CHEMIN DES BILDSTOCKS

The term "bildstock" translates as "image" (bild) and "stick" (stock), meaning a shaft that carries an image. Similar to a calvary, the bildstock is a religious monument made of wood or stone erected either in the streets or in the villages. It is usually crowned by a niche in which the image of Christ on the cross or of another saint is placed, all protected by a canopy. All bildstocks are different in form, meaning and structure. Sometimes they rest on an altar, sometimes they show elements of everyday life. Why do we see many bildstocks in our villages? In the 17th century, the Thirty Years' War did a lot of damage to these devastation on these religious monuments except around Thionville. Indeed, the region of Thionville, which never belonged to the dukes of Lorraine but remained in Luxembourg until the middle of the 17th century when the war was only temporary, has preserved a large number of bildstocks.