Kloakdæksel i Stadtlohn, 07, Germany

Billedet forestiller apostlen Paulus’ hoved. Ifølge denne tyske Wikipedia-side hænger det faktum, at hans skæggede hoved optræder tre gange på låget, sammen med byens tidligere våbenskjold. Dette våbenskjold bestod af de tre fugle, der tilhørte herrerne af Lohn. I det syttende århundrede blev fuglene erstattet af hovedet af Paulus, skytshelgen for bispedømmet Münster. Her blev der gjort klog brug af en af de legender, der knytter sig til Paulus. Da han blev halshugget på kejser Neros befaling, hoppede hans hoved tre gange på jorden. Krystalklare vandkilder sprang frem på de steder, hvor det hoppede.

The image depicts the head of the Apostle Paul. The fact that his bearded head appears three times on the lid is linked to the town’s former coat of arms, according to this German Wikipedia page. That coat of arms consisted of the three birds of the Lords of Lohn. In the seventeenth century, the birds were replaced by the head of Paul, the patron saint of the Diocese of Münster. Clever use was made of one of the legends associated with Paul. When he was beheaded on the orders of Emperor Nero, his head bounced three times on the ground. Springs of crystal-clear water sprang up at the points where it bounced.

Dækseldetaljer