Spitalkirche zum Heiligen Geist, Latsch / Hospital Church of the Holy Spirit, Latsch
Indulgence text of the old famous altar as copy on the outside / Ablasstext vom alten beruehmten Altar an der Aussenwand The long story on the Altars is only in German, alas / Die lange Geschichte ueber die Altaraffaere gibt es leider nur in Deutsch. |
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italia, italy, rome, roma, italie, milan, venice, venezia, sicilia, sicily,
2 comments so far...
The cause the tiny white text was put on the outer wall is likely kind of a billboard from somewhen in the counterreformatory baroque when you still could get an indulgence there but the children of non-nobles started to slowly get some bit of schooling, enough to spell around a bit over the catechism and saints legends....
The catholics powers of today do not subscribe to the indulgences (certain prayers in certain churches that will give you a certain number of years less in purgatory if you also pay some money there) ... so that those funny side altars with written indulgences on them became antiquities more fitting for affluent collectors and museums than to have simple villagers go pray in front and then buy a certificate. Anyway one old indulgence altar , dedicated to the 14 Auxiliary Saints, was sold away stealthy for good money from far away -- to the dismay of serious local historians in the early 20th century, the other went eventually to Bolzano's public museum and this one was dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalen. It took very long they where able to locate the missing Auxiliary Saints altar again, it seems it is in Hungary in a museum that inherited a collectors whole antique stuff.
Well, in case you cant manage that horrible german in the black on white part and least in the punny size, it says mostly that you shall sincerely and in a kneeling position pray the Lords Prayer trice and the Hail Mary also trice on the apropriate patrocinium holidays there and that you then get for 100 days forgivenes of your lesser sins (no cardinal sins IOW) and you will be also 40 day less in purgatory... cool deal, isnt it?
What the gold and black stuff is about, I have not the slightest idea however, that's as you can see in latin with even more numbers and abrevations and an even worse font lacking any punctuation -- just a total horror I can make out about three words I can translate for sure in. ;o)