Anamnesis of the Cult – The Edgar Wind Journal

Nikola Beim
Independent Researcher
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6669-2869

Volume 10, April 2026

Abstract The article examines an anamnesis of the inaugural axiological study of monuments as defined in The Modern Cult of Monuments: Its Character and Origin by Austrian art historian Alois Riegl, originally published in 1903. It traces the influence of this seminal work and examines its effects on architecture in the twentieth century in English-speaking countries. During this period, rediscoveries of Riegl’s work have inspired multiple authors and movements to offer new interpretations. What has driven Riegl’s most prominent comeback, or series of comebacks, is not only the publication of new translations since the 1980s but the discovery of new dimensions that repositioned his work in new contexts when dealing with architectural ruins and monument values. Riegl claimed that monument values vary over time, making him much at home in the period of postmodernism during the 1970s and 1980s as in his own time. Postmodernism, with its critique of universality and embrace of pluralistic historical narratives, further amplified the applicability of Riegl’s axiological study, particularly in its alignment with the multiplicity of meanings inherent in cultural heritage. Riegl’s concept of monuments values changing over time not only challenged static interpretations of historical objects but also provided a dynamic methodology for engaging with the temporal, material, and cultural complexities of monuments. In doing so, his legacy remains a pivotal reference point for architectural historians and preservationists navigating the interplay of memory, identity, and historical continuity in an evolving socio-cultural landscape.

Keywords Alois Riegl, monument, preservation, value, postmodernism

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