Legend of the pagan head
The pagan head of Altmünster Church
On the southern exterior wall of the Parish Church of Altmünster is a strange head made of stone. According to legend, it is the image of a pagan builder who makes a pact with the devil to destroy the Christian church.
A poem by Josef Theodor Fischer, from the 19th century, describes this legend. Of the 20 stanzas, however, only one has survived:
Aus alter Zeit da ist gewahr
Fünfhundert und noch etlich Jahr
Nach unsers Herren Christ Geburt
Das Münster da gebauet wurd.
Da stund von eh ein Götzenbild
Hält in der Hand wohl Schwert und Schild
Doch sich damit nit wehren mecht
Als mans zur Mitt von anner schlägt…
(In olden days, it was a clear
Five hundred and then many a year
After the birth of Christ our Lord
That the cathedral there was built.
There an idol, it did stand
Sure with sword and shield in hand
But defend itself the idol didn’t
Upon being struck in the middle...)
And the legend goes like this: Originally, the Christians wanted to build the parish church where the statue of the idol Eren stood. However, the area was too small. So they decided to build the church on the site of today's houses of worship on Großalmstraße. But what the Christians built during the day would disappear overnight.
They therefore consulted an oracle who told them to harness two untamed oxen in front of a wagon with the foundation stone inside. They should be allowed to go wherever they choose and built the church where they stop.
The oxen pulled the wagon to the place where St. Paul had once preached. Finally the site for the church building was found! But the builder, who was a pagan, made a pact with the devil to thwart construction.
The devil was to help him destroy the church at midnight. He agreed, but on one condition: if the devil were to loosen the first stone at the first ray of moonlight reflected on the lake, he could have the soul of the master builder. But if the builder were the one to loosen the first stone, then the devil would have to be at his beck and call.
In order not to miss the first light of the moon, the builder climbed the tower during a terrible thunderstorm. He was struck by lightning and fell, along with the stone.
According to legend, Satan dragged the soul of the master builder off to hell, laughing loudly. In the morning, the builders found their dead master and interpreted his death as a punishment from heaven. They carved a head out of the stone that had fallen with him. They put it in the wall as a gruesome memorial of the spot where the master, struck by lightning, had fallen. The stone head can still be seen there today.
© beyondarts-altmünster-weg-artmünster-app-1000
