Mettlach, St. Lutwinus Church

(3 photos)
This church was named after the town's founder, St. Lutwinus, who was bishop of Trier at the turn of the eighth century. Some valuable treasures can be seen in this church, the Pfarrkirche St. Liutwin, a pretentious Historicist church, on Freiherr-von-Stein-Strasse. Emmy’s cousin’s home is just a couple of houses away, on the same street, and the view from Emmy’s bedroom included the sight of the church (and sounds of the bells ringing the time every 15 minutes!), the hundreds of nights we have spent in Mettlach.

At six o’clock each morning, rain or shine, the church bells ring and ring. I have counted as high as 265 dings. The bells are rung according to a specific plan. Bell number one dings and dongs at 6:00 AM, 12 noon, and 6:00 PM most days, but is silent from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday. Bells number one, two and three ring in glorious harmony before a normal church service, and all four bells are combined before a service on high holidays.

Bells one and three knell for the death of a citizen of Mettlach. If there are three strikes, then a short pause, a man has died. If there are two before a short pause, a woman has died, and a child’s death is announced by one strike, followed by a pause. We would suspect church bells in other towns toll a similar story, but we are only aware of Mettlach’s bells, at the church just a couple of doors from the family home.
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Night View

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And a view through the trees.