St. Michael's Church
Description
The Romanesque hill church of St. Michael stands on the Kirchberg (415 m) near Büsingen am Hochrhein in the district of Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg.
The church’s origins are unknown but likely pre-1000. It was one of the early rural churches of the Diocese of Constance, serving a large area including Büsingen, Schaffhausen, Neuhausen and nearby villages. The city church of St. Johann in Schaffhausen was originally a daughter church of this hill church.
The first written mention dates to 1095, in a protection letter from Pope Urban II to the Allerheiligen Abbey in Schaffhausen. After 1248 the church was fully incorporated into the abbey, and in 1488 it was dedicated to St. Michael. During the Reformation (1529), Schaffhausen abolished the Mass and dissolved the abbey. Although Büsingen joined Baden in 1810, the Church of Schaffhausen retained ecclesiastical authority until 1843. A new village church was built in 1835, and the hill church became a summer church.
The nave, sacristy, and tower date to the 11th–12th centuries. Most of the original Romanesque lighting remains, except for a late-Gothic window added during the Reformation. Medieval decorations were removed and wall paintings whitewashed at that time. A major 17th-century renovation extended the nave westward. Later restorations (1823, 1953, 1977, 1979) mainly preserved the Romanesque appearance.
Description
The east-facing church has a simple single-nave hall with small high round-arched windows and a straight-ended chancel. Its notable height reflects its High Romanesque origin. A defensive wall from the same period surrounds the church, sacristan’s house, farm building, and cemetery.
Inside, a plain octagonal baptismal font stands in the square chancel. The east window (1977), by Swiss glass artist Gian Casty, shows the crucified Christ. A late-Gothic window added during the Reformation sits in the north wall near the pulpit.
Address
Dörflingerstraße 2, Büsingen am Hochrhein, Germany
Established
11th century