- German archaeologists have discovered the lavatory on
which Martin Luther wrote the 95 Theses that launched the Protestant Reformation.
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- Luther frequently alluded to the fact that he suffered
from chronic constipation and that he spent much of his time in contemplation
on the lavatory.
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- Experts say they have been certain for years that the
16th century religious leader wrote the groundbreaking Ninety-Five Theses
while on das klo, as the Germans call it.
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- But they did not know where the object was until they
discovered the stone construction after recently stumbling across the remains
of an annex of his house in Wittenberg, south-west of Berlin, during planning
to plant a garden.
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- "This is a great find," Stefan Rhein, the director
of the Luther Memorial Foundation said, "particularly because we're
talking about someone whose texts we have concentrated on for years, while
little attention has been paid to anything three-dimensional and human
behind them.
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- "This is where the birth of the Reformation took
place.
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- "Luther said himself that he made his reformatory
discovery in cloaca [Latin for "in the sewer"]. We just had no
idea where this sewer was. Now it's clear what the Reformer meant."
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- What makes the find even more fitting is that at the
time, faecal language was often used to denigrate the devil, such as "I
shit on the devil" or "I break wind on the devil".
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- Prof Rhein said: "It was not a very polite time.
And in keeping with this, neither was Luther very polite."
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- The 450-year-old lavatory, which was very advanced for
its time, is made out of stone blocks and, unusually, has a 30cm-square
seat with a hole. Underneath is a cesspit attached to a primitive drain.
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- Other interesting parts of the house remain, including
a vaulted ceiling, late Gothic sandstone door frames and what is left of
a floor-heating system.
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- This presumably gave Luther an added source of comfort
during the long hours he spent in contemplation.
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- Luther, who was professor of biblical theology at Wittenberg
University, nailed his theses to the church door at Wittenberg, attacking
the corrupt trade in indulgences.
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- The act led to his excommunication but he was protected
by Frederick II of Saxony and was able to develop and spread his ideas,
which he saw as much more than a mere revolt against ecclesiastical abuses
but as a fight for the Gospel.
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- Prof Rhein said the foundation would prevent the 80,000
visitors who arrive in Wittenberg each year in search of the spirit of
Luther, from sitting on the lavatory. "I would not sit on it. There's
a point where you have to draw the line," he said.
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