The church of the Supper in Haigerloch was consecrated in 1863. Since 1954, it has also housed probably the world’s best copy of the wall painting The Last Supper according to Leonardo da Vinci in original size.
The redevelopment project
The building is now facing the most comprehensive renovation of its more than 150-year history.
The reconstruction needs of the Protestant Supper Church were determined by several building inspections. Cracks in the interior of the gallery were the first visible signs and led to the need for a static inspection of the church tower and the bell suspension by a qualified engineering office. The result was crushing. In the surroundings of the bell tower considerable static deficiencies were found. As a direct consequence, in December 2013 the larynx had to be stopped immediately, since otherwise there would have been an acute risk of collapse. The vibration of the bells had already spread to the entire tower and continued as a crack in the interior of the church. Falling stucco parts also documented the urgent need for action.
In a further opinion, regarding the main roof, further acute deficiencies became apparent. There was pronounced pest infestation and putrefaction on structural components of the roof construction.
A plan of action has been drawn up in cooperation with the Land Surveyors in the field of construction, which is divided into three construction sections:
Despite the subsidies from the Landeskirche and the church district of 40% in total, the Protestant church community has a financing requirement of more than € 600,000. Since the decay of the building, especially of the tower and the roof structure, has already progressed considerably, the construction measures must be implemented promptly. It was not necessary to undertake the work, which would necessitate the early closure of the Church. The disintegration of the structure of the building and the image of the Lord’s Supper would be unavoidable.
The church community can not raise these sums from its own resources and is therefore dependent on donations.
