The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary from the outside

The first known record of the town of Kandern found it's way into the logs of a French monastery in the late 700's, one thousand years before United States declared her independence from Britain.  Thirteen hundred years before God moved me here, French priests noted Kandern's existence.   Only a good history book and my vivid imagination can conjure images of what life could have been like.  No longer are there evidences of life in Kandern from the 700's, but a local house hints of a later time.

A son's sword collection

About thirteen-fifty a large structure was built in Kandern on the river Kander, probably to mill grain and house the miller's family.  Smitty and I had the privilege of touring that house this past week.

A view of living room beams

The building is now a sort of gasthaus, called The Sanctuary by the couple who rent it.  Their home provides inexpensive room and board to visiting missionaries.  Five bedrooms, a huge living room space, well-stocked kitchen, plus nooks and crannies perfect for solitude fill the first two floors.  The third and fourth floors are mostly unfinished, displaying large hand-hewn beams, cob webs, and many secrets of eras past.

The back yard sits on the edge of the Kander, perfect for the location of a former grain mill and brewery.  Although located in the center of town, the house provides peace and quiet, the yard a lovely, flower-filled place to rest in a unique locale.

Electric wires engulfing the 700 year old attic 

Above the front door:  MCCCLVII:  1357,
the date of the original building

As our friend, Lois, took us through the house we were  awed by the obvious age of the building and the way in which it had been upgraded for 21st century use.  The Sanctuary is warm and cozy, a place of peace and rejuvenation, mysterious and inviting.  If only the walls could share their stories!