Icon with Saint Demeterios

     The Icon With Saint Demetrios was created during the Middle Byzantine period, which ranged from 850-1204 C.E. The amount of surviving artworks from the Middle Byzantine period is much higher than that of the Early Byzantine period. This is due to religious infighting between the iconoclasts, who were believed the depictions of those other than Christ or god to be idolatry, and those who believed in the worship and depictions of saints. While this period is known for the uptick in the amount of churches being built and remodeled, the increased stability due to the downfall of the iconoclasts led to the commission of private artworks such as carved ivory (Hurst). These commissions were otherworldly in focus, and often depicted saints or other religious figures. 


   Icon with Saint Demetrius (950-1000 C.E.) https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/465946


     The Icon of Saint Demetrios depicts the Byzantine saint and patron of Thessaloniki. Saint Demetrius was a Greek born Roman officer from around 300 C.E. He achieved sainthood after preaching his faith despite being imprisoned by Emperor Maximian. One of his miracles was in the forming of his blessing on Nestor, who would challenge and defeat the gladiator Lyaios despite overwhelming odds (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America). The people of Thessaloniki also attribute certain victories in defense of their city, and adopted him as their patron as well as beginning the tradition of the "Feast of the Holy and Glorious Great Marty Saint Demetrios, The Myrrh-Streamer." Most of the depictions of Saint Demetrios are housed in his temple in Thessaloniki, and is often shown in his military uniform, which is significant due to the rarity of saints being depicted in a military uniform; inscription above his head indicates his name. This particular depiction was potentially used as a standard to mount and carry into battle as well as the cover of a book (Met Museum). 

Dr. Ellen Hurst, "Byzantine art, an introduction," in Smarthistory, August 8, 2014, accessed September 16, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/a-beginners-guide-to-byzantine-art/.

"Icon of Saint Demetrios." Met Meuseum, Accessed Sep 16, 2020. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/465946

"Feast of the Holy and Glorious Great Martyr Saint demetrios, The Myrrh-Streamer." Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Accessed Sep 16, 2020. https://www.goarch.org/-/feast-of-the-holy-and-glorious-great-martyr-saint-demetrios-the-myrrh-streamer

Comments

  1. Luna VelarSeptember 18, 2020 at 7:14 PM

    Hi Alex!

    It's very interesting how art seemed to regress as the world moved forward from Greek classical art unto religious Byzantine sculptures. It's also interesting that the commission prices for these artworks probably increased and were in more demand, yet aren't as grandly created. Very insightful post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jake, of "Jake Writes a Blog"September 19, 2020 at 10:41 PM

    Alex, I think this post is well done. I enjoyed not only reading about the piece but about the background of st. Demetrius and why these depictions of saints were important but we're portrayed by some as idolatry instead of patronage. I wonder, could you possibly explain more on why it was so rare to see a saint depicted in a military uniform? Overall, great job.

    ReplyDelete

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