Christmas - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2013 - 62 Euro Cent

"Make me a sanctuary! Then I will live in their midst! "- that is the motto of the parish church of St. Michael in the Salzburg Lungau taken from the book Exodus. These words of God to Moses were not only once applied to the people of Israel, this demand is still addressed today to all people who want to belong to the people of God. The very attractive motif, which decorates the present Christmas, comes from the high altar of this same house, and conveys the suspicious mood of the Holy Night in a particularly peaceful manner. The statues and reliefs of the aforementioned neo-Gothic high altar were created by the well-known Tyrolean sculptor Josef Bachlechner, other participating artists were the Hallein altar Vincent Pezzei and the painter AndreasDoser. The theme of the large relief in the shrine is the Last Supper: around Christ the disciples are gathered, left Judas already leaves the group - a reference to the later betrayal. The left wing decorates the painting of the Nativity as a template for this special stamp. Mary kneels in front of the crib with the baby Jesus, in the background you see St. Joseph and some shepherds. The right wing of the wing represents the adoration of the wise as a counterpart. In the closed state, the painted outer wings show the scene of the Mount of Olives. Around these scenes taken from the Life of Christ, the symbols of the four evangelists are the prophets of the Word of God - on the tabernacle predella, where the consecrated host, lion (Mark) and bull (Luke) are kept, and in the figure of angel (Matthew) and eagle (John ). The central figure of the saint in the cluster represents the patron saint and archangel Michael, accompanied by the archangel Raphael with staff and Gabriel with the Annunciation lily as a symbol of Mary's salvation. Finally, the colonnades of Saints Rupert and Leonhard stand on the walls to the side of the high altar.The story of St. Michael, the mother and parish of the upper Lungau, goes back to the 12th century, the first written mention is dated to the year 1147. Anno 1225 confirmed Pope Honorius III. the parish and property rights of the cathedral chapter of Salzburg for this church. According to legend, the Bavarian Duke Theodo († 717) was buried after his death in the Battle of Bundschuh / Lungau in the church of St. Michael. When in the 14th century the old Roman road was laid out in a new route over the Katschberg, this trade connection between Venice and Nuremberg brought the up-and-coming town of St. Michael a tremendous economic upswing, which was further enhanced by the flourishing mining industry. 1416 was finally the collection of St. Michael to the market.