The parish church of St. Bartholomäus, Mistelgau

Whoever enters through one of the beatifully crafted gates is met with a splendid baroque interior – a masterly margrave church, even though it doesn’t have a pulpit-altar.Building inspector Johann David Räntz designed the new nave which was built 1735-7 on to the 15C tower in the traditonal style of a church with a tower and chancel.
At first your attention may be drawn to the triangle with the Eye of God above the chancel arch, surrounded by a veritable wall of fire and scrolls with mottos proclaiming God’s majesty. The pulpit, with its highly decorated flight of steps, body and roof, carved by Johann Casper Fischer, has an unusual feature: the body is carried by Samson, to whom the lower jaw of a donkey is fastened. The preacher is surrounded by apostles, Evangelists and many angels. Above all of this the Risen Christ stands , just as He does on the altar – by the same artist – where angels surround the Crucified Christ in the centre and adorn the communion rail.
The altarpiece , together with the font made by Johann Georg Brenck in 1686 and the 55 paintings of the Old and New Testaments on the two galleries which were painted by the Bayreuth court artist Johann Schertel in 1712, was taken from the building which preceded this one.The ceiling, however, was completely re-done – Georg Christoph Gebhard painted the Baptism of Christ in the centre and the symbolic pictures within the circles, and Johann Nikoläus Feeg created the stucco for it. The memorial near the sacristy doors is worthy of note: the nobleman who is buried there has the same facial features as the pardoned thief on the cross, to whom Jesus said ‘ Today you will be with me in Paradise.’