Byzantine art

Quel rôle, quelle place la lecture et l’écriture ont-elles tenus dans la culture et la société byzantines? Quel rapport ont-elles entretenu? Telles sont les questions auxquelles huit spécialistes de domaines très divers s’efforcent d’apporter dans ce volume des réponses originales. Dans une première partie, c’est la figure centrale du copiste que l’on voit à l’œuvre. La seconde partie étudie les modalités de l’apprentissage et de la diffusion de la lecture et de l’écriture dans la société byzantine. La troisième partie, enfin, montre comment récits édifiants et romans byzantins sont susceptibles d’éclairer les usages de la lecture et de l’écriture à Byzance. Ce livre constitue ainsi une contribution de premier plan à la connaissance d’un élément central du dynamisme culturel byzantin.


ISBN : ISBN 2-9518198-1

Taft R. F. The Great Entrance. A History of the Transfer of Gifts and other Preanaphoral Rites of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. [A History of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, vol. II]. Roma, 1975. (Orientalia Christiana Analecta; 200).

The study focuses on the monumental painting of the island of Rhodes, Greece, during the 13th century and specifically from the year 1204, when the Byzantine official Leo Gabalas took over the administration of the island, until the arrival of the Knights of Saint John in 1309. The remains of the artistic production are located in six churches in the town and the countryside of Rhodes. The monuments in question are presented in chronological order. After the detailed description and iconographic examination follows the stylistic analysis of the wall paintings along with the proposed dating. In particular, the study deals with the frescoes of Hagios Phanourios in the Medieval Town of Rhodes, of the monastery of the Archangel Michael at Thari, of Hagios Ioannes Theologos at Kouphas in Paradeisi, of Hagios Niketas in Damatria, of Hagios Georgios Vardas in Apolakkia (1289/90) and of Hagios Georgios Kounaras in Asklepeio. Two sub-chapters concerning the wall paintings of the church of Hagios Georgios Vardas were expanded because of their special interest: one concerns the rare inscription Akedioktene which accompanies the representation of the Virgin Glykophilousa and the other deals with the iconography and local cult of Saint Philemon, following his rare representation in the church. Given that the paintings of the church of Hagios Georgios Kounaras in Asklepeio is ascribed to the same hand as that of Hagios Georgios Vardas, the painter’s style in both monuments and the particularities of his art are examined in a special chapter. In the final part of the book, the overall consideration of the artistic production is developed: the structure and order of the iconographic programmes are assessed, some interesting issues of iconography are discussed, as well as matters concerning the donors of the churches. The stylistic trends are analysed, compared with monuments from other Dodecanese islands and within the artistic currents of the first and second half of the 13th century.

Hadrianopolis is a site located on the principal western route from the Central Anatolian plain through the mountains to Bartın and the Black Sea, 3 km west of the modern town of Eskipazar, near Karabük, in what was in Roman times southwestern Paphlagonia (modern northwestern central Turkey). This site was a small but important city, controlling this major route and dominating a rich agricultural and especially vinicultural enclave on the borders between Paphlagonia, Bithynia and Galatia. Between 2005 and 2008, four survey, excavation and restoration campaigns were conducted at this Roman and early Byzantine site by Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir. As a result of the 2005 surveys of the area, it was confi rmed that Hadrianopolis was indeed coincident with Viranşehir, which is located c. 3 km west of modern Eskipazar and was active between the 1st cent. BC. and the 8th cent. AD. The fi eld surveys in 2005 identifi ed the remains of at least 24 buildings at the site. Among them are two bath buildings, two basilicas, a domus, an apsidal building, a fortifi ed structure of the Byzantine period, a possible theatre, a vaulted building, a domed building and some domestic buildings, most of which were paved with extensive mosaic floors. Following the publication of the inscriptions (Hadrianopolis I), glass (Hadrianopolis II), and pottery fi nds (Hadrianopolis III), the present volume IV of this multi-volume report is devoted to the early Byzantine mosaics and frescoes from this site, which have been dated mainly to the 6th and 7th cent. AD. The main find spots for mosaics and frescoes are Baths A, Baths B, Basilica A, Basilica B, the Apsidal Building and the Domus. One of the most remarkable discoveries was undoubtedly the floor mosaic of the nave of Basilica B, which displays personifi cations of the Four Rivers of Paradise: Euphrates, Tigris, Phison and Geon.

Alabanda Ancient City takes place in Araphisar Street from Doğanyurt Village in the 7 km west of Çine Town, Aydın City. The city settled down on the foothill of the hills in the north of Gökbel Mountain, is positioned close by the Marsyas River. The ancient city having wetland wide lowlands suitable for agriculture shows a non-stop settlement by beginning from the 2nd Millenium B. C. until today. While there are archeological materials and evidences about the Ancient Period of Alabanda and they are known and evaluated by the scientific world, the information about the late Ancient Period and that of the period after it are almost non-existing. As throughout the Ancient World, Alabanda has also kept its presence by changing after the 4th Century A. D. In the excavation, research and conservation works we have carried out since 2011, unsuspected concrete archeological data were achieved about Alabanda after Ancient Period. It was documented that the city were smaller by almost half and were surrounded by new city walls, and it was determined that public buildings such as theater, bath and temple, were used for different functions by changing architecturally. As we can see the sample of it in a lot of ancient religious settlement, Alabanda Apollon Isotimos Temple were changed into a church and the cella of the temple was used as baptistery. Column capitals, relief-adorned parapets, mosaics, the city walls built with Spolia blocks inform us about Alabanda in the Early Christian Period and in the Medieval Period. Byzantine and Islamic glazed potteries presenting a very rich repertoire and various coins belonging to Byzantine Period and Anatolian Principalities give us clues about the socio-economic situation of Medieval Alabanda. In this notice, archeological materials and evidences, which were achieved after a 3-year work and which are providing valuable information about the Medieval Alabanda, will be briefly introduced and those unsuspected data will be presented to the attention and knowledge of scientific world.

In the biblical theophanies of Isaiah 6 and Daniel 3, divine condescension and human ascent constitute reciprocal ecstatic moves towards a divine–human encounter. The christological interpretation, widespread in early Christian reception history, further discerns in Isaiah 6 and Daniel 3 an anticipation of the radical condescension of the Logos-made-human and, conversely, an anticipation of the deifying ascent of humanity in Christ. Finally, the early Christian reading of Isaiah 6 and Daniel 3 as ‘christophanies’ – that is, as manifestations of the Logos-to-be-incarnate – also allows us a glimpse into the performative aspect and experiential claims of early Christian exegesis, broadly construed to also incorporate hymnography, iconography and ritual.

Wstęp Mirosław J. Leszka, Kirił Marinow................................................... 1

I
Konstantynopolitańskie porty IV–XII w. [Constantinopolitan harbours in the 4th–12th centuries] Mirosław J. Leszka......... 5

II
Wszystkie okręty cesarza. Rozważania nad stanem rzymskiej marynarki wojennej za panowania cesarza Maurycjusza (582–602) [All ships of the emperor: Roman Navy during the reign of emperor Maurice (582–602)] Łukasz Różycki........................................................................................... 17

III
Konstantynopolitańska eskadra cesarska w dobie panowania Komnenów (1081–1185) [Constantinopolitan squadron in the era of imperial reign of Comnenian dynasty (1081–1185)]
Marcin Böhm....................................................................................... 47

IV
Wygnani biskupi Konstantynopola w późnej starożytności i ich kontakty ze stolicą nad Bosforem [The Exiled Bishops of Constantinople from the Fourth to the Late Sixth Century] Rafał Kosiński................63

V
Chazarowie w Konstantynopolu (VII–XI w.) [The Khazars in Constantinople] Jarosław Dudek …........ 79

VI
Miejsce portu w fabule dwunastowiecznego romansu bizantyńskiego [The port in the plot of the twelfth-century Byzantine romance] Anna Kotłowska . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

VII
Winieta Konstantynopola na mapie z Ebstorf [Vignette of Constantinople on the Ebstorf Map] Piotr Kochanek……………………. . . 113

VIII
Hodegon – z rozważań nad pierwotną lokalizacją konstantynopolitańskiego sanktuarium [The Hodegon. Considerations on the location of the Hodegetria sanctuary in Constantinople]
Piotr Łukasz Grotowski . ……………………………. . . . . 137

IX
Pogańskie prywatne uroczystości kommemoratywne w okresie wczesnobizantyńskim [Pagan Private Commemorative Rites in the Early Byzantine Period] Ireneusz Milewski . . . .  . ……………... . . . . . . . . . 215

Aneks [Annex]
Itinerarium Stefana z Nowogrodu z opisem konstantynopolitańskiego portu Kontoskalion (1348/1349). Przekład i opracowanie [The Itinerary of Stephen of Novgorod: Containing a Description of Kontoskalion Harbour in Constantinople (1348/1349).] Zofia Brzozowska .. . . . . . 227

Summary. . . . . . . ………………………………………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Wykaz skrótów [List of Abbreviations]. …. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Bibliografia [Bibliography]……… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Źródła [Sources]. . … . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Opracowania [Secondary Literature]..  . ……. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Indeks osobowy [Index]. ……………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Indeks nazw geograficznych i etnicznych [Index of geographical and ethnical names]. . …. . . . . . . . . 328

Indeks nazw konstantynopolitańskich [Index of Constantinopolitan names]….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

The monumental painting of early medieval Armenia is hardly mentioned in the studies of art history. It’s partly explained with the fact that the monumental painting on the territory of historical Armenia is mostly lost and among the scholars there has rooted an opinion that monumental painting has not been traditional. However, the study of the remains of paintings, as well as archival photographs show that in the 7th century monumental painting in Armenia has had unprecedented development and reached its high peak. Another important conclusion is that the monumental painting has had very bright pages in the history of Medieval Armenia, which has always corresponded with the periods of activation of contacts with the Byzantium. According to the studies, about thirty churches in Central Armenia has been decorated with monumental painting. The Cathedrals of Echmiadzin and Dvin have had mosaics, while the others have been decorated with frescoes, in the temple of Zvartnots mosaics were combined with murals. The surviving fragments of frescoes give us cause to assert the existence of two artistic and iconographic trends in early medieval Armenia, where one group of monuments reveals a certain closeness to the artistic traditions of the eastern provinces of Byzantium, and the other – to the metropolitan monuments. Despite Christological images have not preserved, the apse compositions reveals a various iconographic solutions. We can see the Ascension, Giving the Law, Hetoimasia, as well as the image of Virgin. In spite of the great loss and fragmentary state of the monumental painting in Armenia, they are of a great important in the context of East Christian art, as they are an inseparable part of this cultural world.

The main function of religious art is to embody the abstract idea of God in a form that allows its easiest perception. A central problem of any religious system is God’s presence and its adequate description. Theophanic events are never single-layered and this is a challenge for both the spiritual writer and the spiritual artist.
One of the most enduring trends in religious beliefs in all ages and cultures is the designation of the diversity of manifestations of the divine power, presence and action with unifying notions. Probably the most sustainable and universal in this respect is the concept of the “glory” of gods, through which their divinity is expressed most emphatically, most sensually, and at the same time most unattainably for mankind. This concept is expressed through the term “the glory of God”, which is used in the theological language of all organized religious systems to denote the manifestations of the sacred.
The radiance, which symbolizes the divine grace, power and superiority over all the senses is a common and invariable part of the outward expression of the supernatural character of the events connected with the manifestations and actions of God’s glory. Therefore, one of the key problems facing the visual language of any religion is to find a concise, clear, easily doable and easily understandable form in which to express the theophanic radiance. Thus, two of the most ancient sacred symbols in human history – the nimbus and the aureole (mandorla) were born.
In Christian art, the mandorla has been used to depict the manifestations of God’s presence and actions. The human consciousness perceives the verbal descriptions of theophanic events differently and is not able to create a general convention for their uniform understanding, so the iconographic canon uses certain symbols capable of presenting the necessary universal ideas. The mandorla is an oval, oval-pointed or round outline, which in certain iconographic subjects encompasses the figure of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Trinity and the Theotokos or in rare cases those of some saints. It serves as a visual epitome of the phenomenon of God’s glory.

CATALOGUE OF THE EXHIBITION "THE LIFE AFTER DEATH" IN THE FRAME OF THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF EUROPE PAFOS2017 AND AARHUS2017. A CULTURAL APPROACH TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE DEAD'S MEMORY THROUGH ART AND BURIAL CUSTOMS IN CYPRUS AND DENMARK FROM ANTIQUITY TILL NOWADAYS/ ΚΑΤΑΛΟΓΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΘΕΣΗΣ "Η ΖΩΗ ΜΕΤΑ ΘΑΝΑΤΟΝ" ΣΤΑ ΠΛΑΙΣΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΠΡΩΤΕΥΟΥΣΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΡΩΠΗΣ ΠΑΦΟΣ2017 ΚΑΙ ΩΡΧΟΥΣ2017. ΜΙΑ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΙΚΗ ΠΡΟΣΕΓΓΙΣΗ ΣΤΗ ΔΙΑΤΗΡΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΑΜΝΗΣΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΤΕΘΝΕΩΤΩΝ ΜΕΣΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΤΕΧΝΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΙΣ ΤΑΦΙΚΕΣ ΠΑΡΑΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΚΥΠΡΟ ΚΑΙ ΤΗ ΔΑΝΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΤΗΤΑ ΕΩΣ ΤΙΣ ΗΜΕΡΕΣ ΜΑΣ

According to a lesser-known legend, Adam and Eve sinned twice because Satan misled them a second time. After the expulsion from Eden, the first man and woman had been deceived by Satan into concluding a contract (or cheirograph - from Greek, meaning a document redacted or signed by one's hand) that allowed their offsprings to be under devil’s dominion. Satan wrote the legal deal on a rock and, after its ratification, placed it in the Jordan River where it was guarded by devilish serpent-dragons.
The apocryphal account on the second Adamic incident developed in many vernaculars and was never incorporated into official Christian beliefs. Nonetheless, it spread through the various branches of Eastern Christendom and it was represented in a very prominent form in Romanian manuscripts and frescos on churches and in folk tales starting from the fifteenth century.
Traces of the tale on Adam’s agreement with the Devil can be intercept in Romanian art concerning both the ill-fated moment of the signature and the smashing of the cheirograph stone by Jesus Christ during His baptism, when humanity was liberated from its slavery under Satan. Since that topic moment, for Christian believers baptism is a renunciation of Satan for tricking humans as well as a guarantee of freedom from the Devil’s dominion.
This article is dedicated to the profusion of the legend of Adam’s contract with Satan and the consequent enslavement of humanity, in Romania starting from the Middle Ages. The subject well substantiates how “folklorization” of the Byzantine sacred art, employment of religious innocent, emotive and ruralized topics that interwove Saint Paul and Apocrypha, and inspiration for folk tales proceeded in parallel to produce a cluster of original narrative.
This impressive bulk of imaginative materials is still alive in popular tales and ballads.