Wayside shrine, Fischbach

The plague cross, richly decorated with pictures, is a beautiful monument to popular belief and piety. It is dedicated to the church patron saint of Fischbach, St Aegidius, as well as the plague saints Sebastian, Rochus and Rosalia. The Virgin Mary with the Christ Child is enthroned in a niche at the back of the niche. The wayside shrines or crosses often commemorated plagues or accidents, were intended to invite people to pray and rest and to provide protection. These religious symbols were often erected in places that had previously been characterised by pre-Christian monuments.