A BRIEF HISTORY OF ST AUGUSTINES

By Hilary Norman

Information about the Anglican / Episcopal Tradition

The Anglican Tradition was born in England, in the early 16th century during the reign of King Henry VIII. Henry broke with the Church of Rome, because the Pope would not annul the marriage between himself and Katherine of Aragon in order to marry the lady in waiting Anne Boleyn, and made himself head of the Church in England.

However the worship of the Church in England retained the same shape as that of the Roman Church under Henry. Only later under the reign of his daughter Elizabeth (daughter of Anne Boleyn) did protestant influences from continental Europe, especially from the teachings of Martin Luther, begin to influence the shape of Anglican liturgy. To this day our worship remains centered on the Eucharist.

The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Anglican Church. We are a member church of the Worldwide Anglican Communion, and so share a common heritage with all those churches that sprang up in countries that were once colonies of Britain. Our Book of Common Prayer derives from the original written by Thomas Cranmer (the first protestant Archbishop of Canterbury) in England in the mid 1500?s.

Our parish is made up of people from America, Britain, and a host of other English speaking countries, as well as a good number of Germans. We are truly an ecumenical congregation, with members from many different Christian traditions participating. It is our common love of worshiping our Lord in English that binds us together.

History of the Church

Early records show that British visitors to the spa at Wiesbaden began holding Anglican services in 1836. During the summer months services were held in the Mauritiuskirche in the Kirchgasse and at other times of the year in the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten or the Hotel Rose. (Following the destruction of the Mauritiuskirche in 1850 services were then conducted in the Duke of Nassau's private chapels in the Marktplatz and the Biebricher Schloss and later in the Marktkirche.) The congregation grew rapidly and in 1844 an appeal was made to Duke Adolf of Nassau for land upon which to build a church.

Land was eventually granted and, with help from the Kurhaus Trust and with funds collected from existing and former parishioners and residents, construction of the church - to the designs of Oberbaurat G?tz - was started. The corner stone was laid by Sir Alexander Malet, Queen Victoria's Minister Plenipotentiary to the German Confederation, on 3 June 1863. Construction was completed in 1864 and the first service was held on 1 November 1864 by Rev. James Brine. The church was consecrated on 22 July 1865 by Marcus Gervais Beresford, Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, who had supervision over foreign parishes not within the diocese of London.

Frequent visitors to the church during the 1870s and 1880s were two daughters of Queen Victoria, Princess Victoria (later Empress of Germany) and Princess Helena (wife of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein). Princess Victoria often attended the church with her husband (the future Kaiser Friedrich III) and her children, amongst whom was the future Kaiser Wilhelm II.

The bell tower and side aisle, designed by the architect Friedrich Lang, were added between 1887/8. Further extensive internal works were carried in 1914 and were nearing completion when the first World War began. The British residents left Wiesbaden but the church continued to be used during the war years and into the early 1920s by the remaining American residents and the Lutheran Trinity congregation.

The foreign population again left Wiesbaden prior to the onset of the second World War and a local lawyer, Dr. W. Adolph, was appointed administrator of the church by the courts. Up until 1943 the building and its contents were subjected to damage by intruders and it was Dr. Adolph who arranged for the necessary repairs to be carried out using the funds he had available in the church's bank accounts. When these ran out the church was handed over to the city of Wiesbaden in April 1943.

The church was severely damaged by a bombing raid in February 1945. One object that miraculously escaped damage was the large carved crucifix, which hung above the altar. In May 1945 the American army entered Wiesbaden. An American chaplain found the church in a bad state.

Following the end of the war the building was used as a temporary shelter by the American troops and, following restoration by the American forces in 1950, used as an American military chapel until October 1955 when it was handed back by the City of Wiesbaden to the Church of England. Since that time it has been under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe.

On 23 January 1966 a fire caused by a faulty heating system resulted in the church being gutted. Miraculously the crucifix survived again, albeit in a charred state, and it can now be seen at the rear of the church. The wooden rood beam upon which it stood is incorporated into the balcony where the organ now stands.

The church was restored and was re-consecrated by the Bishop of Fulham on 22 January 1967. In 1995 the interior of the church was repainted entirely through the efforts and contributions of members of the congregation.

Though the Bishop of London still holds the deed to the church, our parish has been a member of the American Episcopal church since 1996. The American Episcopal church in Europe has churches in Paris (where the bishop resides), Munich, Frankfurt, Florence, Rome, Geneva, Clermont-Ferrand and Waterloo, as well as several missionary churches around Europe.

Our parish is made up of people from numerous nations, but predominantly the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. Our church maintains its historically close contact with the Old Catholic Church in Wiesbaden and has good ecumenical relations with Roman Catholic and Protestant churches in the city.

Excerpts taken from Hilary Norman's Book ?The English Church in Wiesbaden "A History". Copies to purchase can be obtained from the church office.