Memorial St. Donatus

The Donatus memorial in Merkholtz is a monument in honor of Saint Donatus.

It was built in 1934 and stands on the CR331, which leads from Merkholtz to Alscheid in the municipality of Kiischpelt in Éislek. The place where it stands is called Beim Donatus.

Saint Donatus is the patron saint who protects against lightning, hail, and storms, especially in the Gewan. In Éislek and especially in Kiischpelt, the veneration of Saint Donatus has a long tradition.

Monument
It consists of a 7-meter wide pedestal in the shape of an altar, upon which four interconnected columns stand, crowned by a 2-meter high bronze cross. The entire monument is made of slate.

On the front side, facing the street, there is a 3-meter high mosaic depicting Saint Donatus. To the left of it reads: ST DONATUS. The designs of the monument and the mosaic are the work of Joseph Sünnen (1894-1969).

On the back side of the monument is a plaque with a Latin text in the form of a chronogram:

SANCTE DONATE

CENTRAL HEATINGSTOS EXPERTE

IVGITER TVEARIS

MERKHOLTZ

ATQVE ALSCHEIT

The chronogram was published in 1934, the year the monument was erected.

The monument was inaugurated on August 26, 1934. It is located in a park that also houses an independence monument from 1989.

History
The initiative for the construction of the monument goes back to the then pastor Krier van Merkholtz. The artist Jos Sünnen had shown him the plans for a Donatus monument, which was originally to be built in the Moselle region between Rheimech and Bech-Maacher. Saint Donatus is honored as the protector of the vineyards against thunderstorms.

Pastor Krier decided to build the monument in Merkholtz also because the veneration of Saint Donatus has a long tradition in Éislek and especially in Kiischpelt. Moreover, Merkholtz belonged to the parish of Pintsch until 1806, where Pastor Nikolaus Strevel had founded a community of the Donatus brothers (it was the first Donatus community in Luxembourg).

The mosaic, made up of about 25,000 colored stones, was created by the firm Rich. Gasser from Düsseldorf. One third of the mosaic stones came from Italy and Germany, the rest are artificial stones.

Translated from Luxembourgish

Source: lb.wikipedia.org

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