Experiencing the Sacred Image: Psychometric Validation of the Fresco Experience Scale in Orthodox Contexts

Objective: To develop and validate the Fresco Experience Scale (FES), a multidimensional measure of typical (recalled) engagement with Eastern Orthodox church frescoes.Methods: In a preregistered study, 778 adults (M = 27.97, SD = 11.63) completed the 36-item FES and measures of aesthetic engagement, religiosity, daily spiritual experiences, national identification, and dispositional traits. Ordinal CFA (WLSMV) evaluated competing measurement models and tested measurement invariance across gender and religious affiliation (Orthodox vs. non-Orthodox). Two short forms (FES-30, FES-24) were also examined.Results: The correlated six-factor model (Visual–Aesthetic, Emotional, Cognitive, Communicative, Spiritual–Transformative, Sociocultural) showed good fit (CFI = .953, TLI = .949, RMSEA = .082, SRMR = .050) and outperformed a unidimensional alternative; a higher-order model fit acceptably but slightly worse. Subscale reliability was high (ω = .88–.96). Facets correlated positively with aesthetic engagement, religiosity, and national identification, and more weakly with daily spiritual experiences. Threshold/scalar invariance was supported across gender, permitting latent mean comparisons, whereas for religious affiliation only configural and partial metric invariance were supported, precluding latent mean comparisons across affiliation. Short forms preserved the six-factor structure, with the FES-24 providing the efficient option.Conclusions: The FES yields reliable and theoretically interpretable facet scores for profiling sacred-art engagement with Orthodox frescoes. A total score can be used as a summary index, but facet-level assessment remains primary. The scale is suitable for research and applied settings, with caution warranted when comparing means across religious affiliations.Keywords: Fresco Experience Scale; sacred art; aesthetic experience; Orthodox Christianity; measurement invariance