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The 16th century Protestant Reformation sent shockwaves through Christendom and the Catholic Church mounted a dynamic counteroffensive. This period, known as the Counter-Reformation, was a time of intense self-examination, fervent spiritual renewal, and bold institutional reform.
- Medieval Church & Reform
- Luther & Zwingli
- Augsburg, Loyola, & Trent
- Truth & Untruth
- Architecture, Art, & Music
- Conclusion
The medieval Church was understood as the only valid spiritual authority for Christians, claiming a direct commission from Jesus Christ to Saint Peter(regarded as the first pope) as given in Matthew 16:18-19. In order to carry out its divine mission, a hierarchy had been instituted with the pope as head of the Church, followed by cardinals (advisor...
The efforts of men like Valla and Erasmus to redirect the Church back to its mission failed to address the divide between ecclesiastical authority and the people and, further, did not prevent abuses of power by clergy or official policies that put a price on salvation. Among these was the sale of indulgences – writs promising to lessen the time spe...
The Reformation's message appealed to anyone who felt disenfranchised by the Church and social hierarchy, as evidenced by the Knights' Revolt (1522-1523), which sought to establish the 'new teachings' in Germany, and the German Peasants' War (1524-1525), an attempt to overturn the status quo. By 1530, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, understood he ne...
The reforms of The Council of Trent, while sincere, were also aimed at undermining the Protestant criticism of the Church and marking a distinct difference between Protestant and Catholic visions of Christianity. The rejection of Luther's 'faith alone' and 'scripture alone' claims was central in establishing the Catholic claim as the sole authority...
The Jesuits became famous for their skills in debate and refutation of Protestant claims and were among the best-educated and most articulate defenders of Catholicism. While these 'soldiers of Christ' were at work as missionaries and apologists, the Church furthered its aim of reestablishing its centrality and authority through grand architectural ...
The Church responded to the criticism that the hierarchy ignored individual interpretations of Christianity by recognizing figures such as Saint Theresa of Avila (l. 1515-1582) and Saint John of the Cross (l. 1542-1591) while also noting their earlier recognition of other mystics including Hildegard of Bingen (l. 1098-1179) and Julian of Norwich(l....
- Joshua J. Mark
Jun 25, 2019 · By ThoughtCo. Updated on June 25, 2019. The Counter-Reformation was a period of spiritual, moral, and intellectual revival in the Catholic Church in the 16th and 17th centuries, usually dated from 1545 (the opening of the Council of Trent) to 1648 (the end of the Thirty Years' War).
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Where did Counter-Reformation art come from?
This stricter style of Catholic Biblical art - launched by the Council of Trent (1545-63) - was designed to highlight the theological differences between Catholicism and Protestantism, by focusing on the mysteries of the faith, as well as the roles of the Virgin Mary and the Saints.
Dec 6, 2023 · Religious art is an overwhelming aspect of baroque art. As a consequence of the Counter-Reformation—the Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation after the Council of Trent (1545–63)—religious images filled every realm of the expanding Catholic world.
The Counter-Reformation was a Catholic revival that rejected the Protestant view but promoted institutional reform of the central Catholic church. It was a return to the basic tenets of the early Roman Catholic faith.
The Counter-Reformation was a movement within the Catholic Church to reform itself in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. The term, "Counter-Reformation," was still unknown in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and was coined later by non-Catholic historians to denote a Catholic reaction to the Reformation.
