886

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Sunday. I love being a tourist in my town. I discover new things every time. Things that I probably saw hundred times and I never payed attention to them.
This morning we went to church. We actually stayed for mass.

I’m catholic but I never took communion. I love going to different churches but I only attended mass a few times. I’m sure I can count them with one hand.

Today was the second time that I did it since I live in Germany and of course, I could only understand 10% of what was said. Mostly because I get distracted easily.
This morning I started paying attention at how damaged some parts of the church are. The ceiling is falling off.
They are collecting money to restore it and it looks like it’s going to take a lot of time before they do it. The donations are not really big.
What really surprised me was to see that it was completely full. That was unexpected.

The name of the church is “St. Johannes der Täufer” (Saint John the Baptist).

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I visited the church a few months ago and I saw a painting of a head on a plate. I tried to take a picture but there wasn’t enough light.
Then I mentioned the picture to a friend and he said: “Maybe that was John the Baptist, do you know his story?”
Of course I didn’t know his story. I’m not really familiar with any bible story.
Anyway, it’s said that John the Baptist didn’t allow someone (the Tetrarch Herod Antipas) to marry his brother’s ex-wife. One day Herod was pleased with his daughter Herodias and offered to give her whatever she asked. Since she had no idea what she could ask for, she went to her mother for advice.
Her mother said that she should ask for John the Baptist’s head served on a plate.

I thought it was a very creepy story and an even creepier painting.
Here it is. I zoomed in as much as I could.

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I wonder why they didn’t stick with a painting of John the Baptist when he was alive.

~ by DotedOn on January 29, 2017.

7 Responses to “886”

  1. I have to say, Paola, I’m not surprised it was full. Many people who probably hadn’t attended for years, or only occasionally, are probably scrambling for answers to the horrors in this world and they go to wherever they think they’ll find them :-\

    And it wasn’t that John the Baptist didn’t “allow” the marriage. He very clearly continued to point out that since his brother was still alive, it was sin that he was taking his brother’s wife. That’s why she wanted his head. And honestly, I think it’s in pretty poor taste to have that particular aspect of his death in a painting 😦 I guess since it was named after him, they did all of it? Did they have a painting of him baptizing Jesus?

    Liked by 1 person

  2. glad the church service was good and you enjoyed it. xx

    Liked by 1 person

  3. creepy , i agree.

    Liked by 1 person

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