139 2 St. Joachimsthal/Jáchymov, Pfarrkirche St. Joachim, Ansicht von Südosten St Joachimsthal/Jáchymov, parish church of St Joachim, view from the south-east Preliminary remark: this article is not a complete essay on the subject. Instead, the task was to pose critical and provocative questions for the discussion on the significance and authenticity of the Torgau Castle Chapel in order to stimulate further debate from an architectural-historical, typological and cultural-historical perspective and to provide impulses for critical reflection and clarification. What is the significance of the chronology of Protestant church architecture with reference to the Torgau Castle Chapel as one of the first examples of Protestant church architecture? While the fact remains undisputed that Torgau Castle Chapel was the only new church building commissioned by Martin Luther with a programmatic sermon, it has long been known that it is not actually the first new Protestant church building to be constructed.1 The Torgau Castle Chapel was preceded by several new buildings in southern Germany and Bohemia, but these have been ignored in previous analyses or have played only a marginal role at best. The first well-known new Lutheran church to be built was the castle chapel in Tübingen, the second was the town church of St Joachim in St Joachimsthal/Jáchymov and the third was the castle chapel in Neuburg an der Donau. The precise construction dates of the Protestant castle church established under Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg at Hohentübingen Castle have not survived, and can be narrowed down to “around 1535” on the basis of known building and Reformation history.2 A rectangular, flat-ceilinged hall measuring 25.7 metres in length, 8.18 metres in width and 4.97 metres in height was erected above high cellar vaults in the eastern part of the south wing of the mighty castle complex—the “New Building” constructed between 1525 and 1533. Originally oriented to the east, it featured an altar and central pulpit on the eastern narrow side. This was an early example of a hall designed specifically for sermons, that could hold 240 people. However, later alterations (including the installation of a bevelled coffered ceiling in 1647, the rotation of the spatial concept by 180 degrees in 1886 and new fixtures) changed the appearance of the church interior so considerably that, apart from the original altar, the inaugural design of the period around 1535 is hardly discernible, with the result that it can only claim to be an early initial example of Protestant church architecture to a limited extent (fig. 1). The contemporary appearance of the parish church of the northern Bohemian mountain town of St Joachimsthal/Jáchymov, built between 1534 and 1537, has also undergone considerable changes in the course of its history.3 The rectangular building, constructed as a large three-aisled hall without a designated chancel, featured two storeys and a tower in the centre of the narrow side of the altar. It also boasted a revolving gallery. However, the room was not vaulted as planned, but had a flat ceiling and was divided retrospectively by wooden
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