Rooted – Haiku 2025 #Thursday Doors

Posted bySuzette BenjaminPosted inPoetryTags:
Aerial view. Thann Alsace, France with St. Theobold Church in the background. Licensed image credit: © Richard Semik | Dreamstime

rooted in the Word

a portal becomes a scribe

with an open book

*

Originally a small chapel in the Fir tree forest of Thann, St. Theobold’s Church in Thann, Alsace, France, was constructed over 200 years from 1332-1516.

St. Theobold’s Church standout features are its 76 meters (249 ft) intricately ornamented spire and its richly sculptured western facade.

West Portal and Main Entrance, St. Theobold’s Church, Thann, Alsace, France. Licensed image credit: © David Lamb | Dreamstime

The western facade is prominent for its red doors (*the featured doors, shown above) and its highly detailed depiction of stories from the Bible.

The tympanum recounts key stories from the Bible in extraordinary detail. Over 150 scenes from the Bible are depicted with 500 sculptured characters in an unusual five-tier tympanum above the doors.

Among those scenes, Mary’s life story is detailed in twelve of them, plus the birth of Jesus, his passion, and resurrection.

In addition, St. Theobold’s Church West portal entrance is lined with larger-than-life statues of saints.

Unusual for sculptures in the Middle Ages, these sculptures are not motionless. Each sculpture is captured in the motions of acting out a well-known event in his/her life story.

The city of Thann owes part of its historical beginnings to St. Theobold’s Church. St. Theobold’s Church began as a small chapel in a Fir tree forest, in what is now the city of Thann, and the city grew and expanded around the church environs.

Trivia #1 and #2:

The story of the pilgrim staff that could not be moved in the Fir tree forest of Thann.

As the legend goes, Bishop Ubaldo Badassini (who would be later canonized as Saint Ubaldo), a bishop in the town of Gubbio, Italy, sensing that he was about to pass away, told his trusted servant that he wants him to take his ring as a gift for his loyal service.

Then, soon after when Bishop Ubaldo passes away, his servant takes the ring off the bishop’s right little finger (some accounts say it was a different finger on the bishop’s hand).

The servant then left Gubbio, Italy, and traveled to return to his homeland in The Netherlands via Alsace, France.

And then later one evening tired from his travels…the now former-servant took rest in a Fir tree forest for the night. (That Fir tree forest being in Thann, Alsace.)

Before the servant took his rest, he laid his pilgrim staff up against a tree.

The next morning, when the servant tried to pull the staff up from the ground where he had placed it, the staff would not budge.

And to add to this…

…On that same night the now former servant of Bishop Ubaldo arrived in the Fir tree forest of what is now the city of Thann, a nobleman in his castle nearby saw what he believed were three bright lights that suddenly appeared over the Fir tree forest in a particular spot.

And so the next morning, the nobleman came to the area where he saw the three bright lights the night before to investigate… and there he found the Bishop’s former servant still trying to free his pilgrim staff from the ground where the staff had rooted!

The Bishop’s former servant recounted all the events, including removing the Bishop’s ring to the nobleman.

The nobleman believed that these events were a miraculous sign and vowed to build a chapel to God on that spot.

As the legend goes, at the utterance of the nobleman’s vow, the staff was released from the ground on its own. Thus began the Chapel and then later, the Church of St. Theobold.

[Kindly Note: Theobold is the Germanic form of the name Ubald or Ubaldo].

St. Theobold’s Church, Thann, Alsace, France  Licensed image credit: © Boris Breytman | Dreamstime.com

🙠🙠🙠

And for more #Thursday Doors

Visit Dan Antion at No Facilities

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Published by Suzette Benjamin

Positive thinker, inspirational, writer, faith

60 thoughts on “Rooted – Haiku 2025 #Thursday Doors”

  2. Pingback: Rooted – Haiku 2025 #Thursday Doors | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  5. I love the haiku and the images, Suzette. The church entrance is amazing. The story sent shivers up my spine. I can picture that scene, and almost feel the shock that they must have felt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I am happy that you enjoyed the share and the story. You are right the story to the church’s founding/origin is a stirring legend indeed.

      Thank you Dan for your work and toil supporting Thursday Doors. Have a good one.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. When I first read the story I too thought the servant might be in some danger, a bishops ring in those days was a pretty hefty and expensive piecem of jewelry. Thank you for your support. Happy Thursday

      Liked by 1 person

  15. A great post, haiku and background story. The doors are impressive and the whole archway truly magnificent. It is incredible how much thought, hard work and skill went into these church buildings, the likes of which we rarely see today.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. And thus do you begin with the word “rooted.” Wonderful! Don’t you love such stories? The science doesn’t matter so much as the imagination that seeks to explain. The same imagination that told stories in stone. So beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Amen to the Word rooted! Thank you for noting the reference. And I do indeed enjoy these stories. Great insight connecting imagination of story telling to the stone carved stories of the portal in this beautiful church. Have a lovely day!

      Liked by 1 person

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