User:Shield toad/Jakobuskirche (Oberkotzau)

= Jakobuskirche (Oberkotzau) =

The Jakobuskirche Oberkotzau (Saint James' Church of Oberkotzau) is an Evangelical Lutheran Parish church in Oberkotzau, Germany. It lies next to the town's marketplace, below the Schloss Oberkotzau (Oberkotzau Castle).

History
The development of the Jakobuskirche is closely related to the local nobility, the Kotzau family, who ruled the region for several centuries. Members of the family were buried within the church, which is bore witness to by several epitaphs on the interior and exterior walls of the church, such as that of Georg Wolf of Kotzau. The original village cemetery surrounded the church.

Architecture and Embellishments
The pulpit altar was created by Elias Räntz.

The chancel and nave do not share a common axis, instead forming an angle. In 1935 major reconstruction work was carried out under the architect German Bestelmeyer, which at the time was heavily debated in the local press.

Numerous coats of arms from knight's families in the area can be found in the gallery. The coat of arms of the Hohenzollerns of the Principality of Bayreuth, from where the Kotzau barons originally hailed, were later added.

Literature

 * Hans-Georg Bredull: Aus der Kirchengeschichte des Marktfleckens Oberkotzau. In: 750 Jahre Markt Oberkotzau - Festschrift des Marktes Oberkotzau zur 750-Jahr-Feier. Oberkotzau 1984.
 * August Gebeßler: Stadt und Landkreis Hof. Die Kunstdenkmäler von Bayern, Kurzinventare, VII. Band. Deutscher Kunstverlag. München 1960. S. 54–56.
 * Ernst Kießkalt: Die Grabdenkmale des Marktes Oberkotzau in Oberfranken. In: Vierteljahrsschrift für Wappen-, Siegel- und Familienkunde. Band 26. 1908. S. 187–203.
 * Markt Oberkotzau (Hg.): Illustrierte Geschichte(n). Hof 2013. S. 44ff.
 * Hans-Ulrich Zeidler: Der Markt Oberkotzau - Ein heimatgeschichtlicher Streifzug. In: 750 Jahre Markt Oberkotzau - Festschrift des Marktes Oberkotzau zur 750-Jahr-Feier. Oberkotzau 1984.

Weblinks

 * Joint web presence of the Evangelical and Catholic parishes of Oberkotzau

Category:Churches in Europe