Bíró Szilvia - Székely Zoltán: Arrabona - Múzeumi Közlemények 49/2. (Győr, 2011)
Tanulmányok - Szilárdfy Zoltán: A magyaróvári Ispota Szent Rozália kápolnájának oltárképe a barokk Bécs segítő szentjeit bemutató festmény fényénél
-ARRABONA 2011. 49/2. TANULMÁNYOK THE ALTARPIECE OF THE ST. ROSALIE CHAPEL OF THE HOSPITAL OF MAGYARÓVÁR IN THE LIGHT OF A PAINTING REPRESENTING THE SAINTS OF THE BAROQUE VIENNA The St. Rosalie Chapel is situated in the Magyaróvár district of Mosonmagyaróvár town and used to belong to a hospital established in 1695. Its good quality altarpiece represents the Holy Virgin praying to her Son who punishes the town with fire and plague. The first authentic veduta of the Magyaróvár town can be seen under the oil painting. On the left side of the painting the two great saints of the fire: St. Florian martyr and St. Lawrence martyr deacon, on the right side three plague-protector saints: St. Sebastian, St. Rosalie of Palermo and the pilgrim Saint Roch can be seen. Under the saints the victims of the plague are represented. Beside its local historical significance the altarpiece is an important relic of the iconography and the religious cult history. A special composition, which has recently appeared at an auction in Hungary, reflects the intervention of the Viennese helping saint at the Holy Trinity, although its artistic quality is inferior to that of the Magyaróvár altarpiece. In the right upper corner of the painting Father God is sitting with the Globe on his left knee and the Holy Spirit hovering over him in the form of a dove. With his right hand he is pointing to the central big cross which is the representation of the medieval carved wood cross having been transported from Nagyszeben (Romanian Sibiu) to the Trinitarian Church of Vienna, from the stem of which a golden wheat ear springs miraculously. Under Jesus’ right arm Virgin Mary is pointing to her motherly bosom, with St. Joseph of Nazareth, the elected protector of Vienna on her side. Between the Virgin and her betrothed St. Barbara, while at Christ’s left arm St. John of Nepomuk the most popular “modern” saint of the Habsburg Empire can be seen. St. Francis of Assisi is looking at and praying to Jesus referring to his wounds. At his knees St. Francis of Xaver is looking at Gonzaga St. Aloysius who was a relative of Empress Eleanor. Kneeling backwards in red dalmatic there is St. Lawrence deacon whose cult was cultivated in two parish churches in Vienna. In the middle, under the cross stands St. Francis of Paula, the special patron of Emperor Francis I. St. Erasmus of Formiae plays a dominant part in the composition, who is the patron of the bowelsick and - due to a misunderstanding of the attributes - the boatmen. The last member of the holy company is the Benedictine abbess, St. Walpurga. Comparing the altarpiece of the St. Rosalie chapel of Magyaróvár with the painting representing the intervention of the Viennese saints reveals new aspects of the Baroque cult history and iconography. Zoltán Szilárdfy 204
