The Settlements of the Unity of Brethren (Moravian Church) were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO decided this on Friday 26th July at its 46th meeting in New Delhi, India. The Moravian Church nominated a serious of its traditional settlements, including Herrnhut in Germany (one of the European Cities of the Reformation), Gracehill in Northern Ireland, Bethlehem in Pennsylvania (USA) and Christiansfeld in Denmark. The latter was already recognized as World Heritage in 2015.
The four settlements are representative of all Herrnhut settlements and of a worldwide network that was woven by people who, driven by their faith, travelled the world in the 18th and 19th centuries. They not only brought craftsmanship from their Bohemian, Moravian or Saxon homelands with them, but also a strong sense of community.
Dr Peter Vogt, minister of the Moravian Church in Herrnhut together with his wife Jill, expresses his feelings after years of preparation:
‘We are very happy, and we see this as an appreciation of the values that our church stands for: spiritual life in community, connectedness across borders, listening to God’s word with trust. At the same time, it is important that we do not want to be a museum. Rather, for us, World Heritage means shaping the Herrnhut tradition for the present and filling the old buildings with life.’
Picture: Moravian Church, Gracehill
Author: Donal McCann Photography
Copyright: © Gracehill Old School Trust
Permanent URL: whc.unesco.org/en/documents/198986
