Title
Christmas vision of Birgitta of Sweden
Description
Sandstone altarpiece (retable): Christmas vision of Bridget of Sweden, circa 1400, in the Magdeburg Cathedral. The altarpiece was created at the initiative of a Magdeburg canon who simultaneously received a stipend (prebend/benefice) serving as a canon in Lund, Sweden.
On the right, at the top, there is an addition that does not derive from Bridget’s vision: an oval figure (mandorla) with Christ and the Church pictured together as a crowned couple. On the right, at the bottom, the canon donor is pictured, to the left next to him Bridget seated at a teacher’s podium (cathedra), holding the book of her visions in her hands, then Bridget in her youth (or childhood) praying to the newborn Christ child. (from https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/Literatur/Birgitta-Weihnachtsvision.html, translated by Michael Kicey)
On the right, at the top, there is an addition that does not derive from Bridget’s vision: an oval figure (mandorla) with Christ and the Church pictured together as a crowned couple. On the right, at the bottom, the canon donor is pictured, to the left next to him Bridget seated at a teacher’s podium (cathedra), holding the book of her visions in her hands, then Bridget in her youth (or childhood) praying to the newborn Christ child. (from https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/Literatur/Birgitta-Weihnachtsvision.html, translated by Michael Kicey)
Creator
Welch, Claude Emerson
Publisher
State University of New York at Buffalo
Date
2018-04
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT - EDUCATIONAL USE PERMITTED. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Format
image/jpeg
Type
Image
Identifier
psc001_psc3016
Coverage
German
Magdeburg (Germany)
Is Part Of
Welch-Ludwig Collection
PSC001
Collection
Citation
Welch, Claude Emerson, “Christmas vision of Birgitta of Sweden,” Digital Collections - University at Buffalo Libraries, accessed January 14, 2026, https://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/index.php/items/show/93253.