Dóra MÉRAI

Academic Year:
2012/2013

Field of Study:
Medieval Studies
Art History
Archaeology

Research Program:
NEC International

Affiliation:
Central European University, Budapest

Position:
PhD Candidate

Country:
Hungary

Research project: Funeral Monuments from the Transylvanian Principality in the Face of the Reformation

After the Ottoman conquest of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom in the mid-16th century, when Transylvania became an independent political entity, religious ideas were also transformed: Protestant Reformation reached Transylvania, and different denominations were embraced by various layers of the society. Reformation brought significant changes all
over Europe in how the function of funeral monuments was seen, which impacted their appearance too. The aim of this paper is to analyze how religious ideas changing with the Protestant Reformation in 16th-17th century Transylvania influenced the commemoration of the dead as it is reflected by the production of funeral monuments.

A full-length study is available here.