Allverehrt und tiefbetrauert

Obituaries, funeral sermons, death notices, and grave poems were written media for remembering the "most revered" deceased. In her study, Erika Moser examines necrographies of individuals who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland, exploring the life and death stories of men and women between 1870 and 1924. She finds that necrographic media strengthened the Christian Catholic identity and the sense of belonging within the newly formed faith community. Notably, men were much more frequently remembered with necrographic media, and their lives were detailed in terms of profession, status, and private life. In contrast, women were less often considered worthy of necrography. Their obituaries and death notices were shaped by the prevailing gender roles of the time, portraying them as caring wives and mothers, despite the significant contributions women made to the development of the Christian Catholic Church. This is impressively highlighted in a rich biographical collection.