History of the Protestant St. Nicholas Church in Kirchbracht
The church, first mentioned in documents in 1372 as St. Nicholas Church, stands on the site where a chapel of the place mentioned in 850 had certainly already been located.
It is located on a slight hill in the field, easily accessible via old church paths from the church towns of Kirchbracht, Mauswinkel, Illnhausen, (Hessian) Bög-Gesäß and (Prussian) Bösgesäß.
The building served the residents as a place of refuge and a defensive tower during the warlike times of the Middle Ages.
When Count Reinhard von Isenburg introduced the Reformation in his territories in the 1520s, our church also became Protestant. Only the sacrament niche, barred, to the left under the organ gallery ceiling, and the St. Anna bell from 1511, which has not been taken away from us even through two world wars - it still invites the congregation to church services today together with its younger sisters from 1955 - are reminders of the pre-Reformation period.
In 1590, Kirchbracht became a parish, after having been served by Unterreichenbach for centuries. During that time and before, the building was thoroughly renovated, during which the original vaulted ceiling of the nave unfortunately had to be removed for static reasons.
The cross vault of the chancel with the beautiful keystone was preserved. Under the layers of paint over the centuries, it has frescoes from the time the building was built. They depict the symbols of the four evangelists (G. Dehio, Handbook of German Art Monuments / Hesse 1966.). Some of the frescoes are now exposed and can be viewed.
Portals and galleries date from the first half of the 18th century. The valuable wooden pulpit dates from 1590, when Kirchbracht became an independent parish.
In 1967/68 the organ was completely renewed and the old facade was reused. On May 14, 2014, the new organ in the St. Nicholas Church in Kirchbracht was inaugurated.
During the exterior and interior renovation of the church in 1982 - 1985, the tower slate was renewed, a new tower cross was installed in place of the old one from the late 18th century and the interior of the church was freshly painted except for the pulpit and organ.
During the last renovation in 2003-2006, the church was completely renovated from roof to floor in its original colors. The renovation cost a total of over €700,000. The church has been open again since July 30, 2006 and shines in new splendor.
Source: Tourist Information Birstein