In Hoc Signo Vinces! The Counter-Reformation and the Allegories of the Four Continents within the Heritable Territory of the Habsburgs

„IN HOC SIGNO VINCES! The Counter-Reformation and the Allegories of the Four Continents in the Church of the Augustinian Canonry in Vorau“
During the Baroque era allegorical depictions of the four continents belonged to one of the preferred allegories in visual arts. The research on this iconography was mostly done from an art historical perspective. In my studies of 57 Baroque examples, realized in the media of fresco and stucco, within the heriditary territory of the Habsburgs I used a cultural historical approach which led to a better understanding concerning distribution, patrons, usage, and reception. The allegories were among others favoured by the older religious order of the OSB, CRSA, and OCist.
This presentation will focus on the special use of the allegories within the decoration scheme of the church of the canonry Vorau in Styria. The decoration of the church’s interior around 1700 resulted in the first autonomous and one of the most complex frescos in Styria. The overall theme is „Christ as the Redeemer of the world“. Up till now various interpretations of this fresco always neglected the allegories because it seemed that the meaning and role of these allegories were clear: they represented the world. However, a closer look regarding their positioning as well as iconography and by placing them in greater cultural, social, and political contexts provided an important new key to its interpretation: Europe stands for Constantine the Great. This connects to the Habsburg emperors‘ reference to their fight against the Turks and the Protestants. The church in Vorau and its interior decoration are public demonstrations of the triumph of the Counter-Reformation, a hommage to the role of the Habsburg emperors, and a symbol for the surviving of the monastery and its successful spiritual work.