Römisches Institut der Görres-Gesellschaft
Bianca Kühnel: European places of memory of Jerusalem
In view of the war in Israel/Palestine, it is particularly welcome that Bianca Kühnel has published a book on images of Jerusalem in Europe: "Jerusalem Icons in the European Space" (Peeters Publishers).
The term "image" is to be understood broadly here and includes above all places of remembrance of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but also places of remembrance of the Passion of Christ outside the Holy Land.
This richly illustrated volume brings together a comprehensive collection of places where the memory of Jerusalem is still kept alive today.
To name just a few:
- Imitations of the Holy Sepulchre in Görlitz, Eichstätt, Henndorf, San Vivaldo and others (Kühnel speaks here of "icons in space").
- Stations of the Cross and Calvary in Arzl, Mösern, Weilburg, etc.
- important relics from the Holy Land in Rome (S. Croce, S. Maria Maggiore, Lateran), Paris (Sainte-Chapelle), Prague, etc.
- Central architecture in the wake of the Anastasis (Aachen, Fulda, etc.)
- Panel paintings with the crucifixion of Christ in the cityscape of Jerusalem
The numerous churches with their special architecture and relics were certainly not only intended to replace the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but also simply to keep alive the collective memory of what had been seen at a time when photography did not yet exist.
Bianca Kühnel, who teaches art history at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has travelled all over Europe for her book and collected a veritable treasure trove of places of remembrance in the Holy Land. Thanks to the location index, her book can be used as a travelling companion on cultural trips, helping to understand the rich connections between European Christianity and the Middle East.
- Details
- Written by: Stefan Heid
- Category: Recommended reading