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the Protestant Church
The Mestlin
village church is one of the largest and most beautiful in Mecklenburg.
„Dehio „calls it a „grand construction“. Mestlin had already been a
central community in former times. In 1312 the Danish King Erich and
Margrave Waldemar of Brandenburg conferred
here on measures against the powerful seatown Rostock. Five years later
Prince Johann von Werle certified special
rights to his residence town Goldberg. Perhaps these activities gave the
reasons to complete the first part of the church. This could have been
in 1250 or so. The church is a massive fieldstone-building of Roman
type. It is not as old as the churches in Frauenmark and Benthen. The
heavy walls on a carefully built base are only interrupted by narrow
round arched slits –two on the south side, three on the east side
behind the altar – it is a so-called Trinity group. One window is
missing on the north side. Red painted lines were scratched into the
mortar between the granite stones so pretending an ashlar building.
You can
still see some rests on the east wall. The east gable over the altar was
built from brickstones. It is the most beautiful part of the church. It
consists of a „German bond“ with five round blind arches which contain
tiny columns and capitals and over them another „German bond“ with a
cross. This cross shines over the country and puts it under the rule of
Jesus Christ.
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The
beautiful East gable |
A round arch frieze
encloses the gable triangle.The rich decoration makes it one of the
most beautiful gables. The interior of the cubic altar room is covered
by a heavy eight part dome vaulting with a conclusion circle. It is
closed to the outside with a shelter where you can feel secure.
The beautiful The choir opens to the very East gable different room of
the nave. Building it had been stopped within two or three generations
before it was finished . Meanwhile the way of building had changed
into the Gothic style at the end of the 13 th century. That means: no
more closed rooms, but wide halls and naves whose walls had wide
windows. So the interior could be „united“ with the outside world.
Another example is the church in Sternberg. This church is older than
ours and the masterbuilder probably copied details e.g. the height and
the vastness of the nave as well as the width of the windows. So there
exists an extraordinary relationship: the height from the bottom to the
top is exactly as long as the nave is . The height of the church walls
and the width of the interior room are identical. But compared to the
Sternberg church there are not three but only two naves, but very
strange, too.
The base of the vault are two thin octagonal pillars which divide the
wide hall into two naves. Churches with two naves as parts for men and
women are not rare in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. But nowhere -
except in Recknitz near Laage – there is such an attractively light
room which seems to show the width of the space – a round arch in the
east gable of the nave points at the universe with the stars and the
sky. The ribbed vault is covered with stars lamellas. The longitudinal
and crosswise vaults raise from the bottom while the diagonal ribs
start just some inches under the vault. The pillars and the vaulting are
constucted in the same way in the „Nikolai-church“ in Rostock. The
extension of the church seemed to be started with the tower which as
well as the baptismal chapel probably was the opposite to the altar
room. The west portal with romantic forms leads to the extension. The
south portal – opened to the direction of the nave – is younger.
The tower construction – it is a kind of „westwork“ – is not much higher
than the ground. Only in 1749 (there is a date stone on the south side)
it had been built two floors higher and was finished with the half
–timbered bell-room and a tetrahedron roof, then.
Only the triumphal -cross group and the Eucharist cupboard-containing
the consecrated Lord`s Supper – as a part of the medieval interior
set-up are preserved.
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The so calles
Trinity group |
The „Dehio“ says, there is an
impressive crucifixion group on the triumphal joist (about 1500),
especially the carving of the crucifix is of excellent quality. At the
ends of the crucifix` arms there are the carved evangelist symbols.
There is no other way to reach the altar and to reach the grace – you
group have to walk under it.
How old is the whale`s bone? Is it a medieval relic- maybe Jonas` fish?
Or is it only a rarity or even both? The church had been decorated
differently during the centuries.
So the baptismal font with the picture of the Fall (Roman 6) was a work
of the Reformation century. The Thirty Years` War is remembered on the
old altar and the pulpit from 1698 with the four evangelists, crowned by
the resurrector. Pay attention and remember the biblical sayings and
their choice. One of the changed decorations
is the priest`s chair with the funny grimaces on it,another one is the
altar picture from 1859- „the Crucifixion“ painted by Gaston Lenthe who
also painted the crucifixion picture of the Schwerin cathedral altar.
The most beautiful decoration of the church is the parish. Let´s hope
that this beautiful house of God will not only be a museum or a quiet
place, because our ancestors had built and decorated it to honour God
and as a meeting place for the parish.
By Gerhard Voß
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The pulpit |
The first mentioning of Mestlin: 13th October
1312 at the meeting mentioned above
the village church of Mestlin
1312:
In a document, written on a meeting of the DanishKing Erich with the
Margrave Waldemar of Brandenburg, is mentioned that they met in the
church of Mestlin. But nothing is written about any details of the
church and why their meeting had just taken place in Mestlin. But when
you watch the Roman style of building( fieldstones,round arched
windows) you will realize that this part of the church must have been
built in the middle of the 13th century. So the church was
already established during or before the rulers´ meeting. Five years
later,in 1317, Prince Johannes von Werle(Goldberg) certified special
rights to his residental town Goldberg. And he did it in Mestlin again.
Later they continued the building of the church starting with the tower.
But only in the 18th century it was finished with the
building of the half-timbered bell-room(see date stone on the south
side). There could have been a temporary building from wood between the
tower and the choir or the little church up to the 14th
century. And later it was replaced by the big nave. But let´s go back to
the choir room. This room is almost cubic and is covered with an
eight-part dome vaulting with a conclusion circle.
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The altar |
Altar:
The new Gothic altar top part goes back to the 19th century
and is dominated by the crucifixion picture of the painter Gaston
Lenthe. But it prevents looking at the three windows in the east wall
which would normally illuminate the choir room. Don´t forget to have a
look at the priest`s chair from the 19th century.
The baptismal font was made
from concrete in the 20th century.
The
Halls:
The large hall of the church is Gothic, leads your view into the height
of the church. It is divided into two naves by two slim columns which
the walls lie on. It is a light room which doesn`t restrict your view
but gives you a feeling of distance and extense.
Triumphal
Crucifix:
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The so calles
Trinity group |
The
crucifixion group on the triumphal joist was placed here in the 16th
century. Jesus on the crucifix was created by an unknown artist.
Group below the crucifix:
Mary,his mother and Johannes, one of his disciples.
Pulpit:
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detail of the pulpit |
It was created in the 18th century together with an altar
top part which is put down on the organ gallery. They are a work of a
local artist in the rustic baroque style. They were donated by Hans
Brandt and his wife in 1698 (see inscription). Worth seeing are the
simple oak pews which were bought between 1689 and 1747. In the 19th
century the church got the altar top part from 1859 and in 1855 an organ
was built getting some parts of an older Lüttgemüller organ from
Dobbertin. But returning after the Second World War the then priest
found the destroyed organ. It has not been rebuilt up to now. A
commemorative plaque of World War I also belongs to the church.
Bells:
There were two bells in the tower. The bigger one was casted by
master Siebenbaum in Schwerin in 1683. It had to be delivered in 1944
and was melted for arming.The smaller bell with a diameter of 97 cm was
casted by J. V. Schulz in Rostock in 1776.
Grave:
The ledgers are inserted in the church floor and do not name the
flat places of burial,but were brought in from the cemetery later.
The church room:
In the warmer season it is used as a church serves for the parish. All
year the dead members of the parish are buried from out of this. Keeping
the church is a great task for the parish. It is done step by step. So
in 1985 and 1986 electric light and a bench heating were installed. In
the next years the outside of the church and the windows will be
repaired, so that the interior can be renewed then.
(text given by
courtesy of provost Jens Krause, Mestlin)
     
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