The Battle for Souls

Archduke Ferdinand (1578–1637), Regent of Inner Austria, sees himself as the staunch champion of the Catholic faith. Under the influence of his combative mother and Jesuit teachers, the fight against “heresy” becomes his life’s mission. His Biblical motto shows the side he sees himself on: Legitime certantibus – to those who fight justly goes the crown.

In this programmatic picture of the court painter, the Protestant opponent becomes the epitome of evil. Whoever fights him is deemed a celestial conqueror of the devil. As a result, Ferdinand appears in the pose of the Archangel Michael. The inferior loser is no longer Satan, but the “false doctrine”, an ugly, old heresy unmasked by time and truth. Secular motifs from pagan antiquity are employed to illustrate the role of the Christian triumphator: Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom, stands on the side of the winner.

Ferdinand is elected Holy Roman emperor in 1619. His government is completely dedicated to advancing the counter-reformation, which he now tries to enforce throughout the empire. The result is a Thirty Years’ War that leaves his empire devastated.

The round-arched painting originally came from a side altar of the monastery church of the Poor Clares in Graz. It was part of a massive propaganda campaign in which artists were also commissioned by the inner Austrian court to help spread Catholic beliefs throughout the country.

Teodoro Ghisi’s picture is a painted catechism. Content is illustrated in vivid form as on a panel for instruction in the faith – catechesis. The believer should understand the confession of faith, sentence by sentence, by viewing and deciphering a series of images. True to the account of the Creation, the confession of faith begins by naming God the Creator of the World:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

     The Annunciation

and born of the Virgin Mary.

     The Birth of Christ

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

     The Lamentation of Christ

He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead.

     Christ in limbo

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father

     The Adoration of God the Father and God the Son by the apostles

from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

     The Day of Judgment

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

     The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the solemn foundation of the Church

the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, of goods

     The early Christian community 

the forgiveness of sins

     Peter’s Call to Repentance in the Temple

the resurrection of the body

     The Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel

and life everlasting. Amen.

     The Coronation of the Virgin Mary and the communion of saint.

Archduchess Maria has a new court chapel built in the former west wing of Graz Castle, which is no longer extant today. Only remnants of the sumptuous furnishings have been preserved. The altarpiece is by the Venetian Giulio Licinio. It depicts a typical Upper Italian theme: Christ taken down from the cross is lamented by angels. Immersion into the Saviour’s suffering is a great concern of the times. Compassion helps the faithful overcome the distance created through the fear of God. The contemplation of Christ’s suffering leads to a connection with God.

The choice of this altarpiece shows that Archduchess Maria also regards herself as a sufferer in the following of Christ. The sacrificed Son of God also stands for the sacrament of the Eucharist, a central dogma of the Catholic Church.