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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
FRANKFURT. Religions often concern themselves with worlds beyond the visible. Yet for many believers, faith has also long offered comfort and protection in everyday life. In Christian Europe, these hopes found expression in so-called “spiritual home pharmacies”: loosely assembled collections of religious and religion-inspired objects believed to ease physical and emotional suffering well into the 20th century. The exhibition “With Rosary & Scrap Madonna: Religious Everyday Companions of the Modern Age in Dialogue”, on view
from Tuesday, May 12, to Friday, July 31,
at the Department of History, IG Farben Building, 3rd floor,
presents a range of objects associated with these practices. Many – though not all – were rooted in Christian devotion: devotional images might sit alongside silk threads soaked in snake blood. “As unconventional as these spiritual home pharmacies may seem today, wouldn’t it sometimes be comforting – even for secular people – to reach into such a universal medicine cabinet?” curator Louise Zbiranski writes in the exhibition flyer. The continuing appeal of such hopes is reflected in a secular “home pharmacy” created by contemporary artist Eva Ulm, whose work enters into dialogue with the historical objects on display. The exhibition is supported by the LOEWE Center for Advanced Studies “Dynamics of Religion,” part of Hessen’s flagship research funding initiative supporting interdisciplinary excellence, and by the German Research Foundation (DFG) Research Training Group “Polycentricity and Plurality of Premodern Christianities.” It was organized by the academic platform “Religion Interface,” coordinated by Zbiranski, and academically supervised by historians Birgit Emich and Xenia von Tippelskirch.
The exhibition will open with a vernissage on May 12 at 5 p.m. It will be on view in sections Q 4 and 5 as well as in the Study Lounge, and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A small part of the exhibition may only be accessed during the Study Lounge’s opening Hours, available here: www.geschichte.uni-frankfurt.de/49425245/Studienlounge
Image for download: Link einsetzen
Caption: Eva Ulm, The Shattering Heart, 2020/21, is featured in the exhibition “With Rosary & Scrub Madonna.” (Photo: Eva Ulm)
Further Information
Louise Zbiranski
Department of History
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798-32108
Information on participating / attending:
Date:
05/12/2026 17:00 - 07/31/2026 17:00
Event venue:
IG-Farben-Haus, Norbert-Wollheim-Platz 1, Third floor
60323 Frankfurt am Main
Hessen
Germany
Target group:
all interested persons
Email address:
Relevance:
regional
Subject areas:
Art / design, Cultural sciences, History / archaeology, Religion
Types of events:
Exhibition / cultural event / festival
Entry:
05/07/2026
Sender/author:
Dr. Anke Sauter
Department:
Public Relations und Kommunikation
Event is free:
yes
Language of the text:
English
URL of this event: http://idw-online.de/en/event81545
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