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Commentary on an icon from the church in the Castle at Chora, Kythira

• Γκίνη - Τσοφοπούλου, Ελένη

The icon is to be found in the church of the Myrtidiotissa, or Virgin Kastrini, in the Castle at Chora on Kythira, which is one of the public Catholic churches of the late phase of the Venetian occupation, according to evidence contained in the historical archive of Kythira..The large dimensions of the icon (h. 1.20 m, w. 1.30 m) and certain details of its construction suggest that the work was set in a curious wooden structure, rather like an icon-stand. Two full- length saints stand either side of a fortified city that occupies a dominating position in the centre of the picture. The one at the right has been identified with St Rocco and the one at the left with St Theodoras, patron saint of Kythira. The portrayal of saints from both Orthodox and western iconography and the fairly accurate drawing of the Castle, which has been identified with the Castle of Chora on Kythira, the political, administrative and the military centre of the island during the period of the Venetian occupation, give this icon special importance from many points of view.Depictions of the patron saint of Kythira are found in the 13th century in the wall-paintings of the Cave of Ayia Sophia at Mylopotamos, where he is portrayed full-length as the typical ascetic figure of a monk holding a cross in his right hand and blessing with his left. In the 17th century, there was an increase in the veneration of this preeminently miracle-working, healing saint, which is probably to be connected with the danger of the spread of epidemics, especially the plague - a common threat to islands and coastal areas (Crete, Ionian islands, ports with sea traffic).This phenomenon is attested by the many depictions of the saint in wall-paintings and icons, though the iconographie schema is somewhat removed fron the Byzantine model.In the late phases of the Venetian occupation, the saint’s facial features are repeated with little change, and he is easily recognisable, even in the absence of inscriptions. Most of the representations, moreover, had the added element of the fortified city-Castle, held in the saint’s left hand, a feature probably deriving from western influence.The icon may be dated to the first half of the 18th century. It was executed according to the spirit of traditional painting with a few western influences, and was probably intended for a Catholic resident in the Castle of Chora. The painting of the icon, with the figure of St Theodoras in an attitude of deesis, the western St Rocco, protector of those smitten by plague, and the impressive miniature portrayal of the fortified city against a blue ground, complete with the emblems of Venetian authority and power, was probably inspired by the threat of the terrible disease.A document in the historical archive of Kythira contains the information, mentioned by Chr. Maltezou in a study on the question, that in 1744 a felucca sailed into the harbour of Kythira bearing the news of an outbreak of plague in Chania; if we imagine the panic this created in the inhabitants of the Castle, then the conjecture that the icon was related to this specific incident may not be completely groundless.It is worth noting that in modern times the inhabitants of Chora have dressed the western St Rocco in an Orthodox cloak and continue to show the icon special respect, venerating it as an icon of the Ayioi Theodoroi.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
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• Decorative arts

Παρουσιάστηκε ως ανακοίνωση στο 13ο Συμπόσιο της ΧΑΕ. Βλ. Ελ. Γκίνη-Τσοφοπούλου, Σχόλια σε μια εικόνα από ναό του Κάστρου της Χώρας Κυθήρων, Δέκατο τρίτο Συμπόσιο Βυζαντινής και Μεταβυζαντινής Αρχαιολογίας και Τέχνης ΧΑΕ. Αθήνα, Απρίλιος 1993, Πρόγραμμα και περιλήψεις εισηγήσεων και ανακοινώσεων, σ. 5.Η υπογράφουσα ευχαριστεί το Κέντρο Έρευνας της Βυζαντινής και Μεταβυζαντινής τέχνης της Ακαδημίας Αθηνών και ειδικά τη συνάδελφο 1. Μπίθα, τις συναδέλφους του Βυζαντινού Μουσείου Χρ. Μπαλτογιάννη. Φ. Καλαφάτη και τον καθηγητή του Πανεπιστημίου Κύπρου Δ. Τριανταφυλλόπουλο, γιατί βοήθησαν από την πλευρά τους, με διαφορετικό τρόπο ο καθένας, στη μελέτη της., Το άρθρο περιέχεται στο τεύχος: Μέρος Α'-Μελέτες