Thursday, December 28th, 2006At Cyberbrethren, Paul McCain posts about the beautiful Magdeburg cathedral in Germany, its history, and its demonstration of the “un-iconoclastic” nature of the Lutheran reformation. He promises more photos yet to come!
And Magdeburg is the tip of the iceberg. There are countless beautiful Lutheran churches and cathedrals throughout the world. I often think, when thumbing through picturebooks full of Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox architectural specimens, that Lutheran architecture has been way underrecognized.
Perhaps it’s time for a book, or, easier, a website (maybe a branch of this one) for pictorial submissions of fine Lutheran churchbuildings, ancient and modern, around the world. Think of it: Magdeburg, Uppsala, Norwegian Stave Churches, humble village churches, the best of the 60’s A-frames, contemporary liturgical renewal structures…and on and on!
In the meantime: see St. Nicholas website, http://www.stnicholascenter.org which includes pictures of churches worldwide named for St. Nicholas. There are plenty of Lutheran examples, mostly European, and stunningly beautiful.
Also, see Lee Plamer Wandel, “The Eucharist in the Reformation: Incarnation and Liturgy” (Cambridge, 2006) for a good historical account of how Lutheranism from the outset was distinguished from Reformed churches by architecture and liturgy.
Thanks for the feedback. I hope you stick around and keep commenting! I think a book would be a great idea– I’m all for Lutherans, and not just artists, to be getting more book ideas out there. From what I’ve seen, we’re pretty good with writing articles, blog posts, and online stuff. More book resources would be great!
As long as the book sticks with only the *best* A-frames… one of my very least favorite styles of church building, as far as exterior goes. 
“Why does that church look like a big triangle?” Though I realize that they’re important for history’s sake, and several are quite beautiful on the inside.
Funny you should mention St. Nicholas Center… I spent quite a lot of time on that site last month planning an Advent lock-in for our youth. Though I didn’t notice the Lutheran church examples; I’ll have to go back and take a look.
