Periodic Reporting for period 5 - RICONTRANS (Visual Culture, Piety and Propaganda: Transfer and Reception of Russian Religious Art in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean (16th to early 20th Century))
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-11-01 al 2025-10-31
The RICONTRANS project studied the Russian religious artefacts held in museums, church or monastery collections in the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean. These piety objects come incessantly to the region for a long period of time through official gifts (acts of personal devotion of the tsars, offerings sent by the Russian State and Church authorities, objects acquired through officially sanctioned alms collection missions) or as unofficial and private donations, as well as by pilgrimage and trade.
Applying a cultural transfer approach, the project mapped the phenomenon of the dissemination of Russian religious art across its longue durée by identifying preserved artefacts in the region, tracing the routes and mechanisms of their transfer, and analysing the dynamics and driving forces—religious, political, and ideological—that shaped this process across different historical phases.
Particular emphasis was placed on the study and classification of these objects according to their iconographic and artistic characteristics, as well as on the investigation of the aesthetic, ideological, political, and social contexts that informed their reception in diverse cultural and religious environments. The project further examined the impact of these artefacts on the visual culture of the host societies.
The research combined extensive archival and bibliographical investigation in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and Russia. Additionally, field research was conducted in locations selected for their historical relevance to the political, ideological, and artistic dimensions of the transfer of Russian religious art. These locations included major monastic centres, important urban environments, regions formerly under Russian control, areas with strong commercial connections to Russia, and zones characterized by confessional diversity.
The data collected through these missions was systematically integrated into an open-access database, designed to support the reconstruction of the spatial and temporal dynamics of the phenomenon and to enable the creation of a comprehensive map of Russian religious art in the Balkans.
The project was led by the Institute for Mediterranean Studies / FORTH (Rethymno) in collaboration with the Benaki Museum (Athens), the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade, and the National Museum of the Union in Alba Iulia, together with a network of independent researchers based in Bulgaria, Greece, and France. This collaborative framework supported a cross-border effort to document and analyse the transfer and reception of Russian religious art in Southeastern Europe.
By bringing to light previously unknown or neglected artefacts, the project contributed not only to scholarly research but also to the protection and preservation of cultural heritage. It raised public awareness, engaged cultural institutions and state authorities, and supported efforts to counter the illicit circulation of cultural objects.
Through these actions, the RICONTRANS project enhanced both academic knowledge and societal impact, fostering heritage awareness, supporting preservation policies, and contributing to the safeguarding of a significant yet understudied corpus of cultural heritage.
Applying a cultural transfer approach, the project mapped the phenomenon of the dissemination of Russian religious art across its longue durée by identifying preserved artefacts in the region, tracing the routes and mechanisms of their transfer, and analysing the dynamics and driving forces—religious, political, and ideological—that shaped this process across different historical phases.
Particular emphasis was placed on the study and classification of these objects according to their iconographic and artistic characteristics, as well as on the investigation of the aesthetic, ideological, political, and social contexts that informed their reception in diverse cultural and religious environments. The project further examined the impact of these artefacts on the visual culture of the host societies.
The research combined extensive archival and bibliographical investigation in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and Russia. Additionally, field research was conducted in locations selected for their historical relevance to the political, ideological, and artistic dimensions of the transfer of Russian religious art. These locations included major monastic centres, important urban environments, regions formerly under Russian control, areas with strong commercial connections to Russia, and zones characterized by confessional diversity.
The data collected through these missions was systematically integrated into an open-access database, designed to support the reconstruction of the spatial and temporal dynamics of the phenomenon and to enable the creation of a comprehensive map of Russian religious art in the Balkans.
The project was led by the Institute for Mediterranean Studies / FORTH (Rethymno) in collaboration with the Benaki Museum (Athens), the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade, and the National Museum of the Union in Alba Iulia, together with a network of independent researchers based in Bulgaria, Greece, and France. This collaborative framework supported a cross-border effort to document and analyse the transfer and reception of Russian religious art in Southeastern Europe.
By bringing to light previously unknown or neglected artefacts, the project contributed not only to scholarly research but also to the protection and preservation of cultural heritage. It raised public awareness, engaged cultural institutions and state authorities, and supported efforts to counter the illicit circulation of cultural objects.
Through these actions, the RICONTRANS project enhanced both academic knowledge and societal impact, fostering heritage awareness, supporting preservation policies, and contributing to the safeguarding of a significant yet understudied corpus of cultural heritage.
The project team in Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania conducted approximately 45 field research missions. These resulted in the collection, documentation and photographic recording of an important body of written sources and previously unrecorded works of art, including icons, metalwork, bone carvings and paper icons and prints produced in Russian workshops from the late 16th to the early 20th century.
All collected material, together with the associated bibliography, were integrated into the RICONTRANS digital research infrastructure, comprising the SYNTHESIS Database, the Thesaurus, and the Data Access Portal. Designed as an interoperable and sustainable research environment, this infrastructure enables the classification, and long-term preservation of complex cultural data.
5 project workshops (Rethymno 2019, Belgrade 2021, Alba Iulia 2023, Athens 2023 and 2024), 2 training seminars (Athens 2020, 2022), 1 international student conference (Athens 2022) and 1 concluding conference (Rethymno 2025) were organized, where team members met to present and discuss their research, while also training younger scholars on Russian icon painting and iconography.
The team members had more than 70 participations in international conferences and workshops and published 35 scientific articles, 2 monographs, 4 collective volumes, and 2 exhibition catalogues (which can be found in the RICONTRANS open access repository (https://dspace.ims.forth.gr/handle/123456789/10(si apre in una nuova finestra)) a record that reflects the systematic study of Russian artefacts and written sources and the significant results of the research. The PI’s monograph on the subject is submitted in a final draft form as well as the beneficiary’s icons’ collection catalogue.
Similarly, dissemination and outreach to non-academic audiences were carried out through the project website, 3 exhibitions of icons in Romania and Greece, and 2 photographic exhibitions of Russian icons in Serbia and Greece
All collected material, together with the associated bibliography, were integrated into the RICONTRANS digital research infrastructure, comprising the SYNTHESIS Database, the Thesaurus, and the Data Access Portal. Designed as an interoperable and sustainable research environment, this infrastructure enables the classification, and long-term preservation of complex cultural data.
5 project workshops (Rethymno 2019, Belgrade 2021, Alba Iulia 2023, Athens 2023 and 2024), 2 training seminars (Athens 2020, 2022), 1 international student conference (Athens 2022) and 1 concluding conference (Rethymno 2025) were organized, where team members met to present and discuss their research, while also training younger scholars on Russian icon painting and iconography.
The team members had more than 70 participations in international conferences and workshops and published 35 scientific articles, 2 monographs, 4 collective volumes, and 2 exhibition catalogues (which can be found in the RICONTRANS open access repository (https://dspace.ims.forth.gr/handle/123456789/10(si apre in una nuova finestra)) a record that reflects the systematic study of Russian artefacts and written sources and the significant results of the research. The PI’s monograph on the subject is submitted in a final draft form as well as the beneficiary’s icons’ collection catalogue.
Similarly, dissemination and outreach to non-academic audiences were carried out through the project website, 3 exhibitions of icons in Romania and Greece, and 2 photographic exhibitions of Russian icons in Serbia and Greece
The team’s research demonstrates that the continuous transfer of religious artefacts from Muscovy and the artistic workshops and monastic centres of the Russian Empire to the Balkans constitutes a remarkable case of intercultural exchange and mobility across regions. Moreover, it highlights the instrumentalization of religious art by church and state institutions in shaping and mediating political, cultural, and ideological influence. A central finding of this research is that Russian cultural impact was conveyed not only through the physical circulation of objects (icons, liturgical utensils etc.), but also through the transmission of iconographic models, artistic techniques, and professional skills. This artistic knowledge was further disseminated through the education of monks and artists from the Balkans in Russian monastic workshops and Fine Art academies.
By analyzing both textual evidence and material artefacts, the research team reconstructed the routes through which Russian religious art was transferred to the Balkans, identifying the agents, mechanisms, and motivations that shaped this process across different historical periods. Examining the mobility of objects alongside processes of artistic transmission and local recontextualization, the project’s publications demonstrate that the transfer and reception of these artefacts constituted a key component of the broader cultural processes that transformed Balkan artistic language and visual culture, facilitating the transition from medieval to modern idioms.
In the digital humanities field, the RICONTRANS team will continue the compilation of Synthesis and editing of the Thesaurus. The result will be a rich corpus of data related to the transfer and reception of Russian religious art in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean as well as a digital map of Russian religious art in the Balkans. The digital tools of the project will also provide large-scale documentation related to relations between Russia and the region of South-Eastern Europe but also concerning the history of Early modern and Modern Christian art in general.
For the research necessities of the RICONTRANS project a 3-step digital structure was developed, consisting of the SYNTHESIS Database, the Thesaurus and the RICONTRANS Data Access Portal. The SYNTHESIS Database brings together a rich collection of artifact records and related primary and secondary sources collected in Greece, West Balkans, Bulgaria, and Romania. The database includes over 4000 entries on Russian religious artifacts identified throughout these regions, along with about 4300 records tracing their transfer histories. Each object is documented from two perspectives, as a material artifact and as a historical source. This rich documentation offers valuable insights into the geography, scale, and dynamics of artifact transfers. It supports the mapping of Russian religious art in Southeastern Europe and helps reconstruct its spatial and temporal trajectories. The RICONTRANS Thesaurus is an essential tool providing standardized English terminology for Russian icon painting and iconographic subjects, facilitating consistent documentation and comparative research. It enhances accessibility of the SYNTHESIS Database and supports cross-cultural scholarship. Finally, the RICONTRANS Data Access Portal, based on FORTH’s Synthesis System, provides open access to representative selection of records and detailed documentation on icons and other religious art objects that were brought from Russia to the Balkans between the 16th and 20th centuries. The portal also provides information on the transfer history of these objects, along with related written sources and bibliographic references.
By analyzing both textual evidence and material artefacts, the research team reconstructed the routes through which Russian religious art was transferred to the Balkans, identifying the agents, mechanisms, and motivations that shaped this process across different historical periods. Examining the mobility of objects alongside processes of artistic transmission and local recontextualization, the project’s publications demonstrate that the transfer and reception of these artefacts constituted a key component of the broader cultural processes that transformed Balkan artistic language and visual culture, facilitating the transition from medieval to modern idioms.
In the digital humanities field, the RICONTRANS team will continue the compilation of Synthesis and editing of the Thesaurus. The result will be a rich corpus of data related to the transfer and reception of Russian religious art in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean as well as a digital map of Russian religious art in the Balkans. The digital tools of the project will also provide large-scale documentation related to relations between Russia and the region of South-Eastern Europe but also concerning the history of Early modern and Modern Christian art in general.
For the research necessities of the RICONTRANS project a 3-step digital structure was developed, consisting of the SYNTHESIS Database, the Thesaurus and the RICONTRANS Data Access Portal. The SYNTHESIS Database brings together a rich collection of artifact records and related primary and secondary sources collected in Greece, West Balkans, Bulgaria, and Romania. The database includes over 4000 entries on Russian religious artifacts identified throughout these regions, along with about 4300 records tracing their transfer histories. Each object is documented from two perspectives, as a material artifact and as a historical source. This rich documentation offers valuable insights into the geography, scale, and dynamics of artifact transfers. It supports the mapping of Russian religious art in Southeastern Europe and helps reconstruct its spatial and temporal trajectories. The RICONTRANS Thesaurus is an essential tool providing standardized English terminology for Russian icon painting and iconographic subjects, facilitating consistent documentation and comparative research. It enhances accessibility of the SYNTHESIS Database and supports cross-cultural scholarship. Finally, the RICONTRANS Data Access Portal, based on FORTH’s Synthesis System, provides open access to representative selection of records and detailed documentation on icons and other religious art objects that were brought from Russia to the Balkans between the 16th and 20th centuries. The portal also provides information on the transfer history of these objects, along with related written sources and bibliographic references.