Martin Luther - Washington, DC
N 38° 54.389 W 077° 01.902
18S E 323832 N 4308361
This bronze statue of Martin Luther, an icon of the Protestant Reformation, stands in front of the historic Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, DC.
Waymark Code: WMDH2K
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 01/15/2012
Views: 11
ABOUT THE STATUE:
The 11.5 ft. tall bronze statue of Martin Luther stands on a granite base: that is 168 in. tall and 138 in. wide. The statue has a place of honor in front of the historic Luther Place Memorial Church, which was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
"Martin Luther stands dressed in long robes with his proper right leg moving slightly forward. The sculpture, which shows an excommunicated Luther defending himself during his trial before the Diet of Worms in 1521, features Luther resting his proper right hand on top of a large Bible that he holds in his proper left hand. His hair curls around his face and he looks outwards, looking slightly upwards. The sculpture stands on a three-tiered granite base (H 168 in. x W. 138 in.) and is surrounded by sunflowers and overlooks Thomas Circle.
The back of the sculpture, near the base, is engraved:
E. RIETSCHEL FACIT. GEGOSSEN LAUCHHAMMER 1884
In raised letters on the front of the base along with the founder's mark:
MARTIN LUTHER
Martin Luther is cast from an original mold of the portrait by Rietschel which stands in Worms, Germany and was installed there in 1868. The version in Washington inspired the installation of eleven other castings across the United States."
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ABOUT THE MAN:
"Martin Luther (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor.
Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans.
His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.
In his later years, while suffering from several illnesses and deteriorating health, Luther became increasingly antisemitic, writing that Jewish homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed. These statements have contributed to his controversial status."
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