Krüßing
In the village of Freckenhorst in Westphalia, Krüßing is the name given to the feast of the discovery of the cross , which is celebrated annually on May 3rd or the Sunday immediately following.
history
The emergence of the Freckenhorster Krüßingsfest goes back to the rediscovery of the so-called Freckenhorster cross . In the church year, however, it coincides with the feast of the Finding of the Cross (May 3rd), at which the finding of the cross of Christ is celebrated.
The legend reports the following about the Freckenhorster Cross:
A pious abbess of the Freckenhorster women's monastery, founded in 856, prayed day and night to God that he would send her a relic , which would secure the existence of the monastery forever. One day while she was praying fervently, a splendid cross suddenly fell from the vault of the church to the floor. Shortly afterwards, however, the abbess was persuaded by her brother, who complained about unfortunate feuds and the loss of his possessions, to give him the cross as a good luck charm for a short time in the fight.
Then the nobleman was very lucky in everything he undertook. Later he kept his promise and returned the cross, but was so annoyed at the loss that he immediately took it back into his possession. Finally he took it to a church in Livonia (present-day Estonia and Latvia), where he had it displayed for worship. One day, during a Holy Mass, enemies invaded the city, after which the people fled and the priest left the cross on the altar. A man named Legwick was instructed by God to fetch the cross and bring it to a monastery in Freckenhorst. Despite some difficulties, Legwick finally managed to bring the cross back to Freckenhorster monastery.
The analysis of historical documents in the monastery archives showed that after the time of Abbess Kunigundis von der Lippe (1219) there was a sharp increase in the veneration of the cross in Freckenhorst. When exactly the cross came (back) to Freckenhorst and whether and when it had previously disappeared from there cannot be traced historically. It is interesting, however, that the characteristic shape of the Freckenhorst cross can already be found in the sculptures of the Romanesque baptismal font of the collegiate church, created in 1129 .
The original cross was lost between 1556 and 1609. Today there is a replica of the original in Freckenhorst.
Modern meaning
Today Krüßing is a nationally known festival in Freckenhorst. The highlight from the church's point of view is a procession through the festively decorated city center and a subsequent high mass (orchestral mass ). Krüßing is celebrated annually on May 3rd or the Sunday immediately following.
literature
Lilli Breede, Heinrich Nolde: 1100 years of Freckenhorst. Freckenhorst Abbey and the political communities through the centuries. Self-published by the city of Freckenhorst, Freckenhorst 1951.
Web links
Krüßing 2020 LIVE on YouTube , accessed on May 4, 2020 (live recording of the Krüßing festival service in 2020).