Santa Fosca in Torcello and the Middle Byzantine Churches in Eastern Greece: Preliminary Comparison and Remarks on Common Features and Differences

The main aim of this work is to critically examine Santa Fosca building period through the analysis of the similarities as well as the differences with some churches located in Greece and belonging to the so-called octagonal domed type. In fact, since the second half of the Nineteenth century a historiographical tradition has compared Santa Fosca with these Greek Middle-Byzantine churches, where eight supports, piers or columns, arranged in a regular or irregular octagon, receive the loads from the cupola. The comparison is based on the direct analysis of these buildings: the structural configuration, the constructive materials and techniques as well as the affinities in decoration, occurring both inside and outside, are under investigation. This contribution offers a new perspective, from which it could be possible to study the period of erection of the Venetian church, a topic that is still object of debate among the scientific community

CITIES AS RITES OF PASSAGE

Convegno di approfondimento sul tema delle migrazioni internazionali con specifico riferimento allo studio delle città mediterranee di transito

Section of an Iconostasis Beam from the Monastery of Mount Sinai with Scenes from the Life of the Virgin

Μη διαθέσιμη περίληψηno abstrac

На прагу извесности: Представа Неверства Томиног у припрати католикона Манастира Хосиос Лукас

The katholikon of the Hosios Loukas monastery, built around the fi rst quarter of the eleventh century, has a narthex with a mosaic decoration on its west side. The Incredulity of Thomas is included amongst the scenes of the Passion. This paper examines the iconographic, liturgical, and dogmatic roles of the Incredulity within the context of the overall program and the liminal space of the narthex. This monumental representation evidences how depictions of the Incredulity engaged with changing beliefs concerning the senses and faith. In particular, I focus on the implications of the believer’s bi-directional movement through the narthex on entering and exiting the church. Iconographically, the representation of a door behind Christ and His wound are understood as symbolic conformation of His divine nature and a marker of the path believers should follow to attain salvation. As a confi rmation of Christ’s dual nature, the Incredulity of Thomas is read in relation to funerary and Eucharistic contexts as relating to the narthex of Hosios Loukas.Рад се бави проучавањем иконографских, литургијских и догматских аспеката композиције Неверовања Томиног у оквиру припрате католикона манастира Хосиос Лукас као транзиционалног или лиминалног простора, и у контексту остале мозаичке декорације припрате. Посебно се сагледава однос слике и посматрача у постиконокластичком периоду, када се више пажње посвећује управо емоционалном карактеру слике и емпатичкој реакцији на исту. Због недостатка типика цркве и друге релевантне документације, тешко је одредити ритуалну намену припрате у католикону манастира Хосиос Лукас. На основу типика других манастира једанаестог и дванаестог века може се извести закључак да су вероватно било обреда фунерарног карактера или повезани са ритуалом Освећења воде. Представа Христа Пантократора изнад централних врата, која из припрате воде у наос цркве, има есхатолошку симболику, како на улазу у сам храм, тако и приликом напуштања

The Topography of the Athenian Plain under Ottoman Rule (1456-1821)

Τhe settlements that developed in the Athenian plain under Ottoman rule are the subject of the following paper. According to the written sources and the surviving monuments, 25 villages and 14 monasteries were spread throughout the area. After a remarkable period of prosperity in the sixteenth century, most of them fell into a continuous state of decline, until the end of the Ottoman era. The history and the organisation of these settlements, the road network that connected them and domestic and church architecture are put under investigation, in order to reconstruct as much as possible the map and the picture of the area during this long period.

Palimpsests of memory: the medieval city of Athens in modern and postmodern contexts

This article addresses attitudes towards the medieval past of Athens from modern to postmodern times. Athens, a symbol of classical civilisation, had become a provincial Byzantine centre. From the proclamation of Athens in 1833 as the capital of the modern Greek state to about 1880, archaeological research in Athens focused on classical antiquities at the expense of the preservation of monuments of the Middle Ages, which was regarded as a period of decline. The historical and artistic value of Athenian medieval monuments has been acknowledged since the late nineteenth century. The international progress of Byzantine studies, the national narrative on the continuity of Greek history, the political concept of the megali idea (“Great Idea”), and contemporary state policies based on “diachrony and synergy” contributed to this significant ideological shift. Athens is, however, still renowned and admired worldwide for its classical past, with its medieval cultural heritage less highlighted

Middle Byzantine Altars with Sculpted Decoration

The altar, the most sacred structure of the Middle Byzantine church, is one of the less known works of this era involving sculpture. Depending on the dimensions and the funds available to each church, the form of the Middle Byzantine altars varies from rectangular slabs based on free-standing posts to slabs placed on built bases. Sculpted decoration can be found on the frame of the upper surface of the slab, leaving the main space empty and flat, probably in order to receive safely the holy vessels. However, there are some cases where the whole surface is covered with relief. The main questions about Middle Byzantine altars concern the selection of decorative patterns in use and their function on a structure which was out  of sight, hidden behind the templon screen and under the vestments