Zograf : časopis za srednjovekovnu umetnost

: The Byzantine wall-paintings in the church of Saint Theodore at Platanos, Kynouria (Arcadia); The church of St Theodore (also known as "Sts Theodoroi") at Platanos, Kynouria, is a single-nave building of small dimensions. The interior surfaces of its walls preserve their Byzantine paintings, which are partially visible under the coat of plaster that covers most of them. The paintings exhibit affinity with wall-paintings of churches in the Peloponnese (neighbouring Laconia included), and can be dated to the last quarter of the thirteenth century.

: The Church of Kapnikarea in Athens; This article offers a detailed presentation of the Athens church of the Mother of God, known by the name of Kapnikarea, which originates from the middle of the Byzantine period. Initially, the Kapnikarea was the katholikon of the monastery but today it is a building complex, consisting of three chronologically different ensembles. They are the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin, erected just after the mid-11th century, the exonarthex probably dating from the beginning of the 12th century, and the smaller northern church dedicated to St. Barbara, built during the Ottoman epoch.

: The Cult of St. Vitus Among the Serbs in the Middle Ages; Vitus, a native of Sicily, who was martyred during the emperor Diocletian's persecutions, is not well known among Orthodox Christians. However, his feast day, which is celebrated on June 15th, occupies an extremely important place in the minds of the Serbian people, as Vidovdan. At the end of the 19th century, Jovan Vučković, a learned priest, concluded that, for the Serbs, the significance of the feast of St. Vitus does not lie in any particular reverence for St. Vitus himself, but in the fact that the Battle of Kosovo took place on his feast day. Nevertheless, there are reliable testimonies that the Serbs did revere this martyr from Sicily, in the Middle Ages. The earliest is to be found in the menologion in the Miroslav Gospel, and St. Vitus is also recorded in hagiographic sources that appeared after the establishment of the autocephalous Serbian Church. We find the most frequent mention of him in the manuscript synaxaria of the so-called First recession of the Menologue of Basil II (from 13th and 14th centuries), and several 14th century menaions contain an akolouthia dedicated to St. Vitus.

: The Cult of the Virgin Zoodochoz Pege and its Reflection in the Painting of the Palaiologan Era; The paper discusses the ways in which the miraculous cult and newly established liturgy of the shrine of the Virgin 'Zoodochoz pege' near Constantinople influenced the formation of a specific presentation of the Mother of God in the Palaiologan era, both in the Romaic Empire, and in the Eastern Christian lands where the liturgy was not performed in the Greek language.

: The Cycle of the Life of the Virgin in the Church of the Annunciation in Gradac; The paper deals with a cycle depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin, in the middle zone of the narthex of the Church of the Annunciation in the Monastery of Gradac. The identification of the scenes is possible owing to the preserved fragments of the wall-painting and by comparing them to those in similar monuments. Special attention is devoted to the iconographic analysis of the cycle, and numerous analogies are highlighted between the Gradac compositions and the relevant scenes in important contemporary and slightly later Byzantine churches.

: The Decorative Program of the Domes and Area Under the Domes in the Church of the Monastery Resava; Because the dome is interpreted as a symbol of the heavens, it is reserved for heavenly subjects. The calotte of the dome is seen as a vault of heaven or 'heaven in the heavens' and, as such, as the 'house of Christ'. As the commentator in the 19th century reports, the image of Christ Pantokrator was once located at the zenith of the central dome of Resava. The preserved scenes and figures below the dome, specifically the heavenly liturgy and the prophets, confirm the original existence of this image. Together they build an iconology that was very widespread in late Byzantine art. The composition of the central dome of Resava resembles in its complete appearance, supported by some particularities, the central dome of Ravanica, which served as a model for the artists of Resava. One can find close parallels for the decoration of the side domes in Ravanica. The similar arrangement of heavenly powers in the tambours of the domes in Ravanica and Resava indicate that, like in Ravanica, Christ Emmanuel, the Age of Days, the Mother of God and the Archangel Michael could have been depicted in the zenith of the side domes of Resava. This type of decorative scheme in side domes is common in late Byzantine monumental painting. The remaining fragments with images of angels as deacons positioned in the ring around the zenith of the central dome show that the Heavenly Liturgy was depicted here, specifically the Large Entrance which, aside from the communion, was the only part of the liturgy visible to the faithful. In Resava, the Heavenly Liturgy is completed by the images of crowds of angels, which are portrayed in the tambours of the side domes. The liturgical hymns that accompany these images of angels confirm this order. The rendering of orders of angels in the tambours of the side domes in Resava comply with the traditional program in which these heavenly beings - who being closest to God, who were his first creations and the only to whom a look in the heavenly spheres is always possible - are depicted in His nearest proximity in the dome as a symbol of heaven. The different clothing of the anthropomorphic angels and the differently fashioned robes of the other heavenly beings show that the painter wanted to illustrate the heavenly court with God's heavenly hosts and their hierarchical order. According to Pseudo-Dionysios Areopagites, the hierarchy was composed of nine ranks. It was the top levels of the heavenly army and guard that protect the throne of the Pantokrator and that serve as mediators between heavenly power and humans. With these depictions of heavenly beings in the tambours of the side domes in Resava, the visions of the prophets, who in seldom moments could see these beings, are illustrated. The twenty-four prophets, who have received their symbolic location underneath the Heavenly Liturgy in the spaces between the windows in the tambour, complete the iconographie program of the central dome. The prophets of the Old Testament could sometimes look upon God, as they report in their writings. For this reason they were arranged in the tambour of the dome directly beneath the depiction of the heavenly world, which can be seen in the calotte surrounding the Pantokrator. With this symbolic placement, the prophets connect Heaven and the heavenly world with the Earth and the earthly world. Accordingly, they link the heavenly and godly nature of Christ with his human nature. Here in Resava, all four major and twelve minor prophets who composed their own works are depicted. Also Elijah and Eliseus, who even though they wrote nothing serve as major prophets, were shown here in the tambour. Samuel, Zacharias, Aaron and Moses, who represent the préfiguration of Christ as the High and Eternal Priest, are also depicted. Furtherly, their arrangement expresses a hierarchy among the prophets. Those who are more important and whose work is more often used in the liturgy received a space in the upper register. Selected quotations from the works of the prophets written on their scrolls summarize the most important themes of Christian philosophy and Christian belief. These quotations had, for the large part, also been incorporated into the liturgy. This fact is to be coupled with not only the depiction of the Heavenly Liturgy on the zenith of the dome but also with the Liturgy of the Holy Fathers in the apse of the church, as well as with the liturgy performed daily in the church, which itself is in turn modelled on the Heavenly Liturgy. Most of the quotations were dedicated to holy days on which the appearance of God and of the Holy Trinity are expressed. One of these is Pentecost, which the church at Resava especially celebrated. The quotations further emphasize the suffering of Christ on the cross and particularly the Anastasis. The prophets depicted suggest not only the Messiah; they also emphasize the importance of the Mother of God, of John the Baptist, and furtherly of the apostles and priests as successors of Jesus. John Prodromos is shown by his presence and by the quotation in the hand of his father, Zacharias. With their symbols, the Old Testament priests point out the role of the Mother of God in the mystery of the Incarnation and the Salvation of Man. They are not only as préfigurations of Christ present, but also as the Old Testament predecessors of the apostles and their priestly followers, who continued the work of Christ through which the church survives. The depictions of the prophets and the quotations in their hands contribute with certainty to the painted themes that are illustrated in the lower zone of the church. It is important to note, that they do not always stand directly above their corresponding scene. The central dome of Resava was too complicated for this kind of arrangement that is often found in Byzantine chuches. All other symbolic relationships are however presented in superior style in the central dome of Resava. The surfaces beneath the four side domes and most likely those of both upper windows in the south wall of the diakonikon and the north wall of the prothesis of Resava were probably primarily decorated with the ancestors of Christ and the Righteous. Their presence is to be interpreted symbolically as a confirmation of the earthly life of Christ and furtherly suggest the Incarnation and the roles of Christ as priest and king, which can be followed through the generations of his human ancestors. These figures also stand for a connection between the New and Old Testaments. In the central dome of Resava, the evangelists are arranged in the pendentives while renderings of the man-dylion and keramion (east and west) and of the blessing Hand of God (north and south) cover the surfaces in between. The evangelists are placed in this position starting in the 1 lth century at the latest. In the late Byzantine period, the evangelists became almost exclusively decoration for the pendentives; the church of Resava is such a typical example. The arrangement of the evangelists on the pendentives of Resava demonstrate not only the relationship between the evangelists themselves, but also between their works. Thus, as direct disciples of Christ, the evangelists Matthew and John received their positions on the eastern pendentives. The relatedness of their works are further expressed through this arrangement. Luke and Mark received the less prominent positions on the western pendentives of the central dome. The evangelists are depicted in the same placement in many domed churches from the Palaiologian era in the entire Byzantine area of influence. With the exception of John, all of the evangelists in Resava are shown with the personification of Heavenly Wisdom, which is depicted symbolically as a young woman according to models from Antiquity. John receives the supernatural power as rays directly from heaven and dictates to his pupil Prochoros. Aside from the evangelists themselves, their heavenly symbols are also located in Resava, which, along with the Gospel, glide from the Hand of God out of a heaven segment. Similar depictions of the evangelists with personifications of Heavenly Wisdom, heaven segments and the symbols of the evangelists were quite popular in late Palaiologian times. As already mentioned, the 'true images' of Christ are located in the areas between the pendentives. As it was produced through direct contact with the face of the Saviour, the mandylion serves as proof for the human features of Christ and confirms his human incarnation. All of the characteristics of the mandylion are naturally reflected in the copy of the keramion. Because of their meaning, both of these 'true images', of which the first depictions are pre-ico-noclastic, became one of the most important symbols of Christian art. After iconoclasm, depictions of the acheiro-poietoi from Edessa proliferated; the mandylion was the more prevalent object of the arts. As a consequence of theological debates and a changing image program in the arcades beneath dome during the 11th century, the mandylion and keramion were moved to the area between the pendentives and are hardly missing from this location in any domed church from this point on. The depictions of the evangelists and of both 'true images' in the vaulting directly under the dome have a deep symbolic meaning. As the authors of the Gospels, upon whose works Christianity is based, they received this space between Earth (naos) and Heaven (dome). Like the Atlas of Antiquity, they carry the word (evangelium) of Christ, which was spread directly from God through the four Gospels to the people on the four sides of the world. His image, which Christ sent to Abgar and which, like the word, possesses a supernatural power, also comes directly from God. In Resava, the creative power of God is presented symbolically in the form of His hand. The arrangement of the evangelists and both 'true images' express a very important equation between the word and the image of Christ. This parallel has occupied Christian theorists from the beginning; already Basil the Great explained 'What the word of historic writing brings to the ears, painting shows silently through the image'. During and after iconoclasm, theologians especially emphasized the word and image as equally important methods of proclamation. Thus, the Gospels, through which the written word of God is communicated, are equal to the 'true images', which convey the unwritten word of Christ. As can be learned from the teachings of Christian theorists, Christianity is based upon both of these, the word and the image. The theoretical occupation with this aspect is reflected in the arts as well, to the extent that the evangelists and the 'true images' are positioned next to each other in the decorative program of Byzantine churches. This arrangement became typical for these surfaces and can be continually followed in domed churches starting in the 1 lth century. .

: The Deesis row from Piva. A contribution to the study of the iconostasis and icon painting of the monastery of Piva; The paper is devoted to the chronology of the genesis of the iconostasis and the choros of the monastery of Piva and to the attribution of some of their icons. It presents the hitherto unpublished Deesis row which formed part of the original altar screen and was painted sometime between 1586 and 1604. The Deeisis and the somewhat younger Crucifix (1606) were mounted on the old iconostasis above the despotic icons painted by Longin in 1573/1574. At least one of the two-sided icons from the subsequently made choros (1610/1611) is not his work. For the new carved wooden iconostasis (1638/1639) the Serbian painter Jovan painted the despotic icons and the icon of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in the upper tier. A disciple of his painted the other eleven icons of the Great Feasts. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177036: Srpska srednjovekovna umetnost i njen evropski kontekst i br. 177032: Tradicija, inovacija i identitet u vizantijskom svetu]

: The Depiction of Warrior Saints in Frescoes of 1380 at the Church of Our Saviour in Kovaliovo. Whether Balkan Masters Painted the Novgorod Church?; This article examines the theme of warrior saints in the Kovaliovo fresco cycle, based on the archival photographs and frescoes assembled by the conservators. The analysis of the selection of warrior saints (including the seated figure of St. Demetrios), the arrangement of their figures in the overall iconographic programme, the separate iconographic characteristics of the frescoes and - finally - the style of painting, confirms that the Kovaliovo master-painters were not local nor were they Russian, but it obliges us to reject the theory that the Kovaliovo frescoes resemble the art of the Morava school in Serbia. It is feasible that the Kovaliovo painters came from one of the Balkan centers closely linked to Thessaloniki and within the tradition of Novgorodian monumental painting, the best Kovaliovo frescoes seem to bear the legacy of their great predecessor, Theophanes the Greek.

: The Depiction of the Acts' Passage 6, 1-6; This article deals with the iconography of the first seven Christian deacons. The author studies the representations of their chirotony and their isolated figures in medieval art. .

: The Depiction of the Virgin with the Christ in a Niche on the Western Façade of the Church of the Transfiguration in Novgorod and the Question of the Painter's Origin; The paper deals with a presentation of the Virgin with the Christ Child, in the niche above the archivolt of the western portal of the Church of the Transfiguration, in Novgorod. The fresco is assumed to have belonged to the painted ensemble in the church narthex, none of which has survived. It is also believed that like Theophanes the Greek, who headed the group painting the naos in the church, the zographos who worked on the decoration of the narthex, had arrived from Constantinople.

: The Dialogue of the Iconoclasts with the Iconophiles; The study represents an analytical review of iconoclasm, a Christological heresy that appeared in Byzantium and lasted for two centuries. After the first section The possibilities of expressing Jesus Christ and the holy servants of God by means of icons, which describes the historical and theological background of the said problem, explanations are given of the kinds of "icons" and the different dimensions of the notion of an "icon" - the natural and hand-made icon, and subsequently, of the relationship of the image and the original, along with the dogmatic foundation of all hypotheses and claims. This two-part study, in addition to using the relevant sources, explains the relationship of the iconoclasts and the iconophiles, at that time in Byzantium and throughout history, right up to the present day

: The Diptych Icon from Kotor; The diptych icon from Kotor (Imago pietatis and the Virgin with the Christ Child), painted probably in 1468, is examined from the aspect of the penitent and ascetic practice of the Kotor flagellants, who commissioned it for their needs. The members of the brotherhood of the Holy Cross particularly revered the cult of the Five Wounds of Christ, the particles of the lignum crucis and the experience of Christ's Passion. The said religious themes are analysed based on the archive material and preserved paintings, connected with this monastic brotherhood of Kotor.

Zograf : časopis za srednjovekovnu umetnost

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