede
Today, Sillenstede is situated in the middle of the marsh. At the time of building the church, the border of the Geest still did not have a protecting foreland, and so they dedicated the Romance church which was constructed in the middle of the 12th century on a very high dwelling mount, to the Patron Saint Florian. This martyr should give protection against fire and flood. According to the latest research, the date transmitted for the construction of the church, 1233, is related to its reconstruction after a great feud. The church is the greatest of the churches in the eastern Ostfriesland (48 m long, 11 m high in the interior and 19 m up to the gable). The stones which look like ashlars and are very colorful were found by the constructors on the Geest (see Marx). Except parts of the western wall and some small patchworks, the church still shows its original state: the windows have not been extended, like in nearly all other churches. Only the northern portals have been walled up. Today, you enter the building through the also original western portal. The belfry which is situated apart seems to be older than the church, although it was not constructed before the first half of the 13th century. Its ivy-clad walls consist of hum-backed granite stones and trass. It may be that it was built with rests of an older church.
The nave is separated from the choir by a wide, high triumph arch. On the right and on the left of the choir, there are ciboria under which in former times there were side altars. Above them, there are wall niches with four figures of saints in each, the figure above on the right can be identified clearly as Peter the Apostle, because of the key he holds in his hand. The baptismal font (middle of the 13th century) is made of sandstone from Baumberg. In 1584, it was revised and they added an inscription at the borders of the font. Preserved from the Romance period are wonderful relieves on the wall showing scenes from the life of Christ: Adoration of the Kings, the baptism of Christ, the crucifixion and Christ descended into hell. They painted relieves with a floral background, without separation of the single scenes. In contrast to the presentation on the baptismal font in Middels (see there), which is very lively and emotional, here the figures seem to be controlled and less dramatic. Other equipment pieces are a passion altar (from north-western Germany, possibly from Bremen, around 1520) and a pulpit from the 17th century.
The organ was built in 1757 by the organ-building master Johann Adam from Osnabrück who worked in Ostfriesland from 1753-68. The instrument has two manuals and had an attached pedal and 14 organ-stops from which 12 still are preserved. With its screen consisting of a high middle tower and two smaller towers on the left and on the right with flat fields in between and the rich “Schleierwerk” (free-standing, open tracery) it is in the full tradition of the Westphalia organs. From 1934-36, the instrument was restored by Alfred Führer from Wilhelmshaven. The pedal was added; today, the organ has 21 organ-stops.
Address
Ev.-luth. Kirchenbüro
Mühlenstr. 2
26419 Schortens-Sillenstede
Tel 0 44 23 / 99 16 30
E-Mail
buero@kgsill.de
Internet
www.ev-kirche-sillenstede.de
