St. Laurentius-Kirche Liebenau

St. Laurentius Church is located on a hill on the edge of the old village. It was originally called "Kirche zu Bruchdorf". Bruchdorf was a farming village on the right bank of the Aue, which was later merged with the village of Liebenau on the left bank. A - presumably wooden - church stood there as early as 900. Whether it was this wooden building or a later church is uncertain; in any case, the old church was destroyed in the war in the early 16th century. The current church, built in the late Gothic style, bears a stone with the date 1522 in the lintel. It contains two special art-historical treasures: Firstly, a richly decorated, six and a half meter high tabernacle (sacrament house) from 1510; secondly, a carved altar from 1517. The tower dates from the 19th century; the original fell victim to a lightning strike. The church was consecrated to St. Laurentius in Catholic times. This martyr was often chosen as the patron saint of a church in the 9th and 10th centuries. Laurentius died on red-hot iron rods in Rome in 258 because he held fast to his Christian faith. The reference to the saint remained even after the Reformation (mid-16th century); probably because Laurentius was the patron saint of blacksmiths. Liebenau was famous for its high-quality scythe production until the 19th century.