The Cult of the Virgin Mary in Early Modern Germany: Protestant and Catholic Piety, 1500–1648 (Past and Present Publications)
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Illustrated, 11/22/2007
EAN 9780521871037, ISBN10: 0521871034
Hardcover, 358 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
What happened to the fervent Marian piety of the late Middle Ages during Germany's Reformation and Counter-Reformation? It has been widely assumed that Mary disappeared from Protestant devotional life and subsequently became a figurehead for the Catholic Church's campaign of religious reconquest. This book presents a more finely nuanced account of the Virgin's significance. In many Lutheran territories Marian liturgy and images - from magnificent altarpieces to simple paintings and prints - survived, though their meaning was transformed. In Catholic areas baroque art and piety flourished, but the militant Virgin associated with the Counter-Reformation did not always dominate religious devotion. Traditional manifestations of Marian veneration persisted, despite the post-Tridentine Church's attempts to dictate a uniform style of religious life. This book demonstrates that local context played a key role in shaping Marian piety, and explores the significance of this diversity of Marian practice for women's and men's experiences of religious change.
Introduction
1. Transformations in Marian teaching
2. Marian piety in Lutheran Germany
3. Confessional frictions and the status of the Virgin
4. The Counter-Reformation cult
5. Catholic pluralism and Cologne
6. Marian devotion and gender
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.
'... a nuanced account of Mary's significance for Lutheran and Catholic circles in the Holy Roman Empire during the Reformation.' H-Net