65-70

The Early Christian Wall Paintings in the Church of Panagia Drosiani on Naxos and their Historical Context

Articles

• Γκιολές, Νικόλαος
• ΓΚΙΟΛΕΣ, Νικόλαος

The unusual iconographie program of the early Christian wall paintings in the three-apsed church of the Panagia Drosiani on Naxos is not generally associated with the monophysite controversy, but rather with two milder variants of that heresy, monoenergetism and monotheletism, which officially began in 633 and troubled the 7th century. In 649, after opposing the emperor's heretical policy, Pope Martin I was arrested and exiled. In 653, this orthodox-thinking Pope was on Naxos, where he spent more than a year. I believe that his orthodox views must have had an influence on the iconographie program in the Drosiani church, which purposely attempts to emphasize Christ's human nature, elevating it to a position of equivalence with his divine nature, and to show that Christ had two energies and two wills, corresponding to his human and divine natures, in conformity with the doctrine of the Sixth Ecumenical Council of 680/81. This is achieved by the double depiction of Christ in the dome using two different iconographie types; by reversing the hierarchy of icons in the northern conch (the Panagia is above the Pantokrator); and by surrounding Christ in the same conch with figures associated with his human nature and with the consequences which his human nature has for the salvation of man (the Panagia, John the Baptist, Solomon, personification of the Church). We see the same attempt in the presentation of the Ascension in the eastern apse. This concern to emphasize Christ's human nature is directed against the heretics who had called the energy and will of his human nature into question. On the basis of the above, I believe that the wall paintings at Drosiani church must be dated to the second half of the 7th century and, furthermore, that the presence of the Orthodox Pope Martin I on the island in 653 certainly had an influence on the iconographie program of this church. Stylistic analysis of these wall paintings supports this point of view. The wall paintings can be placed between two stylistic trends: on the one hand, the refined, classicizing and impressionistic currents in the first half of the 7th century, particularly the trend that was introduced by eastern artists in 630-650 in the frescoes of S. Maria Antiqua in Rome; on the other hand, the more dynamic and vigorous trend that appeared in the same Roman monument in 705-707 with the wall paintings commissioned by Pope John VII.

• History and Archaeology
• Arts

• Arts and religion

• http://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/deltion/article/view/4775
• http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/dchae.1193