Funeral Chapel "The Holy Blood", Vorbachzimmerner Str. 18 @museum.de

M: The Gothic funeral chapel was originally a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church, consecrated in 1350 "to Our Lady and to the Holy Blood". But in the wake of the Reformation, it became Protestant. The cemetery was moved here at a later date. Today, the church is used exclusively as a funeral chapel.

F: The west portal is decorated with several figures. The carvings are plain, but beautiful in their simplicity. Some believe they’ve detected similarities to the much more ornate sculptures of Erfurt Cathedral, which was built a few years earlier. Perhaps the stonemason who carved the chapel portal learned his trade at Erfurt Cathedral. Or he may have been a travelling craftsman. We don’t know.

M: If the church is open, you’re welcome to go inside. Otherwise, please take a look at your screen:

F: The walls of the choir are decorated with recently restored frescoes dating from the mid-14th century, when the chapel was built. At the far end, you can see the Virgin Mary on the right, and Saint Catherine on the left. These are superb works of art. But if you look around – the quality of the fresco painting isn’t consistently good. It’s thought that the commission was handled by a workshop – and only the most important figures were painted by the master himself.

M: The frescoes are a kind of "Bible of the Poor". They show the bible story in pictures, so even less educated Christians could understand it.

F: Do you hear that? It’s the next stop, calling from the Kauzenmühle – a mill at Vorbachzimmerner Strasse number 24.