SEARCH FOR THE LOST TEMPLE STRUCTURE (3)

The City of the lost Temple used to be a lot bigger in ancient times. This was almost completely forgotten. Still a lonely hill, dominated the town; the place of ancient worship and adoration. A Christian church was build in the year 777 with the wood of the sacred pagan oak-trees. In chopping down the monumental trees the missionaries showed how powerful their God was.

Mass-conversions followed, by the word or by the sword.

The church these proto-christians build, was named after Archangel Michael, we met as a golden statue near the Northern Gate. Canon-law allows only this dedication, when its situated on a hill; like Mont Saint-Michel in France.

Till the Reformation and the break-down of Catholicism in this ancient city, when Protestants confiscated catholic properties and wealth, the Michaelchurch was renamed “de Grote Kerk”, the Dom(e) of Almenum, the oldest part of our Temple-city. A name of Michael is only given to important religious monuments, churches and divine places.

After the magical year 777, in which christianity took over a pagan site, the wooden church was burned en looted several times. In the 13^th century a stone church was build. To give you an idea of trade in those ages, the stones came all the way from Germany. In around1777 (!) the 1000 year old church was demolished and rebuild as a Cross-church (seen from above, the architecture showed a cross.

The stone tower of the medieval church was fortunetaly safed from destruction. The architect of the new church demolished everything.Many burial monuments from famous Frisian admirals disappeared for hundreds of years.

But nothing stays hidden forever. Close to the famous “Zoutsloot” a few months ago, the tombstone of a functionary of the “Amirality”, used as building material was discovered. More will be found, when people dare to go underground and underwater, to reclaim their history.