Ceremony at the Bishop Sproll memorial

"Is and remains a role model in faith"

With a ceremony on Tuesday evening, Bishop Dr Gebhard Fürst opened the memorial for Confessor Bishop Joannes Baptista Sproll.

With a ceremony on Tuesday evening, Bischof Dr. Gebhard Fürst opened a memorial for his predecessor in office, Johannes Baptista Sproll, who was the only bishop in Germany to be banned from his diocese by the National Socialists. The interest in the new memorial in the Episcopal Ordinariate was so great that the chairs provided in the foyer were not enough to seat everyone.

Bishop Sproll and his faith-based resistance to the Nazi dictatorship must not be forgotten, Fürst emphasised in his welcoming speech. In the presence of the former Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, Erwin Teufel, he recalled that in 2006, during a joint visit to the memorial for the witnesses of faith of the 20th century in Rome, one of the stones was laid. In 2006, during a joint visit to the memorial for the witnesses of the 20th century in Rome, one of the stones with which the Nazis had broken the windows of Bishop Sproll’s study in the former episcopal palace in 1938 was laid down.

Remembrance needs a place

“Remembrance needs a place, especially in Rottenburg, at the bishop’s seat. That is why the establishment of this memorial right here is very close to my heart and I am very pleased that we now have an outstanding memorial here,” Bishop Fürst stated in his address and recalled that beatification proceedings for Bishop Sproll were opened in 2011, which “hopefully will be decided positively”.

The exhibition designed by Dr Melanie Prange, director of the Diözesanmuseum, and Dr Herbert Aderbauer from the Diözesanarchiv, with the assistance of the Stuttgart office “von Jacobs. Ausstellungsgestaltung – Innenarchitektur”, invites visitors to an introduction to the work of Bishop Sproll through seven chronologically arranged thematic areas with texts, pictures and objects. In addition, the exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about Bishop Sproll through a multimedia presentation and guided tours.

Orientation and role model

“The memorial is designed for a large public: Groups can and should also come. Especially for school classes, a visit would be relevant for history and religion classes on the topic of Christian faith and resistance,” the Bishop of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart emphasised, referring to Sproll’s attitude to topics such as racism and nationalism, which also provides orientation and a role model for the coming generation, as well as Sproll’s commitment to peace. It was of particular importance that Bishop Sproll did everything “entirely out of his Christian faith”, Bishop Fürst emphasised. “He is and remains a role model in faith.”

Besides Cardinal Count von Galen, Sproll was the only bishop who publicly and resolutely stood in the way of the National Socialists – and did so earlier than von Galen, Fürst emphasised, recalling that Sproll had been revered for decades by the population of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart as a confessor bishop who resisted National Socialist ideology.

Outside the diocese, however, Bishop Sproll is unfortunately still too little known. “We must therefore continue to make it our task to make his attitude and his deeds generally known: The memorial is intended to contribute to this,” Bishop Fürst said, pointing out that against this background the memorial takes into account the need for remembrance, recollection and also for bringing him into the present.

A special room

Vicar General Dr. Clemens Stroppel summed it up in his invitation to visit the memorial site after the official part of the opening ceremony, which was musically accompanied by a clarinet quintet of the Rottenburg town band: The memorial site is located at the place where Bishop Sproll was taken away by the National Socialists, to which he returned after the end of the Nazi regime and the time of his exile, and at the place where he was laid out after his death before being buried in the bishop’s crypt of the Sülchenkirche.

The new memorial has thus been created on a historical site in the entrance area of the former episcopal palace. “It is the entrance hall to the bishop’s former home and thus the inside of the large wooden portal that the Nazis smashed in 1938 when they stormed the house to force Bishop Sproll to leave his diocese,” Dr Herbert Aderbauer recalled.

Dr Dominik Burkard, professor at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg and chairman of the History Association of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, went into detail in his lecture entitled “Rottenburg – Rome – Berlin. The ‘Sproll Case’ in the Focus of Diplomacy” at the opening ceremony, he explored the question of what was done on the part of the Vatican to come to Sproll’s aid. “Did they do anything at all or did they leave the bishop of Rottenburg ‘out in the cold’?” asked Burkard.

Note

The memorial is a branch of the Diocesan Museum in Rottenburg, where further information can be obtained by calling +49 7472 / 922180 and -82 or by emailing museum-sprollgedenkort@bo.drs.de.


Premiere: "Faith + Art"

Film premiere "FAITH + ART"

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
I cordially invite you to the premiere of the documentary film “GLAUBE+KUNST” and look forward to diving into the reciprocity of faith and art together with you and to exploring the question of whether “religious art” is still possible at all today.
Your Bishop Dr Gebhard Fürst

 

Venue: EM cinema – city centre cinemas, Bolzstraße 4, 70173 Stuttgart, Germany
Date: 24 March 2023
Admission from 6.00 p.m., start 6.30 p.m.

 

Summary

The multifaceted interplay between faith and art is the subject of this documentary: How transcendent is art? How much aesthetics does faith require? Is “religious art” still possible at all, and if so, how?
Faith + Art approaches these questions with works from different epochs of art history – from the late Middle Ages to the present. In the process, it becomes apparent that there is a continuity of themes across the centuries. The fragility of human existence is a fundamental experience that inspires artists to this day. It is reflected in Matthias Grünewald’s Isenheim Altar, which was created more than 500 years ago, as well as in Joseph Beuys’ installation Zeige Deine Wunde (Show Your Wound) from 1976.

What is the common ground? What separates them?

In addition, the film visits artists in their studios and interviews them about their work and their motivation to deal with questions of faith in art.

 

Documentary: 45 minutes
Director: Dominik Wessely
The screening will be followed by a short discussion with director Dominik Wessely and Bishop Dr. Gebhard Fürst.

 

Registration at: https://www.kbw-stuttgart.de/veranstaltungen/240323-glaube-kunst/


Eröffnung im Mai 2023

Eröffnung und Einweihung des Bischof-Sproll-Gedenkortes

Die feierliche Einweihung des Bischof-Sproll-Gedenkortes durch Bischof Gebhard Fürst wird am Dienstag, dem 2. Mai, um 18.30 Uhr stattfinden.

Beteiligte an der Eröffnungsfeier sind:

Herzliche Einladung an alle Interessierte!


Hocus pocus – the magical misunderstanding

Hocus pocus fidibus – who doesn’t know this magic spell! Where does this phrase actually come from and does it really have anything to do with witchcraft? Matthias Raidt goes on a magical journey through a jungle of interpretations in the new episode “Crucifix – Fascination & Facts”.


Licht – das (un)ergründliche Phänomen

Licht – das (un)ergründliche Phänomen

Am Sonntag, 12. Februar 2023 um 15.00 Uhr, findet im Diözesanmuseum ein Podiumsgespräch zum Thema „Licht – das (un)ergründliche Phänomen“ statt.

Licht ist die Aktion des Weltalls. So schreibt der Dichter Novalis gegen Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts in einem Fragment zur Lichtlehre. Physik und Theologie vertreten zwei voneinander sehr unterschiedliche Perspektiven auf das Thema Licht – und dennoch spielt das Phänomen in beiden Gebieten eine überragende Rolle. Im Licht werden Weltinhalte überhaupt erstwahrnehmbar und durch das Licht Gotteserfahrungen beschreibbar. Im lockeren Gespräch tauschen sich zwei Wissenschaftler über die zentrale Bedeutung von Licht aus der Sicht der jeweiligen Disziplinen aus.

Am Gespräch nehmen teil:
Prof. Dr. Claus Zimmermann (Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen / Physikalisches Institut (PIT), Arbeitsbereich Atomphysik und Quantenoptik)
Prof. Dr. Johannes Brachtendorf (Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen / Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät, Lehrstuhl für Philosophische Grundfragen der Theologie)

Anmeldung & weitere Infos unter:
Diözesanmuseum Rottenburg,
Email: museum@bo.drs.de oder Telefon: 07472/922-182.
Eine Anmeldung ist nicht erforderlich aber erwünscht.


Place without intention


Place without intention – light-sound concert in the museum

On Saturday, 4 February, 7 p.m., you can experience an extraordinary light art concert at the museum.

Being able to improvise requires – in addition to a very good knowledge of one’s own instrument – a high level of attention, sensitive reactions and a playful interest in the as yet undetermined.

The artistic challenge of the uncertain unites the light artist Kurt Laurenz Theinert and the musician and accordionist Anja Kreysing.

In dialogue with the museum space, the two artists improvise together – Kurt Laurenz Theinert with light and Anja Kreysing with sounds. They create fascinating audio-visual impressions that take the guests into a world they have not yet perceived.


In het LICHT (Into the LIGHT)

Exhibition "In het LICHT", Museum Krona, Uden (Netherlands)

In cooperation with the Diocesan Museum and at the same time as the exhibition “Radiance“, an exhibition entitled “In het LICHT (Into the LIGHT)” is taking place at Museum Krona, Uden (NL).

From 17 to 19 March 2023, there will be the opportunity to travel to Uden with the Diözesanmuseum team and visit the exhibition with a curator tour.

In this presentation, too, light installations, photography and painting by contemporary artists are juxtaposed with medieval masterpieces. Precious objects made of gold, silver and rock crystal from Dutch and German treasure troves and contemporary light artworks make it possible to experience the sensual and spiritual dimensions of light.

Works of art by world-renowned artists such as James Turrell, Olafur Eliasson, Gabriel Lester and Navid Nuur are combined with examples of medieval light mysticism, with tablets, manuscripts and objects made of precious metals and gemstones whose light reflections want to lead the viewer to the “true light”. One of the highlights is a precious stone-encrusted cross relic from Hildesheim dating from before 1080.

The exhibition features artworks by Jan Andriesse, Marinus Boezem, Suzan Drummen, Jan van Duijnhoven, Olafur Eliasson, Guido Geelen, Kees de Goede, Yayoi Kusama, Ann Veronica Janssens, Gabriel Lester, Willem Marijs, Matthijs Munnik, Matthijs Muller, Navid Nuur, Jan Theun van Rees, Roland Schimmel, Berndnaut Smilde, James Turrell, Veerle Thoben.

More information about the exhibition can be found here:
https://www.museumkrona.nl/nl/nu-te-zien/tentoonstellingen/in-het-licht

Further information & prices for the excursion can be found soon on the homepage of the Diocesan Museum. Stay tuned!


"Built from light"

Panel discussion on the significance of light in (sacred) architecture and urban development | Radiance

Light plays an overriding role in almost all world religions and creates a sacred atmosphere in places of worship, temples and churches. While the architectural style is constantly changing, the reference to light remains. What is applied in sacred buildings also applies outside religion: light contributes decisively to the spatial effect and is an essential element of historical and contemporary architecture. In the panel discussion, the multi-layered use of light in space will be explored – also with regard to the current energy crisis and the need to conserve resources.

Date: 26 January 2023, 6:00-19:30 p.m.

Venue: Diözesanmuseum Rottenburg, Karmeliterstr. 9, 72018 Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany

Panelists:
Andreas Danler (Bartenbach GmbH, Tyrol)
Diocesan Master Builder Dr. Thomas Schwieren (Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart)

Chair of the discussion:
Dr.in Melanie Prange (Head of the Diözesanmuseum Rottenburg).

Price: 5 euros

© Diocesan Museum, Photo: Kai Loges


Advent, Advent – why a little light is burning!

Advent, Advent, a little light is burning. One little light? Or even 23? Where does the custom of placing four candles in a round fir tree and lighting one every Sunday come from? Matthias Raidt went in search of clues. In our series “Crucifix!” this time he provides fascination & facts about the Advent wreath.


"God’s light power"

We cordially invite you to the guest lecture by Prof. Dr Stephan Winter (Chair of Liturgical Studies, University of Tübingen) on Wednesday, 14 December 2022 at 6 pm.

Light and Christmas – for us they belong together. Even from their origins, the two great festivals of the Christmas cycle – the Nativity (25 December) and the Epiphany (6 January) – are characterised by the interpretation of cosmological light phenomena. But how do these impressive metaphors of light relate to the socio-cultural contexts in which they are embedded? In this exciting lecture, selected testimonies from the Roman liturgical tradition of the Christmas season will be brought into dialogue with the artworks in the special exhibition “Radiance“.

A public guided tour of the exhibition will also take place on the same day from 5 to 6 pm.

Date: 14 December 2022, 18:00-19:00

Location: Diocesan Museum Rottenburg, Karmeliterstr. 9, 72018 Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany

with: Prof. Dr. Stephan Winter, Chair of Liturgical Studies, Faculty of Catholic Theology (University of Tübingen)

Price: 5 Euro

Registration: https://dioezesanmuseum-rottenburg.de/ausstellung/strahlkraft/ or phone: 07472/922-180. Of course, we also welcome all spontaneous visitors!

Photo © Eric James McDermott