The Catholic Reformation and Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Reformation and Counter-Reformation

APEURO: Lecture 2BMrs. Kray

Some slides taken from Susan M. Pojer

ReformationEurope

(Late 16c)

ReformationEurope

(Late 16c)

Because a common religious faith had been the one

element uniting all of Europe for almost 1,000 years, the

fragmentation of belief led to profound changes in

European life and society

Social Impactof the

Protestant Reformation

Social Impactof the

Protestant Reformation

• Family was placed as the center of social life

• Celibacy was abolished – many former clergy married– Marital bond was glorified

• Early on women earned the limited rights of divorce and education

• Preached women’s natural sphere was the domestic one – Religious vocations and female religious

images (ex. Virgin Mary) removed from churches

Family and GenderFamily and Gender

Martin Luther’s Wife,Katharina von Bora

• During the 15th and 16th centuries between 100,000 and 200,000 people were officially tried for witchcraft

• 40,000 to 60,000 were executed

• Elderly, widowed women were the most likely to accused of witchcraft

The Burning Times:

The Great European Witch Hunts

The Burning Times:

The Great European Witch Hunts

Reasons for Growth of Witch Hunts

• Religious reformers stressed the great powers of the Devil which reinforced belief in witchcraft

• Women were believed to be weak and thus susceptible to the Devil’s temptations

• Religious wars and economic uncertainty caused great social and economic stress. – Older, widowed women

usually lacked power and thus became convenient scapegoats

Reasons for Decline of Witch Hunts

• Religious wars finally ended, thus restoring political stability

• Protestants emphasized the concept of a supreme God, thus making the Devil seem less threatening

• Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment emphasized reason and uniform laws of nature– Looked for rational

explanations of natural events

More on the Burning Times:

The Great European Witch Hunts

More on the Burning Times:

The Great European Witch Hunts

• Spurred education because of emphasis on Bible-reading

• Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560)– “Teacher of Germany”– Advocated a basic system of

schooling (Gymnasia)

• Catholic Counter-Reformation will also place an emphasis on schooling (Jesuits/Ursuline Order)

Protestant Reformation and Education

Protestant Reformation and Education

• Few Protestant reformers argued for social equality– Ex. Luther’s attacks on the German

Peasant’s Revolt

• Protestant Work Ethic– Theory: spurred development of

capitalism & strengthened the middle class?

– Deferring gratification and building a godly city on earth led to an ethic of hard work and capital accumulation

Protestant Reformation and Social Classes

Protestant Reformation and Social Classes

• For centuries European religious life had centered around the church calendar– Saints’ feast days,

Carnival, Lent, sacraments, rituals, etc.

• Protestant nations abolished these practices– Emphasized Bible-reading– Sought to eliminate

externals like relics, pilgrimages, and festivals

Protestant Reformation and Religious PracticesProtestant Reformation and Religious Practices

The Catholic Reformation

and the Counter-

Reformation

The Catholic Reformation

and the Counter-

Reformation

Why was the Catholic Church so Slow to Respond to the

Reformation?

Why was the Catholic Church so Slow to Respond to the

Reformation?• Personalities of the popes themselves

– preoccupation with political affairs in Italy (Renaissance Popes)

– Idea of reform closely linked to conciliarism popes resisted this movement as threat to their power

• Difficult to reform such a complicated bureaucracy

• Catholic Reformation began before 1517 and sought renewal basically through the stimulation of a new spiritual fervor

• Called by Pope Paul III

• GOAL: reform church & reconcile w/Protestants

• Lutherans & Calvinists invited

The Council of Trent, 1545-63

The Council of Trent, 1545-63

The Council of Trent, 1545-63

The Council of Trent, 1545-63

The decisions of the council served as the basis for Roman Catholic faith, organization, and practice for 4 centuries!

• Reaffirmed Catholic doctrines– Salvation is achieved through

faith and good works– Equal weight should be given to

the Scripture and traditional Catholic teachings

– Reaffirmed 7 sacraments

• Reformed church abuses– Outlawed Indulgences;

suppressed pluralism and simony– Bishops must live in the dioceses

they served– Established a seminary for

education and training of clergy– Clerics must give up concubines

• Reasserted traditional practices– Veneration of relics and images

are valid expressions of Christian piety

– Confirmed Vulgate as the authoritative Catholic edition of the Bible

– Latin would continue to be the language of worship

• Resisted limiting papal authority– No act of a council could be valid

unless accepted by the Holy See– Preserved the papacy as the

center of Catholic unity

Decision of the Council:No reconciliation with Protestantism

Decision of the Council:No reconciliation with Protestantism

• First women’s religious order

• Concentrated exclusively on teaching young girls

• Sought to re-Christianize society by training future wives and mothers

Ursuline Order of NunsUrsuline Order of Nuns

Teresa of AvilaTeresa of Avila

• Ignatius Loyola was a Spanish soldier injured in battle who underwent a religious conversion– The Spiritual Exercises detailed a system of discipline

meditation, prayer, and study

• Jesuits were a spiritual army that emphasized iron discipline and absolute obedience

• “The Ends Justify the Means”: Activities of the Jesuits– Catholic Education

• founded hundreds of schools for middle- and upper-class boys -- these schools adopted humanist curricula and methods

• Confessors and advisors to royal families– Missionary Work – Combating Protestantism

The Society of JesusThe Society of Jesus

Ignatius Loyola, 1491-1556

Ignatius Loyola, 1491-1556

• 1542 Pope Paul II est. the Office of the Holy See

• Committee of 6 cardinals w/judicial authority over all Catholics

• Had power to arrest, imprison, and execute– Only effective in Italy

• GOAL: Attack heresy

• Index of Prohibited Books

The Roman InquisitionThe Roman Inquisition

The Art of the Counter-Reformation: Baroque, 1600-1750

The Art of the Counter-Reformation: Baroque, 1600-1750

• In an effort to revive Catholic spirituality, the church patronized this artistic movement

• Emphasized grandeur, illusion, and dramatic religiosity• Colors were brighter than bright; darks were darker than dark.

• Paintings & sculptures in church context should speak to the illiterate rather than to the well-informed.

• Ecclesiastical art --> appeal to emotions.

• Holland --> Real people portrayed as the primary subjects.

The Canopy in St. Peter’s

Basilica

By

Gianlorenzo

Bernini

The Canopy in St. Peter’s

Basilica

By

Gianlorenzo

Bernini

The Ecstasy of St.

Teresa of Avila,

Gianlorenzo Bernini

The Ecstasy of St.

Teresa of Avila,

Gianlorenzo Bernini

Church of Santiago

de Compostell

a, Spain

Church of Santiago

de Compostell

a, Spain

“The Assumption of the Virgin Mary,”

Egid Quirim

Asam, 1692-1750

“The Assumption of the Virgin Mary,”

Egid Quirim

Asam, 1692-1750

Church of Veltenberg

Altar,

Germany

Church of Veltenberg

Altar,

Germany

St. Francis in Ecstacy, Caravaggio, 1595

St. Francis in Ecstacy, Caravaggio, 1595

The Flagellation of Christ,

by Caravaggio

The Flagellation of Christ,

by Caravaggio

David and Goliath, by Caravaggio

David and Goliath, by Caravaggio

“Salome with the Head of John the Baptist,” by Caravaggio

“Salome with the Head of John the Baptist,” by Caravaggio

“The Dead Christ Mourned”Annibale Caracci, 1603

“The Dead Christ Mourned”Annibale Caracci, 1603

The Virgin Appearing

to St. Hyacinthe

Lodovico Carracci

The Virgin Appearing

to St. Hyacinthe

Lodovico Carracci

“Joseph’s Bloody Coat Brought to Jacob,” by Diego Velazquez“Joseph’s Bloody Coat Brought to Jacob,” by Diego Velazquez

“Christ on the Cross”

by

Diego Velazquez

“Christ on the Cross”

by

Diego Velazquez

“Las Meninas”

by

Diego Velazquez

1565

“Las Meninas”

by

Diego Velazquez

1565

“The Elevation

of the Cross”

by

Peter Paul Reubens

1610-1611

“The Elevation

of the Cross”

by

Peter Paul Reubens

1610-1611

“The Lementation

”

by

Peter Paul Reubens

“The Lementation

”

by

Peter Paul Reubens

“Battle of the Amazon”Peter Paul Reubens

“Battle of the Amazon”Peter Paul Reubens

“A Village Fete”Peter Paul Reubens

“A Village Fete”Peter Paul Reubens

“The Garden of Love”Peter Paul Reubens

“The Garden of Love”Peter Paul Reubens

Baroque FurnitureBaroque Furniture

A Baroque RoomA Baroque Room

Baroque MusicJohann Sebastian Bach, 1685-

1750

Baroque MusicJohann Sebastian Bach, 1685-

1750

• Catholic response was too little, too late– By 1560, religious division of

Europe was an accomplished fact

• Able to re-Catholicize certain parts of Europe– Southern Germany

• Church emerged from reforms stronger and more militant

• After Council of Trent is was clear no religious compromise was possible

Evaluating the Catholic ReformationEvaluating the Catholic Reformation

Do the 16th c religious movements represent continuity – a constant

feature of the institutional faith or do those movements demonstrate revolution and

radical discontinuity?

Do the 16th c religious movements represent continuity – a constant

feature of the institutional faith or do those movements demonstrate revolution and

radical discontinuity?