In early modern Vienna, Eastern Christian art played a crucial yet often overlooked role in shaping religious life, political identity, and cross-cultural exchange. This panel examines how post-Byzantine sacred objects—icons, prints, and other devotional artifacts—moved across confessional and political boundaries, embedding themselves within the capital of the Habsburg Empire, often perceived as a bulwark of Catholicism. Sacred objects of post-Byzantine origin circulated widely across Central Europe, creating spaces of transconfessional devotion and contributing to the construction of imperial identity. The transfer of miraculous icons, such as the Mother of God of Pócs to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Maria Candia to St. Michael’s Church, and the erection of the Moldavian Cross, exemplifies the integration of Eastern Christian objects into Catholic contexts, where their veneration was actively promoted by the Habsburg imperial elites. These sacred images functioned not merely as devotional artifacts but also as instruments of dynastic legitimacy against the backdrop of the Ottoman threat and other crises, such as epidemics and fires. The mobility of devotional objects, particularly within Greek communities across Central Europe, further demonstrates how Eastern Christian practices were sustained in Eastern Christian diaspora contexts. Vienna, alongside other early modern imperial capitals, emerged as a crucial hub where post-Byzantine art was adapted to new religious and social environments. The widespread dissemination of Orthodox paper icons, printed in Vienna, additionally highlights the permeability of confessional boundaries, as inexpensive yet theologically potent images circulated among diverse groups and served to support the needs of Eastern Christian communities in the Habsburg monarchy. By focusing on the material and devotional itineraries of Eastern Christian artifacts, this panel contributes to a deeper understanding of the entangled confessional cultures of early modern Central Europe and the complex processes of appropriation, adaptation, and dissemination of post-Byzantine art.
The original image of “Maria Pocs” has a remarkable history: it was transferred to Vienna on the orders of Emperor Leopold I (1640–1705) after the icon shed tears in a small Hungarian village called Pócs (now Máriapócs) (November 4 – December 8, 1696). The image was celebrated with church services in the imperial city for…
The rapid expansion of the Ottoman territory over the course of three centuries, from the Battle of Kosovo Polje in 1389 to the Second Siege of Vienna in 1683, sent shockwaves through much of the European population. Against the backdrop of the widespread ‘Fear of the Turks’, ecclesiastical and secular authorities glorified the few military…