St. Johannes Baptist

The first reliable  information about an Order of St. John or Order of Malta in Herford dates back to 1285; earlier information from 1231 or 1283 is possible as the year the Kommende was founded, but cannot be documented. Although the Johanniter had a secure economic basis thanks to generous donations from the nobility and citizens - the Kommende owned land in the surrounding area as well as scattered property outside - the Johanniter had to struggle with economic problems in the 14th century.

During the Reformation, large parts of the Herford population converted to the Lutheran confession; the only place of worship available to the few Catholics was the order's private chapel. In 1538, several endowments made for the benefit of the Order's chapel in Herford were combined to support a Catholic parish in Herford.

In 1645, the Order of Malta won the case for ownership rights and from 1646, there was once again a Catholic priest in the Kommende. In 1674, the Maltese chapel was repaired, in which public Catholic worship had been permitted again since the religious reform of 1672.

In 1715, the commander had a hall church built in the Baroque style; this forms the older part of the present parish church, which was given a neo-Romanesque extension to the west in 1890/91.

The Catholic parish church of St. Johannes-Baptist in Komturstraße is quite inconspicuous on the outside and, with its small ridge turret, hardly stands out in the townscape. It is part of a group of buildings that still show some of the outlines of the commandery of the Order of Malta, which existed here for around 600 years (approx. 1231-1808). This also includes the rectory: it is the former, actual commandery building and is considered to be the oldest stone house in Herford from the Gothic period. The former economic building of the Maltese commandery next to the church later became an orphanage and nurses' station. Catholic life in Herford began anew from this commandery after all of the town's churches had become Protestant during the Reformation and only a few Catholics were still living in Herford at the end of the 17th century.

The commandery was dissolved in 1810 as a result of secularization. Since then, the church has served as a Catholic parish church. The building ensemble of the Commandery of the Order of Malta is grouped around a small inner courtyard. The actual commandery building is now used as a rectory and is considered to be the oldest stone house in Herford from the Gothic period. Today, St. Johannes Baptist is Herford's only Catholic church in the city center.

The church consists of two clearly separated architectural parts: The older (eastern) part originated from the chapel of the Maltese commandery, which was completely rebuilt in 1715/16 under the responsibility of Commander von Schaesberg. A neo-Romanesque extension was added to this Baroque section in 1890/91: In the course of this construction work, the altar was moved to the west-facing apse, while the main entrance was moved to the eastern end of the church.

Sources:

Sancta Herfordia: brochure of the church district of Herford (ed.) 1989, pages 22/23
Karl Hengst: Westfälisches Klosterbuch
Internet pages of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Archives: www.archive.nrw.de
Internet pages of the Herford pastoral association:
www.kath-kirche-herford.de
Wikipedia

Text: St. Johannes Baptist | Johanniterkommende - Herford | Klosterlandschaft OWL (klosterlandschaft-owl.de)