Berthelsdorf ( hsb, Batromjecy) is a former municipality in the district of Görlitz, in the southeastern part of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. On 1 January 2013, it was incorporated into the town of Herrnhut.Media service of the State of Saxony
retrieved 2013-02-26

History

Berthelsdorf lies close to the borders of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. Nicolaus Ludwig Count von

Zinzendorf Nikolaus Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf (26 May 1700 – 9 May 1760) was a German religious and social reformer, bishop of the Moravian Church, founder of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, Christian mission pioneer and a major figu ...

, bought the Berthelsdorf estates (Middle and Lower Berthelsdorf) from his grandmother, Henriette Catharina von Gersdorff, in 1722, and Upper Berthelsdorf from his Uncle in 1724. He built his manor house ''" Bethel"'' - ''" House of God"'' in Middle Berthelsdorf. Soon after buying the estates and calling Johann Andreas Rothe as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

in Berthelsdorf, he agreed to receive

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

exiles from the ''Kuhländchen'' (de, cs) in

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The m ...

upon his new estate. The first group arrived in December, 1721, under the leadership of carpenter Christian David. They founded the nearby settlement of Herrnhut on the estate. They were later joined by several hundred other refugees from Habsburg oppression in Bohemia/

, now the

. Under the guidance of Zinzendorf they united to renew the ancient

Unitas Fratrum , image = AgnusDeiWindow.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , caption = Church emblem featuring the Agnus Dei.Stained glass at the Rights Chapel of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States , main_classification = Proto-Prot ...

. 13 August 1727, is the date usually considered as the renewal date, which took place in the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in Berthelsdorf. From Berthelsdorf and Herrnhut then the ''"Brüdergemeine"'', in English, the

Moravian Church , image = AgnusDeiWindow.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , caption = Church emblem featuring the Agnus Dei.Stained glass at the Rights Chapel of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States , main_classification = Proto-Prot ...

, spread out across the world, beginning in 1732 with the sending of the first Moravian missionaries. Zinzendorf also provided sanctuary in Berthelsdorf to persecuted followers of mystic Caspar Schwenckfeld from nearby

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

. They were forced by the Electoral Saxon government to emigrate to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and Zinzendorf sent two Moravians to accompany them in 1734–35, in order to scout out the mission possibilities in America. The former municipality had two subdivisions: Rennersdorf and Berthelsdorf.

People

* Nikolaus Ludwig, ''Imperial Count von Zinzendorf-Pottendorf'' (1700, Dresden - 1760) ** Christian Renatus von Zinzendorf (1727 - 1752), son of Nikolaus Ludwig, born here *

August Gottlieb Spangenberg August Gottlieb Spangenberg (15 July 170418 September 1792) was a German theologian and minister, and a bishop of the Moravian Church. As successor of Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf, he helped develop international missions and stabilized the theology a ...

(1704 - 1792), lived and died here * Johannes Baptista von Albertini (1769, Neuwied - 1831), lived and died here * Adolf Gottlieb Fiedler (1771 - 1850), an entrepreneur, made a factory in here * Peter Latrobe (1795, London - 1863), son of the English Moravian clergyman

Christian Ignatius Latrobe Christian Ignatius Latrobe (12 February 1758 – 6 May 1836) was an English clergyman of the Moravian Church, as well as an artist, musician and composer. He created a large number of works for, and most famously edited, a ''Selection of Sacred ...

, lived and died here * Heinrich Wullschlägel (1805 - 1864), Russia-born clergy, lived and died here * Karl Gustav Kreischer (1834 - 1891) (de) * Oskar Korschelt (1853 - 1940) * Martin Rade (1857 - 1940) (de) * Caspar Schwenckfeld (1489-1561), Silesian Reformer, spiritual father of the Schwenkfelders who lived briefly in Berthelsdorf

References

Former municipalities in Saxony Populated places in Görlitz (district) History of the Moravian Church Settlements of the Moravian Church 1310s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1317 establishments in Europe 1722 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Herrnhut {{Görlitz-geo-stub

History

People

See also

References