Protestant Church Lettweiler

Since the year 1303, a chapel has been known in Lettweiler, first mentioned in 1196, where the abbot from Disibodenberg had mass read three times a week. In the church dedicated to Saint Stephen in the 16th century, the new Lutheran doctrine was introduced in 1535. From 1560, the counts and dukes of Palatinate-Zweibrücken took over church sovereignty and the tithe as former lords of the dissolved monastery of Disibodenberg. In contrast, the territorial sovereignty remained with Nassau-Saarbrücken, which initially prevented the transition to the Calvinism that prevailed in Palatinate-Zweibrücken after 1588. Therefore, the Reformed confession could only be introduced in 1603 when the duke also became the territorial lord. The parish, which is now affiliated with Odernheim (united since 1818), has undergone frequent changes in affiliation with different parishes throughout its history. Lettweiler was also not spared from the adversities of a simultaneum, as a complaint from the Reformed in 1721 shows: "Lettweiler: Here, according to the jure Diocesano taken by Kur-Mainz, the Catholic priest has taken it upon himself to bury a Reformed child. Although they - the Catholics - only make up one-twentieth of the population in the land, they hope to soon be able to perform all casuals here - baptism, marriage, burial." This numerical ratio had not changed significantly until the construction of the current church: in 1757, there were 144 Reformed, 65 Lutherans, and only 13 Catholics in Lettweiler. In 1761, the construction of the present church began. The medieval chapel was demolished. On October 30, 1763, the new church could be consecrated. The architect was Phillip Heinrich Hellermann (1728-1806), born in Meisenheim, who typically created rectangular preaching churches without a choir. Thus, the Lettweiler church also became a small hall building that is used lengthwise rather than crosswise. The church tower, standing on the gable side, is integrated into the nave by wall thickness and is only slightly taller than it. The lower floors are solid, while the bell floor is made of half-timbering. The tent roof is covered with copper. In contrast to Hellermann's usual preference for bell turrets, the Lettweiler church received an elegant tower helmet in the form of a lantern tapering upwards. The facade facing the street features two round-arched windows painted in vibrant colors with figures of Christ, and in the center, a rectangular door with a profiled sandstone frame. During the renovation of the church in 1967/68, the names of the fallen from World War I were recorded under these figures. The arrangement of the pews is a special feature. Since the altar and pulpit are located in the longitudinal nave of the church, the pews are arranged in groups around them. A portrait of Luther, which had been hidden for a long time, found its place next to the pulpit during the renovation. On this occasion, the newly acquired chandelier was also hung. The pulpit, above which a canopy is placed, and the altar, partially surrounded by a cross lattice fence, form a unity. This arrangement can only be found in a few churches in our region. Until the year 1860, there was no organ in the church in Lettweiler. After the installation of a gallery in 1859, a one-manual organ with a total of ten sounding registers was installed by the organ builder Gustav Schlimbach from Speyer. In 1917, 14 prospect pipes had to be delivered for war purposes. The valuable three-bell chime of the church consists of one bell cast in Kaiserslautern in 1871 and two bells cast in Frankenthal in 1957, which are rung electrically. The Protestant church in Lettweiler has been a listed building since 1985. You should convince yourself of this by visiting!