Stone scallops

Notes on evidence of medieval building culture along the way

The scallop shell is the symbol of the apostle James and all the St. James pilgrims. Based on this symbolism, stone scallops or a stylized scallop shell with the European circle of stars form the central signposts of the project. Embedded in the ground and provided with information boards, they refer to the evidence of medieval architectural culture along the paths of the pilgrims of St. James and the surrounding area.

Collectively, along the path axes in the project space, they form a string of pearls - a poetic star trail - of the architectural and artistic contemporary witnesses that may already have been present for the pilgrims of St. James in the Middle Ages. These include the great cathedrals in Mainz, Worms and Speyer, Strasbourg Cathedral and Metz Cathedral, as well as numerous lesser-known medieval (village) churches, castles and other gems - unique historical treasures whose art-historical and spiritual expressiveness and significance have often been forgotten today.

A stone scallop is created

If a site meets the requirements for the installation of a stone scallop shell or the erection of an information plaque, these can be requested from the project manager. can be applied for.

From original Galician scallop stones, molds are made under the expert guidance of a sculptor. The scallops are cast into these molds according to a special recipe consisting mainly of ground stone, pigments and binders. The stone scallop can then be set flush in the ground in a concrete bed in a place in front of the medieval cultural monument.

The production process takes place under the auspices of the Saarbrücken Regional Association and is carried out by young people from the Zentrum für Bildung und Beruf Saar gGmbH in Burbach (ZBB) as part of qualification measures. The co-financing comes from the European Social Fund (ESF).

Installation of a stone scallop

The installation of the stone scallop and the information board will be accompanied by the project executing agency through public relations work and, if desired, can be celebrated as part of a public ceremony. The marking of the medieval building culture on the Starry Paths with stone scallops or information boards has a process character and develops organically. It is essentially driven by the regional responsible persons, e.g. churches, municipalities or cultural institutions that want to participate in the project.