St. Matthew's Church

The Evangelical Lutheran St. Matthew's Church is centrally located in the village of Römstedt, near Bad Bevensen in the district of Uelzen. The church was named after the evangelist Matthew. The church has probably existed since the 13th century, when it was probably built by the local noble families as a castle and castle chapel. In the past, the church was often renovated and enlarged. Important pieces of equipment are a Furtwängler organ, two church bells and the figure of a Man of Sorrows.
Römstedt actually bears the name Remstede, this name is, as one suspects, of Lombard origin and is actually a personal name, one suspects from Ramo or Rami. There are also other names in the area that could date back to the Lombard period, but it is not clear with certainty. The ending "stede" preferably refers to the seats of the free, which could indicate that individual noble families initiated the founding of the village. New research has also shown that knights had settled on or next to the land of today's church and pastor's property. The first documented mention of Römstedt dates back to the 12th century. In the course of the 12th century, the division of the large parish districts and the increase of the clergy began. On the knights' farms and with the help of the monasteries, small chapels or so-called oratories were built. These chapels or oratories later developed into their own parish churches. In the 14th century, twelve parishes and chapels were built in the Bevensen area. It is assumed that both churches in Römstedt and Gollern were probably built as castle and castle chapels by the local noble families. In any case, the old cemetery indicates that there has always been a church in Römstedt. There are also old accounts of the church, in which the salt law was insisted on and also indicates that there was already a church. This salt law appears in the oldest church accounts from 1545 and points to one of the oldest components of the church's assets. The salt was valuable and was a very popular capital investment for the clergy and neighboring countries. The Reformation was introduced late in the Römstedt church, because of the still existing dependence on the Medingen monastery, which had had the patronage right of the Römstedt church since 1363.

Wikipedia