Yadegar Asisi’s panorama transports visitors to Constance between 1414 and 1418. At its historical centre is the Council of Constance, one of the largest ecclesiastical assemblies of the Middle Ages. It was intended to resolve the Western Schism, which had divided the Latin Church since 1378. At the time, three men claimed the papacy, splitting Latin Christendom into rival camps. This ecclesiastical conflict was also a political crisis, as princes and kingdoms supported different papal claimants.

During the years of the Council, an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 people came to the Free Imperial City and episcopal seat, which then had a population of around 6,000. At times, as many as 20,000 visitors may have been staying in Constance and the surrounding area. King Sigismund and John XXIII, one of the three rival popes, arrived with powerful courts and large retinues. Ecclesiastical dignitaries encountered scholars such as Jan Hus, while merchants mingled with craftsmen and travelling performers. Ulrich Richental’s chronicle also records around 700 prostitutes working in the city during the Council. People from across Europe and envoys from the Byzantine East transformed Constance into a place of international encounter for several years.

The panorama condenses these years into a single, tangible moment. Viewed from an imaginary vantage point in the old town, close to the Council building that survives to this day, ecclesiastical and political events, their protagonists and scenes of everyday life are woven into a larger whole. Events that actually occurred at different times or in different places appear together within the image. Jan Hus can therefore be seen both as a preacher and critic of the Church and at his execution. King Sigismund appears during his arrival at the beginning of the Council and later on horseback beside the newly elected pope. In this way, the panorama connects the major conflicts surrounding faith and power with the life of a city that became a stage for European history for almost three and a half years.

Open from September 12, 2026

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