For Fuchs, Fantastic Realism wasn't merely an artistic movement; it was a mystical practice. He believed art needed a "cult." He created an aesthetic theology where the subconscious, the sacred, and the mythological become one reality. 👁️📖
The exterior of the museum is just as theological. Take the "Nymphaeum Omega" in the garden. Here, Fuchs practices visual syncretism: combining the classical pagan water shrine (Nymphaeum) with the apocalyptic Christian symbol (Omega), using water as the ultimate symbol of spiritual rebirth. 💧🌿
Look closely at his iconography. Fuchs doesn’t just illustrate religious scenes; he paints visionary, ecstatic states. Using the meticulous techniques of Renaissance masters, he depicts apocalyptic visions, cherubim, and the complex union of divine ecstasy and human flesh.
Fuchs’s religious background deeply shaped his vision. Born to a Jewish father and a Christian mother, he survived WWII and later converted to Catholicism. His canvas became a theological laboratory, seamlessly blending Old Testament narratives with esoteric and alchemical traditions. 🕎✝️✨
As a historian of religions, walking into the Ernst Fuchs Museum in Vienna isn't just an art tour—it’s entering a modern syncretic sanctuary. 🏛️👁️
Let’s explore how the co-founder of Fantastic Realism merged Christian mysticism, Kabbalah, and esoteric myth into his art. A thread 🧵👇
📥 The table of contents and the Introduction are available to consult and download for free.
All the information can be found here:
shop.kohlhammer.de/relational-a...
I am thrilled to announce that my new monograph, 'Relational Atheism: Studying Unbelief in Ancient Greece' (Kohlhammer), is officially OUT! 🏛️📖
👇 The official publisher flyer is attached below.
It is a powerful reminder of how religion uses the material—architecture, jewels, and even bones—to bridge the gap between the mundane and the transcendent. The church becomes a vessel where the past and the sacred are physically present and lavishly adorned.
What fascinates me is their presentation. They are fully dressed in silk and gold. In the post-Reformation era, these bodies from Roman catacombs were "re-sacralized" to give the faithful a tangible, glorious link to the early martyrs. It was also a powerful 'memento mori'.
© Lilla Alida Kristóf
But look closer at the side altars. You’ll find something both macabre and beautiful: the complete skeletons of St. Benedict and St. Donatus. They are not just remains; they are "Catacomb Saints" brought from Rome in the 18th century. 💀💎
The dome is the first thing that hits you. Johann Michael Rottmayr’s fresco (1714) isn't just art; it’s a theological statement. Through light and perspective, the architecture literally opens up to "heaven." A perfect example of the Baroque 'theatrum sacrum'.
Yesterday, I passed by the Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) in Vienna (Austria). To the casual tourist, it’s a Baroque gem. To a religious scholar, it’s a masterclass in the construction of sacred space. 🏛️✨ #AcademicSky #ReligiousStudies 👇🧵
🔴NEW PUBLICATION🔴
"Becoming Non-Religious: Exploring the Emotional Experiences of Apostasy and Refugee Status Determination" by Lucy Elizabeth Potter.
Read the Open Access paper here:
🔗 secularismandnonreligion.org/articles/10....
#NonReligion #RefugeeStudies #HumanRights #Sociology #AcademicSky
Findings from new study by Cragun, Rodriguez, Smith & Speed (2026) "suggest that the nonreligious are not inherently less likely to give than the religious, and that secularization in the United States has not led to a decline in charitable giving." secularismandnonreligion.org/articles/10....
Muchas gracias, Paco!
So happy to share that the Table of Contents and the Introduction of my forthcoming book "Relational Atheism: Studying Unbelief in Ancient Greece" (Kohlhammer 2026) are now available online! 🏛️📖
You can download them here: shop.kohlhammer.de/relational-a...
#Classics #AcademicSky #ReligiousStudies
📢 Call for Papers: Proyect OMICRON
We are inviting submissions for the upcoming conference: "Obsolescent. Managing Divine Inefficiency, Coping with Ritual Oblivion and Negligence."
📅 Dates:
Madrid (Spain): Nov 4–6, 2026
#HistoryOfReligions #CfP #AcademicSky #ClassicsBlueSky #AncientBlueSky
Bueno, ha llegado el momento. Siempre nos lamentamos cuando se pierde patrimonio. Ahora podemos salvarlo. Podemos contribuir a que se cuide, se investigue, se proteja. Es el momento de salvar una ciudad romana.
Si no puedes donar, comparte, muévelo...
www.crowdants.com/hispania-nos...
I am thrilled to share my latest publication in MHNH.
"Detraditionalization, Unbelief and Theological Struggle in On the Sacred Disease."
I propose a new interpretation in Spanish of this wonderful Hippocratic text.
🔗 doi.org/10.24310/mhn...
#AncientBlueSky #ClassicsBlueSky #BlueSkyClassics
🎉 Very happy to share that my project HIEROTOPOI has been funded by the @fwf-at.bsky.social (Austrian Science Fund).
We’ll explore how religion shaped natural landscapes in the Greco-Roman world – and what that can mean for today’s ecological debates. 🌿
Info: www.fwf.ac.at/en/research-...
The catalogue page for my forthcoming book "Relational Atheism. Studying Unbelief in Ancient Greece" is now online at Kohlhammer.
Out in spring 2026 in the “Religionswissenschaft heute” series. More soon on relational approaches to ancient unbelief:
shop.kohlhammer.de/relational-a...
I had the opportunity to visit Dodona for the first time... such an inspiring place.
#AncientGreece #oracle #ancientreligion
The programme ⬇️⬇️
Heading to beautiful Ioannina for this amazing conference ✈️✨🏛️
🔴 NEW PUBLICATION 🔴
"Measuring Nonreligion as Absence: Testing Various Approaches" by R. T. Cragun, H. H. Rabbia, S. Skålvoll Urstad and P. Beyer
The paper examines different “absence measures” scholars use to classify individuals as religious/nonreligious
🔗 Read it (Open): doi.org/10.5334/snr....
📢El 28 de septiembre salimos a las calles en Madrid, Barcelona y València para pedir que se cumpla el #PactoXLaCiencia @investigal.bsky.social @fpuinvestiga.bsky.social
🔴 NEW PUBLICATION 🔴
“Discussing the Secular in Intimate Relationships” by Lieke L. Schrijvers
How do Christian–nonreligious couples in the Netherlands navigate belief differences? Science, ethics & everyday negotiation take center stage.
🔗 Link: doi.org/10.5334/snr....
🧛🏰 He traducido para @elsaltodiario.com este ensayo de @yashalevine.bsky.social sobre el impacto político de las redes sociales: "Desde el ciudadano común al capitalista más poderoso, todos vivimos en ellas, nos moldean y nos afectan." www.elsaltodiario.com/opinion/todo...
Este viernes se celebran en la BOKU University las jornadas "Errare humanum est" organizadas por la Asociación de Científicos Españoles en la República de Austria (ACERA).
Info:
✨ 130 years Austrian Ephesos Excavations:
On 20 May 1895, the archaeologist O. Benndorf started an excavation in the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, on behalf of the Austrian Emperor. With kind permission of Türkiye archaeological work has continued for 130 years.
