Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: epitaph

The place was first mentioned in a document from 973. It fell under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, and a stone castle was built, around which the settlement congregated. A market is attested in 1119. Torgau belonged to the duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg, which in 1356 was raised to be the Electorate of Saxony. After the last Ascanian duke died without issue in 1423, the Electorate passed to the Wettin dynasty, which took up its residence at Torgau. After 1485 Friedrich III, Elector of Saxony and his successors had Schloss Hartenfels (Hartenfels Castle) at Torgau built. During the Reformation, the town council closed all monasteries in 1523. Citizens of Torgau destroyed paintings and statues of saints in the churches and stormed the Franciscan monastery. The Marienkirche is a late Gothic hall church with older components. The construction goes back to Romanesque origins, which have been preserved in the west building of the church. They originate from a Romanesque basilica built between 1200 and 1220. The present hall church was probably built after 1380 starting with the choir. The roof truss was dendrochronologically dated to 1463. The Gravestone of Katharina von Bora, Martin Luther's widow, who died in Torgau in 1552. While fleeing the plague, she had an accident here in a carriage and succumbed to her injuries.

The history of Opole dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries. The territory is politically disputed. Around 990 Silesia, together with the territory of Opole, was annexed by Mieszko I to the Polish state. In 1039 Břetislav I reconquered the territory for eleven years, after which Opole reverted to Bohemia. In 1050, Casimir I reconquered Silesia. It became a Polish duchy in 1172 and received city rights from Duke Casimir I of Opole in 1217. Opole was a center of trade. Several trade routes crossed here, which helped to make profits from transit trade. After the death of King Ludvík II Silesia was inherited by Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, placing Opole under the sovereignty of the Habsburg monarchy of Austria. The Habsburgs took control of the region in 1532 but pawned the duchy to different rulers including several monarchs of Poland. In 1615, a fire destroyed all the houses within the city walls. After the Swedish invasion of Poland, in 1655 John II Casimir Vasa stayed with his court here. In November of that year, the "Uniwersał opolski" was issued here by the King, calling for Poles to rise against the Swedes. After 1668 the region passed again to the control of the Habsburgs. Frederick II of Prussia conquered most of Silesia from Austria in 1740 during the Silesian Wars. Under Prussian rule, the ethnic structure of the city began to change and a kind of "Germanization" set in. Nevertheless, Opole remained an important cultural, social and political center for the Poles in Upper Silesia. In the course of German unification in 1871, Opole became part of the German Empire. After WWI, a referendum was held with the result that Silesia remained part of the German Reich. After the end of WWII in 1945, Oppeln was transferred from Germany to Poland and the name changed from Oppeln to Opole. According to tradition, the first wooden church was built on this site as early as 1002. In 1024 the Bishop of Wroclaw donated to the church a relic of the Holy Cross, which he is said to have received from St. Emmerich, the son of the King of Hungary. Between 1254 and 1295 a new large stone church was built. In 1415, lightning struck the nave and destroyed the entire church by fire. Only a small part of the relic of the Holy Cross was preserved. Due to lack of money, the reconstruction took more than 100 years. During the reconstruction works, the church was again destroyed by fire. It was not until 1520 that the new building was completed. The cathedral is a three-nave hall church in the Gothic style and has been preserved in large parts although it had become a ruin after the 30-year war. There are 27 epitaphs in the Cathedral. Here is an epitaph from 1630 made of polychrome (gilded) sandstone. It was donated by George Skopek, the canon of the church. There are four scenes. At the bottom, you can see Jesus on the cross and St. Lutgard - Georg Skopek himself kneels on the other side of the cross. Above this scene is depicted the fight of St. George with the dragon. The largest of the scenes, the third from the bottom, on the other hand, shows the Adoration of the Magi. Playing the roles of the Three Kings are Balthasar, George and Helene Skopek. They are accompanied by St. Helena (with the Cross). At the very top of the epitaph is a scene dedicated to the Holy Trinity with the inscription: "Holy Trinity, have mercy on us."

A legend attributes Kraków's founding to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a dragon, Smok Wawelski. The first written record dates to 965, when Kraków was described as a notable commercial center captured by a Bohemian duke Boleslaus I in 955. The first ruler of Poland, Mieszko I, took Kraków from the Bohemians. In 1038, Kraków became the seat of the Polish government. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a center of trade. Brick buildings were constructed, including the Royal Wawel Castle. The city was sacked and burned during the Mongol invasion of 1241. It was rebuilt and incorporated in 1257 by Bolesław V the Chaste who introduced city rights. In 1259, the city was again ravaged by the Mongols. The third attack in 1287 was repelled thanks in part to the newly built fortifications. The city rose to prominence in 1364, when Casimir III founded the University of Kraków, the second oldest university in central Europe. But after Casimir´s death in 1370 the campus did not get completed. As the capital of the Kingdom of Poland and a member of the Hanseatic League, the city attracted craftsmen from abroad, guilds as science and the arts began to flourish. The 15th and 16th centuries are known as Poland's "Złoty Wiek" (Golden Age). After childless King Sigismund II had died in 1572, the Polish throne passed to Henry III of France and then to other foreign-based rulers in rapid succession, causing a decline in the city's importance that was worsened by pillaging during the Swedish invasion and by an outbreak of bubonic plague that left 20,000 of the city's residents dead. In 1596, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa moved the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from Kraków to Warsaw. - The Dominicans, led by St. Jacek (aka "Hyacinth of Poland"), came to Krakow from Bologna in 1222. The first church of the monks was a wooden one. The new, gothic church and monastery were built after the invasion of the Tatars in 1241. Originally it was a three-nave hall, which was then rebuilt into a basilica church around 1400. Until the mid-nineteenth century, one of the characteristic elements of the church was a brick belfry tower, standing freely in front of the church façad. After the town fire in 1850, only the burnt walls remained of the bell tower, which were pulled down. In 1876, in place of the tower, a neo-Gothic porch was added to the facade of the temple. It covered the gothic, 14th-century main entrance portal, which was renovated in 1893. The epitaph of Jan Grot, located in the cloister. Jan Grot was a city writer who became a counselor later. He belonged to the followers of the Calvinist Church. At the end of his life, he returned to the Catholic Church, as the inscription informs: "Ioani Groth Consuli Cracovien viro probieate ac prudenciu singulari Hoc excepto quot vivens extra germiu catholi ecclesiae vanas hereticor opiniones sequebatur nec no Ioani filiolo non dum trimulo ex eode suscepto Catharina Miaczinska nuc GD Floriani Podoski uxor coniugi optatis charis et de seime illos pietatis et amoris monumentu hoc extare volvit praesertim ave quod viru iam moritur phs precibus et costati religionis afectu id quod antea sepus tetaver at cooperate tuc spiritu sancto ad veram eclesiae unione revoc tobit Ano Domini 1570 die 10 Septebris 1580 ilius filni 22 septebris 1580 Ianuari"

Cēsis (German: Wenden) is known since the 11th century, when the Livonian Brothers of the Sword built a castle here, that later served as the residence for the Order's Master. In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was defeated in the Battle of Wenden in 1578. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt but destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army. The church was built in the 13th century. It was consecrated in 1284. During the Reformation the church was demolished and Images and statues were destroyed in an iconoclasm. The church was destroyed by Polish troops in the 16th century, and only bare walls remained after a fire of 1607. In 1629 the restoration of the Lutheran faith began in Cēsis and the church was returned to the Lutherans. Extensive restoration work took place in the 1630s. Many epitaphs are located here, as knights and even grand masters of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword were buried here. Here is the epitaph of Bishop Otto Schenking (+ 1637), the founder of the Jesuit residence in Cēsis. The epitaph was found during repair works end of the 18th century.

Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is only 80 kilometres south of Helsinki. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century Tallinn was known as Reval. The first recorded claim over the place was laid by Denmark after a raid in 1219 led by Valdemar II. In 1227, the Order of the Brothers of the Sword conquered Reval and three years later recruited 200 Westphalian and Lower Saxon merchants from Gotland, who settled below the castle and were granted freedom of customs and land. In 1238 Reval fell back to Denmark, Under renewed Danish rule, the city rapidly grew in size and economic importance. In 1248, the Danish king granted it the Lübische Stadtrecht (town charter). Due to the strategic location, its port became a significant trade hub, especially in the 14–16th centuries when Tallinn grew in importance as the northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League. The king of Denmark sold Reval along with other land possessions in northern Estonia to the Teutonic Knights in 1346. The cathedral is located on Toompea Hill (Domberg), an independent area that was only merged with Tallinn in 1877. This was the site of Tallinn Castle, built in the 10th or 11th century and replaced by a Danish castle in the early 13th century. Today it is the seat of the head of government, numerous embassies and the Alexander Nevski Cathedral. Originally, a wooden church was built here by the Danes in the 13th century. In 1229, Dominican monks arrived and began building a stone church. The monks were killed in a conflict between the Knights of the Sword and the vassals who supported the papal legate in 1233 and the church was desecrated. The building was completed in 1240 as a single-nave building with a rectangular choir. Already at the beginning of the 14th century, the church was enlarged. However, the construction work dragged on for almost 100 years. The new longitudinal part of the church, 29 metres long and built according to the principles of a basilica, was completed in the 1430s. The church was badly damaged in the great fire of 1684, when the vaults collapsed and all the wooden furnishings were destroyed. Shortly after the fire, the church was largely restored to its original state. In the church, there are numerous grave slabs and over 100 coat of arms epitaphs. Also Adam Johann von Krusenstern, the commander of the Russian circumnavigation expedition (1803-1806) is buried here.

Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is only 80 kilometres south of Helsinki. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century Tallinn was known as Reval. The first recorded claim over the place was laid by Denmark after a raid in 1219 led by Valdemar II. In 1227, the Order of the Brothers of the Sword conquered Reval and three years later recruited 200 Westphalian and Lower Saxon merchants from Gotland, who settled below the castle and were granted freedom of customs and land. In 1238 Reval fell back to Denmark, Under renewed Danish rule, the city rapidly grew in size and economic importance. In 1248, the Danish king granted it the Lübische Stadtrecht (town charter). Due to the strategic location, its port became a significant trade hub, especially in the 14–16th centuries when Tallinn grew in importance as the northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League. The king of Denmark sold Reval along with other land possessions in northern Estonia to the Teutonic Knights in 1346. The cathedral is located on Toompea Hill (Domberg), an independent area that was only merged with Tallinn in 1877. This was the site of Tallinn Castle, built in the 10th or 11th century and replaced by a Danish castle in the early 13th century. Today it is the seat of the head of government, numerous embassies and the Alexander Nevski Cathedral. Originally, a wooden church was built here by the Danes in the 13th century. In 1229, Dominican monks arrived and began building a stone church. The monks were killed in a conflict between the Knights of the Sword and the vassals who supported the papal legate in 1233 and the church was desecrated. The building was completed in 1240 as a single-nave building with a rectangular choir. Already at the beginning of the 14th century, the church was enlarged. However, the construction work dragged on for almost 100 years. The new longitudinal part of the church, 29 metres long and built according to the principles of a basilica, was completed in the 1430s. The church was badly damaged in the great fire of 1684, when the vaults collapsed and all the wooden furnishings were destroyed. Shortly after the fire, the church was largely restored to its original state. In the church, there are numerous grave slabs and over 100 coat of arms epitaphs. Also Adam Johann von Krusenstern, the commander of the Russian circumnavigation expedition (1803-1806) is buried here.

Słupsk (Stolpe) was a Pomeranian settlement in the early Middle Ages. The Dukes of Pomerelia granted the town charter (Lübsches Stadtrecht) in 1265. A decade later merchants and craftsmen from Westphalia and Holstein founded a new settlement. In 1294 Polish and Bohemian rulers tried to succeed in Pomerelia. Wenceslaus III awarded Stolp to the Brandenburg Ascanians After the fatal attempt on Wenceslas III's life, Wladyslaw I Ellenlang (aka "Ladislaus the Short") reasserted himself as ruler of Pomerelia in 1306 and declared themselves Brandenburg vassals in 1307. In 1308, the Brandenburg margraves invaded and tried to militarily enforce their previously acquired rights. However, they were ousted from Gdansk and the eastern parts of Pomerelia by the Teutonic Knights. However, they were able to hold their ground in the land of Stolp. In 1309, the Duchy of Pomerelia was divided between two feudal states. The western part went to the Brandenburgs, the larger rest including Danzig to the Teutonic Order. After Stolp became prosperous, the citizens acquired the port of Stolpmünde in 1337. In the 14th century the city was pledged to the Teutonic Order by the Pomeranian dukes, who were short of money because of numerous wars. Because the dukes could not redeem the town, but the inhabitants did not want to live under the rule of the Order, the citizens themselves raised the enormous redemption sum of 6,766 silver marks. In devastating fires of 1395 and 1477 the town burned down. In 1478 the plague raged in the town. A dispute with the dukes that lasted for years impoverished the town and forced it to leave the Hanseatic League. During the Thirty Years' War, Stolp was conquered by Swedes in 1630. Wallenstein's troops occupied the town in 1637, and Swedish troops drove them out and completely ruined Stolp. After the war ended in 1648, Stolp fell to Brandenburg in the Peace of Westphalia. Up to 1946, the then Lutheran church was known under the name "St. Johannis Schlosskirche". After WWII, the Catholic Church appropriated it. It received a consecration to St. Hyacinth of Poland in 1946, was known as St. Hyacinth Church and served the Polish Dominican Order. In 1981, a Catholic parish was also established at the church and since that this is "Kościół św. Jacka". It was originally the church of the Dominican monastery founded in 1278. In its present form, the brick Gothic style building was erected in the 15th century. At the beginning of the 17th century, the interior of the church was baroqueized and a western slender steeple with a baroque copper-roofed dome was erected. The consecration of the restored church took place in 1602. The epitaph of Anna von Croÿ. She was the daughter of Bogusław XIII and his wife Klara, Princess of Brunswick. She was married to Ernest , Duke of Croy and Aerschot. The wedding took place in 1619. After a little more than a year Anna became a widow - Prince Ernst died during one of the French military expeditions. Due to the conflict with the Catholic family of the deceased husband, she soon moved with her only son Ernest Bogusław, later the last Lutheran bishop of Kamien, and settled in Szcecin, where Anna's brother, Prince Bogusław XIV, took care of her. Anna was buried in this church. The funerary monument was commissioned by her only son Ernst Bogislaw of Croÿ.

Horn (since 1970 part of Horn-Bad Meinberg) was founded by Bernhard III, Edler Herr zur Lippe, after 1230. It was first mentioned in 1248. Horn was located on the old road, that run from Cologne to Hamlin - and today is known as "Bundesstrasse 1" (B1). Horn got strongly fortified with a surrounding wall and a moat. The castle, was part of this fortification, though it was later used as a kind of retirement home by several widows of the House of Lippe. Armed conflicts over the city took place in particular during the Soest feud (1444–1449) and during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). In 1864, large parts of the city were destroyed in a fire, about 60 houses burnt down including the town hall. The exact age of the church is unknown. It is certain, however, is that a single-nave Romanesque church already existed when the city was founded around 1245. The lower part of the tower is dated to before 1200, the sound arcades date from the early 13th century. The rest of the church was extended around 1480 on the old foundations to a three-aisled, two-bay hall church in the Gothic style. The church was used by Catholics and later by Lutherans, but in 1605 Simon VI, Count of Lippe, adopted the Reformed Faith. He promoted its spreading within his county, using his monarchic privilege of "cuius regio, eius religion". So his faith mostly superseded the previously dominant Lutheran faith. The epitaph of Cord von Mengersen, who died 8. December 1562 (see the top line).

Sulzburg is an old town (market rights in 1008) that was known in medieval times for silver mining. The mining ceased in 1832, but an interesting mining museum still exists in Sulzburg. St. Cyriak is first mentioned in a document in 993, the year it got consecrated. Dendrological research proved, that parts of the beam construction came from a tree that was felled in the winter of 996. The church and the adjoining nunnery were funded by the local Count Birchtilo. After Birchtilo´s death in 1005, his son Becelin handed over the church and monastery to the Bishop Adalbero in Basel. In the early days, the church had no tower, but instead two apses. The tower actually replaced the western apse end of the 11th century. The convent existed here up to 1556 when the local Markgrave introduced the Reformation. St. Cyriac was converted into a Protestant parish church and got modified into a baroque hall church in 1742. All baroque splendour was taken out when the church got renovated in the 1960s, so by now, the nave is clear and sober. The epitaph of Anna Katharina von Leubelfing. She died on the 8th of September 1616, only 5 weeks and 5 and a half days old.

Sulzburg is an old town (market rights in 1008) that was known in medieval times for silver mining. The mining ceased in 1832, but an interesting mining museum still exists in Sulzburg. St. Cyriak is first mentioned in a document in 993, the year it got consecrated. Dendrological research proved, that parts of the beam construction came from a tree that was felled in the winter of 996. The church and the adjoining nunnery were funded by the local Count Birchtilo. After Birchtilo´s death in 1005, his son Becelin handed over the church and monastery to the Bishop Adalbero in Basel. In the early days, the church had no tower, but instead two apses. The tower actually replaced the western apse end of the 11th century. The convent existed here up to 1556 when the local Markgrave introduced the Reformation. St. Cyriac was converted into a Protestant parish church and got modified into a baroque hall church in 1742. All baroque splendour was taken out when the church got renovated in the 1960s, so by now, the nave is clear and sober. Well, not all actually, as this nice baroque epitaph survived. It reads I - Well respected Joh Georg Dreuspring found his grave here. He was born in 1660, he married Sophie Elisabetha, born Fuerderin, in 1686 with whom he had nine children. He died in 1726. II - His wife Elisabetha Fuerderin, born in Lohr, passed away in 1714 at the age of 61 years. III - Their daughter Chistina Friderica Dreuspingin was born in 1694 and died in 1725.