The basalt cross (german: Basaltkreuz) is a particular type of stone cross found in the Eifel mountains of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, bearing witness to the piety of the local population in times past. These crosses indicate their beliefs as well as the wealth and standing of the people who erected them. Details such as accidents, occupations and prayer requests have survived, thanks to the extremely weather-resistant material of which the crosses are made. Their geographic distribution is centred on the

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

Mayen Mayen is a town in the Mayen-Koblenz District of the Rhineland-Palatinate Federal State of Germany, in the eastern part of the Volcanic Eifel Region. As well as the main town, additional settlements include Alzheim, Kürrenberg, Hausen-Betzing, ...

and

Mendig Mendig () is a small town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated approximately 6 km north-east of Mayen, and 25 km west of Koblenz. Mendig is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective ...

, and covers an area with a radius of approximately 30 kilometres between the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

Ahr Ahr () is a river in Germany, a left tributary of the Rhine. Its source is at an elevation of approximately above sea level in Blankenheim in the Eifel, in the cellar of a timber-frame house near the castle of Blankenheim. After it crosses fro ...

and Moselle rivers. The exact number of monuments is not known. Local historian, Kurt Müller-Veltin, estimates that there are about 4,500 wayside crosses and about 6,000 grave crosses. The conservation of these monuments is undertaken by the Rhenisch Society for Monument Conservation ().

Early examples

Wayside monuments known as ("ladle") due to their shape, appeared up to the 16th century. The ("niche post") was derived from it but a cross was added above the niche. File:Schöpflöffel Wassenach.jpg, Undated wayside monument File:Schöpflöffel mit Kreuz.jpg, 1601 with cross File:Basaltkreuz einfach.jpg, Undated basalt cross File:Frankener Kreuz.jpg, A.D. 1751

Dating

The earliest monuments date to 1461; their benefactor was Clais Beligen.

Blessing stones

Some crosses were erected as "blessing stones" and had niches carved in them to hold the Blessed Sacrament (the

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

) during services as part of outdoor processions. File:Segenstein Hain.jpg, 16__ File:Segenstein Niederdürenbach.jpg, 1699 File:Lützingen.jpg, 1881

Grave crosses

Particularly impressive grave crosses from the 18th century have survived in

Mayschoß Mayschoß is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after ...

and in

Dümpelfeld Dümpelfeld is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe aft ...

. On one side is the image of Christ with various symbols; on the other there is an inscription with details of the deceased. File:Portrait Dümpelfeld.jpg, Cross depicting the

man of sorrows Man of Sorrows, a biblical term, is paramount among the prefigurations of the Messiah identified by the Bible in the passages of Isaiah 53 ('' Servant songs'') in the Hebrew Bible. It is also an iconic devotional image that shows Christ, usuall ...

File:Schriftseite Dümpelfeld.jpg, Inscription side of a basalt grave cross File:Sieben Schwerter Dümpelfeld.jpg, Cross with

Seven Swords ''Seven Swords'' is a 2005 ''wuxia'' film produced and directed by Tsui Hark, starring Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung, Sun Honglei, Lu Yi and Kim So-yeon. An international co-production between Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Nether ...

image File:Ertrunken Ahrbrück.jpg, Cross of drowned person

Protection, defence and atonement

In the Early and High

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

crosses were understood to provide protection from lightning, hail and other natural catastrophes. Atonement crosses were also erected in some places to provide satisfaction following murders and other serious crimes. Even unusual accidents were often a reason to put up a cross.

Inscriptions and house marks

The inscriptions are usually in German with dialectical influences. Years were given in Roman numerals to begin with, but later Arabic numerals were used. A commonly used abbreviation was D.S.G.G. which meant ("God have mercy on the soul"). The photograph shows an example of maximum economy in inscription writing e.g. MARIA Lützingen Detail

House marks are signs and ownership symbols of the clans or noble families. These marks may be used to work out when the deceased or donor lived.

Workshops

Originally the crosses were not produced in special workshops, but were by products of other stonemason businesses. Around 1630 specialist cross workshops emerged and crosses can usually be classified from the inscription style of the stonemason.

Material

Strictly speaking, the

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

rock that was used from the quarries between

and

was not

, but a so-called

tephrite Tephrite is an igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. Mineral content is usually abundant feldspathoids (leucite or nepheline), plagioclase, and lesser alkali feldspar. Pyroxenes (clinopyroxenes) are common ...

lava. This scientific distinction did not make its way into every speech, however, as formerly all black, volcanic rock was described here as "basalt". The rock is relatively easy to work thanks to its coarse pores, but so weather-resistant that it survives for centuries without being significantly affected.

References

Literature

* Karl-Friedrich Amendt: ''Rheinische Wegkreuze (Bildstöcke). Geheimnisvolle Zeugen mittelalterlichen Denkens.'' Edition Lempertz, Königswinter 2010, . * Kurt Müller-Veltin: ''Mittelrheinische Steinkreuze aus Basaltlava.'' 2. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage. Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Köln 2001, . * Elke Lehmann-Brauns: ''Himmel, Hölle, Pest und Wölfe. Basaltlava-Kreuze der Eifel.'' 3. Auflage. Bachem, Köln 1996, . * Manfred Mehlhop: ''Alte Steinkreuze im Gebiet der Verbandsgemeinde Brohltal.'' Mit einer Einführung von Kurt Müller-Veltin. Verbandsgemeinde, Brohltal 1993.

External links

Forum Suehnekreuz

{{Christian crosses Stone crosses Crosses by form Vernacular architecture Eifel