DOI article:
Hoffmann, Annette; Murovec, Barbara [Contr.]: Josef Strzygowski and Avguštin Stegenšek Some Remarks on their Jerusalem Studies
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.73804#0069
68
establishment of art history as a discipline in its own right.
Actually, around 1900 one of the major issues that was
discussed in the context of Jerusalem studies was the ar-
chitectural reconstruction of the Constantinian Holy Se-
pulchre Church, and one of the first art historians who
was concerned with this question was Stegensek's pro-
fessor, Strzygowski.7 He indeed not only dealt with the
Byzantine 'Orient', Armenia, Persia and Mesopotamia,
but several times with the Holy Land too.8 In 1899, Strzy-
gowski reviewed the monograph Die Heilige Grabeskirche
zu Jerusalem in ihrem ursprunglichen Zustande, which
had been published a year before by the theologian Carl
Mommert (1840-1910).9 In 1901, Strzygowski's essay on
the newly discovered Orpheus mosaic in Jerusalem ap-
peared.10 In the same year Strzygowski also published his
book Orient oder Rom, with its much-debated hypothesis
on the emergence of early Christian art. Its final chapter is
dedicated to the Constantinian Holy Sepulchre Church.11
Although Strzygowski has recently been the subject
of numerous publications, especially in Central Europe,12
the fundamental importance of his studies on the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre for his theory of an oriental origin
of Christian art has not yet been considered sufficiently.
In the faęade of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Strzy-
gowski saw a confirmation of 'Europe's dependence on
Oriental forms' as well as 'the superior historical value of
material over textual evidence'.13 His argumentation was
mainly concentrated on the south faęade and based upon
7 Strzygowski taught art history in Graz from 1892 to 1909; for his
biography cf. e.g. L. Sorensen, 'Strzygowski, Josef Rudolf Thom-
as', in Dictionary of Art Historians; https://arthistorians.info/
strzygowskij/ (access: 12.02.2024); W. J. Gruber, 'Der Fabrikan-
tensohn Josef Strzygowski (1862-1941) auf dem Weg vom Tuch-
macher zum Kunsthistoriker', Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft fur
vergleichende Kunstforschung in Wien, 74, 2022, no. 3, pp. 1-13.
8 Cf. also A. Zah, 'Josef Strzygowski als Initiator der christlich-
kunsthistorischen Orientforschung und Visionar der Kunst-
wissenschaft', Romische Quartalschrift fur christliche Altertums-
kunde und Kirchengeschichte, 107, 2013, no. 3/4, pp. 249-292.
9 J. Strzygowski, 'Carl Mommert, Die hl. Grabeskirche zu Jeru-
salem in ihrem ursprunglichen Zustand, 1898', Deutsche Litera-
turzeitung, 20, 1899, no. 19, pp. 753-754.
10 J. Strzygowski, P. J. Dashian, 'Das neugefundene Orpheus-Mo-
saik in Jerusalem', Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palastina-Vereins, 24,
1901, pp. 139-171.
11 J. Strzygowski, Orient oder Rom. Beitrdge zur Geschichte der
spatantiken und fruhchristlichen Kunst, Leipzig 1901, pp. 127-150.
12 Cf. e.g. the collected essays published on the occasion of Strzy-
gowski's 150th birthday Von Biala nach Wien. Josef Strzygowski und
die Kunstwissenschaften, eds. P.O. Scholz, M.A. Długosz, Vi-
enna 2015; Orient oder Rom? History and Reception of a Historio-
graphical Myth, eds. I. Foletti, F. Lovino, Rome 2018.
13 S. L. Marchand, 'The Rhetoric of Artifacts and the Decline of
Classical Humanism. The Case of Josef Strzygowski', History and
Theory, 33, 1994, no. 4 (thematic issue: Proof and Persuasion in
History), pp. 106-130, here p. 106.
two inconsistent assumptions. Firstly, he was concerned
with proving that the (probably medieval) cornices of the
faęade are ancient and,14 since they are in situ, that they
have remained from the construction of Constantine.15
Secondly he conceded that the cornices lack everything
that makes the Roman style special'. According to him,
all analogies were offered by Egypt, 'the country in which
Roman art has found less of a permanent home than in
Syria and Asia Minor.'16
Strzygowski's studies on the Church of the Holy Sepul-
chre were comprehensively appreciated in 1908 by the
Byzantinist August Heisenberg (1869-1930), at that time
a private lecturer at the University of Wurzburg, and
then, from 1910, professor of Byzantine studies in Mu-
nich and editor of the Byzantinische Zeitschrift.17 In the
introduction to his first volume on the two Constantin-
ian Churches of the Holy Sepulchre and of the Apostles,
Heisenberg writes that Strzygowski has taken the decisive
step towards solving the reconstruction of the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre. Moreover, he states that the question
'Orient or Rome?' will be decided in line with Strzygows-
ki's position.18 However, a year after its publication, the
art-historical assessment from Vienna was quite different:
Max Dvorak (1874-1921) strongly criticised the book and
denied any relevance to the question posed in the title.19
14 'Ich denke, man wird der Detailaufnahme gegenuber nicht
schwanken konnen: dieses Kranzgesims ist antik. [...] Unser
Kranzgesims ist unzweifelhaft antik, das beweist der tiefe, exakte
Schnitt, besonders der Blattrippen und die dadurch erzielte kraf-
tige Licht- und Schattenwirkung [...]' , J. Strzygowski, Orient
oder Rom, p. 129 (as in note 11).
15 'Ich habe im Vorstehenden zuerst an der Hand von Aufnahmen
nach den Gesimsen der Sudfassade der Grabeskirche gezeigt,
dass dieselben antik und, da sie in situ liegen, offenbar vom Bau
des grossen Konstantin bis auf unsere Tage stehen geblieben sind',
ibidem, p. 147.
16 'Im Gegenteil, es fehlt alles, was den romischen Stil im beson-
deren ausmacht [...] Was die Gesimse der Grabeskirche aus-
zeichnet und anziehend macht, ist gerade der Mangel der stren-
gen romischen Gesetzmassigkeit. [...] Was ich bis jetzt an Analo-
gien nachweisen kann, das bietet Agypten, das Land, in dem ro-
mische Kunst weniger als in Syrien und Kleinasien dauernd Ein-
gang gefunden hat', ibidem, p. 147.
17 On Heisenberg see most recently U. Moennig, 'August Heisen-
berg als (Grundungs-)Vorsitzender der Deutsch-Griechischen
Gesellschaft', in Anekdota Byzantina. Studien zur byzantinischen
Geschichte und Kultur, eds. I. Grimm-Stadelmann et al., Berlin
2023 [=Byzantinisches Archiv, 41], pp. 457-468.
18 Eines aber ist wohl jetzt schon sicher: die groEe Frage "Orient
oder Rom?" wird sich wesentlich im Sinne Strzygowskis ent-
scheiden, A. Heisenberg, Grabeskirche und Apostelkirche, zwei
Basiliken Konstantins. Untersuchungen zur Kunst und Literatur
des ausgehenden Altertums, vol. 1, Leipzig 1908, p. V.
19 'Die summarisch gestellte Frage Orient oder Rom hat keine
thatsachliche und wissenschaftliche Bedeutung [...] ein Apolo-
get des Ostens dieser Zeit lauft Gefahr wie der unsterbliche Held
establishment of art history as a discipline in its own right.
Actually, around 1900 one of the major issues that was
discussed in the context of Jerusalem studies was the ar-
chitectural reconstruction of the Constantinian Holy Se-
pulchre Church, and one of the first art historians who
was concerned with this question was Stegensek's pro-
fessor, Strzygowski.7 He indeed not only dealt with the
Byzantine 'Orient', Armenia, Persia and Mesopotamia,
but several times with the Holy Land too.8 In 1899, Strzy-
gowski reviewed the monograph Die Heilige Grabeskirche
zu Jerusalem in ihrem ursprunglichen Zustande, which
had been published a year before by the theologian Carl
Mommert (1840-1910).9 In 1901, Strzygowski's essay on
the newly discovered Orpheus mosaic in Jerusalem ap-
peared.10 In the same year Strzygowski also published his
book Orient oder Rom, with its much-debated hypothesis
on the emergence of early Christian art. Its final chapter is
dedicated to the Constantinian Holy Sepulchre Church.11
Although Strzygowski has recently been the subject
of numerous publications, especially in Central Europe,12
the fundamental importance of his studies on the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre for his theory of an oriental origin
of Christian art has not yet been considered sufficiently.
In the faęade of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Strzy-
gowski saw a confirmation of 'Europe's dependence on
Oriental forms' as well as 'the superior historical value of
material over textual evidence'.13 His argumentation was
mainly concentrated on the south faęade and based upon
7 Strzygowski taught art history in Graz from 1892 to 1909; for his
biography cf. e.g. L. Sorensen, 'Strzygowski, Josef Rudolf Thom-
as', in Dictionary of Art Historians; https://arthistorians.info/
strzygowskij/ (access: 12.02.2024); W. J. Gruber, 'Der Fabrikan-
tensohn Josef Strzygowski (1862-1941) auf dem Weg vom Tuch-
macher zum Kunsthistoriker', Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft fur
vergleichende Kunstforschung in Wien, 74, 2022, no. 3, pp. 1-13.
8 Cf. also A. Zah, 'Josef Strzygowski als Initiator der christlich-
kunsthistorischen Orientforschung und Visionar der Kunst-
wissenschaft', Romische Quartalschrift fur christliche Altertums-
kunde und Kirchengeschichte, 107, 2013, no. 3/4, pp. 249-292.
9 J. Strzygowski, 'Carl Mommert, Die hl. Grabeskirche zu Jeru-
salem in ihrem ursprunglichen Zustand, 1898', Deutsche Litera-
turzeitung, 20, 1899, no. 19, pp. 753-754.
10 J. Strzygowski, P. J. Dashian, 'Das neugefundene Orpheus-Mo-
saik in Jerusalem', Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palastina-Vereins, 24,
1901, pp. 139-171.
11 J. Strzygowski, Orient oder Rom. Beitrdge zur Geschichte der
spatantiken und fruhchristlichen Kunst, Leipzig 1901, pp. 127-150.
12 Cf. e.g. the collected essays published on the occasion of Strzy-
gowski's 150th birthday Von Biala nach Wien. Josef Strzygowski und
die Kunstwissenschaften, eds. P.O. Scholz, M.A. Długosz, Vi-
enna 2015; Orient oder Rom? History and Reception of a Historio-
graphical Myth, eds. I. Foletti, F. Lovino, Rome 2018.
13 S. L. Marchand, 'The Rhetoric of Artifacts and the Decline of
Classical Humanism. The Case of Josef Strzygowski', History and
Theory, 33, 1994, no. 4 (thematic issue: Proof and Persuasion in
History), pp. 106-130, here p. 106.
two inconsistent assumptions. Firstly, he was concerned
with proving that the (probably medieval) cornices of the
faęade are ancient and,14 since they are in situ, that they
have remained from the construction of Constantine.15
Secondly he conceded that the cornices lack everything
that makes the Roman style special'. According to him,
all analogies were offered by Egypt, 'the country in which
Roman art has found less of a permanent home than in
Syria and Asia Minor.'16
Strzygowski's studies on the Church of the Holy Sepul-
chre were comprehensively appreciated in 1908 by the
Byzantinist August Heisenberg (1869-1930), at that time
a private lecturer at the University of Wurzburg, and
then, from 1910, professor of Byzantine studies in Mu-
nich and editor of the Byzantinische Zeitschrift.17 In the
introduction to his first volume on the two Constantin-
ian Churches of the Holy Sepulchre and of the Apostles,
Heisenberg writes that Strzygowski has taken the decisive
step towards solving the reconstruction of the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre. Moreover, he states that the question
'Orient or Rome?' will be decided in line with Strzygows-
ki's position.18 However, a year after its publication, the
art-historical assessment from Vienna was quite different:
Max Dvorak (1874-1921) strongly criticised the book and
denied any relevance to the question posed in the title.19
14 'Ich denke, man wird der Detailaufnahme gegenuber nicht
schwanken konnen: dieses Kranzgesims ist antik. [...] Unser
Kranzgesims ist unzweifelhaft antik, das beweist der tiefe, exakte
Schnitt, besonders der Blattrippen und die dadurch erzielte kraf-
tige Licht- und Schattenwirkung [...]' , J. Strzygowski, Orient
oder Rom, p. 129 (as in note 11).
15 'Ich habe im Vorstehenden zuerst an der Hand von Aufnahmen
nach den Gesimsen der Sudfassade der Grabeskirche gezeigt,
dass dieselben antik und, da sie in situ liegen, offenbar vom Bau
des grossen Konstantin bis auf unsere Tage stehen geblieben sind',
ibidem, p. 147.
16 'Im Gegenteil, es fehlt alles, was den romischen Stil im beson-
deren ausmacht [...] Was die Gesimse der Grabeskirche aus-
zeichnet und anziehend macht, ist gerade der Mangel der stren-
gen romischen Gesetzmassigkeit. [...] Was ich bis jetzt an Analo-
gien nachweisen kann, das bietet Agypten, das Land, in dem ro-
mische Kunst weniger als in Syrien und Kleinasien dauernd Ein-
gang gefunden hat', ibidem, p. 147.
17 On Heisenberg see most recently U. Moennig, 'August Heisen-
berg als (Grundungs-)Vorsitzender der Deutsch-Griechischen
Gesellschaft', in Anekdota Byzantina. Studien zur byzantinischen
Geschichte und Kultur, eds. I. Grimm-Stadelmann et al., Berlin
2023 [=Byzantinisches Archiv, 41], pp. 457-468.
18 Eines aber ist wohl jetzt schon sicher: die groEe Frage "Orient
oder Rom?" wird sich wesentlich im Sinne Strzygowskis ent-
scheiden, A. Heisenberg, Grabeskirche und Apostelkirche, zwei
Basiliken Konstantins. Untersuchungen zur Kunst und Literatur
des ausgehenden Altertums, vol. 1, Leipzig 1908, p. V.
19 'Die summarisch gestellte Frage Orient oder Rom hat keine
thatsachliche und wissenschaftliche Bedeutung [...] ein Apolo-
get des Ostens dieser Zeit lauft Gefahr wie der unsterbliche Held