The Zittau Lenten Cloths belong to the most famous ecclesiastical cultural treasures of Upper Lusatia. You can see them in the Museum of Cultural History and the Church of the Holy Cross in the city of Zittau.
I could not really connect anything with the term Lenten cloth until my visit to Zittau. During my research in advance I found a quite understandable explanation of the term.
What is a Lenten Cloth?
The Lenten cloth is also known as the hunger cloth, palm cloth or Passion cloth. In Catholic and Protestant churches, it covers the pictorial representation of Jesus during Lent. Usually the cloth is so large that the crucifix is covered. However, there are also Lenten cloths that are so large that they cover the choir room.
Thus, the congregation is visually separated from the altar, but still receives the liturgy acoustically. Thus, in addition to the physical penance during Lent, a spiritual renunciation should also follow.
Visit to the Museum of Cultural History in Zittau
The Museum of Cultural History is located in a former Franciscan monastery. With the death of the last monk, the time of the monastery also ended. After that, the building was used as a library and a poorhouse for widows.
In 1709, the Chamber of Art and Curiosities of the Zittau Council Library moved into its own representative exhibition hall for this purpose in the so-called Heffter Building at the former Franciscan monastery.
Chamber of Wonders
A staircase leads to the so-called Wunderkammer (Chamber of Wonders) of the museum. This emerged from the first public collection of books and rarities in Upper Lusatia.
In 1564, the donation of a cylindrical column sundial laid the foundation for the rather extensive collection. From then on, scientific instruments, works of art, natural objects and curiosities found their way into the collection. Today, the collection comprises over 40,000 objects.
For today’s viewers, one or the other exhibit will no longer have the significance and “wonder” as it was perceived in the past. But I like to wander through the beautiful room and look at the exhibits.
A tip: you must not miss a look at the ceiling of the room. In each corner is the image of one of the four sciences. The center shows a picture of Pandora’s box being opened.
Back on the first floor, you enter the monastery church.
Epitaph treasure
In the church of the former Franciscan monastery you can see today an impressive exhibition of various epitaphs.
An epitaph is a memorial plaque. This commemorates a deceased person or even a family and was hung in churches. Most often they are found on walls or pillars in the church. For this purpose, people usually chose a place where posterity should remember the deceased. These plates are artistically decorated, often with pictures in addition to writings. They express the desire to enter God’s kingdom after death and to be resurrected one day.
In Zittau you can see many well restored epitaphs. From the 16th to the 18th century, not only rich merchants but also simple craftsmen had these memorial tablets made and hung in the churches of Zittau. There are said to have existed almost 160 epitaphs in various sizes and elaborations. About 80 of them are preserved in different condition and exhibited in the monastery church and in the Kreuzkirche.
Small Zittau Lenten Cloth in the Museum of Cultural History in Zittau
I enter a slightly darkened room where the Small Zittau Lenten Cloth hangs. The linen cloth measures 3.40 meters x 4.15 meters and dates from 1573. It is still not known who painted it. However, it is known that it is the only lenten cloth that was commissioned by a Protestant congregation. It is considered evidence of the tolerant division of faith in Upper Lusatia. The Small Lenten Cloth covered the high altar of St. John’s Church in Zwickau during Lent until 1684.
I am impressed by the Small Lenten Cloth. The motif shows the crucifixion of Christ and is wonderfully designed with many small and large details. I can well understand that you can spend a lot of time here to really discover the details in peace.
In order to see the Great Lenten Cloth of Zittau, a change of location is necessary. A few meters from the museum is the church of the Holy Cross of Zittau.
Church of the Holy Cross Zittau
The Church of the Holy Cross in Zittau is a beautiful Gothic church. It is said to be the largest single-support room in Germany. Here hangs the great Zittau Lenten cloth.
Through a visitor entrance with cashier’s office and museum store, one enters the grounds of the church. The path leads first through the church cemetery and already here you should take some time to look at the partly really extraordinary tombs and crypts. Some of them date back to the 18th century and the artistic decoration is really remarkable.
From the cemetery you enter the Church of the Cross, built of plastered quarry stones. The church interior is almost square and is closed by a star vault. There are galleries running along three walls, partly covered with epitaphs.
But hardly any visitor will pay attention to the architecture in this church, which is used as a museum. The eye automatically falls on the Great Lenten Cloth of Zittau. This hangs behind a protective glass wall in front of the chancel.
Large Zittau Lenten Cloth
The Large Lenten Cloth of Zittau was made in 1472 in Zittau and is with about 56 m² (8.20 x 6.80 meters) the only preserved lenten cloth of the “field type” in Germany. It is sewn together from 6 vertical panels and is said to be the third largest preserved lenten cloth.
On 90 fields in 10 rows you can see biblical scenes from Creation to the Last Judgment. But more about that later.
The spice and grain merchant Jacob Gürtler donated the Zittau Lenten Cloth and for almost 200 years it separated the sanctuary from the congregation in St. John’s Church. After that, the whereabouts of the cloth is unclear for almost 100 years.
In 1840 it was found again in the Zittau council library. Shortly before the end of the Second World War it was moved to Oybin. In 1945, Soviet soldiers used the cloth to build a sauna in the forest. They left it there and only a few years later it was found heavily damaged. In 1994/95 the cloth was restored and since 1999 it has been hanging in a glass case in the Church of the Holy Cross. Unfortunately, the restoration could not make all the images completely visible again, but it is amazing how well the Lenten cloth is preserved.
Description of the Lenten cloth
The small images on the Zittau Lenten Cloth are surrounded by a surrounding frame with leaves, flowers, animals and coats of arms. The founder (with scales, counter, sacks of grain) and 5 “biblical writers” can be seen. In the corners are the symbols of the four evangelists (eagle, angel, lion, bull). At the top center is Moses with a scroll.
The small pictures are arranged chronologically and you can read them like in a book from left to right and from top to bottom:
Old Testament:
- 5 images on the creation of the world
- 9 images first people
- 6 pictures Noah’s ark and Babel’s tower
- 7 pictures Abraham and Isaac
- 5 pictures Jacob and Esau
- 4 pictures Joseph, Jacob’s son
- 9 pictures Moses and the Israelites in the desert
New Testament:
- 5 images of the legend of Anne and Mary
- 9 pictures birth and childhood of Jesus
- 6 pictures the human and divine life of Jesus
- 4 pictures Jesus’ entry and work in Jerusalem
- 8 pictures Stations of the Passion
- 6 pictures death and dying of Jesus
- 6 pictures Resurrection and outpouring of the Holy Spirit
- 1 image Second Coming of Christ and the New World
Each of the pictures are provided with a Middle High German text, which consists of 45 verses with end rhyme. Very noticeable is that in the text lines are used many abbreviations that make it quite difficult to read it.
The pictures themselves each tell a story in itself. From an artistic point of view, the motifs are rather plain and simple. Some of the pictures describe quite unknown scenes and if you look closer, you can even see some historical details.
Search game: There are two pictures where the chronological order is reversed. Fortunately, the artist noticed and marked them. Have fun searching!
I was very impressed by the Great Lenten Cloth. Apart from the great and the story around the cloth, I found the pictures very touching. If you can link the stories from the Bible to these pictures (which I admit I can’t do with all the pictures), it’s almost like looking at a picture book. No one had to explain the picture to me, the pictures spoke for themselves.
You can visit the Zittau Lenten Cloths during a hike on the Via Sacra. Zittau is ideal for a stopover.
Address museum:
Klosterstraße 3,
02763 Zittau
Opening hours museum
April to October: Monday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
November to March: Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
24.12. and 25.12. closed
Opening hours church
April to October: Monday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
November to March: Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
24.12. and 25.12. closed
Admission fees:
Large Zittau Lenten Cloth in the Museum Church of the Holy Cross, Cemetery of the Holy Cross, Epitaphs
Adults: 5,-€
Small Zittau Lenten Cloth, Cultural History Museum Franciscan Monastery & Monastery Church with the Great Zittau Epitaph Treasure
Adults: 5,-€
Combined ticket
Adult: 8,-€
Discounts are offered.
Disclosure: The visit to Zittau was part of a press trip to Upper Lusatia. The article on this was written independently of the trip and corresponds to my opinion.
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