"And my breath was refreshed by the pleasant fragrance of the Lord" : mnemonic functions of image, word, and scent in the Freudenstadt lectern

The Freudenstadt lectern (1130–1150) is characterized by an extraordinary interaction of visual, olfactory, and auditory elements. After deciphering the allegorical and aesthetic meanings of the colors assigned to the Evangelists through polychromy, this study proposes, first, that transformative processes play a central, conceptual role, because they produce perceivable but ephemeral signals – flashing light reflections, dissolving scent of burnt herbs, fading sound of speech – that achieve soul-elevating effects. Together, these effects create a transcendent, remembered experience. The study's second part, taking into consideration theological, encyclopaedical, and medical texts, suggests that medieval concepts of the harmony of the divine cosmos, its forces, and its impact on senses and perception are a connecting link that led to the lectern's design. The lectern thus counteracts the instability of the senses by guiding them to the permanent macrocosm, making what is physically and fleetingly sensed comprehensible and enduringly memorable.