Many of these buildings are now secularised into barns and outhouses, but the church of St. Castor has just been repaired, as also a small, elegant chapel, that stands close to the river.
LEGEND OF ST. CASTOR.
For many years St. Castor lived in the forest, eating nothing but herbs, and drinking only from the clear spring. He taught the Gospel to all, and was much reverenced by his hearers.
The people, who were living in rough huts in the forest, now collected by St. Castor, built a village, and raised a church to the glory of God. His work completed, the Saint died; and in the course of centuries men forgot where his body had been laid, until a certain priest dreamt, and in his dream it was revealed to him where the Saint slept. Thrice this dream was repeated; so, going to the Bishop of Trèves, the priest told him what had occurred. Search was then made, and the bones of the Saint were discovered; and over them was raised the stately church which we see at the present day, and which is dedicated to this good Saint.
Brauer’s Inn is good, and Carden is a very interesting old place. The space near the church is surrounded by funny-looking, high-peaked old houses, a group of which we here give.
The highly picturesque and interesting castle of Elz is about four miles distant from Carden. It is situated on a great rock in a narrow valley, and surrounded on three sides by the Elz brook, that nearly encircles the rock. The hills surrounding are higher than the rock the castle is on, and completely shut it in. They are densely covered with forests, full of roe-deer: hares, foxes, and occasionally wolves, are shot there in winter.
The lord of the castle sometimes comes there to shoot, or to fish in the Elz brook, which is swarming with trout.