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Revetment of icon of the Virgin Hodegetria from the Monastery of the Virgin Eikosifinissa of Paggaion

Articles

• Trifonova, Alexandra
• Trifonova, Alexandra

In the National Gallery - Crypt of the church of Saint Alexander Nevskiin Sofia, a silver-gilt revetment of an icon of the Virgin Hodegetria isexhibited. It has been kept in the collection of the Crypt since 1964. Theorigin of the revetment is still disputed. Some scholars believe that it comesfrom Nessebar (Μεσημβρία) in Bulgaria, others from Serres in Greece, whilecertain ones claim that the place of origin is unknown. Decisive evidence forthese hypotheses is provided by a dedicative inscription, which is engraved on therevetment and reports the following: + ΛΝΕΚΑΙΝΙΘΗ Ο ΛΡΓΥ/ΡΟΧΡΥΣΟΣΚΟΣΜΟΣ / ΤΗΣ 0(EOTO)KOY K(AI) ΑΧΕΙΡΟΠΟ/ΙΗ(Τ)ΟΥ ΑΙ ΕΞΟΔΟΥΠΑΝΤΕΙΑ/Σ ΤΟΥ ΤΑΠΕΙΝΟΥ Μ(ΗΤ)ΡΟΠΟΑ/ΙΤΟΥ ΣΕΡΡΩΝ ΓΕΝΗΑ-ΔΙΟΥ/ΕΝΕΤΕΙ ΖΑΖ (= 1529) ΜΗΝΙΙ/ΟΥΛΙΟΥ ΒΙΝΔΙΚΤΙΩΝΟΣ. (+ THE SILVER- GOLD COATING OF THE VIRGIN AND ACHEIRO-POIITOS WASREPAIRED WITH ALL THE EXPENSE OF THE MODEST METROPOLITAN OF SERRES GENNADIOS IN THE YEAR 1529, MONTH JUNE, 2IN DIKTION).From the above inscription, we learn that the revetment of the icon wasrenovated in 1529 at the expense of the Metropolitan of Serres, Gennadios.Moreover, it belongs to an icon of the Virgin that bears the epithet «Acheiropoiitos» («Αχειροποιητος» - made not by human hand).The dedicative inscription is identified with the one that was published in1896 by the Metropolitan of Drama, Damaskinos Moschopoulos, and which,as he notes, was inscribed on the revetment of the miracle icon of VirginAcheiropoiitos from the Monastery of Virgin Acheiropoiitos of Paggaion,the so-called Eikosifinissa, near Drama. Besides, according to ArchbishopDionysios Kyratsou, the revetment of the icon of the Virgin Eikosifinissa wastaken by the Bulgarian soldiers during the First World War in 1917.From all these remarks, it is evident that the revetment of the icon of theVirgin Hodegitria from the Crypt of the church of Saint Alexander Nevski inSofia came from the Monastery of the Virgin Acheiropoiitos of Paggaion, theso-called Eikosifinissa.

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856:https://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/makedonika/article/view/5586, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/makedonika.23

• http://makedonikajournal.org/index.php/makedonika/article/view/23