Ars moriendi

As Ars moriendi ( " Art of Dying "), resulting in the late medieval didactic edification writings are referred to those who teach the Christian preparation for death in order to gain the kingdom of heaven.

Influenced by the then rampant disease and the fear of an unprepared death wrote Jean Gerson to 1408 the prototype of this type of text, the Latin Opus ( culum ) Tripartitum. The preacher Johann Geiler von Alsace Kaysersberg translated this work about 1481 under the title How to keep such eym by dying people and wrote in 1497 an independent writing: An Alphabet, how to send each sol, at a costly union blessed death.

Cardinal Domenico Capranica wrote in 1452 another death book, the speculum artis bene moriendi (also Ars bene moriendi ), which appeared in 1473 in German.

In addition, many Artes moriendi were printed anonymously. In the pictorial art of the Middle Ages corresponds to their attitude and the Dance of Death.