Merseburg Cathedral is one of the oldest places where St Elizabeth of Thuringia was venerated. As early as 1240, shortly after her canonisation, an altar for the veneration of Elisabeth stood in Merseburg Cathedral: one of the earliest examples of the cult of Elisabeth. In the year celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the cathedral's consecration, a special work of art draws attention to this early veneration of the saint: the "Elisabeth Shrine" by artist Philipp Schönborn. The light sculpture can be seen in Merseburg Cathedral from 11 August.
Schönborn's interest in the life and work of outstanding women turned to Elisabeth of Thuringia in 2014. In particular, the fact that her burial place has been preserved but her remains were dispersed during the Reformation inspired Schönborn to create the coffin-shaped shrine "Elisabeth of Thuringia".
The top of the shrine shows the saint resting on a cushion in a white veil. Brightly coloured images surround the narrow, simple box shape. They originate from the medieval Elisabeth windows from the Elisabeth Church in Marburg and have been brought into the abstraction of blurring by the artist. They tell the short life of the Hungarian king's daughter Elisabeth (1207-1231): How she escaped courtly life after the early death of her husband and devoted herself to feeding and caring for the poorest and the sick. Following in the footsteps of St Francis, she found her place among people in need.
For the past four years, the luminous work of art has been travelling to the places where Elisabeth lived or where she was venerated early on. The journey began on Elisabeth's feast day in 2017 in Erfurt Cathedral, where her canonisation was proclaimed in 1235. The shrine then travelled to Naumburg Cathedral, which houses what is believed to be the oldest stone statue of the saint in its Elizabeth Chapel. Further stops included Sayn, St Stephen's Cathedral and the Teutonic Order Church in Vienna, St Martin's Cathedral in Bratislava, the double chapel at Neuenburg Castle on the Unstrut, the Catholic Church of St Peter and Paul in Marburg and Altenberg Abbey on the River Lahn. Most recently, the Elisabeth Shrine was on display in Bamberg Cathedral. From there, it will begin its journey to Merseburg in August, where it will be on display in the crypt of Merseburg Cathedral from 11 August to 21 November 2021.
Philipp Schönborn
Philipp Schönborn was born in 1943, grew up in Austria and now lives in Munich. Since the 1980s, he has made a name for himself internationally as a photographer of contemporary works of art. Schönborn's artistic exploration of the themes of nature, art, religion, light and colour began in 1990, and the form he developed for this was photography in light boxes or aluminium frames. He became known as an artist with his solo exhibition "Holy Land" at the Fotomuseum Berlin in 2005, and in 2017 he had a solo exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.
Merseburg was already an important stop on his exhibition tour "Hildegard von Bingen" in 2013, a journey along the Romanesque Road dedicated to the great woman of the Middle Ages.
Vernissage and devotion to the Elisabeth Shrine on 10 August 2021
To mark the arrival of the Elisabeth Shrine in Merseburg Cathedral, the Vereinigte Domstifter and the Protestant parish of Merseburg invite you to a prayer service and vernissage on Tuesday, 10 August 2021. In the calendar of saints, 10 August is dedicated to Saint Laurentius, who is also one of the patron saints of Merseburg Cathedral.
The service and vernissage are open to the public and begin at 6.00 pm in Merseburg Cathedral. All interested parties are cordially invited to attend, but registration is required via info@vereinigtedomstifter.de recommended.
