Page 105 - AIT0520_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design schleicher.ragaller architekten
Bauherr • Client Kath. Stadtdekanat Stuttgart
Standort • Location Seidenstraße 39, Stuttgart
Nutzfläche • Floor space 1.180 m 2
Fotos • Photos Zooey Braun, Stuttgart
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More information on page 128

CHURCH ST FIDELIS

IN STUTTGART

More and more people are leaving the church, more
and more are in search of spirituality. St Fidelis in Stutt-
gart reacts to this with an open programme. Since De-
cember 2019, the almost 100 years old Catholic church
has also been a centre of spirituality and church music.
schleicher.ragaller architekten designed a place of si-
lence for believers and those looking for life’s meaning.

B uses, suburban railways, cars – Seidenstrasse in the west of Stutt-
gart is characterized by traffic and noise. Yet amid the hectic ever-
yday life, St Fidelis offers contemplative quietness. The Catholic
church was built in 1924/1925 according to plans by Clemens Hummel,
modelled on Italian basilicas and in a stylistic competition of histori-
cism and modernism. Destroyed down to the outer walls in 1944, the
house of God was reconstructed by Hugo Schlösser with a homogene-
ous interior regarding the colours. After the Second Vatican Council in
1964, Rudolf und Maria Schwarz newly oriented the church. After this
eventful history and the most recent renovation by schleicher.ragaller
Grundriss • Floor plan architekten, St Fidelis has now come to rest for the time being. The as
subtle as ubiquitous feeling of soothing silence suddenly sets in. It is
the elimination of everything that is superfluous and the focus on all
that is necessary which dominates the three-nave church. The conti-
nuous Travertine floor and the unobtrusive wooden coffered ceiling
produce generous, homogeneous surfaces. The atmosphere is festi-
vely bright. The stained-glass windows created by Georg Meistermann
can now take effect just as much as his images of the Stations of the
Cross in the aisles. Inspired by Leo von Klenze, figures of saints and
votive candles come into their own on stone pedestals in concave ni-
ches. It was the late Maria Schwarz who, in personal conversations,
had encouraged the architects to implement the idea of communio.
This community spirit becomes manifest in the new seating arrange-
ment of St Fidelis. The ambo and the altar produce a longitudinal axis
in the central nave. Parallel to it, the faithful are sitting facing each
other during the service. In a fascinating way, the Stuttgart artist Mar-
tin Bruno Schmid developed the liturgical elements out of a single li-
mestone monolith. The architects integrated a room of silence into the
chancel. This wooden “inside chancel” illuminated from above is the
heart of the spiritual centre. Nothing distracts from one’s own self.
With six portal doors, this place of meditation and prayer can be ope-
Längsschnitt • Longitudinal section ned to the church hall. The rush of the street stays outside …

AIT 5.2020 • 105