Zoe Opacic
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Overview
Overview
Extended absence from the college
2026-2027 Leverhulme Research Fellowship
Biography
Zoë Opačić is Reader in History and Theory of Architecture and specialises in medieval art, architecture and urbanism. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She was the editor of the Journal of the British Archaeological Association (2015-2018)
Zoë received her BA and MA at the Courtauld Institute of Art, where she also completed her PhD (2003). Her doctoral thesis on the Emmaus Monastery in Prague, focused on the relationship between that religious institution, its cultural and urban context, as well as its role in the displays of relics in Medieval Prague. This was followed by a series of publications on medieval Prague, Vienna and Krakow and has led to her first Leverhulme Research Fellowship (2015 -2016) working on the project entitled Architecture and Spectacle in the Late Medieval City.
Her profound interest in Central European cities and urbanism generally has led her to a fellowship at the Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, at University of Erfurt, where she collaborated on an international project Religion and Urbanity: Reciprocal Formations (2018-2026); and to a visiting fellowship at the Institut für vergleichende Städtegeschichte, University of Münster (2026).
She is currently working on the unique 19-metre scroll depiction of sixteenth-century Rostock drawn by the merchant Vicke Schorler and studies this remarkable object it in the context of Hanseatic trade, architecture, tradition of city views and the Late Medieval and Early Modern visual culture. This research is supported by the Leverhulme Research Fellowship (2026-2027).
Zoë is a regular academic advisor for the Czech, Slovak and Austrian academies of sciences and the Fund for Scientific Research of Belgium. In 2024 and 2025 she was a judge on the panel for the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion awarded by the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain to a book that makes an outstanding contribution to architectural history.
She has authored and edited publications in English, German, Czech and Italian.
Visiting posts
- Visiting lecturer, Central European University, 01 June 2017
Professional memberships
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Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
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Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
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Member of the Council of the British Archaeological Association
Honours and awards
- Visiting Fellow 2018-26 The Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, University of Erfurt ,
- Leverhulme Research Fellowship 2026-27 The Leverhulme Trust,
- Visiting fellow Institut für vergleichende Städtegeschichte, University of Münster, September 2026
- Leverhulme Research Fellow 2015-16 The Leverhulme Trust,
- Visiting Fellow Das Leibniz-Institut für Geschichte und Kultur des östlichen Europa, Leipzig, June 2016
- Research Grant British Academy, May 2007
- Visiting Fellowship Czech Academy of Science, May 2006
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Research
Research
Research interests
- Late medieval art and architecture
- Central Europe
- Medieval cities and urbanism
- Patronage of the courts
- The relationship between architecture and ritual
Research Centres and Institutes
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Supervision and teaching
Supervision and teaching
Teaching
Zoe teaches on the following courses:
- Art History: a Survey (BA History of Art, 1st year)
- Materials and Processes in Art (BA History of Art, 1st year)
- Debates in Art History (BA History of Art 1st year)
- Architecture and Society in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (2nd year course)
- Gothic Cathedral (BA History of Art 3rd year)
- Art and the Sacred (BA History of Art 3rd year)
- Architecture and Spectacle in Late Medieval Europe (Option module for MA History of Art and MA History of Architecture)
- Gothic in England: Architecture, Liturgy and Identity 1170- 1360 (Option module for MA History of Art and MA Medieval Literature and Culture)
- Frameworks: Histories and Theories of Art (MA History of Art)
Teaching modules
- MA Dissertation
- Research Portfolio
- Museum and Heritage Work Placement
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Publications
Publications
Article
- Opacic, Zoe Rau, S. and Rüpke, J., eds. (2026) Staging urbanity in Late Medieval Prague and Nuremberg squares. Religion and Urbanity Online
- Opacic, Zoe (2014) Vienna’s Heiltumstuhl: the sacred topography of Stephansplatz and its context. Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte 62 (1), pp. 81-108. ISSN 0083-9981.
Book
- Chlíbec, J. and Opacic, Zoe, eds. (2015) Studie o středověkém umění věnované Kláře Benešovské [Essays on Mediaeval Art Dedicated to Klára Benešovská]. Setkávání [Encounters]. Prague, Czech Republic: Artefactum Publishing House. ISBN 9788086890753.
- Opacic, Zoe and Timmermann, A., eds. (2011) Architecture, liturgy and identity. Liber amicorum Paul Crossley. Studies in Gothic Art. 1, Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. ISBN 97825035316701.
- Opacic, Zoe and Timmermann, A., eds. (2011) Image, memory and devotion. Liber Amicorum Paul Crossley. Studies in Gothic Art. 2, Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. ISBN 97825035316871.
- Opacic, Zoe (2009) Prague and Bohemia: Medieval Art, Architecture and Cultural Exchange in Central Europe. British Archaeological Association Conference Transactions. 32, Leeds, UK: Maney Publishing, British Archaeological Association. ISBN 9781906540586.
- Gajewski, A. and Opacic, Zoe (2008) The Year 1300 and the Creation of a New European Architecture. Architectura Medii Aevi. 1, Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. ISBN 9782503522869.
- Opacic, Zoe (2005) Diamond vaults. Innovation and geometry in medieval architecture. London, UK: Architectural Association. ISBN 9781902902470.
Book review
- Opacic, Zoe (2017) Emperor Charles IV. Prague and Nuremberg.
- Opacic, Zoe (2015) Review: Saint Louis.
- Opacic, Zoe (2013) ‘Et ils s’émerveillèrent . . .’. L’art médiéval en Croatie.
- Opacic, Zoe (2011) D’or et de feu. L’art en Slovaquie à la fin du Moyen Âge, by Xavier Dectot, Jean-Christophe Ton-That, Evelin Wetter, Dušan Buran and Radoslav Ragac (Musée de Cluny, Paris, 2010).
- Opacic, Zoe (2011) Art at the Luxembourg Court, (review of the exhibition A Royal Marriage. Elizabeth Premyslid and John of Luxembourg - 1310, Prague, Dům U Kamenného zvonu, 2011).
- Opacic, Zoe (2011) ‘Out of Gold and Fire: Art in Slovakia at the End of the Middle Ages’ (Paris, Musée de Cluny, musée national du Moyen Âge (16 September – 10 January 2011).
- Opacic, Zoe (2006) Paul Binski, Becket's Crown: Art and Imagination in Gothic England 1170-1300 (Yale, New Haven and London, 2003).
- Opacic, Zoe (2003) Medieval Art. By VERONICA SEKULES. Oxford University Press (Oxford History of Art Series), 2001. and Medieval Architecture. By NICOLA COLDSTREAM, Oxford University Press (Oxford History of Art Series), 2002..
Book section
- Opacic, Zoe and Szakács, B.Z. (2022) Art and architecture in Medieval East Central Europe. In: Zečević, N. (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Central Europe. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190920715.
- Opacic, Zoe (2022) Carlo IV e la Dalmazia. In: Rando, D. and Schlotheuber, E. (eds.) Carlo IV nell’Italia del Trecento. Il "Savio Signore" e la Riformulazione del Potere Imperial. Nuovi Studi Storici. Rome, Italy: Istituto Storico Italiano per il Medio Evo. pp. 623-639. ISBN 9788831445285.
- Opacic, Zoe (2021) Urban art, spaces and rituals. In: Gruber, E. and Zapke, S. (eds.) Companion to Medieval Vienna. Brill's Companions to European History. Brill. pp. 497-523. ISBN 9789004395756.
- Opacic, Zoe (2021) Cui bono? The founding and funding of medieval religious institutions under Charles IV. In: Luxford, J. (ed.) Tributes to Paul Binski. Medieval Gothic: Art, Architecture & Ideas. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. pp. 98-109. ISBN 9781912554744.
- Opacic, Zoe (2017) Liturgie in der Stadt: Prozessionen, Altäre und Stiftungen. In: Gruber, C. and Lutter, E. and Schmitt, J.O. (eds.) Kulturgeschichte der Überlieferung im Mittelalter: Quellen und Methoden zur Geschichte Mittel- und Südosteuropas. UTB. Böhlau. pp. 388-398. ISBN 9783825245542.
- Opacic, Zoe (2016) City as sacred space – sacred spaces in the city: a response. In: Gruber, E. and Popović, M. and Scheutz, M. and Weigl, H. (eds.) Städte im lateinischen Westen und im griechischen Osten zwischen Spätantike und Früher Neuzeit: Topographie - Recht - Religion. Publications of the Institute for Austrian Historical Research. Bohlau Verlag. ISBN 9783205202882.
- Opacic, Zoe (2015) Nova Civitas: Edward I and the making of New Winchelsea, Sussex. In: Chlíbec, J. and Opacic, Zoe (eds.) Studie o středověkém umění věnované Kláře Benešovské [Essays on Mediaeval Art Dedicated to Klára Benešovská]. Setkávání [Encounters]. Prague, Czech Republic: Artefactum Publishing House. ISBN 9788086890753.
- Opacic, Zoe (2014) Architecture and ceremony in Cracow and Prague, 1335–1455. In: Roznowska-Sadraei, A. (ed.) Medieval Art, Architecture and Archaeology in Cracow and Lesser Poland. The British Archaeological Association Conference Transactions. Routledge. ISBN 9781909662407.
- Opacic, Zoe (2013) The sacred topography of Medieval Prague. In: Nordeide, S.W. and Brink, S. (eds.) Sacred Sites and Holy Places: Exploring the Sacralization of Landscape through Time and Space. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. ISBN 9782503541006.
- Opacic, Zoe (2013) Fit for a king: Håkonshallen and contemporary royal residences. In: Brekke, O.H. and Ersland, G.A. (eds.) Håkonshallen 750 years: Royal residence and national monument. Bergen, Norway: Dreyer's. ISBN 9788282650632.
- Benešovská, K. and Opacic, Zoe (2011) Wenceslas IV and the Chapel of Corpus Christi in the new town of Prague. In: Opacic, Zoe and Timmermann, A. (eds.) Architecture, Liturgy and Identity Liber Amicorum Paul Crossley. Studies in Gothic Art. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. pp. 157-175. ISBN 97825035316701.
- Opacic, Zoe (2009) Architecture and religious experience in 14th-century Prague. In: Fajt, J. and Langer, A. (eds.) Kunst als Herrschaftsinstrument. Munich, Germany: Deutscher Kunstverlag. ISBN 9783422068377.
- Opacic, Zoe (2009) Medieval Prague, Bohemia and their neighbours: new perspectives and connections. In: Opacic, Zoe (ed.) Prague and Bohemia: Medieval Art, Architecture and Cultural Exchange in Central Europe. British Archaeological Association Conference Transactions. Leeds, UK: Maney Publishing, British Archaeological Association. pp. 1-7. ISBN 9781906540586.
- Opacic, Zoe (2008) Bohemia after 1300: reduktionsgotik, the hall church and the creation of a new style. In: Gajewski, A. and Opacic, Zoe (eds.) The Year 1300 and the Creation of a New European Architecture. Architectura medii aevi. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. ISBN 9782503522869.
- Opacic, Zoe (2008) Emauzsky kláster a Nové Mesto prazské: Slovanská tradice, císarská ideologie a verejni rituál v Praze 14. století. In: Benesovska, K. and Kubinova, K. (eds.) Emauzy Benediktinský klášter Na Slovanech v srdci Prahy. Prague, Czech Republic: Academia. ISBN 9788020015334.
- Opacic, Zoe (2007) Karolus Magnus and Karolus Quartus: imperial role models in Ingelheim, Aachen and Prague. In: Engel, U. (ed.) Mainz and the Middle Rhine Valley: Medieval Art, Architecture and Archaeology. The British Archaeological Association Conference Transactions. Maney. ISBN 9781904350835.
- Sommer, P. and Třeštík, D. and Žemlička, J. and Opacic, Zoe and Berend, N. (2007) Bohemia and Moravia. In: Berend, N. (ed.) Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy. Cambridge University Press. pp. 214-262. ISBN 9780511496400.
- Crossley, P. and Opacic, Zoe (2005) Prague as a new capital. In: Drake Boehm, B. and Fajt, J. (eds.) Prague, The Crown of Bohemia, 1347–1437. New Haven, U.S. and London, UK: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Yale University Press. pp. 59-74. ISBN 9780300111385.
- Opacic, Zoe (2005) Reduktionsgotik or Anti-Gothic ? Hall-church development in Fourteenth-century Prague. In: Draper, P. (ed.) Current Work in Architectural History - Papers Read at the Annual Symposium of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain 2004. Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain. ISBN 9780953925438.
- Opacic, Zoe (2003) The Cosmatesque decoration at the Emmaus Monastery in Prague. In: Fajt, J. (ed.) Court Chapels of the High and Late Middle Ages and Their Artistic Decoration. Prague, Czech Republic: Národní galerie v Praze. ISBN 9788070351901.
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Business and community
Business and community
Outreach
In Conversation with Zoë Opačić, which explored the world of medieval architecture (Sam Fogg Gallery and YouTube, October 2020)
In this interview, Zoë Opačić, discusses her current research into how royalty, religion and relics impacted town planning and architecture, and thus changed the shape of major cities in central Europe (MECERN podcast December 2022)
Programme on the 750 Years of Håkonshallen in Bergen (Norwegian television, September 2011)
Object in Focus - Tracery from Canterbury Cathedral with Zoe Opacic (Sam Fogg and YouTube October 2022)
Lecture on the Cult of Mary Magdalene in Central Europe at the British Archaeological Association (BAA and You Tube, March, 2018)
Summer university “Urban Governance and Civic Participation in Words and Stone" taught at Budapest, Brno and Prague (YouTube July 2022)
Lecture on Places of Greater Safety: Imperial treasuries of the Holy Roman Empire (The Society of Antiquaries and Youtube, Feb 2019)
Lecture on the Diamond Vaults (Architectural Association, June 2005)