REL Graduate Student Conference Papers
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Item Bad for business: Luther against the papacy(Wichita State University. Graduate School, 2009-05-01) Cotter, Alisa S.This paper analyzes Martin Luther's criticism of increasingly corrupt church practices, including, the papacy's granting of indulgences, the promotion of pilgrimage, the preservation and exploitation of relics, the cult of saints, and the belief in saintly intercession. I will examine how Luther's critiques of these practices were expressed in the religious propaganda that circulated during this period by looking at the interplay between image and text found in the polemical pamphlet, the Passional Christi und Antichristi, which was jointly produced by Martin Luther and the artist Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1521. The Passional presents thirteen pairs of contrasting images which comment upon events in the life of Christ and compare them to the perceived abuses of the papacy. These visual dialogues illustrate the extent and nature of the opposition to the papacy during the Protestant Reformation.Item Pilgrimage and its effects on San Paolo fuori le mura during the Middle Ages(Wichita State University. Graduate School., 2008-04-25) Cotter, Alisa S.The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of San Paolo fuori le mura (Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls), the basilica in Rome dedicated to St. Paul, in order to demonstrate the impact that pilgrimage had on the development of its church structure and interior ornamentation. Several factors played a key role in this basilica’s importance as a pilgrimage destination throughout the Middle Ages. I will argue that while the papacy’s attempts to attract pilgrims to this particular church were primarily motivated by economic considerations, the various methods they employed contributed to the basilica’s architectural development. During the Middle Ages one of the most important factors contributing to the overflow of pilgrims traveling to San Paolo fuori le mura was the institution of the Christian Jubilee. The papal bull issued by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 C.E., greatly increased the number of pilgrims visiting Rome, and, in particular to the church dedicated to St. Paul. The paper concludes that during the Middle Ages, the popularity of this site as a holy journey destination was one of the main factors which brought about changes to its overall structure and for the addition of lavish decorative elements.