Verbranding van de resten van Paul Fagius, Duits theoloog en professor te Cambridge, op de markt van Cambridge 1725

This is a medal made by Jean Dassier, a Swiss medallist, commemorating the burning of the remains of Paul Fagius. Fagius was a German theologian and professor at Cambridge. The medal captures a pivotal moment in religious history, reflecting the intense conflicts of the Reformation era. Fagius, who died in 1550, was posthumously condemned during the reign of Mary I, a Catholic monarch, and his remains were burned in 1556. This act was intended to erase his theological contributions and send a clear message about religious orthodoxy. Dassier's work invites us to reflect on the ways in which power, religion, and identity intersect, and how these forces can lead to acts of both creation and destruction. The burning of Fagius's remains is a stark reminder of the human cost of ideological conflict.