A very memorable place... Photo

Photographer’s Note

Büraberg is a hill in the northern part of the state Hessen - overlooking the valley of Eder river nor far away from Fritzlar - and it is a very special hill...

In 723 AD the Anglo-Saxon missionary Winfrid – later called St.Boniface, apostle of the Germans – arrived in the area on his mission to convert the central and northern German tribes to Christianity. He made Büraburg, then a fortified Frankish settlement, his temporary base. Seeking to demonstrate the superiority of the Christian God over the Germanic gods, he and his followers here felled a sacred oak dedicated to Thor by the local tribe of the Chatti. When Thor failed to hurl a lightning bolt at Boniface and his companions, as the locals had expected, they agreed to be baptized. This event thus marked the beginning of the Christianisation of the Germans.

Using the wood of the oak, Boniface erected a small chapel at a settlement nearby. It soon became the important religious, intellectual and trade center of Fritzlar. Boniface in 742 elevated Büraburg to a bishopric, the first in Germany east of the Roman Limes, but after the death of the only bishop, Witta, in 748 the bishopric was incorporated by Lullus, Boniface's successor as archbishop of Mainz, into his own diocese. From 747 to 786 Büraburg was administered by an auxiliary bishop, Meginoz, but this post was not filled again after his death.

Excavations have unearthed extensive fortifications from the 7th and 8th century AD on the hilltop, remnants of a major settlement at this important site. During the Saxon wars of Charlemagne, it was an important fortified base of the Francs, but with the final submission of the Saxons in 804 it lost its military significance. Today, a small parish church, St. Brigid, stands at the site, containing elements (the wall between the two parts of the building) of the original church building - the oldest Christian church east of the Roman Limes.

In workshop you can see the church from another angle and rests of the ancient castle - of its south-east gate.

isabela_sor, saxo042, dta, jhm, snunney, chinchini, Cricri, asajernigan, eska, Uhu, jbemmels, thor68, nwoehnl, danyy, amaryllis, pablominto, Kielia, buscape, ellelloo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

isabela_sor (42054) 2009-06-14 0:02 [Comment]

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saxo042 (15514) 2009-06-14 0:36

Good morning Frank,
First of all; a very interesting note! But of course also a very fine picture! I like good colours and here you have combined some strong colours in a very attractive way! An orange roof under a deep blue sky always make me look a bit extra. Even that jetliner across the sky has contributed to the composition!
Kind regards
Gunnar

dta (4960) 2009-06-14 1:01

Bonjour Frank ,
Cette jolie chapelle attire irrésistiblement le regard , avec son toit rouge qui contraste si bien avec le beau ciel bleu . Un très bel environnement de verdure , aussi .
Bon dimanche .
Denis

jasmis (50200) 2009-06-14 1:31

Fine church but the bench is empty, alas...

Regards my dear friend.

jlbrthnn (37697) 2009-06-14 1:36

Hello Frank,
Framing careful and is well thought. The control of the light is obvious, the colors are sober and natural. The place is of any beauty, and its enthralling history. Congratulations.
Have a nice sunday
Cordially
Joël

jhm (82297) 2009-06-14 1:56

Guten Tag Frank,

Lovely small chapel you placing the church very nice between the green environment.
Sharpness and clarity are superb.
Very well composition and good presentation. TFS.

Have a nice sunday,
John

snunney (34684) 2009-06-14 2:30

Hello Frank,
A pleasing well framed composition of this charming little chapel, nicely framed by the surrounding vegetation. Very pleasing colour contrasts and excellent clarity. Greetings from a rather sultry Charente-Maritime.

mesutilgim (36657) 2009-06-14 3:36

Hallo lieber Frank,
Sowohl photographisch wie auch vom Text her ein "echter" TE Beitrag.
Schoenes Seitenlicht und gute Farben sowie wunderbare Rahmung mit den Baeumen rechts und links.
Danke schoen und mfg
MESUT ILGIM

PS. Deinen Portraet im Intro habe ich soeben entdeckt; toll !

chinchini (27519) 2009-06-14 4:38

Salut Frank,
Très belle "Papagolfade" avec cette jolie petite chapelle dans un verdoyant cadre. Très beau temps et très bel éclairage diurne de l'édifice.
C'est très remrquable. Et tu vas toujours de ta note très riche mon Ami ;o)
Excellent dimanche
De Humenné où le beau temps revient
Pierre

Cricri (43030) 2009-06-14 4:55

Bonjour Frank
Très jolie présentation de l'église entourer de verdure et le bleu du ciel, de beaux contraste avec le toit rouge, belle image
Passe un beau dimanche (içi le temps est incertain)
cricri

npecanhuk (13679) 2009-06-14 6:29

Hello Frank!
Simple beauty - both the church and all those plants around! Top quality picutre with the best technical elments!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

asajernigan (14080) 2009-06-14 8:01

Frank,
This is a great Papagolfade for this beautiful Sunday morning. Your composition is fine using the trees to frame the church. The angle of the shot works well giving the scene depth. The lighting and colors are great with the deep blue sky providing nice contrast for the red roof. The photo is sharp and has excellent clarity.
TFS,
Asa

Uhu (7372) 2009-06-14 8:45

It's interesting, I never thought that Christianization of Germany happened as late as VIII century. Thouht it was a way earlier!
Very good photo of this small but important church (or small church on important place).
Great work as usual!
Greetings from Russia - with tropic heat, + 28 C yestaerday and + 25-something today!

claudeD (11274) 2009-06-14 10:12

Hallo Frank,

einfach eine tolle Aufnahme.Sehr gute Farben und super die Bildschaerfe.Ein Ort voller Ruhe zum verweilen.Danke fuer die Infos.

Mit den besten Grüssen aus Luxemburg

Jean-Claude

jbemmels (327) 2009-06-14 10:17

Hallo Frank,

ich versuche auch, auf Deutsch zu antworten. :)

Ich kann fast nicht glauben, dass diese kleine Kirche hier das Ort ist, aus dem sich das Christentum in Deutschland zuerst verbreitet hat. Ich habe oft die Geschichte der Donnareiche gehört und habe geheimnisvolle Gemälde davon gesehen, aber nie echte Fotos.

Dieses Foto ist sehr schön, mit guten Farben, aber es scheint mir sehr viel wie ein Garten oder ein kleines Dörfchen, in dem normalerweise nichts passiert. Kaum zu glauben, eine der wichtigste Ereignisse der deutschen Geschichte sei heir passiert!

Jordan

nwoehnl (118) 2009-06-14 13:35

Hallo Frank. Ein schönes Foto, das die alte Kirche inmitten der idyllischen grünen Umgebung zeigt. Klare Details und eine sehr angenehme Farbenpalette. Nicht zuletzt auch eine sehr informative Note, wie man es von Deinen Uploads gewohnt ist. Einen guten Start in die neue Woche!

quillo (7146) 2009-06-14 14:00

-

Hola amigo Frank .. .. .. .. .:

The effect of light and shadow on this beautiful
architecture, and strength provided by
the branches in the foreground, creating
a really attractive composition.

Great job with exposure and colors.

Un saludo y buenas noches.

-

jurek1951 (25900) 2009-06-14 22:06

Hallo Frank,
ein herrliches Bild, sowohl vom Motiv her als auch vom Bildschnitt und den Farben,
Gruß Georg

danyy (68572) 2009-06-14 23:18

Bonjour Frank,
quand rouge, bleu et vert intenses se mélangent, cela donne un magnifique festival de couleurs. Une petite église sympathique bien sertie dans la cerdure.
Une photo aux parfaites lumières et mise au point.
Warmest regards.
Daniel.

amaryllis (17363) 2009-06-15 0:35

bonjour Frank
un endroit mémorable, je veux bien te croire; ce jour là tu as été favorisé par une météo clémente qui fait ressortir avec ton cadrage excellent, les arbustes, la pierre de cette chapelle, ce toit rouge en parfait état, une chapelle bien entretenue et ce banc bien situé pour la méditation
superbe photo
juliette

pablominto (40488) 2009-06-15 4:45

Hello Frank,

The view to this nice building is so nicely framed by the greenery, creating such a peaceful atmosphere!
The details are admirable and the good light also renders attractive colours, and the point of view shows the building well...
Interesting background given in the fine note!

Greetings,
Pablo -

Silvio1953 (41533) 2009-06-15 6:30

Ciao Frank, greaty view of lovely place full of history, splendid light and colors, lovely composition with beautiful vegetation, very well done, greetings from sunshine and warm Italy, Silvio

Kielia (8397) 2009-06-15 8:58

Hallo Frank,
ein kleines Meisterwerk, sowohl die Kirche als auch Deine Aufnahme! Wunderbare frische Farben und Kontraste, das schöne Frühlingslicht dazu und das Gebäude eingebettet im Grünen, ein herrlicher Anblick. Das Glockentürmchen ist allerdings sehr merkwürdig. Deine Note ist ebenfalls faszinierend. Glückwunsch!
Herzliche Grüße aus dem sonnigen Schleswig-Holstein,
Harriet

jafadabret (39441) 2009-06-16 9:22

Bonjour Frank.
C'est une excellente composition. J'aime les couleurs et spécialement celle des toits qui s'oppose au vert des arbres et au bleu du ciel. Le buisson en fleurs au premier plan est du meilleur effet.
Salutations !
Jacques

buscape (3609) 2009-06-18 4:29

Hallo Frank,
tolles Bild dieser historischen Kirche eingebettet in schönen Frühlingsfarben. Die natürliche Umgebung der Kirche macht dieses Bild besonders stimmungsvoll. Die Farbkombination (grün,rot,blau) gefällt mir ausgezeichnet und deine Beschreibung ist sehr interessant und lehrreich. Klasse Beitrag.
Viele Grüsse aus dem Donautal,
Helmut

ellelloo (4735) 2009-06-18 13:24

Hallo Frank,
A beautiful photo of this small church and place with an important history, which you have described so well in your note. Good, well saturated colours, excellent control of light, perfect sharpness. Thanks!
Greetings from Espoo, where it just started to rain (again),
Lasse

andywo (2843) 2009-06-22 5:41

Hello Frank
Very nice shot, interesting architecture and just marvellous colours. Fantastic place!
Thank you for the interesting note.
Warm regards,
Andrzej