Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: St. Matthias

The history of Wroclaw dates back more than a thousand years. At various times, it has been part of the Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria, the Kingdom of Prussia, and Germany. Wrocław became part of Poland again in 1945 as part of the result of extensive border changes and expulsions after WWII. In 990 Mieszko I of Poland conquered Silesia and Wrocław. The town became a commercial center. In the 12th century Polish, Bohemian, Jewish, Walloon, and German communities existed here. Wroclaw was devastated in 1241 during the first Mongol invasion of Poland. In the 13th century due to migration from Saxony and Bavaria, Wroclaw got germanised. The population adopted the German language and culture and the name changed to Breslau. Between 1342 and 1344 two fires destroyed large parts of the city, which was a part of the Bohemian Kingdom at that time. Charles IV`s , successors Wenceslaus and Sigismund became involved in a long-lasting feud with the city and its magistrate, culminating in the revolt in 1418 when local craftsmen killed seven councilors. After the city had defeated the Bohemian Hussites the city was besieged by a combined Polish-Czech force in 1474, however, a ceasefire was signed, according to which the city remained under Hungarian rule. The Reformation reached Breslau already in 1518, and in 1523 the town council unanimously appointed a new pastor and thus introduced the Reformation in Breslau. In 1526, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria inherited Bohemia, Silesia, and the city of Breslau. In 1609 German emperor Rudolf II granted the free exercise of church services to all Bohemian and Silesian Protestants. In the following Thirty Years' War, the city suffered badly. It was occupied by Saxon and Swedish troops and lost 18,000 of its 40,000 residents to the plague. The Counter-Reformation had started with Rudolf II who encouraged Catholic orders to settle in Breslau. The dominance of the German population under the Habsburg rule in the city became more visible, while the Polish population diminished in numbers. After Frederick the Great besieged the city for a year, it surrendered in 1741. In 1742, Queen Maria Theresa handed over Silesia to the Prussian king. - The church was built around 1250 as a monastery church of the Wroclaw branch of the "Knights of the Cross with the Red Star". The monastery complex included a hospital for the sick, the poor, and orphans. Catholic priest, physician, and religious poet Angelus Silesius, born Johann Scheffler, converted here to Catholicism in 1653. He spent the last decade of his life in the monastery. Heavily damaged in WWII the church was later restored close to its original state. The pulpit

The history of Wroclaw dates back more than a thousand years. At various times, it has been part of the Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria, the Kingdom of Prussia, and Germany. Wrocław became part of Poland again in 1945 as part of the result of extensive border changes and expulsions after WWII. In 990 Mieszko I of Poland conquered Silesia and Wrocław. The town became a commercial center. In the 12th century Polish, Bohemian, Jewish, Walloon, and German communities existed here. Wroclaw was devastated in 1241 during the first Mongol invasion of Poland. In the 13th century due to migration from Saxony and Bavaria, Wroclaw got germanised. The population adopted the German language and culture and the name changed to Breslau. Between 1342 and 1344 two fires destroyed large parts of the city, which was a part of the Bohemian Kingdom at that time. Charles IV`s , successors Wenceslaus and Sigismund became involved in a long-lasting feud with the city and its magistrate, culminating in the revolt in 1418 when local craftsmen killed seven councilors. After the city had defeated the Bohemian Hussites the city was besieged by a combined Polish-Czech force in 1474, however, a ceasefire was signed, according to which the city remained under Hungarian rule. The Reformation reached Breslau already in 1518, and in 1523 the town council unanimously appointed a new pastor and thus introduced the Reformation in Breslau. In 1526, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria inherited Bohemia, Silesia, and the city of Breslau. In 1609 German emperor Rudolf II granted the free exercise of church services to all Bohemian and Silesian Protestants. In the following Thirty Years' War, the city suffered badly. It was occupied by Saxon and Swedish troops and lost 18,000 of its 40,000 residents to the plague. The Counter-Reformation had started with Rudolf II who encouraged Catholic orders to settle in Breslau. The dominance of the German population under the Habsburg rule in the city became more visible, while the Polish population diminished in numbers. After Frederick the Great besieged the city for a year, it surrendered in 1741. In 1742, Queen Maria Theresa handed over Silesia to the Prussian king. - The church was built around 1250 as a monastery church of the Wroclaw branch of the "Knights of the Cross with the Red Star". The monastery complex included a hospital for the sick, the poor, and orphans. Catholic priest, physician, and religious poet Angelus Silesius, born Johann Scheffler, converted here to Catholicism in 1653. He spent the last decade of his life in the monastery. Heavily damaged in WWII the church was later restored close to its original state.

Christianity had reached Trier early and so since Roman times monks had lived here. In 977 the monks adopted the Rule of St. Benedict. The Benedictian Abbey was named after St. Eucharius, as the relics of St. Eucharius and St. Valerius, the first Bishops of Trier, were kept here. During the demolition work of the predecessing church a tomb containing the relics of Apostle Matthias (St. Mathew) were discovered! Legends arose, that there were sent to the monastery by Empress Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, who had lived in Trier. The monastery´s name was changed to "Abtei St. Matthias" immediately and this was a center of pilgrimage from then on. Though "perfectly" placed to the North of Europe it never gained the importance of Santiago de Compostela (about 1800 kms southwest) or Rome (1200 kms south). There are still pilgrims today, heading to this church, offering the only grave of an Apostle north of the Alps. When I started to walk to Santiago, I started exactly here. The abbey existed upto 1794, when the last monks left it. The abbey got secularised and sold to a local entrepeneur. In the 1920s monks returned to St. Matthias. Today the church is used as an abbey- and a parish church. St. Matthias, seen today is the result of many renovations and rebuildings over the centuries, but it is still a Romanesque structure. The crypt is the destination for the pilgrims since about 800 years. Placed In it´s center is this old reliquary box containing the holy bones of apostle Matthias.

Christianity had reached Trier early and so since Roman times monks had lived here. In 977 the monks adopted the Rule of St. Benedict. The Benedictian Abbey was named after St. Eucharius, as the relics of St. Eucharius and St. Valerius, the first Bishops of Trier, were kept here. During the demolition work of the predecessing church a tomb containing the relics of Apostle Matthias (St. Mathew) were discovered! Legends arose, that there were sent to the monastery by Empress Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, who had lived in Trier. The monastery´s name was changed to "Abtei St. Matthias" immediately and this was a center of pilgrimage from then on. Though "perfectly" placed to the North of Europe it never gained the importance of Santiago de Compostela (about 1800 kms southwest) or Rome (1200 kms south). There are still pilgrims today, heading to this church, offering the only grave of an Apostle north of the Alps. When I started to walk to Santiago, I started exactly here. The abbey existed upto 1794, when the last monks left it. The abbey got secularised and sold to a local entrepeneur. In the 1920s monks returned to St. Matthias. Today the church is used as an abbey- and a parish church. St. Matthias, seen today is the result of many renovations and rebuildings over the centuries, but it is still a Romanesque structure. Like the whole building, the crypt got altered a couple of times. Two bays were added at a recent reconstruction, so the crypt now is extended to the orginal dimensions of the 12th century. It is very large, as all the pilgrims had to visit this place. Here in the foreground are the two large tombs of St. Eucharius (left) and St. Valerius (right), the first Bishops of Trier. In the background the reliquary containing the holy bones of apostle Matthias.

Christianity had reached Trier early and so since Roman times monks had lived here. In 977 the monks adopted the Rule of St. Benedict. The Benedictian Abbey was named after St. Eucharius, as the relics of St. Eucharius and St. Valerius, the first Bishops of Trier, were kept here. During the demolition work of the predecessing church a tomb containing the relics of Apostle Matthias (St. Mathew) were discovered! Legends arose, that there were sent to the monastery by Empress Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, who had lived in Trier. The monastery´s name was changed to "Abtei St. Matthias" immediately and this was a center of pilgrimage from then on. Though "perfectly" placed to the North of Europe it never gained the importance of Santiago de Compostela (about 1800 kms southwest) or Rome (1200 kms south). There are still pilgrims today, heading to this church, offering the only grave of an Apostle north of the Alps. When I started to walk to Santiago, I started exactly here. The abbey existed upto 1794, when the last monks left it. The abbey got secularised and sold to a local entrepeneur. In the 1920s monks returned to St. Matthias. Today the church is used as an abbey- and a parish church. St. Matthias, seen today is the result of many renovations and rebuildings over the centuries, but it is still a Romanesque structure. Christmas trees light the central nave with the gothic vaulting. The destinations of the pilgrims is the crypt. There are stairs leading down, but St. Matthias is the only church I ever visited, that offers an electrical lift for tired and exhausted pilgrims.

Christianity had reached Trier early and so since Roman times monks had lived here. In 977 the monks adopted the Rule of St. Benedict. The Benedictian Abbey was named after St. Eucharius, as the relics of St. Eucharius and St. Valerius, the first Bishops of Trier, were kept here. During the demolition work of the predecessing church a tomb containing the relics of Apostle Matthias (St. Mathew) were discovered! Legends arose, that there were sent to the monastery by Empress Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, who had lived in Trier. The monastery´s name was changed to "Abtei St. Matthias" immediately and this was a center of pilgrimage from then on. Though "perfectly" placed to the North of Europe it never gained the importance of Santiago de Compostela (about 1800 kms southwest) or Rome (1200 kms south). There are still pilgrims today, heading to this church, offering the only grave of an Apostle north of the Alps. When I started to walk to Santiago, I started exactly here. The abbey existed upto 1794, when the last monks left it. The abbey got secularised and sold to a local entrepeneur. In the 1920s monks returned to St. Matthias. Today the church is used as an abbey- and a parish church. St. Matthias, seen today is the result of many renovations and rebuildings over the centuries, but it is still a Romanesque structure. One of the capitals of the western facade depicts Daniel in the lions' den DANIEL PROPHETA) and Habakuk being airlifted to the den by an angel (ABACUL) bringing food. Apocrypha 14 "Now the prophet Habakkuk was in Judea. He had boiled pottage and had broken bread into a bowl, and was going into the field to take it to the reapers. But the angel of the Lord said to Habakkuk, "Take the dinner which you have to Babylon, to Daniel, in the lions' den." Habakkuk said, "Sir, I have never seen Babylon, and I know nothing about the den." Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown of his head, and lifted him by his hair and set him down in Babylon, right over the den, with the rushing sound of the wind itself."

Christianity had reached Trier early and so since Roman times monks had lived here. In 977 the monks adopted the Rule of St. Benedict. The Benedictian Abbey was named after St. Eucharius, as the relics of St. Eucharius and St. Valerius, the first Bishops of Trier, were kept here. During the demolition work of the predecessing church a tomb containing the relics of Apostle Matthias (St. Mathew) were discovered! Legends arose, that there were sent to the monastery by Empress Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, who had lived in Trier. The monastery´s name was changed to "Abtei St. Matthias" immediately and this was a center of pilgrimage from then on. Though "perfectly" placed to the North of Europe it never gained the importance of Santiago de Compostela (about 1800 kms southwest) or Rome (1200 kms south). There are still pilgrims today, heading to this church, offering the only grave of an Apostle north of the Alps. When I started to walk to Santiago, I started exactly here. The abbey existed upto 1794, when the last monks left it. The abbey got secularised and sold to a local entrepeneur. In the 1920s monks returned to St. Matthias. Today the church is used as an abbey- and a parish church. In 1783 the church got severely damaged by fire and lost the towers. What is seen today is the result of many renovations and rebuildings over the centuries, but it is still a Romanesque structure. The parish: www.st-matthias-trier.de/?q=node/132 The abbey: p117919.mittwaldserver.info/index.php?id=abteistmatthias Pilgrims meet here: matthiasbruderschaften.kibac.de/