Holy women in Orthodox art
Debates about the position of women in society have been going on for decades and have become more topical than ever in recent years in the wake of gender discourse and the #MeToo movement. The exhibition is the first icon exhibition to focus on the depiction of holy women in Orthodox icon painting and aims to make a contribution to shedding light on the perception and depiction of women in other cultures and to trace their historical development.
Almost seventy exhibits from the three partner museums and from private lenders illustrate the broad spectrum of female sanctity. In addition to martyrs, hermits and nuns, there were also power-conscious female rulers who were venerated as saints. The Christian image of women was particularly shaped by Eve and Mary. We would like to tell our audience the exciting stories of these women and ask what they tell us about the power relations between the sexes and the emergence and transmission of formative ideas of femininity.
November 12, 2023 to March 17, 2024
