How an Ottoman Caftan Became a Liturgical Robe: Recycling Precious Textiles in a Lutheran Parish Church in Transylvania

Join us as Evelin Wetter, curator at Abegg-Stiftung (Riggisberg, Switzerland) and honorary professor at Leipzig University, Germany, presents "How an Ottoman Caftan Became a Liturgical Robe: Recycling Precious Textiles in a Lutheran Parish Church in Transylvania."

Lutheran churches in present-day Romania, especially the Black Church in Braşov, preserve a surprisingly rich heritage of magnificent velvets. They date from the period before the Reformation and attest to Transylvania’s extensive trade relations in the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Transformed into liturgical vestments that were used until the late 19th century, they serve as instructive examples of strategies for recycling, careful preservation, and the programmatic reuse of these precious textiles throughout different eras.

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This event is made possible through the generosity of the Mary Ausplund Tooze Endowed Visiting Professor of Islamic + Ancient Art Fund.