Picture Stone by LAKD MV (Left), Otto of Bamberg by Wolfgang Sauber / Wikimedia Commons
CV NEWS FEED // A man in a German village recently uncovered a 12th-century stone carving that may depict the first Catholic bishop who evangelized to people in the territory.
Live Science reported in a September 8 article that archaeologist Detlef Jantzen called the discovery a “sensation,” as there are only 20 other similar stones in the region. In a written statement to Live Science, he noted that this is the only such picture stone to depict a cross.
Homeowner Peter Wittenberg found the 3-foot-long stone under a layer of soil when he was doing construction on his home in the village of Klotzow. Live Science reported that he connected with an art historian, and the stone was then brought to the state archaeological office laboratory for further study.
Jantzen said that after a team finishes analyzing the picture stone, they hope to display it in Klotzow.
Experts think that the stone, which depicts an upright person wearing a cap, a shawl with a cross hanging from it, and a short robe, may depict Otto of Bamberg, who lived from 1060 to 1139, according to Live Science. Bishop Otto was the bishop who brought Christianity to Pomerania, which is modern-day Germany and Poland.
Regardless of whether or not the stone depicts Bishop Otto, Jantzen said, “This is an absolutely outstanding find, that leads us back to the time when Christian religion first came to Pomerania, brought by Otto, who is at the same time famous for his success to negotiate peace between the Polish duke and the Pomeranian nobility.”
