Χρονολόγηση Γεωγραφικός εντοπισμός Trebizond, Mount Minthrion IΔΡΥΜA ΜΕΙΖΟΝΟΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ. 1. Church decoration

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1 Περίληψη : Fifteenth-century frescoes adorned the eastern chapel of St. Sabas monastic complex at Trebizond. The chapel was probably dedicated to St. Onouphrios. According to the dedicatory inscription, the founder of the chapel was Paraskevas Poutzaris. The wall paintings of the chapel is a valuable source of information on monumental painting in the last centuries of Byzantine art. Χρονολόγηση 1411 Γεωγραφικός εντοπισμός Trebizond, Mount Minthrion 1. Church decoration The complex of the rock-cut chapels of Saint Sabas, situated on the northern slope of Mount Minthrion, constitute a valuable source of information on the monumental painting during the last centuries of Byzantine art. The frescoes of the three chapels, although in fragmentary condition, are of great importance for the study of Late Byzantine art, since we lack any similar examples from the same period in Asia Minor. The decoration of the chapels has been recorded by G. Millet and D. Talbot Rice, whereas M. Restle included what survived until his days in his work on Byzantine painting in Asia Minor (1967); 1 our knowledge about the wall-paintings of Saint Sabas chapels is still based on these works, as access to these chapels and their study have become impossible nowadays. 2 Remnants of the wall paintings that adorned the dedicated to St. Onouphrios eastern chapel, survived until the first half of the 20 th century. The donor's inscription, preserved until the beginning of the same century, noted the 13 th of March 1411 as the date when the decoration was finished, whereas Paraskevas Poutzaris, with his wife and their children, was named as the donor. 2. Iconographic programme The frescoes adorning the walls and the ceiling of the eastern chapel were preserved in fragments. The conch of the apse was occupied by the scene of Deesis, whereas in the semicircular lower wall of the apse, in front of the Altar hewn from the rock, cocelebrant Church Fathers were depicted. The Church Fathers, divided into two uneven groups two figures in the northern part and four figures in the southern part were facing towards the center, where the Child Christ was depicted upon an altar (this being the iconographic scheme of «melismos»). The hierarchs were depicted in their episcopal attire and were carrying unrolled scrolls with liturgical inscriptions. Among the figures of the Fathers, the only ones recognizable were the first and the third one on the south side, identified as Saint Basil and Athanasios of Alexandria, respectively. Above the Child Christ two sheraphim were depicted. To the north of the apse, in the smaller niche of the prothesis, the Man of Sorrows (Akra Tapeinosis) was depicted. From the Deesis scene in the bema apse, only the central figure of Christ and fragments of the figure of the Virgin Mary were preserved, whereas the figure of Saint John the Baptist was totally destroyed. The presence of a Deesis in the conch of the bema apse, though not the canon of the Middle Byzantine iconographic programme, is nevertheless quite common in churches of Trebizond, as well as of Cappadocia and Georgia, whereas similar examples can also be found in Greece as well, such as in Mani, in Rhodes and in Naxos. 3 Deesis in the conch of the apse is usually associated to iconographic programmes of funerary chapels, because of the eschatological character of this scene; and indeed some scholars suggest that the chapels of St. Sabas were originally cut for burial use and maybe even for non-christian burials. 4 In any case the theme of Deesis in the conch of the apse is repeated in the upper western and in the lower western chapel. The scene of Deesis was repeated inside the chapel, on the east wall to the south of the apse. Next to the figure of Virgin Mary, there was an inscription with the invocation of the donor Paraskevas Poutzaris Ἡ δέησις τοῦ δούλου τοῦ Θ(εο)ῦ Παρασκευὰς ὁ Δημιουργήθηκε στις 26/7/2017 Σελίδα 1/5

2 Πουτζᾶρις. Next to the Virgin stood Saint John the Theologian and Saint John the Eleemon (or Merciful or Almoner), bishop of Alexandria. In the lowest zone of the wall, between the figures of John the Baptist and John the Theologian, the main dedicatory inscription was preserved until the beginning of the 20 th century, in which Paraskevas Poutzaris mentioned his wife and their children, and the date 13 March 1411 was quoted. To the north of the apse, the remnants of a full-length saint were identified by G. Millet as St. Onouphrios, whom the chapel was consecrated to. 5 The lower zone of the south wall was dominated by images of saints. The figures were arranged as following: one unidentified martyr, Saint Catherine, Saint Christopher, one unidentified prophet, the Virgin Mary, Saint Justus, Saint George, as well as Saint Theodore Teron and Saint Eustratios or Artemios. The upper zone was covered with the scene of the Pentecost, of which only fragments of its lowest parts were preserved. On the west wall full-length saints were painted as well, although divided by rectangular decorative frames, in three groups. The first group, reading from south to north, was formed by Saints Helen and Constantine the Great, holding the Holy Cross between them, whereas in the upper part of the composition Saint Antony was depicted on a smaller scale in monastic attire. The Saints Constantine and Helen were dressed in imperial garments. The position of the two figures in relation to the Cross differs in many regions. In Cappadocian churches Saint Helen stands to the right of the Cross and Saint Constantine on the left, whereas at churches of Treizond, as well as in Roumania, in Balinesti (1499), the position of the two figures is reversed. 6 The depiction of Saint Anthony in the upper part of the composition is not an outstanding and unique iconographic conception of the painter, but rather the result of his wishing to fill up a vacant space. Furthermore, Saint Eugenios of Trebizond and Archangel Michael were depicted, whereas in the third group was formed by the Saints Theopiste and Eustathios, with their two children between them, of which only one is preserved in fragments. Above them appeared the figure of Christ on miniature scale, blessing with his two hands stretched. The ceiling was adorned with a Dodekaorton cycle, of which the scenes on the east side were already destroyed by the first decades of the 20 th century, whereas those of the west side were preserved in fragments. Reading from north to south, the scene of Nativity was depicted, followed by those of the Entry to Jerusalem and the Raising of Lazarus. To the south of the Nativity scene was the fulllength figure of Osios Onouphrios depicted, but only the lowest part of his figure survived. A passage to the north of the chapel led to a smaller area of irregular shape with an apse on the east, which according to G. Millet was supposed to function either as a chapel or as the narthex of the eastern chapel. 7 The area was once decorated with frescoes, almost entirely destroyed. Nevertheless, on the ceiling, to the west of the apse, some traces of the scene of the Resurrection were still discernible. 3. Stylistic evidence Although certain elements of the compositions of the eastern chapel s wall paintings showed the finest technique, the compositions in general present some weaknesses. Many iconographic elements were accumulated without being properly connected together pieces of architecture, individual human forms, groups of persons whereas monumentality was accomplished only in individual figures. The two diametrically opposite tendencies that characterize the art of the last years of Late Byzantine period, plasticity in rendering human forms and abstraction in depicting light with hard and sharp brushwork, are observed in the wall paintings of this chapel as well. 8 The voluminous bodies, the plastic impression of faces with the very obvious outlines and the folding of the draperies reveal the painter s effort to give the illusion of plasticity in figures, which, nevertheless, lack a firm skeleton. On the other side, light is rendered with sharp and swift brushwork, giving the impression of a splintered glass. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 26/7/2017 Σελίδα 2/5

3 The colors, bright and sharp, were combined in daring and impressive color schemes. White, gold, light blue, green, rosy, red, reddish brown, light gray and black composed the palette that the painter of the eastern chapel made use of. What is impressive is the ample use of ornaments, confined not only on the garments of the figures, but for decorating the halos, the codices and the thrones as well. In the auxiliary area, north of the chapel, the quality of the wall painting was not the same. D. Talbot Rice at the beginning, 9 as mush as M. Restle later, 10 attributed the composition of the Resurrection that decorated the ceiling of this space to the hand of another artist, probably of a later period. In fact, this scene seems to differ stylistically from the wall paintings of the eastern chapel. Here, the color scheme was dominated by brighter and colder colors. The tones of red that were spread upon the human flesh of the earlier wall paintings, seem to be absent from the figures of the resurrection, whereas the lights were rendered with smooth, soft brushwork. As far as technique is concerned, M. Restle connected the paintings of the eastern chapel with those of Pantanassa in Mystra, 11 dated to the middle of the 15 th century, whereas he compared the Man of Sorrows in the niche of the prothesis, a theme more common for the monumental painting of the Palaeologan period, with the earlier diptych from the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Meteora, dated to the 2 nd half of the 14 th century, although this theme appears in illustrated manuscripts miniatures and portable icons already from the 12 th century Millet, G. Talbot Rice, D., Byzantine painting at Trebizond (London 1936), pp , ; Restle, M., Byzantine wall painting in Asia Minor Ι (Recklinghausen 1967), pp Bryer, Α. Winfield, D., The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos I (Washington D.C. 1985), p See Ζίας, Ν., «Πρωτόθρονη στο Χαλκί», στο Βυζαντινή Τέχνη στην Ελλάδα: Νάξος (Αθήνα 1989), p Bryer, A. Winfield, D., The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos I (Washington D.C. 1985), p Millet, G. Talbot Rice, D., Byzantine painting at Trebizond (London, 1936), pp Millet, G. Talbot Rice, D., Byzantine painting at Trebizond (London 1936), p For a more recent photo of the fresco, see Bryer, Α. Winfield, D., The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos IΙ (Washington D.C. 1985), pl Millet, G. Talbot Rice, D., Byzantine painting at Trebizond (London 1936), pp Restle, M., Byzantine wall painting in Asia Minor Ι (Recklinghausen 1967), p Millet, G. Talbot Rice, D., Byzantine painting at Trebizond (London 1936), p Restle, M., Byzantine wall painting in Asia Minor Ι (Recklinghausen 1967), pp. 88, Restle, M., Byzantine wall painting in Asia Minor Ι (Recklinghausen 1967), pp Βοκοτόπουλος, Π., Βυζαντινές εικόνες: Ελληνική τέχνη (Αθήνα 1995), p. 218, fig as well as fig. 54. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 26/7/2017 Σελίδα 3/5

4 Βιβλιογραφία : Winfield D., Bryer A., The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos, 1 (With Maps and Plans by R. Anderson, and Drawings by J.Winfield), Birmingham 1985, Dumbarton Oaks Studies 20 Bryer A.A.M., Winfield D., The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos, 2 (With Maps and Plans by R. Anderson and Drawings by J. Winfield), Washington D.C. 1985, Dumbarton Oaks Studies 20 Rice D.T., Millet G., Byzantine Painting at Trebizond, London 1936 Millet G., "Les monastères et les églises de Trébizonde", Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique, 19, 1895, Rice D.T., "Notice on some religious buildings in the city and vilayet of Trebizond", Byzantion, 5, 1929/1930, Restle M., Byzantine Wall Painting in Asia Minor, Recklinghausen 1967 Soteriou G.A., "Review of G. Millet and D. Talbot Rice, Byzantine Painting at Trebizond (London 1936)", Byzantinisch-neugriechische Jahrbücher, 13, 1937, Γλωσσάριo : apse An arched srtucture or a semi circular end of a wall. In byzantine architecture it means the semicircular, usually barrel vaulted, niche at the east end of a basilica. The side aisles of a basilica may also end in an apse, but it is always in the central apse where the altar is placed. It was separated from the main church by a barrier, the templon, or the iconostasis. Its ground plan on the external side could be semicircular, rectangular or polygonal. bema The area at east end of the naos in Byzantine churches, containing the altar, also referred to as the presbetery or hierateion (sanctuary). In these area take place the Holy Eucharist. co-celebrant hierarchs The co-celebrant hierarchs (Church Fathers) are depicted in the cylindrical section of the apse turning towards the centre and holding scrolls. They replaced the initially frontal Church Fathers of the apse and were established in byzantine iconography since the second half of the 12 th century. dedicatory inscription Inscription referring to a donation towards a church or an establishment. It sometimes includes the name of the donor, the type of subsidy (construction, restoration, wall paintings and donation), the time the subsidy was granted and other information as well. Deesis Iconographic theme, an image of intercession for the salvation of the human race, which represents Jesus as the central figure, between the Virgin and St. John the Baptist Dodekaorton The twelve important Great Feasts of the liturgical year: the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, the Baptism of Christ, the Transfiguration, the Entry into Jerusalem, Raising of Lazarus, Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Dormition of the Virgin and Pentecost. During the middle and late Byzantine period, the Dodekaorton was represented in a series of scenes that were included in the typical iconographic programme of a byzantine church. donor Whoever subscribes, financialy, to the errection of a certain structure (monument etc). In the case of the buildings, donors might lawfully relate to them via a special connection (usufruct or other). iconographic programme Δημιουργήθηκε στις 26/7/2017 Σελίδα 4/5

5 The elaboration and arrangement of wall paintings in a Byzantine church, according to unwritten rules. For example, the customary depiction of Christ Pantokrator on the dome. liturgical inscriptions Inscriptions including excerpts from liturgical books, such as Pentekostarion, the Euhologion (Prayer book) etc. Man of Sorrows (Akra Tapeinosis) A representation inspired from the Holy Week liturgy. Christ's dead body is depicted in front of the Cross, with the lance and the sponge of the Passion. The iconographic scheme of the Man of Sorrows (Akra Tapeinosis in greek, mean. the Utmost Humiliation) first appears in manuscript miniatures and portable icons of the second half of the 12 th c., and it becomes common in the monumental iconographic programme of the Palaiologan era, usually occupying the conch of the prothesis. prothesis Ιn ecclesiastical architecture, the sacristy to the north of the sanctuary. Usually it has an apse projecting to the east. It is the chamber where the eucharistic elements were prepared (Proskomide) before the Communion. semi-dome The vaulted crown of an apsed niche. The semi-dome of the apse of the Bema may be also called a conch. Παραθέματα Inscriptions on the east wall, south of the apse: 1. Dedicatory inscription (in the lower zone of the wall, between the figures of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian) Τὸ στερέομα τῶν ἐπὴ σὶ πεπηθότον στερέοσον Κ(ύρι)ε τὴν ἐκκλησία(ν ἣν ἐκτήσω τῷ τιμίῳ σου ἕματι δέησις τοῦ δούλου τοῦ Θ(εο) ῦ Παρασκεβὰ τ(οῦ Π)ουτζάρ(ου) σηνβίου καὶ τῶν τέκνω(ν αὐ)τοῦ... μαρτίου ἠς τ(ὰς) ιγ ἔτους,ςϡιθ (ἰ)νδικτιῶνος δʹ [The sky above those that have believed in you; secure, O Lord, the church that I built for your holy blood supplication of the servant of God, Paraskevas Poutzaris, his wife and their children at the 13th of March of the year 6919, the 4th indiction (=1411)] 2. Votive inscription of the donor (next to the figure of Virgin Mary, in the lower zone of the scene of Deesis) Ἡ δέη σις τοῦ δού λου τοῦ Θ(εο)ῦ Παρασκε βὰς ὁ Που τζᾶ ρις [Supplication of God s servant, Paraskevas Poutzaris] Transcription of the inscription where st. Onouphrios is mentioned, to whom the capel was dedicated (after Millet Talbot Rice 1936): [Καὶ τὴν ἑνὸς] χιτῶ[νος ἐ]ν[τ]ολ[ὴν πά]τ[ερ] ὑπερβέ/[β]η[κα]ς [γυμνητε]ύσα[ς ε]ἰς [τελ]ος. Δωδεκάτῃ ἀχίτωνα Ὀνούφριον ἐκ βίου ἧραν. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 26/7/2017 Σελίδα 5/5