In 1722 folk started leaving Moravia to escape persecution and death[1]. All refugees need a place to settle and to find some peace in their traumatised lives. Count Zinzendorf offered these religious migrants land on which they built Herrnhut; hence this place offered them a new start. They worked hard and soon they created a community that lives on today[2].
Herrnhut is now the centre of the worldwide Moravian Church. Having just returned from there, this post will offer you a few reflections from the conference I attended and share with you some of my photographs.
The conference was on the broad topic of reconciliation in our lives and our faith. One important aspect for me was the fellowship and friendship. I met people from across Europe and heard about their work in the Moravian church and some of their challenges. We engaged in a broad range of discussions, including refugees, modern slavery and spirituality, always coming back to reconciliation. On a lighter note we ate some great food, indulged in good beer from the fridge and enjoyed the bright sunshine.
The photographs focus on the Sculpture walk through the forest. This was created to celebrate Count Zinzendorf’s three hundredth birthday. Then there is Berthelsdorf Church where a significant service took place in August 1727 that finally brought an end to the disagreements that had arisen between folk; there will be more about this in a future post. Finally, I will share a few photographs from Herrnhut – the church and the Provincial Offices.
Entrance to the Sculpture Trail. The sign says ‘I am the way. Follow.’
There are a number of sculptures like the one below. The first, this one, shows an angry person facing another angry person. This represents the many disagreements in the early years of Herrnhut. The final figures illustrate two people facing in the same direction.
The table and seats for Holy Communion. This was created to be symbolic but then was used during the Covid pandemic and so this new tradition of an outdoors communion service continues.
Berthelsdorf Lutheran Church is in the village where Zinzendorf lived, just a few kilometers from Herrnhut. The walk from Herrnhut to Berthelsdorf is now called Reconciliation Way. The early disagreements came to an end with a service here in August 1727.
In Herrnhut there are the Provincial Offices where the Moravian Watchword is created each year.
Herrnhut Church. It is all white with beautiful hanging candles.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing a few of my pictures. If you wish to see and know more then please book me to give a talk to your group or congregation. My next post will appear before Christmas to celebrate the Moravian star and other Christmas traditions; I hope it will bring some sparkle for you as we prepare for Advent.
Moving into next year, I plan to tell this story of refugees to a worldwide community in more depth, largely through the story of one girl, Anna Nitschmann.
As always, I am pleased to hear your comments and suggestions. Mary
[1] Described in my previous post ‘Escape into Darkness’: https://elizabethwe.co.uk/escape-into-darkness/
[2] Along with two other Moravian settlements, Herrnhut became a UNESCO World Heritage site earlier this year.
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