Collection of Christian Archaeology and Ecclesiastical Art
Ministers often come into contact with examples of Ecclesiastical Art. This contact often arises through their pastoral ministry, but also through the parish’s use of historical or modern churches and, moreover, through restoration works or tourists who are interested in the history of religious art. That is why Professor D. Friedrich Loofs, who lectured Church History and History of Dogmas at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg for almost 40 years, sought to get this area of knowledge incorporated into the curriculum at the Theological Faculty, and decided to establish a collection of pieces relating to Christian Archeology. The concept submitted by him on 18 March 1890 proposed that his educational collection should include mainly casts, but also photographs and slides and a library housing relevant books. On 24 July 24 1890 the Foundation was approved by the Ministry of Religious, Educational and Medical Concerns in Berlin (U I 15810), and the collection got underway. Apart from Christian testimonies from the former Roman Empire - testimonies of Christian Archeology - European testimonies from the Early Middle Ages to the present time were an essential part of the collection from the very beginning. That is why the name was changed to „Collection of Christian Archeology and Ecclesiastical Art“ on April 24, 1923. It now includes references to that collection and fulfills its aim to focus on Christian art objects throughout history.