Between art tourism and ‘Protestant pilgrimage’

Individual journeys to artworks in two churches of Reformed denomination near Bern, Switzerland

Bibliographic Data

ID12720946
AuthorsDavid Zimmer (0000-0003-0375-0790, Independent Researcher, Bern, Switzerland, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume19
Issue4
Pages361-375
Publication date2018-08-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCulture and Religion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1475-5610 • E-ISSN: 1475-5629
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14755610.2018.1500381
OpenAlexW2887426196
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited13

Can an individual trip to an artwork in a Protestant church, that evokes experiences of transcendence, be understood as a ‘Protestant pilgrimage’? The question is discussed with a historical example from the eighteenth century and a contemporary example from the twenty-first century, both of which refer to the transcendental dimension of (religious) art and raise the question about the interrelationship between art tourism and pilgrimage. Although the motivation for such journeys is often aesthetic and not spiritual, visitors may be deeply touched by the artworks and experience feelings that transcend the mundane present. If these examples are considered as ‘pilgrimages’ (and not only in a merely metaphorical sense), attention must be paid to their ecumenical, potentially heterodox character. For in the Reformed tradition, the importance of the pilgrimage is the journey itself, and not the final destination

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Character (mathematics · Epistemology · Feeling · Pilgrimage · Protestantism · Sociology · Theology · Tourism · Transcendence (philosophy · Transcendental number · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · History · Museums and Cultural Heritage · Philosophy · Religious studies · Religious Tourism and Spaces

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub