195-200

The Iconographic Subject ''Άνωθεν οι προφήται'' in a Wall Painting of Megisti Lavra, Mount Athos

Articles

• Δρανδάκης, Νικόλαος Β.
• ΔΡΑΝΔΑΚΗΣ, Νικόλαος Β.

The south chapel of the Katholikon of the Megisti Lavra monastery, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is a domed church, of the "simple" cross-in-square type, with four columns, without narthex. The wall paintings of the chapel, dated in 1560 are, as far as we know, the only work bearing the signature of the painter Frangos Katelanos. The domed vault of the south-west corner bay is decorated with the image of the Virgin Vlachernitissa and close to her, but on a higher level of the same bay, are depicted the busts of six prophets. The prophets and the Virgin compose the iconographie subject '"Άνωθεν οι Προφήται". It seems that this iconographie type was created during the Comnenian era. Usually, the Vlachernitissa is depicted on the same surface with the prophets, but this is not the case in the Megisti Lavra wall paintings. Therefore, in order to enhance the connection between the separated figures of the composition Katelanos added beside each prophet (Moses, Zachariah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Jacob and Isaiah) a small disc with the praying figure of the Virgin painted in grisaille. These discs, inspired by the depiction of the Virgin of the Burning Bush, underline the message declared primarily by the prophets gestures, the texts on their scrolls and the symbols that illustrate the content of these texts. The limited number of the prophets - usually there are twelve or thirteen depicted -, their position, and, above all, the suspended discs with the Virgin testify to the daring and innovative spirit of Frangos Katelanos.

• History and Archaeology
• Arts

• Arts and religion

• http://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/deltion/article/view/4789
• http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/dchae.1207