Germanness and religious universalism in the aftermath of the 1844 Trier pilgrimage

Abstract

In 1844, an exhibition of a holy relic at the Trier cathedral elicited public outrage, resulting in the foundation of a new anti‐clerical confession, the German Catholics (Deutschkatholiken). This article examines conceptions of Germanness generated by the supra‐confessional public debate that followed by analysing journal publications of contrasting religious affiliations from 1844–1846. I argue that in the context of extensive and highly politicised religious deliberation, confessional divergence was not just decried as an obstacle to unity that had to be overcome but also enshrined as a mark of German singularity. Across confessional divides, the condition of disunity was thought to manifest a unique German aptitude for spiritual exploration and resistance to institutional rigidity. These qualities singled out the Germans for a spiritual quest in search of an ultimate, universal religious creed. This finding raises important questions on the interaction between inclusionary and exclusionary elements in ethnic and national identities formed in the context of internal diversity, as well as their positioning within universalistic structures.