Exhibition project in Rundetaarn

By Karsten Fledelius

In 324 AD, Emperor Constantine I decided to rebuild the city of Byzantion. It was intended to become a shining new jewel in the empire – on par with Rome, which had been the most important city of the empire for centuries. The new imperial capital, Constantinople, marked the beginning of a unique civilisation which flourished on the border between Europe and Asia for over a thousand years, and still influences us today. 

Constantine permitted his subjects to openly worship the Christian God. He does not appear to have been Christian himself, prior to his conversion in 337 on his deathbed. On the contrary, he had himself portrayed as the sun god on top of a burnt column – one of the works of art the Rundetaarn exhibition is based on.

Byzantium experienced a golden age over the next 1000 years which has made its mark on art and architecture, as well as other sciences such as theology, public administration, and law. However, the great wealth also led to revolt and war, and the Great Schism in 1054, which left a definitive breach between the Eastern and Western Roman Church, marked the beginning of the end of the Christian Byzantine empire. Constantinople was conquered by crusaders in 1204, and although the Byzantine emperors recaptured the city for a short period of time, it fell to the ottoman sultan, Mehmet II, in 1453.

The history of the city is therefore an account of the best and worst elements in the history of Christendom. This may be why Byzantium has preoccupied experts and specialists for so many years. The aim of the exhibition is for everyday people with no special historical knowledge to gain insight into a culture which is also part of our past, and which still influences us today in many ways.

Politics and sensuality

Byzantium represents beauty and sensuality. This exhibition therefore plays on all the senses. At the centre stands a model Byzantine church, with listening posts where you can hear Byzantine music and experience the atmosphere of the great cathedrals. The centre of the exhibition also features a unique treasure – ‘Ørnetæppet’ is the silk cloth Canute the Holy was wrapped in during his canonisation in Odense in 1101. Investigations have confirmed that it is a Byzantine work, acquired by King Erik Ejegod.

King Canute was not exceptionally pious, and his canonisation was purely due to domestic politics. Erik Ejegod, who became king a few years later, took advantage of the famine that ravaged Denmark in the years following Canute's death while his brother Oluf reigned. This was interpreted as divine anger in response to the murder of the king. By ensuring Canute was canonised, Erik was able to present himself as the person who could re-establish righteousness in line with God’s will.

Pope Paschalis II gave permission for Canute to be publicly revered, and the dead king was enshrined (carefully wrapped in soft Byzantine silk) during a ceremony in the year 1100. It may not have been a chance piece of material from a market which was selected to shield the saint’s earthly remains. Erik Ejegod visited Emperor Alexios Komnenos in Constantinople on his pilgrimage a few years later. This tells us that Constantinople at that time represented a significant power, which the Danish king made an effort to be in good standing with.

Byzantium in Denmark

In addition to the central church model, the exhibition has display cases containing Byzantine and Byzantine-inspired items from public and private Danish collections. Some of these items have never been exhibited before, making the exhibition a unique opportunity to gain insight into the culture of the empire and the influences which flowed from Byzantium out into the entire known world.

This influence is clearly seen, even in Denmark, in building design and fortification architecture. Byzantine church architecture, based on the shape of the Greek Cross, can be studied in churches, with Kalundborg church being a prime example.  The church was commissioned by Esbern Snare, who led the Danish crusaders who went to Jerusalem to free the city from the heathen in 1192 – a period of time many people are familiar with from Jan Guillou’s books about Arn. Unfortunately, Esbern and the other Danish knights came too late, arriving just as the crusade ended. Esbern was one of the lucky ones who made it home alive after his many adventures, and he brought back inspiration from the orthodox church architecture.

Byzantine art also found its way to other countries in all areas. We can see the influence of Byzantium in music and mosaics, and even contemporary Danish artists continue to be inspired by this old civilisation.  Peter Brandes is one of the current Danish artists who draws inspiration from both the theology and narratives from Byzantium, and he presents his own works in connection with the exhibition.

Public interest

There has been great interest in Byzantine civilisation in recent years. For example, there were major exhibitions in Germany in 2002 and 2004, and a very ambitious exhibition was also recently held at the Royal Academy in London (25 October 2008 -22 March 2009). The exhibition, entitled ’Byzantium 330-1453 ’, was very popular, and revealed great interest in Byzantium. This was also reflected in the Danish media, which carried several detailed articles on the exhibition in London.

A book entitled, ”Arven fra Byzans” (The legacy of Byzantium), written by members of the Danish National Committee for Byzantine Studies and other researchers, and edited by Professor Øystein Hjort, is expected to be released in February in connection with the exhibition. It is being published by SFINX (Aarhus).