BOARD 6 - THE CHURCH OF RUPPENDORF
The first church was probably built soon after the foundation of the village in the 13th Century. It was 17 cubits shorter and 2 cubits smaller (cubits means saxon Elle: 2 feet = 0,57 meters) than the original . It was said to be small and narrow. A sacristy and an entrance hall were added. The chancel was domed and covered by a shingle roof. The altar from 1520 was shaped as a winged altar and was probably created by a master from the city of Freiberg. The left wing shows Saint Catherine who died by a sword. The middle shrine contains the following carved and coloured figures: Saint Martin who parts his coat with a sword, the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child and the holy Anna selbdritt. A figure of Saint Barbara can be found in the right wing. In 1529 today’s font made out of sandstone was erected. It is decorated with a rare leaf ornament.
In 1674 it was decided to replace the church with a new building. The chronicle tells us the following about the construction of the new church: “On Wednesday after Easter 1674, the church was completely demolished and pulled down, along with the removal of the bells, and a new foundation was laid with a length of 37 ¾ cubits and a width of 17 ¼ cubits, and then the wall was built around and around 2 cubits higher than that of the old church and 2 cubits thick. The new foundation was laid on April 30, the roof and the tower were raised on July 13, the bells were hung up again on August 1, and the roof was then covered with tiles. On the day of the church’s consecration on the 12th of October in 1674 the first church service was held at the new church.
A special historic heritage is the late Gothic round arched portal that is supposed to have been a part of the first church building. The more than 350 years old building has experienced a lot of renovations throughout the course of the centuries, such as a renovation of the chiming in 1892, 1922 and 1952 and repair works on the roof in 1996/97. In March 2003 the old and worn-out organ of the 19th Century was removed. The church of Ruppendorf received its organ from the “Kreuzkirche” church in Dresden. In 2017 the tower and the roof were renewed. The church has been a protected monument since 1968. It is along with the water castle a landmark of Ruppendorf.
![](https://ruppendorf.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2020_Kirche_Ruppendorf_Mario_Hehne-scaled_english-uai-258x283.jpg)