Skulpture Marije Pobjednice u gradovima tvrđavama na jugoistočnoj granici Habsburške Monarhije
Authors: Zajec Vlasta 
Published: April 2024

The paper analyses statues of Mary the Victorious (Maria victrix, Santa Maria de Victoria, Marija Zmagovalka, Maria vom Siege, Gyözedelmes Immaculata) in the fortified cities at the south-eastern frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy, highlighting some previously unidentified examples of this iconographic type in Petrovaradin and Alba Iulia. These cities were part of a comprehensive fortification system conceived by Eugene of Savoy following Habsburg victories over the Ottomans under his leadership. The paper examines comparative graphic, painterly, and sculptural works that may have influenced the authors of these sculptures. Notably, two altarpieces by Carlo Maratta (1625–1713), executed in the 1660s for the Franciscan church of S. Isidoro Agricola in Rome and the church of S. Agostino in Siena, emerge as highly influential in this context, with numerous artworks modelled upon them. The iconographic type of Mary the Victorious depicts the joint triumph of the Virgin Mary and her Child over Evil, with Christ piercing the personification of evil at their feet with a cross-shaped spear. This paper associates this specific iconographic choice with the origin of these artworks near the Habsburg-Ottoman frontier, interpreting it as an expression of Catholic and Habsburg triumphal rhetoric and propaganda. Some examples suggest probable Jesuit influence, as they were among the primary promoters of this iconographic type. In Osijek, a city of exceptional strategic importance on the south-eastern Habsburg-Ottoman frontier, the iconographic type of Mary the Victorious is represented by two examples. The earlier, more elaborate one, tentatively dated to the 1730s, originally adorned the city gate of Osijek’s fortress Tvrđa. In 1784, together with three other statues, it was placed on the outer perimeter of the Holy Trinity monument in the centre of Tvrđa. The second Osijek example is located in the Lower Town and dated by an inscription to 1757, when it was erected as a votive statue against the plague. Two public statues of Mary the Victorious are located in Petrovaradin, the second most important fortress on the south-eastern frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy. Unlike those from Osijek, the Petrovaradin statues are not free-standing, but inserted into the façade niches of public buildings in the suburbs of the Petrovaradin fortress. The polychromous wooden statue on the building of the Šajkaš Battalion stands out for its quality, with stylistic features pointing to the early decades of the 18th century. The second statue is located in the niche of the nearby Bridge Toll Office building. It is argued that the Jesuits or the Franciscans may have selected this iconographic type, as they were the key promoters of Mary the Victorious. The statues were probably commissioned to commemorate Mary’s role in the Christian victory over the Ottomans near Petrovaradin in 1716, as their locations suggest. Mary’s role as the saintly protector against the plague, which struck the area in 1738, should also be considered. In Alba Iulia, which was the easternmost point of Eugene’s chain of fortified cities, Mary the Victorious is the central statue on the side altar in the cathedral of St Michael, constructed around 1754. In conclusion, the paper presents two examples of sculptural and painterly depictions of Mary the Victorious in the wider frontier area (Požega, Valpovo), commissioned by the Jesuits or members of the Habsburg elite, since due to specific political circumstances, they emerge as key patrons of significant artworks in this region.