Bildstock Information & Bildstock Links at HealthHaven.com

A Bildstock, also known in Austria and in Southern Germany as a Marterl, Helgenstöckli or Wegstock, is a German term that designates a free-standing icon, usually of a religious nature. They are sometimes referred to in English as wayside shrines, because they are often located near roads, pathways, or pilgrim routes.

Such icons are common in Austria and Southern Germany but also occur in Slovenia, the Czech Republic, etc.

[edit] Description

A Bildstock normally resembles a pole or a pillar, made either of wood or of masonry, and is sometimes capped with a roof^[1]. In a setting resembling a tabernacle, there is usually a picture or a figure of Christ or another saint. For this reason, flowers or prayer candles are often placed on or at the foot of the Bildstock.

Other icons are decorated with reliefs or with religious statues. Some feature a small kneeling platform, so that the faithful may pray in front of the icon.

In Germany, these religious icons are most common in Franconia, in the Catholic parts of Baden, Swabia, in the Alpine regions and Catholic areas of the historical region of Eichsfeld and in Upper Lusatia. In Austria, they are to be found in the Alpine regions, as well as in great numbers in the Weinviertel, the Mühlviertel and in the Waldviertel. There are also similar structures in the South Bohemian Region and the South Moravian Region.

[edit] Schöpflöffel

Schöpflöffel near Einig with a picture of Mary

In the Eifel in particular, Bildstöcke that consist of a pillar with a niche for a depiction of a saint are known as Schöpflöffel (German for a ladle or serving spoon). Some of these icons date from the late Middle Ages, but for the most part were put up in the 16th century.

Near Arnstadt in Thuringia, there is a medieval Bildstock that is over two metres tall and that boasts two niches. According to a legend recorded by Ludwig Bechstein, this Bildstock was once a giant’s spoon, and it is therefore known as such - Riesenlöffel.

[edit] The orgins of Bildstöcke

Bildstöcke were often erected to honour the memory of the victim of an accident, which explains their prevalence near roads and paths; in Carinthia for example, they often stand at crossroads. They were also erected along old pilgrim routes, such as the Via Sacra that leads from Vienna to Mariazell. Other icons commemorate the victims of the plague. Bildstöcke and calvaries are furthermore frequently noted on maps and therefore represent important orientation aids. When roads are relaid, they are often moved at considerable expense to stand beside the new route.

The Austrian/south German designation Marterl hearkens back to the Greek martyros, martyr.