The Serres Icon of Saints Theodores

Abstract

In the later Middle Ages, the Old Metropolis of Serres in Eastern Macedonia was home to a highly venerated icon of Saints Theodore Teron and Theodore Stratelates. This article uncovers the history of this lost image, explores aspects of its cult, and reconstructs its artistic form and the manner in which it was displayed by bringing together the available textual and visual evidence. The article draws primarily upon three sources: the ekphrasis of the Metropolis and the collection of miracles of Saints Theodores composed by a local scholar, Theodore Pediasimos (fl. early 14th century), and a previously neglected epigram on the icon penned by the South Italian writer and diplomat Nicholas-Nektarios of Otranto (ca. 1155/1160 -1235). In tracing the “social life” and transformations of the Serres icon, this study also addresses larger topics such as the formation of image cults and their relation to the cults of saints, the practice of offering precious- metal icon revetments as votive gifts, and the practice of composing liturgical hymns dedicated to icons.