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Photography / Animal related (non-anthro)
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When the sun was about to set we reached the monastery. Once it must have been an impressive ensamble of buildings, incredible long stables, a big church and more buildings. We were later told that 700 hectar forest and even more hectars of farmland belonged to the cloister. Most of the buildings survived the second world war and even the reign of the comunist party during the times of the GDR. But after the fall of the Berlin wall no one really seemed to care about the monastery.
In the end it was Brother Jens and his tiny brotherhood of three men who felt it was their mission to care for all the buildings. I find it hard to describe my feelings towards brother Jens. On the one hand I have deep respect for the way he belives into his mission. After surviving a long and usually deadly desease it seems that this mission was what gave him the will to carry on. Imagine a man of seventy years who stands in front of a huge old brick building, the walls already coming down, with a roof that has more holes than a swiss cheese - and he just says: "I'll do it, I'll preserve it with the work of my hands."
On the other hand it seems to be this doubtless trust into his misson that gives him a hard time to handle all the problems and obstacles that a German bureaucracy can throw at you.
While I am typing this I can't help but smile a little bit. I remember the three brothers discussing daily stuff and all of them being old men that they are behaved like an old couple that is married for over 40 years.
After a tour through the buildings we were invited to their evening service. It took only maybe 15 minutes, the cat came in and cleaned took a nap under the altar and one of the four dogs circled friendly around us. Brother Jens is not a big speaker but this evening service in this half ruined church contained more truthfulness than a lot others I have witnessed. Later they shared their dinner with us. Meat from their own pigs, fresh milk that had been in their cows' udders just an hour before, handmade cheese. The flavor was delicious, but at the same time strangely alien for big city people like us who are used to pickup their food packed in plastic.
To be continued...
When the sun was about to set we reached the monastery. Once it must have been an impressive ensamble of buildings, incredible long stables, a big church and more buildings. We were later told that 700 hectar forest and even more hectars of farmland belonged to the cloister. Most of the buildings survived the second world war and even the reign of the comunist party during the times of the GDR. But after the fall of the Berlin wall no one really seemed to care about the monastery.
In the end it was Brother Jens and his tiny brotherhood of three men who felt it was their mission to care for all the buildings. I find it hard to describe my feelings towards brother Jens. On the one hand I have deep respect for the way he belives into his mission. After surviving a long and usually deadly desease it seems that this mission was what gave him the will to carry on. Imagine a man of seventy years who stands in front of a huge old brick building, the walls already coming down, with a roof that has more holes than a swiss cheese - and he just says: "I'll do it, I'll preserve it with the work of my hands."
On the other hand it seems to be this doubtless trust into his misson that gives him a hard time to handle all the problems and obstacles that a German bureaucracy can throw at you.
While I am typing this I can't help but smile a little bit. I remember the three brothers discussing daily stuff and all of them being old men that they are behaved like an old couple that is married for over 40 years.
After a tour through the buildings we were invited to their evening service. It took only maybe 15 minutes, the cat came in and cleaned took a nap under the altar and one of the four dogs circled friendly around us. Brother Jens is not a big speaker but this evening service in this half ruined church contained more truthfulness than a lot others I have witnessed. Later they shared their dinner with us. Meat from their own pigs, fresh milk that had been in their cows' udders just an hour before, handmade cheese. The flavor was delicious, but at the same time strangely alien for big city people like us who are used to pickup their food packed in plastic.
To be continued...
Category Photography / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Horse
Size 576 x 1280px
File Size 892.9 kB
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