A unique fresco in Ferrara - evidence of the use of an Islamic tent in a Christian rite

In the Italian city of Ferrara, Cambridge University historian Dr Federica Gigante has discovered a rare 13th century fresco depicting an Islamic tent that served medieval Christians to conceal the high altar during services. The find is believed to be the only such evidence that fabrics and objects from the Islamic world could have been used in European churches.

More information: F. Gigante, 'An Islamic tent in S. Antonio in Polesine, Ferrara', The Burlington Magazine (2025)

Provided by University of Cambridge

The fresco and its significance

The fresco is located in the church of San Antonio-in-Polesine, founded in 1249. Painted between the late 13th and early 14th century, it occupies the apse behind the main altar and depicts a tent decorated with pseudo-Arabic inscriptions, gold decorations and eight-rayed stars. In a later 15th-century painting, part of the original was painted over with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, causing the fresco to be overlooked for a long time.

Dr Gigante believes that the artist copied a real tent that was once in the church. This tent may have been a diplomatic gift from a Muslim ruler or a spoils of war won during the Crusades and the battles that followed. In the Middle Ages, Islamic tents were particularly valued in the exchange of gifts and were considered prestigious spoils of war.

Islamic fabrics in the Christian rite

It is known that expensive fabrics were widely used in Catholic churches of the time to temporarily or permanently conceal the altar. The fresco shows a corner of the curtain, indicating that the tent could have served as a "tetravela" - a set of curtains covering the altar space. Such items were often donated by dignitaries. The researcher does not rule out that the tent in Ferrara was presented by Pope Innocent IV, who, according to the archives, gave luxurious fabrics to this monastery.

The uniqueness of the find

According to Dr Gigante, surviving depictions of Islamic tents in Europe are extremely rare. Although there are ornaments resembling Islamic patterns in some churches or tomb paintings, such a detailed realistic rendering of a tent is virtually unheard of. The fresco from San Antonio-in-Polesine helps us understand how highly valued Islamic art was in the medieval Christian world.

Dr Gigante's discovery thus demonstrates that Islamic artistic traditions penetrated the daily life of Christian Europe not only through trade but also in the context of church rituals. This finding provides new insights into the exchange of cultural values in an era when religious controversies often turned into open conflicts.