picturesofreformation

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The Beguinage in Bruges

One Saturday, we visited Bruges, "The Venice of Northern Europe." While there, we explored the Beguinage. This quaint, peaceful refuge, founded in 1245, is now a home for Benedictine nuns and single women from Bruges, but it was once a home for Beguines. Beguines were single women who lived in community together. Many worked to support themselves, they were deeply religious, and they committed to celibacy for as long as they remained in the community. These women were not immediately whom we would think of when we think of Reformers, but as least some of them criticized the Roman Catholic Church for its corruption, and they were also persecuted by the Catholic Church because they were not a religious order and thus were not fully under the control of the Church. Because they were not an order, they were forbidden to continue practicing their form of community. This mandate weakened them, but the Beguine tradition continued and is still alive today.

I was interested to learn anything at all about these women. I had never heard of them before I visited the Beguinage in Bruges. But the Beguines were a remarkably strong group of people, especially considering that women often did not have much political power or influence during the time when the Beguine movement began. They ought to be talked about for many reasons, not least of which is that, because they were lay women, they demonstrate that an intense relationship with God is for all and is not confined to the monastery or the abbey.

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[picturesofreformation]

Westminster Abbey

One of the most notable buildings in London is Westminster Abbey, the location of coronations and certain royal weddings, as well as the burial place of kings, poets, scientists, authors, and other distinguished people. This church was originally a Benedictine monastery, but during the English Reformation the monastery was dissolved, then reinstated under Queen Mary, and then dissolved again under Queen Elizabeth. It then became a church of "Royal Peculiar" status: it was neither Catholic nor Anglican; it was under neither pope nor any bishop. It answered to the monarch alone.

I was quite interested to learn the meaning of the name "Westminster Abbey." The large church was originally built to honor St. Peter as an expansion of the existing Benedictine monastery, and it was called the "west minster" to differentiate it from St. Paul's Cathedral, which was the "east minster."

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The Basilica of St. Servatius and the Church of St. John

In Maastricht, Netherlands, there are two church buildings side by side. Originally, they were both Roman Catholic, but, after the Reformation, the smaller one became a church building for reformers. Today, you can notice the stark decorative differences between the two. The Catholic church, the Basilica of St. Servatius, is lavishly decorated (as is typical of Catholic churches), complete with stained-glass windows and other ornate details. But the other building, the Church of St. John, is, on the whole, devoid of decorations. The stained glass was smashed out after the Reformation, and it was replaced with plain glass. The paintings on the walls were whitewashed away, and though the architecture itself hearkens back to its former days as a Roman Catholic structure, no other ornamentation gives its heritage away. The decorations were destroyed because many Reformers were strongly opposed to lavish ornamentation, thinking it idolatrous.

I suppose the most surprising aspect about these two churches is their close physical proximity to one another. On a given Sunday, two very dissenting groups would meet to worship just yards from one another. I thought that this was a very interesting situation, and one worthy of mentioning.

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St. Paul's Cathedral

One of the places I was most excited to see in London was St. Paul's Cathedral because I love the song "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. But while I knew that the bird-woman sat on the steps of the imposing church, I didn't know much else about it, and so I had not considered the relationship between St. Paul's and the Reformation. I was rather surprised to learn that the first church built on the grounds was constructed in AD 604. This building burned, and various other structures (still in a tradition of a church dedicated to Paul) were built and destroyed as the years passed. During the Reformation, the building there at the time was neglected and the nave housed a marketplace. Later, however, the church was rebuilt into the building we have today, and, of course, the church is now an Anglican rather than a Roman Catholic building.

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Wartburg Castle

My friends and I were privileged to visit Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany a couple of weeks ago. We were going to be in Germany for a week, and so, especially since we were taking a Reformation History course, we simply had to go somewhere that Martin Luther had been. Wartburg Castle is the place where Martin Luther was brought after being "kidnapped" by Frederick the Wise, following Luther's condemnation after the Diet of Worms in 1521. For 10 months, Frederick protected Luther from the Catholics by keeping him in the castle. It was at this castle that Luther began translating the New Testament into German while also writing 14 theological documents. My friends and I decided to go to this location because it is very neat (it is a castle associated with Martin Luther, after all), and it was close to another location that we wanted to visit in Germany. One thing that surprised me was how high up the castle was. It was a long, exhausting hike, but it was worth it! Another thing that I hadn't considered was how much history Wartburg Castle has apart from its relationship to Luther. It was a very important historical location both before and after Luther's stay. And finally, while we were there, we were able to interact with a fantastic, passionate tour guide who told us about Luther's stomach issues that he had at Wartburg Castle.

If you are ever traveling through Germany, we definitely recommend you go to Wartburg Castle! And I hope you can meet the tour guide we met outside of Luther's study :) A piece of advice though: unless you are up for a steep, sweaty, challenging walk, maybe take the bus to the top instead of hiking.