Descent from the Cross

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by Henk Bekker

Descent from the Cross relief carved into the Externsteine

The relief carving Descent from the Cross (Kreuzabnahmerelief an den Externsteinen) is the most interesting of the artwork at the Externsteine. It measures nearly 5 m high by 4 m wide. Current thinking dates it to around 1160 making it the oldest such large relief rock carving north of the Alps.