A traveling angel watches over the dead in Vladslo

Almost three meters high and weighing half a ton: it will take some effort to erect the sculpture of the angel Michael on October 20th at the Vladslo war cemetery in Belgium. But then he will look over 25,645 graves of soldiers from the First World War. There he also meets the “grieving parents” of Käthe Kollwitz, whose son Peter died nearby on October 23, 1914.

The sculptor Reinhard Pontius from Dresden has been sending his work of art made of colored oak wood with a special message through Europe since October 2020. "MICHAEL. “An angel goes on a journey” is the motto under which Pontius set his campaign. For him, the Archangel Michael is not the avenging figure with the sword, but rather a messenger for peace and reconciliation. He stands between light and darkness.

For the Volksbund it is a great honor that the Vladslo war cemetery is one of the stops - and a beautiful symbol, because as a humanitarian organization it sees its mission as learning from the horror of war and calling for peace. And something else is important: Archangel Michael, who traditionally fights evil in the form of a dragon, plays an important role in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. He also stands for interreligious dialogue.