A pulpit altar is a feature of some Christian places of worship. It is the combination of an altar and its

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

with a pulpit placed immediately above, forming one unit. In larger churches a pipe organ may be found placed above the pulpit.

Origin

This design became popular in Protestant German-speaking lands after the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

to signify that preaching of the Word of God in the worship service is integral with the delivery of

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

s (Holy Communion) which takes place on the altar below. In German a pulpit altar is termed 'Kanzel Altar'. Pulpit altars were quite popular in

Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (, ) is a (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia, wh ...

, southern

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

, the

Bergisches Land The Bergisches Land (, ) is a low mountain range in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, east of the Rhine and south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by forests, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over twenty artificial lakes ...

, and the Saxon duchies of today's state of

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

. The oldest surviving pulpit altar is in the castle chapel of

Wilhelmsburg Castle The Wilhelmsburg Castle in the city of Schmalkalden was a secondary residence of the Landgraves of Hesse. It is one of the most important Renaissance buildings in central Germany, which has experienced no structural changes to this day and is pres ...

Schmalkalden Schmalkalden () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in the southwest of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is on the southern slope of the Thuringian Forest at the Schmalkalde river, a tributary to the Werra. , the town had a popul ...

(today Thuringia), which was built under

William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel William IV of Hesse-Kassel (24 June 153225 August 1592), also called ''William the Wise'', was the first Landgrave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day. Life L ...

in 1585–1590. Another early example of a pulpit altar was built in the castle chapel of

Callenberg Castle Callenberg Castle (''Schloss Callenberg'') is a schloss on a wooded hill in Beiersdorf, an ''Ortsteil'' of Coburg, Germany, from the town centre. It was a hunting lodge and summer residence and has long been the principal residence of the House ...

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

(today Upper Franconia in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

), built under Duke

Johann Casimir John Casimir, Count Palatine of Simmern (German: ''Johann Casimir von Pfalz-Simmern'') (7 March 1543 – Brockhaus Geschichte Second Edition) was a German prince and a younger son of Frederick III, Elector Palatine. A firm Calvinist, he was a lea ...

of Saxe-Coburg and it was inaugurated in 1618. In the 19th century the Eisenach regulation of 1861 rejected the pulpit altar and required Lutheran churches to have a free-standing arrangement of the altar in a sanctuary, bringing the design closer to the medieval Catholic setup of the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

In Indonesia

In some

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

churches of the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, the

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

pulpit generally located in the center of the altar, which usually occurs in the

Batak Christian Protestant Church The Batak Christian Protestant Church (), abbreviated as HKBP, is an Evangelical Lutheran church among the Batak ethnic group, generally the Toba Batak people of Indonesia. This church uses an Ecumenical worship style influenced by the Dutch Re ...

(

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

: ''Huria Kristen Batak Protestan''), one of the largest Lutheran churches in the

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. This is due to the influence of the Dutch colonisation and Dutch Calvinist sect, making it a colonial legacy that remains to this day. The Batak Christian Protestant Church moved the pulpit to the right side, which functions as the place for the minister to preach. Meanwhile, it's have available room on the left side utilised for another pulpit as of the place to church notices. This setup is more in line with other Lutheran churches. Traditionally, the Batak Christian Protestant Church is a separate church from the

Rhenish Missionary Society The Rhenish Missionary Society (''Rhenish'' of the river Rhine; , ''RMG'') was one of the largest Protestant missionary society, missionary societies in Germany. Formed from smaller missions founded as far back as 1799, the Society was amalgamate ...

comes from the

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, which are characterised of the composite denomination that includes a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

element compared to the original Lutheran churches in the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

In Norway

Many churches in Norway installed pulpit altars () during the second half of the 18th century and especially in the first three decades of the 19th century. According to Hosar, there are at least 58 pulpit altars in Norwegian churches. Pulpit altars can be seen in the

Nykirken Nykirken (literally: "The new church") is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bergen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the Nordnes area of the city of Bergen. It is one of the churches for the Bergen Cathedral paris ...

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

(reconstruction 1756),

Gamlebyen Church Gamlebyen Church is a private church, belonging to Oslo University Hospital and is also called ''Oslo Hospital's'' Church, located in the Old Town, Oslo, old town of Oslo, Norway. It is leased to the Diocese of Oslo of the Church of Norway and ser ...

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

(1796),

Røros Church Røros Church or Bergstadens Ziir () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Røros Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. Located in the Røros (town), town of Røros, it is the main church for the Røros parish which is part of the Ga ...

(1784),

Kongsberg Church Kongsberg Church (, ) is a building and congregation of the Church of Norway located at Kongsberg in Buskerud county, Norway. Kongsberg Church, a large Baroque church, was designed by Joachim Andreas Stukenbrock, and the construction period ...

(1740–61), and

Sør-Fron Church Sør-Fron Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sør-Fron Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Hundorp. It is the church for the Sør-Fron parish which is part of the Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti ...

(1792). Pulpit altars were also used in the

octagonal churches In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a hex ...

such as in

Hadsel Church Hadsel Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Hadsel Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Hadsel, just east of the town of Stokmarknes on the island of Hadseløya. It is one of the churches for ...

Klæbu Church Klæbu Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Trondheim Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Klæbu. It is the church for the Klæbu parish which is part of the Heimdal og Byåsen prosti (d ...

, and

Tynset Church Tynset Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tynset Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the town of Tynset. It is the church for the Tynset parish which is part of the Nord-Østerdal prosti (deanery) in t ...

. The pulpit altar went out of fashion after a time, partly because the altar seemed to be subordinate to the pulpit. In

, a pulpit was later set up on the floor because of the priest's fear of heights. In 1749, the old

Hopen Church Hopen Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Smøla Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the village of Hopen, along the northern coast of the island of Smøla. It is the church for the Hopen parish ...

Smøla Smola or Smøla may refer to: People * Josef von Smola (1764–1820), an officer and holder of the Knight's and Commander's Crosses of the Order of Maria Theresa * Josef von Smola (1805–1856), an Austrian officer * Karl von Smola, an Austrian ...

was probably the first church in Norway to get a pulpit altar.

Media gallery

File:Christians Kirke Copenhagen altar pulpit organ.jpg,

Christian's Church, Copenhagen Christians kirke () is a Rococo church in the Christianshavn district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed by Nicolai Eigtved, it was built 1754–59. Formerly Frederiks tyske kirke (English: Frederiks German church), it was built by the German commun ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Dorfkirche Berlitt 2017 Kanzelaltar.jpg, Dorf Church in Berlitt, Germany Serbin-View of pulpit and altar.png, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Serbin, Texas Tolga kirke 2018-07-21-9084.jpg,

Tolga Church Tolga Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tolga Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Tolga. It is the church for the Tolga parish which is part of the Nord-Østerdal prosti (deanery) in th ...

, Tolga, Norway Schlitz Bernshausen Protestant Church Altar Organ Pulpit if.png, Pulpit-altar with organ in Bernshausen, Germany Røros kirke alterparti.jpg,

, Røros, Norway File:Kongsberg kirke - Autel.JPG,

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production and fo ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

File:HKBP Setia Negara, Res. Setia Negara 04.jpg,

North Sumatra North Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan on the east coast of the island. It borders Aceh to the northwest, Riau to the sou ...

File:Sør-Fron interior..JPG,

Sør-Fron Sør-Fron is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hundorp. Other villages in the municipality include Gålå, Ha ...

Church in Norway File:Quedlinburg - St. Blasii - 02.jpg,

Pulpit altar A pulpit altar is a feature of some Christian places of worship. It is the combination of an altar and its altarpiece with a pulpit placed immediately above, forming one unit. In larger churches a pipe organ may be found placed above the pulpit. ...

, St. Blasii,

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the Harz (district), district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg becam ...

References

{{authority control Church architecture Altars Lutheran art Lutheran liturgy and worship Altarpieces Pulpits

Origin

In Indonesia

In Norway

Media gallery

Further reading

References