Retelling the Passion at Naumburg: The West-Screen and Its Audience

Abstract

The essay is to show how, in the Middle Ages, a common narration, in this case the Passion of Christ, could be visually retold and, through this, adapted to specific cultic demands. Naumburg Cathedral's famous western screen with its passion cycle closes off a sort of chapel where, as far as one can deduce from the no less famous statues there, masses were said to the benefit of the founders of the cathedral for the purpose of assisting their sinful souls in purgatory. By placing emphasis in the passion-reliefs on the roles of Judas and St. Peter, the sculptor and his patrons, the Naumburg clergy, raised the question on which basis sin could be forgiven and made clear that among the most important qualifications for obtaining forgiveness was the virtue of hope, a virtue the founders had shown by doing good works and especially by benefiting Naumburg cathedral.