Project Examples
©2024 Heiner Sträßer
Protestant village church in Waltersdorf.
A simple stone building from the 12th century contains a colourful church. The church had been built by Flemings who had moved here from their coastal homelands after terrible destructions of a big flood. The rich décor is a donation of the landlord Johann Heinrich Berger and his children, after beeing ennobled in 1717 by the emperor Karl VI. The paintings were done by Joseph Gerlach in 1754. Next to the altar the landed gentry sat behind the open wooden sliding windows. If the windows were closed, this was an unmistakable signal for the priest to finish his sermon.
The angel which is tied to a rope was used for baptising. Originally the churches had a baptismal font, but in baroque times many churches became to small for all the believers who wanted to join the mass. To get more space, the baptismal font was taken away and replaced by an angel. Tied to a rope, the angel was pulled to the roof and dropped down when needed. The angel's arms carried a basin with the water needed for baptising.