Bals, Balz & Baltz
The History of the Family of Henry & Elizabeth Bals of Nebraska
From information compiled and edited by Gene Bals ©2004
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The History of the Family of Henry & Elizabeth Bals of Nebraska From information compiled and edited by Gene Bals ©2004
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OVERVIEW SITE MAP BALS NAME ANCESTORS FAMILY RICKERT HENRY & ELIZABETH IN
NEBRASKA Ferdinand SCHMERLECKE LUSEBRINK LOWER-SAXON
BAUERNHAUSES SOURCES
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The Chapel on Lusebrink
The Chapel on Lusebrink was built in 1690 and restored by Franz Bals of Lusebrink in 1954. It is located on the edge of the farmyard. The location of the chapel is at what had been considered a "holy place" even back into pre-Christian times. The chapter entitled Die Kapellengemeinde (The Village Chapel) in the book "1150 Jahre Schmerlecke, 833-1983" notes that recent research indicate that this may be the earliest regular place of Christian worship in the Schmerlecke area, that a "Holy Cross" was erected very early on what had been a place of pagan cult worship. Local myth says that Charlemagne may have worshipped here during his extended wars to conquer and convert the Saxons of the region. Probably with more certainty, Napoleon is said to have prayed here prior to going into battle a thousand years later. It is documented that Napoleon's army spent time in the area, as they stole the bell from the old Schmerlecke village chapel. Whether there is truth to these myths or not, the Chapel on Lusebrink would have been witness to considerable history, as both the Chapel and Lusebrink farmyard are immediately adjacent to the "Hellweg", the ancient east-west military and trade route through Germany. .
Related Religious Events of the Area About 830 AD the Heliand was written. It is described as a reimagining of the Christian gospel written in the Low German dialect with the alliterative measure of the ancient ballads by a monk whose name has been lost to history. It was an attempt to present Christianity to the Saxons of the region. A recent translation by G. Ronald Murphy S.J., available from The Oxford University Press is worth the effort.
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This website was created by Gene Bals on September 13, 2004. |
Stations
of the Cross made from stone surround the outside of the chapel. In recent
years, the statue titled "Muttergottes aus der Kapella von Lusebrink", has been
removed from the chapel for safe keeping. The chapel also
contains an alter piece and other religious icons of interest.