Moscow
“This year is marked by an event of worldwide significance – the whole world celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which had enormous influence on the development of scientific thought, art, and faith of many people and cultures. The album published by the International Union of German Culture is more than just a project that presents the history of Lutheranism in Russia. It is also a large artistic and analytical work which is meant to save that integral part of the historical heritage of our country which is the Lutheran tradition of Germans of Russia,” noted Igor Barinov, the leader of the Federal Agency of ethnic affairs.
The publication is unique insofar as it presents a living reflection of Lutheran culture of our country; in addition to historical facts, it has real artistic value. The name of the album comes from a line in the poetry of Martin Luther: “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come...” - the poetry of a person whose theses caused upheaval in the Christian world.
“On the one hand we wanted to give a sign of respect to our ancestors who started to come to Russia already in Luther's lifetime and then, in the years of Catherine (the Great) II’s manifestos inviting Germans (1762-3) when Germans settled en masse in the Russian provinces and founded more than 75 Evangelical Lutheran colonies in the Volga region alone. On the other hand we wanted to tell our fellow citizens and European society about the rich history and tradition of Lutheranism in Russia,” said the album's publisher, the first vice-chair of IUGC, Olga Martens.
At the core of the album are the results of the work of the Art Lab of the Creative Union of German Russians, especially their expeditions to the Volga. In 2016 and 2017 painters created around 30 canvases with Lutheran cathedrals of Russia as their main subjects. Some of these historical monuments have been restored; others are abandoned, having been used in the Soviet period as grain bins, auto repair shops, clubhouses, swimming pools, barns... after that tragic page in the history of German Russians began in 1941 – deportations, forced labor, eternal exile.
Even in the most difficult circumstances of repression and homelessness Russian Germans were able to retain their ties with their religion. Faith helped many of them to survive the periods of deportation and repression. The Germans of Russia were always very pious and many families saved their families' Bible and hymn books. Even today a majority of Russian Germans are Protestant. This confessional commitment played and continues to play a big role in the preservation of German culture and identity.
“The Reformation was not only a religious event. It prompted man to think about his relationship with God as well as his place in human society. The Reformation began with one person and many others were caught up in it. We are heirs of the Reformation whether we are members of Lutheran churches or not. In these kirchen the main thing that happened was that there was a Reformation of the heart. In these building songs of praise were song to the One who gives life. Here people found inspiration for transforming and reforming life around them,” said ELCR Archbishop Dietrich Brauer in his forward to the album.
The exhibition and album are intended to acquaint readers with the history of Russian Germans through the prism of the Reformation and the confessional agency, Lutheran and German architecture. The album includes never before published historical documents – architectural plans and historical information about Lutheran churches and congregations in the capitals and in large cities as well as in the areas of German settlement on the Volga. The chronology of development of Lutheranism in Russia and these historical texts about church buildings were written by the most qualified specialist on the history of Lutheranism in our country, Prof. Olga Litsenberger, Ph.D.
The presentation of the first paintings from the exhibition of German Russian artists entitled “From Heaven Above....” first took place in the Temple of Jesus Christ in the village of Zorkino (Zurich) on August 28, 2016 – the 75th anniversary of the deportation of Soviet Germans. Then the pictures were sent to the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral in Moscow as part of the Forum of Germans of Russia in October 2016.
The ceremonial presentation of the album and the mobile exhibition took place as part of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation events in the city church of Bayreuth (Bavaria, Germany) on May 22, 2017. Visitors will be able to see the exhibition in other German cities as well – in Augsburg and cities of Saxony-Anhalt, after which the exhibition and album will be presented in various places in Moscow.
Original text from the site: www.rusdeutsch.ru
No comments:
Post a Comment