St. Christophorus-Kirche Oese

The Lutheran parish of Oese has around 1,000 members from the villages of Oese, Basdahl and Osterwede. Our St. Christophorus Church from the 16th century is a real gem that you should definitely take a look at. Our small village church is said to be the most beautiful in the entire Elbe-Weser triangle.

Christophorus and Christopher

Despite times of war and storms, our church has retained its original form to this day. It was recently consecrated to St. Christopher, the helper of the afflicted. The history of our church is closely linked to its founder, Christopher von Issendorf. His extensive property enabled him to have a church built in Oese in 1575. Von Issendorf and his wife were buried in front of the altar and their gravestones have been preserved to this day.

The church grounds

You enter and leave the church grounds through a thatched gate. It was designed in 1964 based on a drawing on a burial ground plan from 1791. The boulder wall surrounding the churchyard has existed for centuries. The painter-poet Otto Tetjus Tügel (1892 - 1973) and his son Tetjus Tügel jun. (1950 - 2018) are buried in the cemetery surrounding the church.

Special and historical relics

The three dials of the tower clock bear lettering instead of numbers: "Time is mercy" to the south, "Do not err" to the west and "His day is coming" to the north. A replica of the symbol of ecumenism has been attached to the eastern tip of the ridge since the 1960s. Inside the brass sphere is a copy of the Oeser emigration book from the 19th century. There is a gravestone on the tower wall next to the entrance. Until 1987, this gravestone of the sexton Joh. Christ. Kröncke, died 1765, lay as a stepping stone in front of the entrance door. It was only when an access path was paved that it was lifted and well-preserved Bible verses were discovered on the back. In the stonework above the entrance door, the coats of arms carved in sandstone commemorate the founder of the church and his wife.

The interior of the church

The interior of St. Christopher's Church is covered by a brightly painted wooden ceiling. It shows a variety of flowers and fruit in the colors red, green and black. There are also angel heads in some places - twelve in total. They are reminiscent of the tribes of Israel.

The three-part winged altar bears the date 1597 in the top left-hand corner and was probably made by Dutch artists. It depicts the Fall of Man and the Expulsion, the distribution of the Last Supper, the Baptism and the Resurrection in a naive painting style. The corresponding biblical passages are written in Low German. On the altar is an open Dieckmann Bible from 1702 with a dedication to Charles XII. It reminds us that Oese was also Swedish at that time.

On the south wall of the church is the pulpit, which was made of wood in 1616. The twelve apostles with their symbolic instruments can be seen in two rows of six panels, one above the other. Above the pulpit is the colorfully decorated and carved sounding board. A dove hovers in the middle below it as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. On the parapet of the pulpit is a wrought-iron hourglass with four glasses that run for 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes.

A crucifix hangs next to the pulpit. It is the oldest work of art in St. Christopher's Church. According to tradition, it was made in the 14th or 15th century and used to serve as a presentation cross during processions.

The Oeser Passion

The leaded windows of the Oeser church deserve special attention. Beneath the richly decorated and brightly colored coats of arms, in addition to the year 1578, the names of the noblemen from the Bremische Ritterschaft who were interested in building the church are listed in small letters. The small, diamond-shaped panes at the top of the six large windows, which depict scenes of the Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ, were certainly specially commissioned from the stained glass artist. They are known as the "Oeser Passion" and are now recognized as being of great artistic value. It has been established that the stained glass artist must have used designs by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472 - 1553) from Wittenberg as a model for five of the motifs.

You too can visit our impressive church with its valuable treasures!