Dialogar con dios: El uso de las imágenes en los conventos femeninos de dominicas en la Teutonia bajomedieval

Abstract

Several convent chronicles from within the Dominican Province of Upper Germany dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries provide interesting insight into the manner in which works of art were utilized in late medieval religious life. Amongst other findings, study of the sources reveals that the nuns used images of the Mother of God and of the Crucified Christ not always and not only to meditate upon and commemorate the facts of salvation, but above all to receive support and solace in times of distress. The conception of icons derived from these sources is of the merging of archetype and image and of the indwelling of the person depicted in the image. Examples such as St Katharinental in northeastern Switzerland, where a large supply of images has been preserved in addition to numerous statues, are of particular interest for the study.