On this simple, wooden lectern, the reading surface of which features two men depicted in stylised armour, fighting with a sword (Bidenhänder – a double-edged broadsword designed to be wielded with both hands) and a halberd; centred between them is a heart symbol, pierced diagonally by an arrow and a sword and crowned by a wreath of laurel; the scene is framed on three sides by two engraved cord lines.
Along the upper horizontal and left-hand vertical edges of the reading surface, between the two cord lines, there is an inscription written in capital letters:
MAISTER JAKOBUS ANO INCARNACIO(NI)SD(OMI)NE 1534 WALENTINUS WEINELT
The church in Rosch also houses parts of a pew dating from 1538, which originate from the Protestant parish of Bägendorf/Benești, which ceased to exist in 1672.
The reading surface and the lower, centrally notched support are evidently older than the side panels and show signs of woodworm damage. The notches on the side panels suggest that there was a horizontal support bar at both the front and rear of the lectern.
LKM 437, provenance reference 400/320, H 31 cm; support surface 26 × 37 cm
Fabini, Kirchenburgen (Fortified Churches) 1998, pp. 37 and 613.
The Rosch lectern is on display as part of the special exhibition ‘Buchstabengetreu / Ca la carte!’ at the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu from 22 September 2026 to 21 March 2027.
