Not Gottes Zeltingen, Religious crucifix in Zeltingen-Rachtig, Germany.
Not Gottes is a stone-socket crucifix inside a small walled enclosure on the Zeltinger Höhe, southwest of the B50 on a forest path near the boundaries with Wehlen and Wolf. The site lies above the Moselle near the old Römerweg, and the climb to it is described as arduous.
The site's origin is unknown, but it was long part of the Klausen pilgrimage founded in 1627 after the plague killed the neighbouring village of Inkart. In 1934 the Zeltingen chaplain led the Marianische Jünglingssodalität on a pilgrimage here as a counterweight to Hitler Youth activities. Pastor Wolfgang Jacobs revived the parish pilgrimage between 1982 and 1993, and it continued under Stephan Feldhausen from 1995.
The name "Not Gottes" refers to the biblical Mount of Olives scene of the praying Christ, of which around 1500 nearly every Central European Catholic church had a depiction. Since 1627 the site has been linked to the Klausen pilgrimage: elderly Zeltingen residents who could no longer walk to Klausen came here instead. In 1934 the Zeltingen chaplain led the Marianische Jünglingssodalität on a pilgrimage here, set against the growing activities of the Hitler Youth.
The site is reachable on foot via marked paths from the village center where parking is available. Good walking shoes are advisable since some paths are steep and ground surfaces can be uneven.
The name "Not Gottes" refers to the biblical scene of Christ's agony on the Mount of Olives, not to a danger or emergency. Two Celtic-Roman temple sites were documented nearby, at Graach's Staudt field and in the Roman villa in Lösnich's Hinterwald excavated between 1973 and 1975, which supports the theory that a pagan shrine once stood here before a cross was raised.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,808 contributors worldwide.