211-220

Ex-voto icon from the monastery of Panagia Kalopetra, Rhodes

Σύμμεικτα

• Μητσάνη, Αγγελική

In the parish church of the village of Tholos on Rhodes there is an ex-voto icon, known as the “Icon of Hypselantes”, from the monastery of the Panagia Kalopetra. A dedicatory marble inscription built into the church mentions that the monastery was rebuilt in 1782 by Alexander Hypselantes, the ruler of Wallachia, as a thanksgiving offering for some miracle performed by the Virgin. According to tradition, Hypselantes was rescued by the Virgin’s help from a stormy sea as he was arriving at Rhodes.The picture (0,385 X 0,44 m) depicts an episode at sea. On the turbulent waters a whole fleet of about 20 sailing ships is in danger of foundering, while in the upperleft-hand corner the Virgin holding the Child is shown amid clouds. Below, on the left, is the standard Latin inscription: VOTUM FECIT ET/GRA TIAM A CCEPIT.The quality of the work, which may be described as popular, the stylistic evidence, which suggest a date at the end of the 18th or the beginning of the 19th c. and the Latin inscription as well, are convincing reasons why the icon could not have been an ex-voto of Alexander Hypselantes himself. There is no doubt, however, that we have here a representation of the same or a similar miracle by the Panagia of Kalopetra and it is very probably connected with one of the refurbishings of the monastery.

• History and Archaeology
• Philosophy, Ethics and Religion

• Θρησκεία

Ρόδος

Πρόκειται για τη δημοσίευση ανακοίνωσης με τον ίδιο τίτλο στο Η' Πολιτιστικό Συμπόσιο Δωδεκανήσου, Κάρπαθος, ΙΒ-20 Αυγούστου 1993, Περιέχει εικόνες