The concepts of genre and ritual are central for the overall occupation with the relationship between the history of the arts and the history of Christianity in Western Culture. This special issue of the journal TRANSfiguration sheds light on the complex relationship between the two broad and difficult terms, genre and ritual, within the cultural history of Europe. This volumea collection of 15 essayswas planned on the basis of the first annual international conference at the Centre for the Study of the Cultural Heritage of Medieval Rituals, University of Copenhagen.