Two crosses are missing on the roof of St. Laurentius in Holzkirchen, and the entire steeple of the parish church in Großhartpenning is gone.
The believers are getting impatient.
But the ordinariate has not yet submitted a schedule for the renovations.
Wooden churches
- The queens lost their heads years ago.
And some believers have lost patience.
"Many people say that this is a disgrace," reports CSU councilor Josef Sappl senior.
"Something must finally happen."
That's what it's about: At St. Laurentius in Holzkirchen two large crosses are missing - the one on the church tower and the one on the gable above the entrance portal, as Pastor Gottfried Doll specifies.
The Großhartpenningen parish church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary was trimmed: Here the spire with the cross and the gold-plated globe is gone.
The crosses of St, Laurentius were removed in 2016 due to acute danger of falling.
"We made a start this year," says Doll.
After the new building of St. Josef - which had demanded all capacities in the past few years - is finished, the parish can devote itself to new projects.
First of all, the church administration wants to pounce on the missing church spire cross of St. Laurentius.
"We'll see if we can do that financially."
And so, as reported, this spring a group of craftsmen drove up to the top with a truck crane and examined the substructure of the tower cross.
"In doing so, we found that it is not that easy to repair," reports Doll.
Now is the time to work out a solution.
“The cross is still there.” He assumes that it can be used again.
St. Laurentius: The entire roof structure is in need of renovation
The cross on the gable, on the other hand, is to be done together with a larger construction site: "The roof structure of St. Laurentius is in need of renovation," says the clergyman.
This is confirmed by a spokesman from the Archbishop's Office in Munich.
The total costs for St. Laurentius would be 1.25 million euros.
This includes measures for the cross, roof, tower and external repairs.
"On the part of the church foundation, at least 15 percent of this would have to be brought in, the archdiocese would take over the remaining part."
Doll doubts that help from above will come quickly.
After all, many construction projects would pile up in the ordinariate.
The spokesman can only confirm that: There are almost 2000 parish, branch and side churches in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, most of which are old and often have material deficiencies.
Another project is also pending in Holzkirchen: the new construction of the parish center, which, according to Doll, will be decided in early 2022.
On the basis of various criteria, "given the limited financial resources available, prioritization is made," says the spokesman.
How promptly the renovation or restoration can take place depends on the prioritization of the building in the overall context.
In the case of St. Laurentius, “approval has not yet been obtained” from the relevant committee.
The same applies to the renovation of the Hartpenninger Church. Lorenz Knoll, deputy chairman of the church administration, can still clearly remember the day when the landmark shrank. On July 25, 2017, the spire including the cross and globe was removed. “For static reasons.” Moisture and rot had damaged the framework. The risk of the tip crashing into the street was too great. It rushed. "Since then there has been a good nine meters missing." The last major repairs were carried out in 1939.
Now a major revitalization is pending: "The spire would have to be completely redesigned, that is, new shingling of the roof surfaces as well as metal and electrical work," says the ordinariate. Cost: 400,000 euros. The majority is taken over by the diocese, 15 percent has to be shouldered by the local church foundation. “The money is there,” emphasizes Knoll. Thanks to good finances, the parish was able to pay for the renovation of the rectory for around 100,000 euros. Nevertheless, the procedure is "bothersome" because "nothing is going on" on the part of the archdiocese. Knoll still hopes that the renovation of the parish church will start in 2022. According to the ordinariate, however, there is no schedule yet. However, the measure is advocated: "Since the church tower is formative for the church and the townscape in general," says the spokesman.