New Publication: The Stained-Glass Windows of St Jakob’s Church in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

The volume “St. Jakob in Rothenburg ob der Tauber” has just been published as the ninth instalment in the series “Masterpieces of Stained Glass”. The author is Dr Hartmut Scholz, a long-standing member of the academic project “Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi” (CVMA) and a renowned expert on medieval stained glass. The book is dedicated to one of the most significant collections of historical stained glass in Franconia: the windows of St. Jakob’s Town Church in Rothenburg.

St Jakob’s Church houses exceptional stained-glass windows from the Middle Ages, which rank among the most important surviving collections of stained glass in the region. In addition to the panes dating from the church’s construction period, the new volume also examines the historicist stained-glass windows depicting Reformation themes, thereby exploring the full artistic and cultural-historical significance of the entire collection preserved on site today. 

The series “Masterpieces of Stained Glass” is aimed at a wider audience with an interest in art history. Drawing on the latest research from the CVMA, it presents outstanding examples of German stained glass in accessible texts accompanied by numerous coloured illustrations. The volumes also serve as a guide for visitors to specific sites, as they cover both medieval and modern stained glass works in each location. 

Bibliographic details:
Hartmut Scholz: St. Jakob in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Masterpieces of Stained Glass, Volume 9, published by Schnell und Steiner, Regensburg, 80 pages, dimensions: 16 x 28 cm, softback with flaps, €12.85, ISBN 978-3-7954-9010-2

Book presentation:
The new publication will be presented on Thursday, 26 March 2026, at 3.00 pm in the east choir of the Evangelical Lutheran parish church of St. Jakob in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The event is organised by the Verein Alt-Rothenburg e. V., the Förderverein St. Jakob in Rothenburg ob der Tauber e. V. and the publisher Schnell & Steiner Regensburg. The musical accompaniment will be provided by Deanery Cantor Jasmin Neubauer on the grand Rieger organ. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the venue.
Please register here by 18 March 2026.

Invitation flyer

The Academy project “Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi Deutschland (CVMA)” is part of the international “Corpus Vitrearum”, whose mission and aim is to systematically catalogue the entire body of medieval, early modern and modern stained glass up to the 20th century in Europe, as well as in museums in the USA and Canada. Today, the “Corpus Vitrearum” is the most extensively networked research project in art history worldwide, and stained glass is the only genre of visual art that, upon completion of the project, will be fully documented as a basis for all future historical and art-historical research. The German contribution, which currently covers the period up to 1550, is being carried out at two research centres in Freiburg and Potsdam. These are funded by the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.