The extent and many-sidedness of Marian devotion in Byzantium could hardly be overestimated. While the forms and functions of the cult of the Theotokos (“God-bearer”) in the early and middle Byzantine periods have been extensively studied, the role of her figure in the political, social, literary and artistic history of the late and post-Byzantine world are yet to be fully explored. This session aims to examine some of the many under-researched texts and images of the Mother of God from the late and post-Byzantine periods, while asking broader questions about continuities and transformations with respect to her cult in earlier periods. The main focus of the session will be on Byzantine Marian hymns and their diverse reception through commentaries, translations, and visual representations.
The “makaristaria” or “makaronia” or “megalynaria” are sequences of hymns first attested in the 13th century. These hymns are a central feature of the service for the Burial of Christ during the Vespers of Holy Saturday. The “makaristaria” for the Dormition of the Theotokos and for saints are commonly regarded as prosomoia, modeled after the…
Among the iconographic novelties associated with the Late Byzantine workshop of the Astrapades, the monumental visualization of liturgical poetry devoted to the Mother of God takes pride of place. Mural depictions of Marian hymns are often framed by cycles of Old Testament visions prefiguring Christ’s Incarnation. My paper explores an early occurrence of this pictorial…
The Marian troparion inc. Τὴν τιμιωτέραν τῶν Χερουβίμ (“Greater in honour than the Cherubim”) is part of Kosmas the Melodist’s triodion for Holy Friday. Two prominent Komnenian scholars and commentators of hymnographic works, Gregory of Corinth and Theodore Prodromos, briefly addressed this troparion as part of their interpretations of Kosmas’ triodion. Approximately two centuries later,…
Painted illustrations of the Marian hymns “In Thee Rejoices” (Ἐπὶ σοὶ χαίρει) and “It Is Truly Meet” (Ἄξιόν ἐστιν ὡς ἀληθῶς) first appear in the fifteenth century (e.g. Athens, Byzantine and Christian Museum, inv. T 134; Saint Petersburg, State Russian Museum, inv. ДРЖ 1182). I will argue that such illustrations functioned as devotional images and…