Military Saints Research Articles

A late roman Ampulla with the depiction of Saint Menas from Andriake Church B

This study elaborates on an ampulla found in Church B in Andriake harbor. Church B, one of the six churches in Andriake, was built in the early 5th century AD and was in use until the early 7th century. There is a depiction of Saint Menas in the gesture of orans on both sides of the ampulla, which was found in the church during the excavation between 2011-2013. Additionally, on both sides of Menas, there are camels bent over on his feet. The ampulla, thought to have been produced in the Saint Menas sanctuary, is dated to the early 7th century AD. Saint Menas is one of the military saints born to an Egyptian Christian family. After declaring that he was a Christian, he was executed and killed, and his lifeless body was tried to be burned in the fire. His body, saved from the fire by the believers of Menas, was taken to Egypt and buried in Abu Mina in the Mareotis Region. A large church dedicated to the saint was built in Abu Mina in the 4th century AD. After Abu Mina became a complex city, ampullae with depictions of Saint Menas were crafted there. These ampullae were taken to their destinations by those who came to the saint’s church to fulfill their sacred pilgrimage, by putting holy water and oil, which are believed to heal their inner world. The ampulla found in Andriake must have been brought to Andriake by someone from Myra who went to Abu Mina for a holy pilgrimage.

Two Byzantine Seals from the Excavation of the Medieval Fortress “Malkoto kale” (Yambol Region, Bulgaria)

The present article aims to put into scholarly circulation two new unpublished Byzantine lead seals from the medieval fortress in the area of the village of Voden (municipality of Bolyarovo, Yambol region, Bulgaria). They were handed to the Regional Historical Museum in the town of Yambol as a result of the regular archaeological excavations of the site near the village of Voden, conducted in the period 2012–2019. The first seal dates from the last quarter of the 11th century and has a bust of the Holy Virgin with a halo and a round medallion with the image of the Infant Jesus Christ who blesses with both hands. From the legend on the reverse, it is clear that the bulla belonged to a Byzantine dignitary named Michael Tzitas, who advertises himself with the title of (proto)kouropalates and the position of doux. The second seal dates from the end of the 11th – the beginning of the 12th century and has an interesting and relatively rare iconographic plot depicting three military saints on the obverse, and an invocation to them on the reverse. The seal belongs to a clergyman – a metropolitan bishop of Athens, named Nicetas (Νικήτας).

At the beginning stages of the “School of Gramos”. The frescoes of the church of transfiguration (Shen Sotiri) in Tremisht, South Albania (1560)

The murals of the single-aisle timber-roofed basilica of the Transfiguration (Shen Sotiri) in Tremisht (Permet, southern Albania) date from 1560. Several features, such as the Theotokos Blachernitissa, the Passion cycle, the courtiers? hats and clothes of certain military saints, as well as the style of the frescoes, lead us to the artistic tradition of the Ohrid Archbishopric. Moreover, a few iconographic peculiarities seem to be associated with Ioannis from Gramosta (before the mid-sixteenth century). Consequently, the ?Tremisht painter? might have been a member of Ioannis? workshop, representing thus the beginning stages of the so-called ?School of Gramos? of Post-Byzantine icon painting.

Warrior saints at Nerezi - the selection of figures and other remarks on their iconography

The paper deals with the figures of warrior saints in the nave of the Church of St. Panteleimon in Nerezi. Within this group of saints, in addition to the most famous, easily recognizable ones, there are also those warriors on the identity of which scholars have expressed different opinions. Based on the iconographic analysis, the depictions of the saints in question are identified in the article. The figures of some military saints in Nerezi are also analyzed in the broader context of their representation in the art of the Byzantine cultural sphere. In addition to the above, attention is paid to the specific way of grouping the Nerezi warriors, as well as to two different iconographic models of depicting its members.

The Icons of Military Saints in Rus’. An Attempt at Classifying Iconographic Types from before the Beginning of the 17th Century

Depictions of military martyrs were among the most popular subjects in icon painting in Rus’. Between the 11th and the 17th century local workshops adopted canonical Byzantine models and gradually developed and changed them depending on local factors and conditions. The present article attempts to classify the most common iconographic types and to describe the dynamic of the changes in the iconographic canon on the basis of a qualitative and quantitative analysis of extant and known works.

Constructing Identity in the Middle Ages: Relics, Religiosity, and the Military Orders

This paper examines the materiality and use of religious relics by the Military Orders. Examples taken from the Knights Templar, the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Order and across Europe and the Holy Land from the 12th to 16th centuries are explored using historical and archaeological evidence; particular attention is paid to Baltic and Spanish case studies. A persistent desire for relics is identified and their means of accumulation explained within the wider context of Crusader memorabilia. In particular, the Military Orders acquired Passion and Life of Christ relics, as well as those of popular saints and patron saints who echoed their geographical and cultural associations. Female martyrs, especially St Catherine, were more popular with the knights than military saints amongst whom only St George was favoured. However, the Orders also promoted new cults around the relics of venerable individuals with whom they were closely associated. These artefacts were generally displayed in conventual chapels whose architecture, symbolism and setting are also discussed here. Overall, relics were central to the religiosity and identity of the Military Orders but the authors question just how distinctive their practices were.

Monica White, Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900-1200

M. White offre, avec ce livre, une etude du developpement du culte des saints militaires dans les mondes byzantin et russe. Organise en six chapitres – The pre-history of the military saints, The formation of the martyr-warrior ideal, The collective cult of the military saints, The military saints in early Rus, Boris and Gleb and the warrior-martyr ideal in Rus et, enfin, Military saints under the house of Suzdal – le propos profite de precieuses annexes : une carte de la Russie a la fin de l...

The Beryozovo Cup: A Byzantine Object at the Crossroads of Twelfth-Century Eurasia

In the twelfth century, Christian military saints, including George and Theodore, became intercultural heroic figures. Appearing in works of art across western European, Byzantine, Crusader, and Islamic cultural spheres, these holy heroes sometimes featured in contexts and objects that modern taxonomies classify as “secular.” This article focuses on a particularly intriguing example of this phenomenon: a middle Byzantine silver drinking cup, which displays on its exterior a program of so-called princely cycle imagery derived from medieval Islamic courtly iconography, but contrasts these decidedly non-religious motifs with a portrait of Saint George on the interior bottom of the vessel. By excavating the logic of the cup’s iconography—its inclusion of George at a banquet—it aims to overcome the insufficiencies of conventional, modern terminology and taxonomies for medieval art by engaging with the transcultural complexity of elite leisure culture in the medieval world.

Monica White. Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900–1200.

Monica White. Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900–1200.

Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900–1200, by Monica White

Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900–1200, by Monica White

Αγιοσ Γεωργιοσ ο Γοργοσ: Η αλληγορικη ερμηνεια στην εννοιολογικη μεταλλαξη του επιθετου

The author of this article attempts to interpret the name ?gorgos? associated with Saint George, utilizing data from the oldest tradition in conjunction with the historical environment in which revives the worship of the saint as equestrian Akrita warrior. The relationship of the rider hero with his warhorse raises the heroism of the military saints of the East, particularly of Cappadocia at a time when the bravery and the heroism of the lads of the Akritian circle is generally emerging. The combination akrita/soldier and farmer meets at the same person of Saint George, who later appears in the iconography, as protector of the water, highlighting the type of ?dragonslayer?. As a formidable equestrian warrior, the Saint smites the enemies of Byzantium during the two wars that Constantine IX Monomachus conducts against the Patsinakoi, considering that Saint George stood firmly by his side. So George as ?gorgos? warrior, is being adopted as the protector of the palace at whom the emperor dedicates the temple of the Mangana Palace. With the status of ?protector? of the imperial house of Byzantium, Saint George becomes prostate symbol of the ?royal house? and is being adopted in imitation, from the Serbian House of Nemanides, whose members lived in the environment of the capital of Byzantium and experienced customs and traditions of the Byzantine court and society. This explains the ?transposition? of the worship of Saint George with the status of warrior - ?gorgos? protector of Byzantium at the Serbian territory of the house of Nemanides and appears to resort in the monuments, accepting the great honor as ?family saint protector? from the rulers of the dynasty that had multifarious relations with Byzantium.

A Byzantine Tradition Transformed: Military Saints under the House of Suzdal’

The Russian ReviewVolume 63, Issue 3 p. 493-513 A Byzantine Tradition Transformed: Military Saints under the House of Suzdal’ Monica White, Monica White University of CambridgeSearch for more papers by this author Monica White, Monica White University of CambridgeSearch for more papers by this author First published: 28 May 2004 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9434.2004.00328.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume63, Issue3July 2004Pages 493-513 RelatedInformation

St. Eustace and St. George: Crusading Saints in the Sculpture and Stained Glass of Chartres Cathedral

The writer discusses two 13th-century statues of military saints at the Martyrs Portal at Chartres Cathedral in Chartres, France. He suggests that the figures of St George and St Eustace (the latter long misidentified as St Theodore) represent the imposition of interests related to private devotion, and shows that the figures of the Crusading saints appropriate iconographic attributes of Byzantine military saints. He builds his iconographic argument by considering the sculpture and stained glass at the cathedral together. He concludes that the images of the military saints not only evince new social attitudes toward Crusading, toward knightly identity, and toward private devotion, but also provide evidence that the cathedral was ready to accommodate these new attitudes.