The Art Heritage of the Counts of Cilli

The project will bring the first scientific presentation of the art heritage of one of the most important noble families of the late Middle Ages in Europe. In just a hundred years, the Counts of Cilli, who even acquired the title of Imperial Princes in 1436, rose to become one of the leading, most influential and elite noble dynasties. Despite their astonishing ascent and enormous influence in the European politics of the time, their art heritage has never yet been systematically studied and presented. The present project will fill this major gap in the scientific research into the Counts. The aim of the project is twofold. The project group will develop a publicly accessible Slovenian-English online scientific database presenting the most crucial information on both the profane and sacral art heritage of the Counts, based on primary sources. At the same time, several scientific studies on some of the most prominent monuments of this dynasty will be published. The realisation of the set objectives will be facilitated by the hitherto neglected integration of different disciplines, utilisation of previously untapped historical sources, a systematic and comprehensive approach, innovative scientific questions, and the use of digital humanities. The project group consists of the leading researchers in the field and is interdisciplinary, which will allow a comprehensive presentation of art monuments. The project will be led by M. O. Gorenčič – the most successful researcher in the field of art history in Slovenia according to the methodology of the Slovenian Research Agency – who has asserted herself in recent years with several important studies on the Counts of Cilli. The other five researchers are I. Sapač, the leading Slovenian and internationally renowned castellologist, architect and art historian, author of more than 30 monographs and a top specialist in the profane heritage of the Counts of Cilli; M. Kosi, a medieval historian, historical geographer and the leading Slovenian researcher of the Counts; G. Bence, an ambitious art historian of the younger generation, who has made a name for himself with his pioneering study on the burial church of the Counts; T. Lazar, a historian of the National Museum of Slovenia, the leading authority on the military history of the Counts; and J. Krajšek, an archaeologist of the Celje Regional Museum, the parent institution for the material heritage of the Counts. The project group also includes a technical assistant (an architect) and a junior researcher (an art historian). The project also has an international advisory board consisting of eminent experts in art history, historiography, Bauforschung, and architecture, who are highly supportive of the project as they are aware of the necessity and importance of creating such an online database. The latter will be of profound significance, as it will enable further research and allow comprehensive comparative studies with the art heritage of other elite European families, with which the Counts of Cilli had close political and dynastic relations. The Counts ensured marriages with many of the leading European royal houses, including the Luxembourg, Anjou, Habsburg, Piast and Jagiellonian dynasties. The project group also sees much potential in comparative studies with the art heritage of certain families that have not been systematically addressed by previous studies, such as the Abensberg, Frankopan, Schaunberg, and Wallsee families, as well as the Counts of Savoy and the Dukes of Burgundy, as a few indications of their connections with the Counts of Cilli exist that have not yet been published. Due to a thorough re-examination of the already known archival documents and the inclusion of previously unpublished primary sources, the project results will also be of significant importance for the advancement of research into the Counts in the field of historiography.