Helgener over det hele: Polymorf middelalderkristendom i Vor Frue Kirke, Skive

Abstract

English ABSTRACT: Drawing on iconographic material in the form of a decoration of church frescoes from the year 1522 in the medieval parish church Vor Frue Kirke in Skive (in Jutland) this article examines the Christian cult and mythology of saints in the Late Middle Ages as an expression of a polytheistic, systematizing world view. Taking a theoretical departure point in Robert Bellah’s theory of religious evolution concerning archaic and axial forms of religion and within the medieval Christian world view, the article provides an analysis of the catalogue of saints in Skive to determine which functions each saint seems to occupy in a pantheon and to uncover a grand scale hierarchy of the decoration as a whole. Finally, the catalogue of saints is put further into the big comparative perspective within Bellah’s theoretical framework by a comparison with the ancient Mesopotamian kudurru of the Babylonian king Melishipak 2nd as a typical archaic and analogistic system of gods. DANSK RESUMÉ: Med eksempel i ikonografisk materiale i form af en udsmykning af kalkmalerier fra år 1522 i den middelalderlige sognekirke Vor Frue Kirke i Skive bliver den senmiddelalderlige kristne helgenkult og -mytologi i denne artikel under-søgt som udtryk for en polyteistisk, systematiserende verdensopfattelse. Med teoretisk udgangspunkt i Robert Bellahs religionsevolutionære teori om arkaiske og aksiale religionsformer og i det middelalderkristne verdenssyn gives en analyse af helgenka-taloget i Skive med henblik på at kortlægge, hvilke funktioner hver helgen udfylder i et panteon, og at afdække en overordnet hierarkisering af udsmykningen. Afslut-ningsvis sættes helgenkataloget yderligere ind i et større komparativt perspektiv via en sammenligning med den babylonske kong Melishipak 2.’s kudurru som et typisk arkaisk-analogistisk system af guder.