The Scharfs of Zetting/Zettingen

Theresia  Elisabeth SCHARF was a great grandaughter of of Scharf progenitor, 
Aimus Christian Scharf. She was born 12 Oct 1764 in Bebelsheim, Pfalz, 
Germany and was christened 23 Oct 1764 in Bebelsheim, Pfalz, Germany. 
His godparents were Johann Dautel and Maria Elisabeth Zahm. 

Theresia became the second wife of widower Johann BARTH, son of Johann 
BARTH and Katherina POST, on Feb 1794.  Johann was born 12 Oct 1764 in 
Blickweiler, Pfalz, Germany.  Blickweiler is a village about three kilometers 
north of Rheinheim. 
	
They had a son, Reverend Father Bartholomaus BARTH who was born in 
Blickweiler, Pfalz,Germany. Father Bartholmaus died 17 Aug 1833 in Zettingen, 
Lorraine, France and was buried in Zettingen, Lorraine, France. 

Father Bartholomaus was a Benedictine priest in Rheinheim, from 1787-1789, 
according to the "Heimatbuch." He progressed to Blieskastel and other 
parishes in what is now Germany and, in 1811, was named the resident priest 
of St. Marcellus in Zettingen, Lorraine, France. That village was renamed 
Zetting under later French administration. Father Bartholomaus was much 
beloved. He was honored as one of the 14 caregivers of the Benedictine Order
in Zettingen/Zetting and was cited in the parish records. The caregivers were 
those priests who were adjudged to be selfless servants of the parishioners. 
When he died he was buried under a chestnut tree in a grave adjacent to the 
church. 

St. Marcellus of Zettingen/Zetting is an historical and architectural gem. I 
lived in Germany for almost nine years and have traveled extensively in 
Germany and France and believe that this church is the most original and 
finest unaltered church dating back to the 1400s that I have ever seen. 

The village is small, with fewer than 100 houses in the village and a total in 
1999 of 853 inhabitants served by the village. Despite the small size of the 
population, the church, however, is very large and in its early years it served 
a number of the surrounding villages; Dieding, Wiesweiler, Achen, Neuenkirch, 
Folpersviller, Siltzheim, and several others. The church dates back to at least 
1434, and is an architectural mix of Roman and Gothic styles. It was originally 
built in Roman style and was later enlarged and the "new" addition was designed 
and constructed in the Gothic style. The interior of the church has rich paintings 
as well as beautiful marble sculptures, and looks very much like it did in the 
1600s. It has never been "modernized" since the Gothic addition.  It still has 
candle chandeliers, and has a working portcullis that enables a spiked iron gate
 to be dropped into place at the entrance to the church to protect those persons 
seeking sanctuary and to prevent intruders from entering the interior of the 
building. This portcullis is said to date from the period of the Thirty Years War 
(1618-1648) when parishioners would rush to the church and take refuge behind 
the portcullis, seeking sanctuary from marauding bands of soldiers. 

After the Thirty Years War, Zettingen/Zetting was under the governance of the 
Protestant Graf of Nassau-Saarbrücken. As a result, St. Marcellus Catholic 
Church became a Protestant church during the period 1676 until 1684. It was 
subsequently reconsecrated as a Catholic Church.

Look for the photos of this church in the photo section of my web page.