European Art of the Middle Ages

In this Gallery casts and copies of outstanding works of Early Christian art of the medieval period from Byzantium and Western Europe are on display. In the history of West European medieval culture the period generally regarded as the Middle Ages ranges from the 5th to the 15th century, from the fall of the West Roman Empire in 476 to the beginning of the Renaissance era. The Middle Ages gave birth to a culture which differed from that of Classical Antiquity. This particular period was the time when the monotheistic Christian religion was predominant in Europe: its distinctive features were a striving to elaborate systems of learning and to develop theology. Within the framework of the predominant religious world outlook, art reflected man's new position in the world shaped by feudal society and upheld new spiritual and moral values, on the basis of which new aesthetics appeared.

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Virtual tour (2014)