QUEDLINBURG, GERMANY—Medievalists.net reports that a Christian baptismal font dated to the tenth century has been uncovered in what is now the crypt of the church on the castle hill in Quedlinburg, which is located in central Germany. The sandstone font is quatrefoil in shape and is thought to have been built during the early years of the rule of the Ottonian dynasty. Researchers from the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt note that the structure is the oldest known baptismal font built in this style to be discovered north of the Alps. They think that Duke Henry I of Bavaria (A.D. 922–955) may have been baptized in the font. He is remembered for his attempt to kill his brother, Otto the Great, during an Easter Sunday attack on Quedlinburg in A.D. 941. Otto the Great’s daughter, Mathilde, may have also been baptized at the site. She became the first abbess of Quedlinburg Abbey, and was followed in that role by Adelheid I, (A.D. 977–1044), daughter of Otto II, who may have also been baptized in the font. To read about excavations of a basilica commissioned by Otto the Great that once overlooked the village of Helfta, go to “Otto’s Church.”
