Hagiographical portraits in the eleventh to twelfth century byzantine churches of Greece: their role and function in the iconographical program

Abstract

This dissertation has concentrated on the hagiographical portraits represented in Middle Byzantine churches and has aimed at contributing to the study of the iconographical program in monumental pictorial decoration. The objects in the present study are the churches of Greece with eleventh and twelfth-century paintings. Previous studies by other scholars have dealt with the subject of sacred figures in churches, but mainly with regard to one section of a church, one church or one category of Saints. This study has extended the field of research and has tried to explain the meaning of the procession of Saints in the iconographical program and to observe its characteristics as one of the iconographical factors, which compose and visualize ‘Heaven on Earth.’ The present research has clarified the issue of flexibility shown in the placement of portraits, which nevertheless basically follows the hierarchical order firmly established in the Middle Byzantine period. This flexibility creates a ‘personalization’ of each church and produces variety in Byzantine church decoration. Apart from Holy Bishops and Deacons, the other categories of Saints can appear anywhere in a monument, although they basically follow an architectural and theological hierarchy. It should be mentioned that the main function of hagiographical portraits in the iconographical program is the interconnection between the earthly and the heavenly worlds. The figures of Saints are located in the hierarchically lower part of a church, both in terms of actual placement and of conceptual meaning which implies that these sacred figures are close to the faithful on Earth. It is clear that the standing portraits have the effect of visual parallelism with the actual people entering a church. Saints’ portraits are represented standing, in half-length and in medallions. Byzantine art adapted these forms of portraiture and decoration to realize the sacred world. The present study has tried to clarify how the Saints interconnect Heaven and Earth. In order to link the two worlds, several criteria are applied in the selection of Saints, which are exemplified throughout this study. Holy Bishops, whose number increased after the end of Iconoclasm because of their great deeds while defending the Orthodox doctrine, are highly ranked among the Saints. They are represented wearing vestments appropriate to their status: sticharion, phelonion and omophorion and so on. There are generally three historical stages regarding their placement, developing from a flexible and indifferent placement to a basically fixed placement in the sanctuary. Iconographically, their representation changed from the strictly frontal pose to a three-quarter view, co-officiating in appearance, which is in accordance with the development of contemporary theological discussion concerning the Eucharistic liturgy. Their representation is visually parallel to the actual officiating Bishops, though the general faithful cannot see them because of the iconostasis restricting the view of the sanctuary. It could be said that the boundary between the heavenly and the earthly worlds disappears, especially in the sanctuary, where the most sacred liturgy takes place. Several unique characteristics can be found in several churches, such as the selection of Bishops exclusively from Jerusalem in the Chapel of Panagia (A-42) in the Monastery of Ag. Ioannes Theologos in Patmos, and four homonymous Bishops in the apse in Panagia ton Chalkeon (A-45). In addition, local preferences are observed in the selection and placement of Bishops in provincial churches and a Bishop can appear even in the apse in several churches when he is the Patron Saint.