Rectory’s Devil’s Stone

2020-02-12 In Cult Identity Latvia Stone Vidzeme region

Location

State: Latvia
Region: Vidzeme
County: Burtnieki
Parish: Matīši

Other references to the location

On the left side of the Matīši–Braslava road, on the edge of the way, not far from a rectory, ~ 1 km from the turning

Coordinates

lat=57.7113888889, lon=25.1447222222
57° 42′ 41″ N, 25° 8′ 40″ E

Description

A cultural historical stone — a tale stone, a hollow stone (a trough stone). The tale about the stone and the hollow makes it possible to attribute the stone to the cult object category. In the upper part of the surface there is a boat-shaped trough hollow — 0.45 m long, 0.17 m wide, depth of 5 cm. A flat semi-hollow of an irregular form is on the side of the gradually sloping surface: 65 cm long, 45 cm wide, the largest depth in the upper part — 5 cm, of a natural origin. As a cultural historical hollow stone and a secular stone of local significance it was examined, probably, for the first time on September 27, 1993 (A. Grīnbergs and A. Jakovičs). In summer of 2008 endangered by road reconstruction works. During the road reconstruction works, the probable cultural layer around the stone had been damaged from the road side. The form of the stone is box-type, with a slightly sloping upper part, in the form of a thin truncated triangle. Located in its initial position. It is 3.30 m long, 2.40 m wide, 1.30 m high, the size of the cairn — 4.90 m and 3.80 m, circumference of 9.40 m, volume of 5 cubic meters (www.geoparks.lv). Other nearby objects— Matīši, Matīši Church.

Narrative

“It occurred at the time when the Matīši Church was constructed. One night the Devil carried a large stone and wanted to obstruct the door of the church with it. The Devil did not like that a church was being constructed on the roadside were he used to walk. The Devil was coming with the stone from the side of the rectory. When he was already close to the rectory, a rooster crowed. The Devil threw the stone down and bolted away. The stone split into two parts. The largest part still lies on the edge of the road. Some people have seen the Devil at midnight on the large stone on the roadside.” (198, 1913, E. Grīvinieks in Braslava of Valmiera, 77 years old; recorded by K. Banga 1966; compiled by I. Ruberte, Valmiera County Tales (Valmieras novada teikas). 1999.) “Not far from the rectory, at the Braslava road, still nowadays a large grey stone lies. Once the Devil, having pulled the stone out of a marsh, squeezed it between his legs and rode to the Matīši Church. The Devil wanted to throw the stone on the church. All of a sudden the rectory’s rooster crowed, so the Devil left the stone on the roadside and ran away.” (1978, 2047; narrated by Olga Grīnšteine, born in 1895; recorded by K. Banga in 1966; compiled by I. Ruberte, Valmiera County Tales (Valmieras novada teikas). 1999.)