[1] Penitential cross with ploughshare symbol

Description

The stone cross erected here is a so-called penitential cross from the 15th century. These crosses date back to medieval legal customs, when no unified legal system existed. Manslaughter offenses were often not prosecuted by the authorities, but settled through private agreements between the prepetator and the victim´s relatives. Through such an expiatory agreement, the perpetrator might, for example, have masses said for the victim´s soul, donate wax to the church, undertake a pilgrimage, or pay a fine to the relatives. The perpetrator was also usually required to erect a stone cross at the scene of the crime. In medieval belief, the victim´s soul was considered to be at risk because they had died without receiving the last rites. The expiatory cross was intended to encourage all passersby to offer a prayer for the victim, to implore their salvation. In a time when only a minority were literate, the victim´s social status was carved into the cross instead of a name. Here, a plowshare, the symbol of farmers, can be seen. This is a knife-like tool used to keep the plow in its furrow. The custom of the atonement agreement was only outlawed with the introduction of the first imperial penal code, the Constitutio Criminalis Carolina of Emperor Charles V, in 1533, but it persisted for several more decades. The reason for and original location of this stone cross are unknown. The oldest known location is about 150 meters northeast of here. During the development of this area, the cross was presumably moved to the horse paddocks to the north, where it stood for several decades. In 2023, the municipality of Waldbronn restored the cross and re-erected it here.