Some people travel to the Catharijneconvent in Utrecht, but you can also go closer to home for a glimpse of the Christian heritage.
Thanks to the Groninger Kerken foundation, an educational exhibition with church treasures from the North can be seen in the Akerk in Groningen until the beginning of the summer. Silent gold counts 110 objects, originating from 56 churches.
The exhibition includes familiar objects, such as baptismal fonts, communion cups and bibles, although you have them from the fairly ordinary to the very special. There are also things that make a church layman grope in the dark. What about hourglasses and antipendia?
Color with the church calendar
The latter refers to cloths made for a front of an altar and pulpit, the color of which refers to the church calendar. Now, during the fasting period, the color of the antipendium is red. Soon, on Good Friday, purple. But what are the hourglasses for? What good is it to you with a view of eternal life? Unfortunately, there is not always someone who knows what’s going on.
Silent gold more often raises questions – Christian faith revolves around the mystery. In most cases there are informative panels explaining, for example, mourning boards, offering blocks and the footstool. Very popular in the nineteenth century and again a godsend today.
Silent gold can be visited until 18/6 in the Akerk in Groningen