Please register your churches by 13 February at oppekierchen@ewb.lu. We do not need details of the programme until 13 March. 

Please also send photos of the memorial stones in and around the church!

THEME: Places of remembrance

Our churches are places of remembrance. Not only because there are often memorial stones in or on the church commemorating local war victims, here in this building, which is usually located in the centre of the village and whose steeple is visible from afar. There are also often stained glass windows or statues of families who donated money to the church in memory of a major event or out of deep gratitude. Artistic stained glass windows or sculptures depicting poignant war scenes can also be found. Last but not least, the church interior itself is a place of remembrance. For centuries, people have been drawn to churches in times of danger, war and plagues, but also for joyful events such as the end of war and private milestones such as weddings, baptisms and first communions.

CATALOGUE OF IDEAS

Lecture, guided tour, circular trail or exhibition:

• about a war memorial/memorial window and its history. (There was often much discussion in the village beforehand about whether and which victims' names should be included, who the artist should be, where the money should come from, etc.);

• through the village, past monuments (‘Ici naquit’, war memorials, wayside chapels, statues, etc.), starting at the church;

• on the cult of Mary (by Luxembourgers in captivity, during the German occupation or other difficult times);

• on graffiti in the non-public corners of the church (church tower or crypt), where conscientious objectors or other people were hidden at the risk of their lives.

• with explanations of the statues of saints in the church in connection with events in the village (Rochus, cholera; Quirinus, smallpox; Christophorus, epidemics in general; Hubertus, rabies and toothache; Donatus, lightning strikes, etc.);

• on St. Barbara and the misfortunes of miners.

• with historical (private) photos of celebrations in the church (weddings, baptisms, first communions, funerals, etc.) as well as public celebrations (national holidays, end of the war, etc.);

CALENDAR

13 February Registration deadline: all churches that are not members of the Open Churches Network and wish to participate in the Weekend of the oppen churches must be registered by this date.

13 March Editorial deadline: for all registered churches and churches from the network. The dates and type of event must be specified. A short description and photos are also very helpful.

REGISTRATION, CONTACT AND QUESTIONS

Laure Simon, Project Coordinator for Religious Cultural Heritage, ErwuesseBildung asbl, laure.simon@ewb.lu.