Archaism, Imitation, Provincialism? Notes on the Murals of Kosztolány / Kostoľany pod Tribečom

The murals of the village church in Kosztolány (Kostoľany pod Tribečom, Slovakia) are among the earliest preserved fresco cycles of medieval Hungary. Because of its state of preservation and rudimentary character, the cycle cannot be dated on the basis of stylistic analysis. The church itself is dated between the ninth and the eleventh century. The analyzed murals belong to the first layer. The iconography of the Infancy cycle is surprisingly archaic, including Early Christian elements. This has been explained as intentional archaism following the same trend in Venice in the early thirteenth century or as an imitation of important local prototypes - miniatures, perhaps, or the decoration of the monastery of Zobor and the cathedral of Nyitra (Nitra), both in Slovakia and both now lost. This type of Infancy cycle was popular in the region of Rome from the late eleventh century to the thirteenth century in the context of the ecclesiastical reform movement, which was also influential in Hungary during the rule of King Coloman the Learned (1095-1116).