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Original fileHortus Deliciarum, Das Gebäude der Kirche mit den Gläubigen
About This Work
A multi-leveled architectural schematic presents the 'Regina Ecclesia' (Queen Church) enthroned at the center of a red-brick edifice. The interior is populated by the hierarchy of medieval society, with apostles and prelates occupying the top tier and laypeople, knights, and 'holy virgins' filling the lower sections. On the roof, armored angels engage in combat with bow-wielding demons, while the corners of the composition feature circular medallions containing pairs of prophets and evangelists.
Created by Abbess Herrad of Landsberg, the Hortus Deliciarum is a 12th-century theological encyclopedia that uses architectural mnemonics to map social and cosmic order. This imagery reflects the medieval 'Art of Memory' and the Neoplatonic concept of the universe as a structured hierarchy, a precursor to the complex symbolic systems of the later Rosicrucian and Hermetic traditions.