Astral Symbolism on the Pre-Romanesque Relief in Keutschach (Hodiše)

The author attempts to prove that the pre-Romanesque relief on the facade of the parish church of St George in Keutschach (Hodiše) in Austrian Carinthia is a depiction of the Orion constellation. He justifies his theory with historical and art-historical facts. The main emphasis is laid on the fact that traces of late Classical astral mythologisation and deification are also recognisable in the Slovenian folk tradition. The relief, which is carved into a damaged plate of white limestone of irregular dimensions (124 x 70 cm) and inserted into the southern facade of the parish church of St George in Keutschach (Hodiše) in Austrian Carinthia, has long awaited a convincing expert interpretation.1 The relief depicts a mysterious anthropomorphic being with a halo, with a cross in place of the head and arms raised. Dr Emilijan Cevc, member of the Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts, writes that this “seemingly mediocre though highly significant art monument […] at least to a certain extent sheds light on spiritual life in the earliest stages of Slovenian history […]”.2 Dr Vlado Nartnik, who drew a comparison between the Slovenian folk tradition and astronomical premises, was the first to indicate a connection between the Keutschach relief and the Orion constellation.3 I agree with both authors that the Keutschach relief has a symbolic, spiritual, mythological or religious meaning. Starting from different directions, they both drew close to the truth. But Cevc did not grasp the true content of the image since he was convinced that it depicted Christ in prayer, while Nartnik failed to give a more detailed explanation as to why Orion had been so important that the artist depicted it on a rock. My argument is based on three foundations: the context of the historical period and the geographical area; the interpretation of iconographic components; and certain ethnological parallels.

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