Felsenkirchequelle
(Spring in the Church in the Cliff)
Idar-Oberstein
Two brothers, Emrich and Weirich, lived in Oberstein Castle, atop the 150 meter high cliff above the town. They quarreled bitterly. Some sources say the source of their trouble was a girl they both loved. One brother threw the other off the cliff. The surviving brother could find no peace after this violence. He wandered for years, doing penance for his fratricide. Eventually he met a holy hermit who told him he must erect a church in the cleft of the cliff where his brother’s body had been found.
So he returned to Oberstein and labored for years, building a small church in the shallow grotto. When his work was finally done, he was found dead in front of the high altar. As a sign of his forgiveness, a spring gushed out of the rock face that forms the inner wall of the church.
Sagen aus Rheinland-Pfaelz, Rainer Schlundt, Verlag Ullstein, 1987 ISNB 3-548-20727-8
The Church in the Cliff, or Felsenkirche, is now the symbol of the town of Idar-Oberstein. The small white church tucked into the cliff above the houses below is reached by a set of steps leading to a tunnel. The original path up the church became unsafe due to the unstable nature of the cliff, and the tunnel was constructed about 15 years ago. The spring still bubbles out of the rock wall half way up the steps to the balcony. It is used as a wishing well, although earlier the waters were probably used for liturgical purposes.
The town of Idar-Oberstein is a major gem polishing and jewelry producing center with several fascinating museums.
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