Liturgical Studies

Welcome to the Chair of Liturgical Studies!

General information on the discipline of Liturgical Studies

Liturgical studies is the discipline of theology that studies the practice of praying and worship in the Church or, more precisely, the gathering of worshipers that manifests the mystery of Christ and enables the faithful to enter into dialog with God through words and signs. Starting from this understanding of the liturgy as described by the Second Vatican Council, liturgical studies is concerned with the many different historical and current forms of worship and the theological foundations and anthropological conditions.
Liturgical studies must embrace contemporary changes in theology and religious practice. It is characterized by its ecumenical orientation and seeks dialog with other theological and non-theological disciplines. More than any other discipline, liturgical studies reveals through its study of worship – which, according to the Bible, is the second source of faith – that investigating the question of God goes beyond mere discourse and that the ways in which the faith is celebrated must also be taken into consideration. Liturgical studies ensures that all disciplines of theology remain aware of the doxology, the origin and goal of all theology.
While worship is not the only aspect of the Church’s activity, the liturgy is – as the Second Vatican Council emphasizes – ‘the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows’ (SC 10).

The Council has therefore declared that liturgical studies is one of the main disciplines of theology.

Current news

New publication: Das Requiem von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

New publication: Liturgiereform und Ordensgemeinschaften

The reception of the liturgical reform after the Second Vatican Council was not only a challenge for the territorially obsessed dioceses, but also for monasteries and other religious establishments, each with their own liturgical practice. This volume offers the first studies on liturgical renewal in the individual monastic traditions in the German-speaking area. They provide insight into a previously neglected ecclesiastical practice.

New publication: Gemalte Liturgie

Painted liturgy
In 18th-century painting, the pictorial motif of the seven sacraments attracted increased attention. Artists depicted the essential actions as they could be observed during the celebration of the sacraments. The Eichstätt painter Johann Chrysostomus Winck (1725-1795) also created such a cycle of seven paintings. In the form of Rococo genre painting, he captures key moments of the liturgical action and arranges the people involved in such a way that their relationship to one another and to the events is sometimes expressed in an almost mischievous way. Wincks's “Seven Sacraments” are thus not only of interest from an art-historical perspective, they also offer insights into ecclesiastical and social life at the time and represent a remarkable source for the cultural and liturgical history of the late Baroque period.