900 Years: The Restorations of Westminster Abbey
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Book Series
Studies in Medieval and Early Renaissance Art History
The Lutheran Middle Ages
The Survival of Medieval Art in Protestant Churches in Germany
Justin Kroesen
- Pages: approx. 420 p.
- Size:225 x 300 mm
- Illustrations:500 col.
- Language(s):English
- Publication Year:2026
- € 100,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
- ISBN: 978-1-912554-33-1
- Hardback
- Forthcoming (Feb/26)
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This book offers the first visual account of the wealth of medieval art works surviving in Lutheran churches in Germany by means of c. 500 colour photographs. Surviving church furnishings are presented and discussed both as elements in the medieval church interior and in view of their preservation though Protestantism.
BIO
Justin Kroesen is Professor of Cultural History at the University of Bergen, Norway, and research curator of the University Museum’s art collection. His research focuses primarily on the art and architecture of medieval churches, the material culture of worship, and the impact of the Reformations.
Summary
Spaces where little has changed for more than five centuries are rare, but in Protestant Germany, we find some remarkable examples. The wealth of medieval art in Lutheran churches is unparalleled; contrary to what is usually assumed, Lutherans were generally tolerant of medieval church interiors, frequently maintaining or altering the use of many furnishings or simply accepting them as neutral adiaphora – things of only minor importance. This phenomenon has been termed the “preserving power of Lutheranism”. As a consequence, it is in Lutheran churches that we can gain the most insight into what churches looked like before the Reformation, not only in Germany but also across the Latin West.
This book, illustrated with over 500 colour photographs by the author, provides a visual approach to Germany’s best-preserved medieval church interiors. Case studies are taken from across the country and include churches of all types, from monumental cathedrals and abbey churches to modest country parishes. A presentation of twenty-five outstanding examples is followed by analysis of the primary reasons for the survival of medieval art during five centuries of Protestantism. Then, ten thematic chapters discuss the most important furnishings, including altars and their decorations, tabernacles, stalls and benches, screens, pulpits, sculptures, and baptismal fonts.
More than a study of the Middle Ages, this book is an exploration of the Lutheran Middle Ages: medieval art that has passed through the filter of Lutheranism. The key question is twofold: what has survived, and how did it survive?
• Dual focus on medieval church interiors and their treatment in Lutheranism
• The first visual account of the extensive survival of medieval furnishings in Lutheran churches
• Churches of all types across Lutheran Germany, from Schleswig to Swabia
• Photographs never published before evoke the experience of visiting churches in person
• An introductory chapter explains how and why these medieval elements have survived
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
1. Entering the Lutheran Middle Ages: Twenty-Five Interior Ensembles
2. “A True Popish Church with No Distinction”: Luther, Lutherans, and the Survival of Medieval Art
3. From Sacrifice to Supper: High Altars and Their Equipment
4. Storing Treasures: Tabernacles and Aumbries
5. Pews for Professionals: Sedilias and Choir Stalls
6. Partition and Passage: Chancel Screens and Roods
7. Reading, Preaching, and Hearing: Lecterns, Pulpits, and Benches
8. Private in Public: Side Altars
9. Between Icon and Idol: Sculptures and Reliquaries
10. Fountains of Life: Baptismal Fonts
Epilogue: Stories of Survival
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Index of Places
