14 June 2023
Frömmigkeit, Kunst und Politik zwischen Spätmittelalter und Reformation. Von Johanna Liedke.
Around 1520, the Wittenberger Heiltum was one of the largest collections of relics in the Roman-German Empire. Through its preservation in the Wittenberg Castle Church and its collector Frederick the Wise, it is connected to events of the early Reformation. In addition, the woodcuts of the Heiltumbuch from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder are of interest for art history. This study refers to sources in its examination of the Heiltum in its development, relic acquisitions, collection system, and liturgical use of reliquaries. These are arranged in the context of Frederick the Wise’s personal piety, sacral representation of power, and church policy. It thus becomes clear that the collection was central to the residential function of Wittenberg in the years prior to the Reformation.
