Summary The wealth of medieval art found in Germany's Protestant churches is unparalleled; contrary to what is generally believed, Lutherans were often tolerant to medieval church interiors, maintaining or altering the use of furnishings and images or simply accepting them as neutral things (adiaphora) and as objects of tradition. In consequence, it is the country?s Lutheran churches that offer the most insight into what churches looked like before the Reformation, not only in Germany but even across the Latin West. This book, illustrated with over 500 colour photographs by the author, visually explores Germany?s best medieval church interiors. A presentation of twenty-five outstanding examples is followed by analysis of the primary factors in the survival of medieval art through five centuries of Protestantism. Then, ten thematic chapters discuss the most important furnishings, including altars and their decorations, tabernacles, stalls and benches, screens, pulpits, sculptures, and baptismal fonts. TABLE OF CONTENTS Prologue 1. Entering the Lutheran Middle Ages: Twenty-Five Interior Ensembles 2. ?A True Popish Church with No Distinction?: Luther, Lutherans, and the Survival of Medieval Art 3. From Sacrifice to Supper: High Altars and Their Equipment 4. Storing Treasures: Tabernacles and Aumbries 5. Pews for Professionals: Sedilias and Choir Stalls 6. Partition and Passage: Chancel Screens and Roods 7. Reading, Preaching, and Hearing: Lecterns, Pulpits, and Benches 8. Private, in Public: Side Altars 9. Between Icon and Idol: Sculptures and Reliquaries 10. Fountains of Life: Baptismal Fonts Epilogue: Stories of Survival Acknowledgements Bibliography Index of Places