Special exhibition: 1700 years of the Council of Nicaea

The new special exhibition at the Carnuntinum Museum, entitled “1700 Years of the Council of Nicaea – Politics and Beliefs in Late Antiquity,” sheds light on a key period of upheaval in the Roman Empire, when political power struggles, religious decisions, and the establishment of Christianity as the state religion shaped late antiquity.

In Nicaea, 1,700 years ago, Christianity took its first steps toward becoming the state religion of the Roman Empire. In 325 AD, Emperor Constantine summoned all the bishops of the empire to a council, primarily to resolve the controversial question of the nature of Jesus. Behind the theological interest in settling internal church disputes, however, lay Constantine's political will to restore the internal unity of the empire.

During these years, Rome looked back on a century marked by crises and wars, which had led to profound changes in political, everyday, and religious life. With the Tetrarchy, in which four emperors ruled the empire in their own spheres of power, Diocletian created a state order that enabled a phase of consolidation. However, power struggles soon arose again among his successors. In order to ensure the continuation of the Tetrarchy, the reigning emperors met in Carnuntum in November 308 AD for a conference chaired by Diocletian. Their decisions could not permanently prevent further civil wars, but they triggered a process that culminated in Constantine's ascension to sole power in 324 AD. He became a defining figure of late antiquity, stabilizing the empire and helping Christianity achieve its breakthrough.

The Pannonian provinces played an important role in securing the empire's beleaguered northern border during this period of upheaval. However, the military base at Carnuntum increasingly lost its importance. Nevertheless, in the middle of the 4th century, the Heidentor (Pagan Gate) was erected as a victory monument that dominated the landscape and was in keeping with the tradition of Constantine's ruling ideology.

The exhibition “1700 Years of the Council of Nicaea – Politics and Beliefs in Late Antiquity” highlights the political and theological environment of the council and an era that not only had far-reaching consequences for the relationship between state and church, but also opened the window to the comprehensive Christian influence on Europe in the Middle Ages and modern times.