Outrage at the Way of the Cross

Satanism: Marterl destroyed and cross turned upside down

Stations seven to ten of the Way of the Cross were destroyed and an upturned cross was placed in the niche (left).

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg)

Just a few days after the big cleaning operation, four of the 14 wayside shrines of the Stations of the Cross erected 103 years ago were severely damaged in Puchenau. The crosses of the three-meter-high monuments were knocked down. A symbol of Christianity was turned over and placed in a niche of the shrine. 

Vandals have repeatedly wreaked havoc in Puchenau. In recent years, the railings of a pedestrian bridge were demolished and fires were set in the youth center. "That was already bad, but now a moral low blow has been struck," says Anton Grottenthaler, Chairman of the Beautification Association, devastated.

"The cross on four of the 14 wayside shrines on the more than 100-year-old Way of the Cross from the town center to Pöstlingberg has been chipped off. An information board from our association was also destroyed," says the 77-year-old.

The destruction of the Stations of the Cross is a low moral blow. The 14 stations of the Way of the Cross were erected in 1920 and 1921 by returnees from the First World War and their families.

Anton Grottenthaler, Obmann des Verschönerungsvereins

Two symbols of Christianity ended up in the bushes, one is missing. Grottenthaler is particularly pensive about the fourth cross that was cut down. It was turned over and placed in a niche in the memorial. This is generally regarded as a sign of Satanism.

Two crosses from the three-metre-high memorial were found in the bushes.

(Bild: ZVG)

 "We cleaned the shrines just a few days before the destruction. Four members of our association spent a whole day removing moss and algae from the three-metre-high monuments," says the chairman of Puchenau's largest association with a total of 838 members.

A few days before the act of vandalism, the beautification association cleaned all 14 memorials. The volunteers removed algae and moss.

(Bild: ZVG)

The long-term chairman, who after 23 years is now thinking out loud about handing over the reins, already has a concrete suspicion. "Several young people have been hanging around outside the supermarket for some time. They're not from the village and we don't know them. They have probably already committed shoplifting. On the day the shrines were vandalized, they were seen by a witness near the crossroads. They have not been seen in the village since the vandalism." A report has been made to the police.