St. Johns Church Schwieg Germany

Location Name
St. Johns Church in Schwieg, Germany

Street Address
Kirchenschlag, Schwieg, Germany

City
Schwieg

Type of Prayer Place
Chapel

Description
This is a magnificent village church surrounded by a cemetery of incredibly well kept graves, each planted with a miniature botanical garden of thriving flowers.

The narthex of the church was open and inside was a small vestibule especially designed for prayer. The interior of the church is partitioned off with locked iron work to prevent loss of theft of the beautiful artwork in the sanctuary, but you can enjoy the beauty of it through the ironwork.

The small vestibule has several ancient wooden benches and a kneeler for those wishing to spend time in prayer. They also have a brochure rack (items in German only) and a prayer altar of candles that you may light in prayer.

Above this candle prayer altar is a large unusual mural of the suffering of the German people following WWI. In it, Christ is in the center with a burning heart and villagers are gathered around Him in various forms of need, such as a wounded soldier, a widow in black, a sick child, etc.

The church yard/grave yard is also full of places where you might meditate or pray, including a life size crucifix of Christ done in a golden metal nestled in a backdrop of evergreens.

How I used this place of prayer
I was traveling back to the U.S. following a mission trip to Romania, and it was the first time in a week I had been able to sit in prayer and meditation in a place of solitude. I thanked God for all He had done for us on the trip and prayed God’s continuing help on the Christian church in Romania.

I only had a dollar and no Euros to put into the box for a candle, so I put in a dollar and lite a candle on the center top and said a prayer for the International outreach of Prayer Igniters and what we can learn from each other.

Hours of Operation & Admission Requirements
No admission; Was open during the summer at 8 PM but not yet open at 5:45 AM when I visited the following morning.

Personal Tips
I was staying at the Sheraton Munich Airport and took an evening walk in the village down Freisinger Strasse and suddenly heard the pealing of church bells nearby. I followed the sound and came upon this marvelous church after walking left on Kirchenschlag. It was around 8 PM in June and still daylight and I was quite pleased to find the door of the church unlocked for prayer.

Added by Karen Barber on June 27, 2011