The Lutheran Middle Ages: The Survival of Medieval Art in Lutheran Churches in Germany

Lutheran churches in Germany possess an unparalleled wealth of medieval art works. Other than is generally believed, Lutherans treated medieval church interiors relatively mildly, maintaining or altering the use of many elements or simply by tolerating them as 'middle things' ('Mitteldinge'). This effect, that has only recently begun to gain wider recognition, has been termed the "preserving power of Lutheranism". As a consequence, it is the interiors of Lutheran churches in Germany that offer us the best possible insights into what churches looked like before the Reformation. This book, illustrated with c. 500 colour photographs, provides the first visual account of Germany's best medieval church interiors. Examples are spread over the entire country and include the full spectrum from monumental cathedrals and abbey churches down to modest parishes in the countryside. The book has a double focus since it both addresses medieval church interiors in their own right and their subsequent treatment in Lutheranism. Recurring questions are: What art works were preserved during the transition from the medieval church to Protestantism after the Reformation? How were these elements used originally, and how, and why, did they survive? An introductory chapter about the defining factors in the survival of medieval art under Lutheranism is followed by a short presentation of twenty-five outstanding interior ensembles. The following chapters describe a tour through a fictive medieval church building and focuses on elements such as altars and altarpieces, tabernacles, choir stalls, partitions, sculptures, pulpits, benches and baptismal fonts.