ÖZKD LXXVII Heft 2, pp. 57-63, 2024/04/23
Der Linzer Mariendom
One hundred years after its completion in 1924, the Mariendom is being remembered once again. As a virgin and a mother, the cathedral’s namesake Mary was stylised into a model figure and served as an example for women, who witnessed the construction of this cathedral but have received scant attention to date. Mary remains a key figure in the Christian faith to this day. Her almost unparalleled image is used as a projection for adhering to a social order based on a binary construction of gender; but at the same time, she serves as an inspirational figure that touches upon the symbolic order of established power relations. It is down to each generation to renegotiate what Mary tells us and shows us about society and women today. A contemporary art project zeros in on the images of women in the Mariendom, opening up a Marian realm of possibility in the process; as a space for critical aesthetic discussion, the project addresses topical questions of gender equality in art, the Church and society.
