To the Field Sermon: Popular Reformation in the Low Countries between Urban Space and Countryside

Among the most striking phenomena in the history of the Reformation in the Low Countries are the Protestant open-air sermons of the summer of 1566. These sermons, held in fields, woods, marshlands or other open spaces beyond the city limits, were attended by hundreds or even thousands of men and women from all social groups, eager for reform. This essay discusses the geographical proliferation, organization and characteristics of the field sermons, which can be seen as an early example of the spatial accommodation of religious division in early modern Europe. It also argues that these sermons had a profound impact on urban communities, because civic authorities were faced with the challenge of controlling the flow of people and information, especially at the city gates. Moreover, field sermons had an impact on urban space at large, as sermon-goers claimed their place in town through a range of spontaneous and ritualized acts that reinforced their goal of obtaining a site of worship within the city walls.