Welcome to Christuskirche Oelsnitz / Erzgebirge!
For more than 800 years, Christians have gathered at this place to praise God, receive blessings, and seek comfort and support.
The first church building originated in the 13th century
Oelsnitz has been documented as a church location since 1286. As historical records show, a small chapel once stood on this site on the Kirchberg, belonging to the Cistercian monastery of Grünhain. The wooden church, built in Gothic style, was likely erected sometime after 1238. However, an exact construction date has not been recorded. From 1401 until the introduction of the Reformation, the abbot of Grünhain Monastery was the church’s feudal lord. Monks and clergy from the monastery came here to conduct worship services.
Around the year 1500, a monk sent from Grünhain Monastery sketched a view of the town, with the church already standing as the center of the settlement. This drawing has been preserved to this day.
The struggle to establish the Reformation in Oelsnitz lasted for many years. It was not until 1560 that the conflicts were settled, and the Protestant congregation became part of the Zwickau church district. That same year, Jobst Götze took office as the first Protestant pastor in Oelsnitz.
The Thirty Years‘ War caused great suffering and destruction in the town and countryside, and the church was no exception. After the war, the population grew once more, and with it, the church congregation.
Construction of a New Church in Baroque Style
The small church, which had become dilapidated, was soon too small for the growing congregation. At the initiative of Pastor Magister Leberecht Vollrath, a decision was made to build a new church. After the old building was demolished in 1724, the foundation stone for the new church was laid on April 18, 1725, at the same location. The total cost of construction amounted to about 1.500 talers, a sum that the 700 members of the congregation at the time could not raise on their own. Financial support came from the generous donations of local residents, a collection in the surrounding area, and the sale of seats in the new church.
The new church, built in the Baroque style, was consecrated in 1726. It was designed as a single-nave hall with a central aisle and featured a wooden ceiling along with two single-tier galleries. Above the altar, there was a small, three-tier chapel designated for the nobility of Oelsnitz.
The altar and baptismal font were plainly made of wood. A staircase led to the pulpit, which was decorated with wooden sculptures from pre-Reformation times. The steep church roof and tower were covered with slate. As was common at the time, there was a fixed seating arrangement for the different social classes and nobility, as well as separate seating for men and women.
Initially, there was not enough money for a new organ. Therefore, organ builder Donat created an instrument with 14 speaking stops from the still usable parts of the organ from the previous building.
In 1826, a new organ, built by the organ master Steinmüller from Grünhain, was played for the first time, and its casing still stands today. Although the instrument underwent a major reconstruction in 1897 by the company Gebrüder Jehmlich, its exterior was preserved. The organ heard in the church today (22 stops, 2 manuals, and pedal) was built by the company Eule/Bautzen in 1959, also incorporated into the existing case.
Expansion and Neo-Romanesque Style
The discovery of coal deposits in 1844 and the start of the mining era in Oelsnitz also brought significant changes to the church.
As the population grew, so did the number of church members. Most of the miners were faithful Christians. As a result, in 1865, a major expansion and reinforcement of the building became necessary.
With the expansion, the church took on its current exterior appearance. The addition of an apse and a chapel building extended along both sides of the nave increased the interior space. The old galleries were removed and replaced with double-tiered ones.
The interior was completely redesigned in the Neo-Romanesque style, including the colorful painting of the chancel. A small exposed section in the apse today illustrates the dark coloring from that time.
The altar and the pulpit, created in 1865 with the expressive figures of „Christ and the Evangelists,“ were crafted by the Leipzig sculptor Franz Schneider. The donor of the figures was the patron of the church, the Prince of Schönburg-Waldenburg.
The centerpiece of the tall wooden altar was the painting „The Road to Emmaus“ by the Leipzig artist Wilhelm Souchon. The baptismal font, made of Wildenfels marble, was donated in 1858 by the „Adult Youth“ of the parish.
On October 22, 1865, the newly redesigned church was solemnly consecrated once again.
In the following years, industrial progress also made its way into the church. In 1878, the church received a clock for its tower, in 1881 a coal heating system was installed, and in 1897, electric lighting was added. The new bells, cast at the Bierling bell foundry in Dresden, were consecrated on June 8, 1895.
While the Oelsnitz congregation managed to protect the bells from being removed and melted down during World War I, this could not be prevented during World War II. The bells had to be removed, despite the risk of the church collapsing, and were melted down for war purposes.
The church largely withstood the Second World War, particularly the air raid on Oelsnitz on February 14, 1945.
Crucifix Discovered During Renovation Crowns the Altar
Starting in 1970, the appearance of the church changed once again, this time due to extensive renovation work. It is important to keep in mind that a church renovation in the DDR during the 1970s was a significant challenge for both the congregation and the craftsmen involved.
After the exterior renovation, a comprehensive redesign of the interior took place until 1972: a wooden coffered ceiling was installed, the floor was replaced, the second gallery and central aisle were removed, and the windows, doors, and pews were replaced, with new lighting added. The result was a modern, bright church space.
The reworking of the tall, dark wooden altar gave the chancel a completely new look. Since then, the altar has been dominated by a crucifix with a late Gothic figure of Christ by an unknown master. It is likely that it was preserved from the old church dating back to pre-Reformation times and was restored in 1973.
Two apostle figures, originally part of a late Gothic Mount of Olives group, were placed on the wall to the right of the chancel after being restored in 1975. The previous altar painting, „The Road to Emmaus,“ now hangs to the left of the pulpit, which, as part of the redesign, was shortened to eye level and moved to the opposite side.
The carved figurine group „Angel and Miner“ was moved to the north side, directly opposite the main entrance. The 80 cm tall figures were created in 1937 by the well-known Annaberg woodcarver Paul Schneider. Until 1972, they were part of an electric chandelier in the chancel. Now, the angel and miner frame a chunk of coal, serving as a reminder of mining in the Lugau-Oelsnitz region from 1844 to 1971. Paul Schneider is also the creator of the Erzgebirge Christmas crib, made in 1926, which features 20 figures and decorates the church during the Advent and Christmas seasons.
Preparing for the New Millennium
After the reunification of Germany, it was necessary to carefully renovate and secure the building once again, especially since ongoing mining-related damage threatened the structural stability of the church.
Thanks to the great personal effort of the entire congregation and the generous financial support from the municipality, the federal government, the state of Saxony, the Saxon Church, and the German Foundation for Monument Protection, the necessary measures to preserve the church were successfully carried out.
From 1997 to 1999, the roof and tower were re-roofed with slate. In 2005, work began on the exterior renovation, which included the waterproofing of the masonry and securing the apse.
In 2006, the interior was renovated based on a concept by the visual artist and monument conservator Klaus Hirsch. The windows in the chancel were restored with color, a new lighting concept was created, and the chandeliers were custom-made for the Christ Church. The church now shines brightly and in elegant simplicity once again.
The renovation work was concluded with a festive service for the re-consecration on the 1st Sunday of Advent in 2006. One year later, on the 1st Sunday of Advent in 2007, a new bronze bell, cast at the Lauchhammer bell foundry, was consecrated with the great participation of the Oelsnitz community. Since Christmas Eve 2007, it has completed the bell chime, which now consists of three bells.
A Living Church in the Heart of the City
The Christ Church Oelsnitz is now a vibrant place of faith that brings together tradition and modernity. This is reflected in the artwork within the space. Since 2014, a contemporary depiction of an angel has adorned the chancel, complementing the medieval statue of Mary, which is located next to the sacristy. The sculpture „The Suffering of Christ“ by sculptor Robby Schubert, created in 2008, can be seen next to the entrance on the west side. Its placement creates an axis leading to the central Christ figure in the chancel.