The ICMA Lecture 2026 in Barcelona
The Lutheran Middle Ages: The Survival of Medieval Art in Protestant Churches in Germany
by Prof. Dr. Justin E. A. Kroesen, University Museum, Bergen (Norway)
Casa Amatller, Estudi Fotogràfic
Saturday 20th June 2026
18.00h (Barcelona time) | 12.00h (ET)
Register HERE (virtual only)
To attend in-person, email amatller@amatller.org
Wienhausen (Lower Saxony), former Cistercian monastery, the nuns’ choir looking east (photo Justin Kroesen)
Spaces that have remained largely unchanged over more than five centuries are rare; however, Protestant churches in Germany provide notable examples. Contrary to common assumptions, Lutherans often exhibited tolerance toward medieval church interiors, preserving, adapting, or simply accepting many artworks and furnishings as adiaphora – matters of minor importance. Consequently, Lutheran churches in Germany offer unique insight into church interiors prior to the Reformation, not only within Germany but across the Latin West.
This lecture, based on Kroesen’s recent monograph The Lutheran Middle Ages, examines both the nature and the mechanisms of the preservation of medieval artworks in Lutheran churches. After outlining the principal factors that contributed to the survival of medieval art over five centuries of Protestantism, the scope of this phenomenon will be explored through selected case studies of notable survivals in churches throughout Germany, ranging from cathedrals and monasteries to rural parish churches. It will be shown that – perhaps paradoxically – many medieval artworks have endured not despite, but thanks to the Lutheran Reformation.
(photo Adnan Icagić)
Dr Justin Kroesen is Professor of Cultural History at the University of Bergen (Norway) and scientific curator of the University Museum’s art collection. His research focuses on the art and architecture of medieval churches across the Latin West, the material culture of worship, and the impact of the Reformations.
This lecture is organized by Francesca Dell’Acqua (DiSPaC–Università di Salerno and Chair of the ICMA International Engagement Committee) in collaboration with Marc Sureda i Jubany (Institut Amatller d’Art Hispànic, Barcelona).
Fundació Institut Amatller d’Art Hispànic
The FIAAH was created by Teresa Amatller in 1941 and was conceived by the art historian Josep M. Gudiol i Ricart (1904-1985), its first director, trained as an architect and with close links with eminent North American scholars such as Charles R. Post or Walter W. S. Cook. The Institut Amatller aims to promote research into Hispanic art history and to safeguard and disseminate the artistic heritage generated by the Amatller family. To achieve this purpose, the Institut maintains an exceptional photographic archive and a library specializing in Hispanic art history. From its inception, the Fundació has been headquartered in Casa Amatller, one of the most notable buildings on Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia and a jewel of Catalan Modernism created by the architect and art historian Josep Puig i Cadafalch. https://www.amatller.org/linstitut/