page_title: Wendish-German double church
section_title: The construction of the German church
hierarchical_section_title: Wendish-German double church / History / The construction of the German church
caption_attribution_description: Wendisch-Deutsche Doppelkirche in Vetschau, Land Brandenburg, Deutschland deutsche Kirche Bild aufgenommen am 26.6.2006 von Olaf Meister
context_page_description: The Wendish-German double church is a so-called double church in Vetschau /Spreewald, Germany. The Protestant church consists of two naves standing side by side, with a common tower and vestry.
context_section_description: Over time, the percentage of Germans in the town of Vetschau increased, while the surrounding countryside remained largely dominated by the Wends. The German townsfolk sought to distinguish themselves from the rural Wendish population, including in their religion. Attendance grew at the church services held in German, so that the chapel, which probably had no pulpit and had been provisionally repaired following a fire, was not able to meet the needs of the Germans any more. The order was given to tear down the chapel and to replace it with a proper church for the growing German-speaking congregation. The local priests were apparently opposed to this new construction.
  The chapel was torn down in 1689 and the foundations were laid for the German church on 31 May 1690. It was completed three years later in 1693. Its late Baroque nave was made of bricks and was rectangular in shape. It had arched windows that were divided into two or three sections. The ceiling took the form of a barrel vault. There were galleries with lodges for the lords along the southern and western walls, as well as along part of the northern wall. On 30 January 1694, the General Superintendent Römer from Lübben consecrated the new construction. There were now two naves directly beside one another, and both a German and a Wendish congregation existed completely side by side. The Wendish church remained the principal church, the more elaborate German church fulfilled a secondary role under its archdeacon. The churches were connected by a vestry located before the eastern gable. The vestry, which was built with a double groin vault, was probably erected at the same time as the German church. Besides the vestry, the steeple of the Wendish church was also used by both churches.
caption: The German church
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