Mauern/Enghausen

The cross itself isn’t original, nor is the paint on the Christ figure, but research of the material (basswood) surprisingly resulted in a date around 900 AD, centuries earlier than art historians had estimated. The C-14 method isn’t very precise, but a stylistic classification is outright hazardous: only very few comparable crucifixes have survived.

For a long time, the charwoman had complained about sawdust she had to clean up from under it: clearly, it was urgent to do something for its preservation. An exhibition, a couple of years ago, offered a good opportunity. A close examination revealed how old and rare it really was, and the Enghausen citizens feared it wouldn’t return to their church. Lucky for them, it did.