Turks of the Passion

What is it about?

In the Passion narrative of Transylvanian wooden churches Ottoman Turks are implicated in the events that led to Christ’s death. Easily discernible by their turbans and moustache, they are shown taunting and injuring Christ. This article examines variants of the Passion in which painters assign negative overtones to their portrayal, framing them as antagonists. It focuses on representations in which their exaggerated features make them an object of derision; their juxtaposition with Jews makes them their accomplices; and their overseeing of the scene of execution from a position of power solidifies the blame laid on them. It argues that the Ottoman invasions and the damage they caused to the Transylvanian rural communities, who funded the decoration of churches, played into these renditions.

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