St. Mang Church Kempten

St. Mang Church (Protestant)
From 1426 to 1428 the church was enlarged in the Gothic style and the tower was raised to the current 66 meters. With the so-called "Great Purchase" in 1525, the imperial city finally broke away from the prince-abbot and became Protestant in 1527 during the Reformation - as did the St. Mang Church. In 1767 the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style. Today's view was created by a restoration at the beginning of the 20th century, during which most of the conversions were dismantled.
Text / Source: Kempten Tourism
kempten-tourismus.de/st-mang-kirche

St. Mang is an Evangelical Lutheran parish church in the city of Kempten (Allgäu). It belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria. Most of the current building dates from the 15th century. It is dedicated to Saints Magnus and Ulrich von Augsburg, the latter is rarely mentioned from the early modern period. From 1527 the church was the center of the Reformation in the Kempten area. It is named after St. Mang Square.

St. Mang Square, open during the day;
Origins in the 8th century, Romanesque building 896, Protestant since 1525

Since free short church guides are available in St. Mang's Church, here are a few episodes that are not included:
The relief from 1912 in front of the main portal commemorates the victory of St. Magnus over the snake Boa. Symbol for the Christianization of the Celts and Alemanni.

In the side aisles and in the entrance area one finds so-called "captive chairs" with backs and armrests.
Influential families were allowed to sit here for a fee. The pitches were marked with the family crest.
The common people, on the other hand, had to make do with the backless "women's benches". 1912/1913 were new
Benches installed and the naming abolished. The “Herrgottscheisserle”, which was granted to the better off, was also special: under the seats there was a fold-out plate against which one could lean during the liturgy “standing time” in the service.

For decades, the “lantern weddings” were a special feature. In 1618 the magistrate decreed that these special marriages could only take place on Friday mornings between five and six o'clock in the morning by lantern light. Couples who had obviously violated the commandment of chastity received the blessing of the church.

The tower is a chapter in itself: During the Gothic extension of the church, the outside tower was integrated into the building and adapted to the changed proportions. The church tower is up to the clock tower (40 m) still from Romanesque times. In 1440 the people of Kempten increased it to 66 m and built in a belfry. They paid the bill with 520 thalers from indulgences. The belfry became the "home" of the tower guard. He looked after the clock in the church tower and also kept a watchful eye on the town of Kempten. He had to keep an eye out for possible fires every half hour. The ringer of St. Mang even had his own fire bell. It hung under the canopy on the west side. After the invention of the telephone, the Kempten tower guard was the first to have a “direct line” to the police and fire brigade. The bell room was inhabited until the end of 1921. The last bell ringer served for 21 years with a monthly salary of 130 RM. At the same time he worked as a shoemaker. Since there was no toilet in the tower, he defecated in a bucket on the tower.