Schwedenstein (Arnsdorf)
The Schwedenstein , also known as the Swedish cross , atonement cross or bishop's chair , is a stone field cross and is located on the eastern churchyard wall in the Saxon community of Arnsdorf . Together with the church, the clock tower, the old cemetery and the wall, the Schwedenstein is a listed building.
Execution and location
The stone cross made of sandstone is about 94 cm high. 62 cm wide and 40 cm deep. The chronicler Friedrich Bernhard Störzner put the height of the object in 1905 at over one meter. The front of the stone cross has two square depressions, one on the base and the other in the middle of the stone.
The Schwedenstein was originally located on the property opposite the village church, the so-called Leunert's garden . When Arnsdorfer Dorfstrasse was expanded and widened in 1840, the cross had to be moved and was incorporated into the eastern wall of the churchyard.
Legend
There are various traditions about the origin and creation of the Swedish stone. Several legends refer to the time of the Thirty Years' War , when the Swedish army passed through Saxony. On the one hand it is traded as a tombstone of a fallen commander of the Swedes, on the other hand as a so-called thank-you sacrifice stone, since Arnsdorf was spared looting and destruction by the Swedes. Possibly the cross was also erected to show the passing Swedish soldiers that the Arnsdorf inhabitants were not hostile to them.
Another interpretation of the stone cross is its function as a bishop's stone. These marked both the boundaries of neighboring bishoprics and regular abode of traveling bishops. The Arnsdorf Cross could correspond to a historical waypoint on the route of the bishops of the Meißen diocese from Meißen to Stolpen .
There is also a traditional legend that says that a settler named Arnold committed manslaughter at the original location of the cross and that the stone cross was then erected as an atonement cross.
Web links
- Steinkreuz Arnsdorf on suehnekreuz.de
Individual evidence
- ^ Association for Folklore: Journal of the Association for Folklore . tape 16 , 1906, pp. 336 .
- ↑ Bernd Brzezinsky: Stone Cross Arnsdorf. In: Castles and city walls in Europe. February 24, 2008, accessed August 25, 2015 .
- ↑ a b c d Friedrich Bernhard Störzner: The Schwedenstein on the churchyard wall in Arnsdorf . In: What the Heimat tells. Legends, historical images and memorable events from Saxony. Contributions to Saxon folklore and local history . Verlag Arwed Strauch, Leipzig 1904, p. 60–62 ( What the Heimat tells on Wikisource ).
Coordinates: 51 ° 5 ′ 50.5 ″ N , 13 ° 59 ′ 31 ″ E