Zion Lutheran Church is located in Fredericksburg, in Gillespie County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It is the oldest Lutheran Church in the

Texas Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Ame ...

and one of the oldest in Texas. The church was built by six families in 1852. On January 13, 1853, twelve founders signed its articles of organization. The cornerstones for the church were set on March 6, 1854. Designated a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

in 1964, Marker number 10132.

Architecture

Members of the young congregation provided most of the building materials as well as the labor. In 1884, improvements were made to the building. On June 12, 1908, an enlarged sanctuary was dedicated. Additions to the original 1853 structure included the bell tower and a new

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

. The cruciform and the

baptistry In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptist ...

were designed by Adolph Wehmeyer. The church contains a

Thorwaldsen Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen (; sometimes given as Thorwaldsen; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danish- Icelandic sculptor and medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in Co ...

statue of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, which dominates the chancel, having also been unveiled in 1908. In 1953, under pastor G.W. Sager, an annex for

Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

and a fellowship hall were constructed adjacent to the sanctuary. The church was most recently renovated in 1959, with the adding of

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

, lowering and enlarging the balcony, the installation of new pews, the replacement of the

stained glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

s, and the rebuilding and enlargement of the

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

. In 1963, the church installed three bronze bells to call people to worship, having replaced the previous single cast iron bell.

Windows

''A video was created in the spring of 2022 documenting the stained glass windows that adorn the church. This video is available on th
Zion web site
'' The nave windows of Zion Lutheran Church have special meanings: *The

Advent Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Chri ...

Window commemorates the arrival of Christ in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is the Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Its name originates from the palm bran ...

. *The

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

Window marks the humanity of Christ and his humble birth on earth. *The Holy Week Window portrays the institution of communion. *The

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

Window reveals new life through the resurrection of Christ. *The

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

Window connotes the spread of the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

. *The

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

Window marks the concept of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. *The

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

Window depicts Castle Church at

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

, Germany, where on October 31, 1517,

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

nailed the 95 Theses challenging certain Catholic practices.Brochure on church symbols, Zion Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, Texas

Symbols

''A video was created in January 2023 documenting the symbols that adorn the church and is available on th
Zion web site
. This is the script for the video.''Upon entering the church, the altar draws your attention first, for it represents the bestowing of God’s Grace on His people. The altar base, in the form of a tomb, symbolizes Christ’s death. The empty cross, without crucifix, represents His power over death and His gift of salvation. The esteemed Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen’s “Christus” takes the position of honor in the

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

. Thorvaldsen’s Christ shows a young man whose idealized body is draped in a heavy cloth that leaves part of his torso and right arm bare. His arms are outstretched in a gesture of welcome, embodying the Christian biblical quote, "Come to me all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew (11:28). Christ’s statue is accompanied by the colorful carved figures of the Four Evangelists, from left to right,

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

Luke Luke may refer to: People and fictional characters * Luke (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Luke (surname), including a list of people with the name * Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luk ...

, and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. Appropriate winged emblems appear at the feet of each Evangelist. * The Man symbol at the feet of Matthew signifies the human nature of Christ, * The Lion symbol at the feet of Mark, represents his royal nature, * The Ox symbol at the feet of Luke is the emblem of sacrifice * The Eagle symbol at the feet of John represents the grace of the Holy Spirit. The two adoring angels at the top of the reredos, on either side, recall the Ascension. Just beneath each angel, are the carvings of

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

and

Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worsh ...

, who appeared with Christ at the Transfiguration. While the statues of Moses and Elijah were done by a local artist, the Evangelist statues came from Italy, and the adoring angels from Spain. To complete our description of the statues we need to turn to the choir loft parapet where we find between two angels, and the statue of Christ Blessing, with a descending dove at His feet. This carving came from

Oberammergau Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its NATO School, and around the world for its 380-year tradition of ...

, Germany. So, let’s now examine each of the shields and symbols on the trusses. We begin with the four in the

, the altar area. They represent the four main events in the life of Christ. From left to right: Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension. On the two

corbels In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a bearing weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applie ...

or supports for the sanctuary arch appear the Ten Commandments, to the left, representing the law of God; and the Open Bible on the right displaying John 14:6 in which Jesus says “I am the Way, the Truth and The Life.” Follow us now as we visit the carvings located on each of the trusses within the nave or main body of the church. Each truss shield bears the symbol of one of the twelve apostles. The

Chi Rho The Chi Rho (☧, English pronunciation ; also known as ''chrismon'') is one of the earliest forms of the Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters—chi (letter), chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek (Romanization of ...

symbol, the abbreviation of Christ, is used to indicate the disciples’ martyrdom, and is incorporated in each, except the one for St. John who was believed to be the only apostle to have died a natural death. The first shield we will examine is found as you first enter the nave looking up at the trusses on the left side. We will then work our way forward from the choir loft towards the pulpit area. The first shield depicts Two Keys and represents

Simon Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repe ...

, Andrew's Brother, called Peter by Jesus of Nazareth. Traditionally, St. Peter is represented holding Two Keys of equal size, which is explained by the Savior in the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...

: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). The next shield depicts a Shell and represents

James the Greater James the Great (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Syriac language, Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Accordi ...

, John's Brother, son of

Zebedee Zebedee ( ; ; ), according to all four Canonical Gospels, was the father of James and John, two apostles of Jesus. The gospels also suggest that he was the husband of Salome; whereas Mark names the women present at the crucifixion as "Mary ...

; He is “the Greater” because he was called to the apostolate earlier than St. James the Less, the “Brother of Jesus”. The legend surrounding the use of this Shell as symbolic of St. James claims that after St. James’ death, his disciples shipped his body to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago. Off the coast of Spain, a heavy storm hit the ship, and the body was lost to the ocean. After some time, however, the body washed ashore undamaged, covered in scallops. Proceeding along the left side still we find the third shield depicting a Passion Cross and Serpent with Chalice. This shield represents

, James' Brother, son of

; traditional sources claim that John was the only apostle to live a long life and die of natural causes. The use of the passion cross represents the fact that St. John was an eyewitness of the glory of God in the face of Christ upon the cross of

Golgotha Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified. Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...

; the only apostle to boldly go to Jesus’ trial and also the only apostle who stood at the cross with Jesus while he died. The use of the serpent with chalice is explained by an old legend that once St. John was given a cup of wine which had been poisoned, but that, by his blessing, the poison came out of it in the form of a snake and St. John drank the cup unharmed. The fourth shield we come to depicts an X-cross representing

Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...

, Simon Peter’s Brother and disciple of

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

. Andrew became a disciple of Christ before any of the other apostles. According to Tradition, St. Andrew was martyred by crucifixion on an X-shaped cross. Tradition has it that, like his brother St. Peter, he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same manner as His Master, and therefore specifically requested a cross of a different shape. Our next shield depicts a Cross and Two Loaves which represents

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

, from Bethsaida of Galilee. He preached in Greece, Syria, and

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. Stories of the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of several legendary Ph ...

. Traditional symbols assigned to St. Philip include: the cross with the two loaves because of his answer to the Lord in John 6:7. St. Philip was present at the feeding of the five thousand. To test him, Jesus asked St. Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" St. Philip replied, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little". Yet Jesus did not rebuke him for his lack of faith. The sixth and final shield on the left side of the nave depicts Flaying Knives; representing

Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

. He preached the Gospel of Christ in India and then went to

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. The flaying knives represent the manner of St. Bartholomew's death; he was flayed alive by barbarians in Armenia. We will now continue our virtual tour by switching over to the right side of the nave and work our way from the baptistry and proceeding towards the choir loft. The first shield we encounter on the right, our seventh shield, is one depicting a Spear and Square. This shield represents

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, who was one of the first to acknowledge the Lord’s divinity with his exclamation, “My Lord and my God!” when Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection (John 20:28). Thomas stood out among all the disciples during Jesus’ short ministry because of his doubts. The carpenter's square stands for the church, St. Thomas is said to have built with his own hands in India; the spear or lance is a sign of the purported manner of his death. The eighth shield, as we continue on the right side, depicts a Saw and Stones representing

James the Less James the Less ( ) is a figure of early Christianity. He is also called "the Minor", "the Little", "the Lesser", or "the Younger", according to translation, James is styled "the Less" to distinguish him from the Apostle James the Great (also ca ...

, the “Brother of Jesus” who led the Christians of Jerusalem until that city’s destruction in 70 AD. He wrote the

Epistle of James The Epistle of James is a Catholic epistles, general epistle and one of the 21 epistles (didactic letters) in the New Testament. It was written originally in Koine Greek. The epistle aims to reach a wide Jewish audience. It survives in manusc ...

, preached in Palestine and Egypt. Legend has it that St. James the Less suffered a terrible martyrdom by being stoned to death and his body was sawn apart, hence the stones and saw on his emblem. Our ninth shield depicts a Boat. This represents Jude, who was the brother of the apostle St. James the Less. Both were related to Jesus as distant cousins. St. Jude has been credited as the author of the brief Epistle of St. Jude found in the New Testament. The boat is the symbol most often associated with St. Jude alludes to Jude's earlier life, and to Jude's voyages in his part in the mission of founding the early church. A ship is also a well-known symbol of the Christian Church. It was also a great symbol during times when Christians needed to disguise the cross, since the ship's mast forms a cross in many of its depictions. Continuing our journey, on the tenth shield we see a Boat Hook and Book; and represents

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

. Also known as

Simon the Zealot Simon the Zealot (, ), also the Canaanite or the Canaanean (, ; ; ; ), was one of the apostles of Jesus. A few pseudepigraphical writings were connected to him, but Jerome does not include him in ''De viris illustribus'' written between 392 a ...

, which was a political group that strongly opposed Roman rule over Israel. Simon spread the gospel in Egypt as a missionary and was martyred in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The fishing boat hook symbolizes that he was a fisher of men. The book symbolizes the message of the gospel that he taught. The eleventh shield depicts a Money Bag; and this represents

. Tradition does not agree on Matthew’s missionary travels; however, we do typically associate him with a mission to the Jews around Judea. Matthew’s symbol is a bag of money, which refers to his life as a tax collector. Sometimes the bag of money has an ax behind it to point to the method of his martyrdom. The twelfth and final apostle shield on our visit is one depicting a Sword and Book; and this represents

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. Notable people Notable people named Matthias include the following: Religion * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Isca ...

, Matthias was with Jesus since baptism by John the Baptist and was chosen to replace Judas who betrayed Jesus. Maintaining a group of 12 apostles was important, as Christ taught that these men were to sit upon 12 thrones in Heaven, each judging a tribe of Israel. An open Bible refers to his work as an apostle. The sword symbolized his martyrdom as he was beheaded.

Notes

References

External links