Islamic art ‘at heart’ of medieval Christianity

Medieval churches may have used Islamic tents to conceal a sacred area where prayers, communion, weddings and other rituals took place, according to a study of a 13th-century fresco painting discovered in a church in Italy.

Researchers say the painting in the town of Ferrara almost certainly depicts a real tent, which was brightly coloured and covered in jewels and used to hide the altar when not in use.

It is believed the real tent was at one time probably present in the church – brackets and nails have been found which could have been used to hang it in the area where the fresco was painted, known as the apse, which is a high semi-circular dome bay which houses the altar.

Experts think it may either have been a gift from a Muslim leader; a trophy seized from the battlefield; or even a present from Pope Innocent IV – who donated several precious textiles to the Benedictine convent church of S. Antonio in Polesine, Ferrara, where the fresco was painted.

The 700-year-old fresco is thought to be the only surviving image of its kind, offering evidence of a little-known, but possibly common, Christian practice.

Cambridge University historian Dr Federica Gigante first came across the fresco early in her career more than a decade ago in her hometown. And although she suspected it was of an Islamic tent at the time, she quickly dismissed the idea, returning to it years later with more experience, by which point she was convinced by what she had found.

“I presented it at a few conferences thinking this will be the perfect venue. Someone will certainly raise their hand and say I have seen something similar,” she told The National.

“That didn’t happen, so I got to a point where I thought I haven’t found any examples yet, even though I have been looking for them for 10 years, if not more.”

But that does not mean that it was the only one, she said. Dr Gigante thinks the practice might actually have been quite common.

“I’m saying that for two reasons, in terms of the textiles, it is organic and would probably have been gone by now,” she said. “The only circumstances in which Islamic textiles in churches survived was when they were wrapping relics. And there are plenty of fragments in museums because these were originally used to wrap the bone of a saint. And by definition they would have been in airtight containers and untouched for centuries.”

Islamic fabrics were also used during the period in Italy in burials, to cover the bodies of important people, she said. “Kings and nobles would be buried in these textiles because they were beautiful and precious,” she added.

The structure, design and colour scheme of the painted tent closely resemble the few surviving illustrations of Andalusi tents, including in the 13th-century manuscript, the Cantigas de Santa Maria. They also match one of the few potential surviving Andalusi tent fragments, the ‘Fermo chasuble’, which is said to have belonged to St Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.

A band with Arabic-like inscriptions runs along the edge of the top and bottom border. The textile also features white contours to emphasise contrasting colours reflecting a trend in 13th-century Andalusi silk design.

Other elements include the fresco’s painted “fabric”, which features blue eight-pointed star motifs and parts originally painted in gold leaf, exactly like the golden fabrics used for valuable Islamic tents. The jewels depicted in the fresco are also similar to a rare surviving jewelled textile made by Arab craftsmen, the mantle of the Norman King Roger II of Sicily (1095–1154), which was embroidered with gold and applied with pearls, gemstones and cloisonné enamel.

“The artist put a lot of effort into making the textile appear lifelike,” said Dr Gigante.