Small Zittau Lenten Cloth
The Kleine Zittauer Lenten cloth is a medieval Lenten cloth of the Arma-Christi type. Only eight of this type exist worldwide, one of them in Germany. Today it is on display in the Franciscan monastery in Zittau .
history
The Little Zittau Lent Cloth was created in 1573 by a hitherto unknown painter based on a model by the Liège painter Lambert Lombard . It is the only Lenten veil that was commissioned by a Protestant community and thus proof of the tolerant course of the religious division in Upper Lusatia . Until 1684 it covered the high altar in the St. John's Church during Lent . For 99 years the small Lenten cloth was used together with the big one in the Johanniskirche, the last twelve years alone. It then became the property of the Zittau City Museum, founded in 1854, and was permanently exhibited until 1968. Due to the numerous damage and pollution, it was only exhibited on certain occasions from then on. In 1994 it was cleaned by the Abegg Foundation in Switzerland, and the damaged areas were copied and retouched. Similar to the Kreuzkirche Museum in Zittau, where the Large Zittau Lent Cloth is on display, a separate exhibition room was also created in the City Museum for the Little Lent Cloth between 2003 and 2005. It has been presented there permanently since 2005.
description
The fasting cloth is a 3.40 m × 4.15 m large linen cloth . The central motif is the crucifixion of Christ. Maria , Johannes and Maria Magdalena look up to the dying Jesus on the cross. An angel hovers around Christ and lets the blood flowing from the side wound flow into a chalice. The skull and leg bones in the lower left corner symbolize Adam , with whom sin came into the world. The branch sprouting from a dead tree stump symbolizes hope . The event is framed by around thirty instruments of suffering , the symbols of the Passion of Jesus: the Veronica's handkerchief, which depicts the VERA ICON (the true image of Jesus), water jug and bowl in which Pontius Pilate washed his hands, the crown of thorns, Jesus' robe with the dice, the nails and other tools. The lower part of the frame symbolizes Christ's descent into hell .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c "Die Zittauer Fastentücher " on zittau.de
