Editing Albert of Brandenburg (section)

===Patron of the arts===
He became a friend of science and a patron of the arts. As a patron of learning, he counted [[Erasmus]] among his friends.<ref name="EB1911"/> However, Albert's ideas about founding a Catholic university in Halle were not implemented. Nonetheless, he adorned [[Halle Cathedral]] and [[Mainz Cathedral]] in sumptuous fashion, and took as his motto the words ''{{Lang|la|Domine, dilexi decorem domus tuae}}'' (Latin for "I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy house", from Psalm 25:8). [[Matthias Grünewald]] and [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]] created magnificent paintings for the Halle Cathedral which was decorated from 1519 to 1525 with 16 Passion altars with 140 pictures by Cranach and his workshop, the largest single commission in German art history. Grünewald contributed the famous wood painting ''[[Saint Erasmus and Saint Maurice]]''. Albert also ordered paintings from [[Hans Baldung Grien]] and a cycle of 18 life-size statues of saints from Peter Schro in Mainz, which can still be admired in Halle Cathedral today. In 1526 he donated the [[Marktbrunnen (Mainz)|market fountain]] in Mainz. In 1521, Martin Luther referred to the ever-growing collection of relics as the "idol of Halle".

[[File:Grabdenkmal Erzbischof Albrecht 2-enhanced-hnf-392x896.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Albert's tomb in Mainz Cathedral]]
When Albert left Halle for good in 1541 and moved to his residence in [[Aschaffenburg]] in the electoral state of Mainz, he took with him the collection of relics, his private art collection and a large part of the works of art he had donated to the cathedral and other Catholic churches that now became Protestant. He sold parts of the treasure of relics in order to be able to settle claims of the cathedral chapters of Magdeburg and Halberstadt; the sanctuaries are scattered today. He took his private paintings with him to his residence in [[Schloss Johannisburg|Johannisburg Castle]], where a large part was plundered and destroyed in 1552 during the [[Second Margrave War]]. He had the works of art brought from Halle Cathedral hung in the [[St. Peter und Alexander (Aschaffenburg)|St. Peter und Alexander's church]], where they survived all wars until the Elector-Archbishop [[Carl Theodor von Dalberg]] had them brought to Johannisburg Castle in 1803. There they were evacuated in good time before the damaging fire caused by bombing in 1945. Today they can be seen in the reconstructed castle in the ''[[Staatsgalerie Aschaffenburg]]'', which was reopened in 2023 after several years of renovation.<ref>[https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/kunst-und-architektur/aschaffenburg-staatsgalerie-im-schloss-johannisburg-wiedereroeffnet-18872623.html Staatsgalerie Aschaffenburg wiedereröffnet] (State Gallery Aschaffenburg reopened), in: ''[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]'', 7 May 2023</ref> Despite the losses caused by wars, looting and sales, the Aschaffenburg collection is considered the largest Cranach collection in Europe. In addition to 17 altar wings, some of which consist of several panels, and individual paintings from the Cranach workshop, 9 autographed works by the older and 2 by the younger Cranach are on display. In addition, a crucifixion group by Hans Baldung Grien and a large number of paintings by Cranach's students. Some other altars and paintings from the school are also preserved in the St. Peter und Alexander's church and its museum. Other paintings are in the [[Alte Pinakothek]] in Munich.

<gallery perrow="7">
 Lucas Cranach d.Ä. - Kardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg als Heiliger Hieronymus.jpg|Cardinal Albert as Saint Jerome (Lucas Cranach the Elder)
 Mathis Gothart Grünewald 011.jpg|Cardinal Albert as Saint Erasmus with Saint Mauritius (Matthias Grünewald, {{circa|1520|lk=no}})
 Mathis Gothart Grünewald 009.jpg|Cardinal Albert as Saint Erasmus (detail)
 Albrecht-von-brandenburg-als hl-martin.jpg|Cardinal Albert as Saint Martin (Simon Franck, 1543)
 Albrecht-v-Brandenburg-1520.jpg|Cardinal Albert praying before the cross (Lucas Cranach the Elder)
 AB StGal Schule CranachÄ Messe Gregor02.jpg|Mass of St. Gregory with Cardinal Albert (workshop of Lucas Cranach)
 Cranach il vecchio, altare pfirtscher 01, 1526–1530 ca, aschaffenburg, staatsgalerie.jpg|St. Martinus (with the facial features of Cardinal Albert) and St. Stephen (Lucas Cranach the Elder)
 Simon Franck - Ursula Redinger as Saint Ursula - Stiftsmuseum Aschaffenburg.jpg|Cardinal Albert's mistress Leys Schütz as St. Ursula
</gallery>