Christmas Carols and Their Stories
Puzzle 35 · The Story of Silent Night · Page 55 in print
Mariapfarr
Curly-haired pictures of the Christ Child were familiar in the district where Mohr wrote his poem. In Mariapfarr’s church, a Romanesque fresco brought to light in 1946 shows Jesus with tightly curled hair.
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The words
Altarpiece
The church altarpiece the Association links to Mohr’s poem.
Basilica
Mariapfarr’s parish church, a minor basilica since 2018.
Coadjutor
Mohr’s post as assistant priest at Mariapfarr, 1815–1817.
Silent Night Association: Mariapfarr (opens a new tab) · Silent Night Association: History of the Song (opens a new tab)
Curly Hair
The Christ Child’s curly hair in Mohr’s first verse, also seen in Mariapfarr’s art.
Family Tree
Mohr’s Lungau family tree shown in the Mariapfarr museum.
Fountain
The Silent Night Fountain on Joseph Mohr Square.
Fresco
The Romanesque fresco of a curly-haired Christ Child in Mariapfarr church.
Josef Stoff
The pastor of Mariapfarr in Mohr’s time.
Lungau
The mountain region of Salzburg where Mariapfarr lies.
Silent Night Association: Mariapfarr (opens a new tab) · Silent Night Association: History of the Song (opens a new tab)
Mohr Autograph
Mohr’s handwritten copy of about 1820–25, which dates his text to 1816.
Silent Night Association: History of the Song (opens a new tab) · Silent Night Association: Text and Music (opens a new tab)
Mother Parish
Mariapfarr’s status as the first parish of the Lungau (923).
Rohrmoser
Bernhard Rohrmoser, the priest who designed the fountain.
Stranach
The hamlet with the house of Mohr’s ancestors.
Three Wise Men
The scene shown on the Mariapfarr altarpiece.
War Memorial
The village memorial whose relief shows Mohr with a guitar.
Sources
- Stille Nacht - MariapfarrSilent Night Association (Stille Nacht Gesellschaft), official site
- Stille Nacht - History of the SongSilent Night Association (Stille Nacht Gesellschaft), official site
- Hymnology Archive (ed. Chris Fenner), “Stille Nacht / Silent Night”, 17 November 2023Hymnology Archive
- Stille Nacht - Text and MusicSilent Night Association (Stille Nacht Gesellschaft), official site