"Estringen is a very old place, already having been documented as early as the 12th century and also having been mentioned as being a portion of Lingen. Probably it had its own chapel at the end of the Middle Ages. It was spoken of in old oral traditions and its name appeared in some old documents. Yet nothing is known concerning the chapel's design or of its construction. The present day chapel, as is indicated on the apex stone above the south portal, was built in 1520. One can recognize without any difficulty the middle of both lengthwise halves that the east side (Choir) and the west side were erected at different times. One can assume with good reason that the west side was in existence shortly after 1520 as this area was the high point of religious practice just before the harsh introduction of the Reformation by Graf Konrad I of Tecklenburg. At no other time in the history of Grafschaft Lingen has such a productive growth of building activity, as respects churches, been witnessed. Within a few decades there existed a number of beautiful churches and chapels while others were gracefully renovated. Beginning in 1470 there was an addition made at Schepsdorf, towards the end of the century at Emsbüren, and likewise at the start of the new century at Beesten, just as at Thuine and at Bramsche in 1521. Completely new construction took place in 1509 at the church in Schapen (now a protestant church), in 1522 at the chapel in Wettrup, in 1523 at the church in Spelle, similarly at the church in Plantlünne and, of course, in 1520 at the chapel in Estringen. All in all, it gives an insight into the religious life in our Kreis.

"The main section of the building has two cross beams which, as can be seen from the arrangement of the buttresses, probably simply arched over the leveled walls. The Choir is formed from three sides of a regular octagon. In the large, attractive, pointed-arch window the much admired trefoil and pointed oval designs (in a flamboyant style) was precisely restored as it had originally existed during the restoration of 1922. In three places in the masonry can be found the customary marks of the stonecutters of that time. For what reasons the inscriptions in the bottom stones of one of the buttresses next to the Choir were made so deeply and obviously with a sharp, metal object is not entirely clear. If the stones had been carefully scraped out with the dust being used as a remedy for contagious diseases (Pestpulver), it appears very doubtful to the author.

"Just as many of the churches in Emsland are entwined in the tendrils of legend, so it is also the case regarding the house of worship in Estringen. According to tradition it was founded by some women from Holland. This has been repeated so often in Emsland that it has almost been falsely accepted that prior to the introduction of the Reformation Catholic worship services had never been held in the church, because after 1546 a request had been made that the income from the locality (which had been seized by Konrad v. Tecklenburg) be restored so that a Holy Mass with a sermon could once again be said by the priest from Lingen. The previously powerful Konrad, Graf of Lingen and Tecklenburg, who had raised havoc with the active spiritual life of the Grafschaft and which effects lasted for many years, installed protestant pastors and also confiscated the revenues of the chapel, which at that time were certainly not significant, for his Tafelgut. In this time it is evident that no religious services were being held. Perhaps not until the later in 1564 when the Spanish royal authorities were in Lingen were the revenues returned to the chapel.

"During the Prussian rule³ the chapel was under the direction of the council of the Reformed Church until 1725 when the chapel, as a daughter church, along with its income, must have been returned to the mother church in Lingen.⁴ If that had happened, it escaped the knowledge of the author, for if the services of the Reformed Church were held, then it surely was only very rarely done, perhaps just for the burial services.

"After the fire of 1756 when the roof, gables, and the vault were badly damaged. the chapel probably continued to stand as an unused, dilapidated ruin. Then in 1779 the local government in Lingen decided that the chapel was to be torn down and the wood and stone materials were to be used for the renovation of the church in Lingen. However, the people of Estringen vigorously opposed that plan and on their own initiative brought forward a petition for the restoration of the chapel. It took a long time before anything was accomplished, but in 1793 the improvements were carried out and on that occasion a Fachwerk gable filled in with bricks was built. In 1796 the chapel was once again threatened by a plan for its destruction. It was believed at that time by the local government in Lingen that the building would be a good supply of materials for the new Aa bridge at Plantlünne. Nothing came of that plan either, although in the following year, 1797, a decision was reached by the local government in Lingen that the bell could be retained by the chapel's directors, but that the chapel itself was to be torn down. However, two of the Coloni in Estringen, who were members of the Reformed Church, put up some resistance against it with the advice that the old wounds had healed here and that the Reformed preacher wanted to give eulogies at the funeral services held in the chapel. They were supported by the residents of Estringen who would rather have their own homes destroyed than see the chapel lost. (They were allowed to declare their faith in 1807 when at that time they were religiously associated with the Lingen church.) So deeply held was the love and devotion for the chapel that for a number of years the Catholics of Estringen felt in their hearts a considerable loss.

"The children of Estringen were almost entirely from Catholic households while those from the neighboring communities of Polle and Rottum were under the religious administration of the Reformed Church in Bramsche. In 1822 as a result of a decree by the kingdom of Hannover, the Bauerschaften of Estringen, Rottum, and Polle were merged together to form a single school district for which the unused chapel was transformed into a schoolhouse. A partitioning wall was put up so that the west side became a classroom. Yet additional improvements were required - the badly deteriorated windows were partially bricked over and made smaller and by installing more customary windows, the religious character of the building was stripped away. The east side (Choir) seemed for a short time to have even been used as temporary housing for one of the instructors and later for a storeroom. Finally,, in 1831 the first Catholic teacher was hired. Estringen was freed from the school administration in Bramsche and was considered as a lower school in the Lingen district. The chapel continued to serve as a Volksschule until after the World War. Meanwhile, the cemetery continued to be used.

"And so from this time forward the chapel will be just as interesting because of its building style as it is on account of its varied history. It is a magnificently restored village chapel in which on Sundays and holidays a complete Catholic Mass will be said by the Herz Jesu fathers from Handrup. The architect Lühn, who has created the beautiful village church in Suttrup by carefully appointing it in a Greek style, will remain in high repute by the people of Estringen in having raised with dignity and devotion from the ruins and by employing simple yet satisfactory remedies a church which is entirely and completely an artistic success."

The source material for this translation was an article in the June 19, 1926 edition of the "Osnabrücker Zeitung" written by Gerhard Schween from Lingen (Ems). He had been an instructor at a Lingen secondary school.

A further account of Estringen's history, including a reference to the Wesselinck family, can be found in this file. Also, a refernce to the Wesselinck family can be found in the Beschrivinge of the 1550's.

1. saddle-shaped arches

2. A wheel is the symbol of the city of Osnabrück.

3. Beginning in 1702 Lingen was ruled by Prussia.

4. the Church of Saint Bonifatius

5. A type of brick made from cement.

6. In the opinion of the author, the statues of Sts. Matthew and Mark were misplaced.