After a year on display, the Cranach-Triegel Altarpiece returned to the west choir of Naumburg Cathedral on the eve of the first Advent.

In a musical vespers of the Protestant parish of Naumburg and the United Cathedral Foundations, the altar of the Virgin Mary was reopened in the west choir of Naumburg Cathedral on 2 December 2023. The vespers were organised by and with Bishop Dr Gerhard Feige (Diocese of Magdeburg), Dr Dr h.c. Johann Schneider (Regional Bishop of the EKM), Prof. Karin v. Welck (Dean of the United Cathedral Foundations) and Prof. Dr Jörg Ulrich (Canon of the United Cathedral Foundations). The overall musical direction was provided by cathedral cantor KMD Jan-Martin Drafehn with the Uta- and Ekkeharf-Kurrende of the Naumburg Cathedral Singing School. The liturgy was conducted by cathedral preacher Rev Michael Bartsch.
The altar will remain open until Passiontide next year, after which it will undergo a liturgical change, meaning that it will remain closed on weekdays and open at weekends and on church holidays.

To mark the return of the altar, the Vereinigte Domstifter are offering exclusive Special guided tours "Triegel meets Cranach. The altar of the Virgin Mary in Naumburg Cathedral". The guided tours explain the history and symbolism of the historic altarpiece as well as the background to the "Triegel meets Cranach" project.
Dates:
25.12.2023-1.1.2024, 6/7.1., 13/14.1., 20/21.1., 27/28.1., 3/4.2., 10/2/11.2.2024 3 pm each day

At the same time as the return of the altar, the Publication "The Cranach-Triegel retable in the west choir of Naumburg Cathedral, history - interpretation - effect".
The retable in the west choir of Naumburg Cathedral led to a discussion throughout Germany about the conditions for a living World Heritage Site in the 21st century. This great public interest in the altarpiece project gave rise to the idea of an academic conference to bring together supporters and opponents of the project. Entitled "Church use and monument preservation in the World Heritage Site - a contradiction?", it took place on 23 and 24 November 2022 in the Marienkirche am Dom. The contributions of the lectures held there by renowned scientists were revised for publication. The volume is edited by Karin von Welck and Andreas Ranft.
The essays offer a diverse examination and in-depth analysis of the debate surrounding the Cranach-Triegel retable. Questions about the functioning of UNESCO and the procedure of ICOMOS are dealt with, as well as central historical source research and art historical categorisation of the Marian altarpiece in the west choir. Fundamental considerations on the design of liturgical spaces and the associated legal responsibilities will also be discussed, as well as issues relating to the art of Michael Triegel and Lucas Cranach the Elder.
Dr Holger Kunde, Director of the United Cathedral Foundations, commented on the publication: "The result is a compendium that provides completely new and reliable facts and information due to its proximity to the sources, which future research will not be able to ignore."
In addition to the presentations from the colloquium and an assessment by Georg Habenicht, the publication also contains statements by Sible de Blaauw, one of the most renowned experts on the Christian liturgy of the High Middle Ages. And from the Scientific Advisory Board of FRH (Future for Religious Heritage) in Brussels. In the letter dated 3 July 2023, the members of the international Scientific Committee of FRH from Norway, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Belgium emphatically support the Naumburg altar project, as does the President of FRH Pilar G. Bahamonde.