Iro Dermitzaki | UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY, GREECE (original) (raw)

THESIS by Iro Dermitzaki

Research paper thumbnail of Οι Βυζαντινοί μοναχοί ως ζωγράφοι (Byzantine monks as painters)

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS by Iro Dermitzaki

Research paper thumbnail of SNSF ADG Project Holy Net Launch

Research paper thumbnail of Pictorial Decoration of Middle-Byzantine Refectories: Illusion at the service of 'Feeding the Soul"

"This paper is an attempt to comprehend and interpret the function of illusion through works of a... more "This paper is an attempt to comprehend and interpret the function of illusion through works of art in non-holy spaces designed to serve the need of nutrition in monastic buildings. Through the study of the exceptionally well-preserved decoration of the refectory of the Monastery of St. John ‘Theologos’ at Patmos, I will attempt to approach the issue of the decoration of refectories and to analyse the depicted scenes. For example, how through the use of specific themes does the imagery of one of the most basic biological needs become ‘translated’ into a spiritual state? The reality of the need of nutrition is confronted with the illusion of its conversion to a spiritual activity – the transformation of nourishment of the body to nourishment of the soul. This issue is approached through the comparative study of all the surviving Middle-Byzantine refectory decorations. My approach is based on the choice of scenes depicted and their interpretation. It will also provide differentiation of the meaning conveyed by the same scenes in the church, and on the illusive use of the imagery for the achievement of very specific goals. Useful tools in this attempt are also the surviving monastic typica, which provide information about the daily ritual of dining in a monastery, as well as the origins and goals of Christian common meals."

Book chapters by Iro Dermitzaki

Research paper thumbnail of "Marian Cult-Sites Along the Venetian Sea-Routes to Holy Land in the Late Middle Ages", in M.S. Calò Mariani - A. Trono (eds.), The Ways of the Misericordia: Arts, Culture and Marian religious paths between East and West. Mario Congedo publisher.

Marian Cult-Sites Along the Venetian Sea-Routes to Holy Landin the Late Middle Ages

Projects by Iro Dermitzaki

Research paper thumbnail of From Venice to the Holy Land Database presentation SNSF-Project

The project "From Venice to the Holy Land. Mise-en-scène and Forms of Perception of Holy Sites al... more The project "From Venice to the Holy Land. Mise-en-scène and Forms of Perception of Holy Sites along the Sea Routes to Palestine (1300-1550)", supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, took place between 2014 and 2018. It aimed to investigate the ways in which, since 1300, the port-towns located along the Venetian sea-routes to the Holy Land were invested with new cultic meanings and variously associated with the idea of "site-bound" holiness connected with Jerusalem and the Holy Land. All information about such holy sites were collected within a searchable database. The latter will be soon published in the website of Fribourg University. Herewith a description is provided

Papers by Iro Dermitzaki

Research paper thumbnail of Marian Cult-sites along the Venetian sea-routes to Holy Land in the Late Middle Ages

The present paper discusses materials collected and analysed in the frame of a research project c... more The present paper discusses materials collected and analysed in the frame of a research project coordinated by Michele Bacci at Fribourg University and supported by the Swiss National Found. It focuses on the spread of Marian cultic phenomena along the maritime routes between Venice and the Holy Land, which corresponded to the major commercial itineraries among territories mainly belonging to the Venetian Stato da Mar. Relying on evidence provided by 14th to mid-16th century pilgrims’ travelogues, this study lays emphasis on the dissemination of new holy sites and cultic attractions which took place in this intermediary space between Venice and Palestine, namely on the coasts of Istria, Dalmatia, Albania, Corfu, the Morea, Candia, Rhodes and Cyprus, during the Late Middle Ages. In this respect, a number of holy objects found in such sites were regarded as especially attractive on account of their more or less direct association with the Gospel narratives. A key-role was played, in t...

Research paper thumbnail of SNSF ADG Project Holy Net Launch

Research paper thumbnail of Pictorial Decoration of Middle-Byzantine Refectories: Illusion at the service of 'Feeding the Soul"

"This paper is an attempt to comprehend and interpret the function of illusion through works of a... more "This paper is an attempt to comprehend and interpret the function of illusion through works of art in non-holy spaces designed to serve the need of nutrition in monastic buildings. Through the study of the exceptionally well-preserved decoration of the refectory of the Monastery of St. John ‘Theologos’ at Patmos, I will attempt to approach the issue of the decoration of refectories and to analyse the depicted scenes. For example, how through the use of specific themes does the imagery of one of the most basic biological needs become ‘translated’ into a spiritual state? The reality of the need of nutrition is confronted with the illusion of its conversion to a spiritual activity – the transformation of nourishment of the body to nourishment of the soul. This issue is approached through the comparative study of all the surviving Middle-Byzantine refectory decorations. My approach is based on the choice of scenes depicted and their interpretation. It will also provide differentiation of the meaning conveyed by the same scenes in the church, and on the illusive use of the imagery for the achievement of very specific goals. Useful tools in this attempt are also the surviving monastic typica, which provide information about the daily ritual of dining in a monastery, as well as the origins and goals of Christian common meals."

Research paper thumbnail of From Venice to the Holy Land Database presentation SNSF-Project

The project "From Venice to the Holy Land. Mise-en-scène and Forms of Perception of Holy Sites al... more The project "From Venice to the Holy Land. Mise-en-scène and Forms of Perception of Holy Sites along the Sea Routes to Palestine (1300-1550)", supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, took place between 2014 and 2018. It aimed to investigate the ways in which, since 1300, the port-towns located along the Venetian sea-routes to the Holy Land were invested with new cultic meanings and variously associated with the idea of "site-bound" holiness connected with Jerusalem and the Holy Land. All information about such holy sites were collected within a searchable database. The latter will be soon published in the website of Fribourg University. Herewith a description is provided

Research paper thumbnail of Marian Cult-sites along the Venetian sea-routes to Holy Land in the Late Middle Ages

The present paper discusses materials collected and analysed in the frame of a research project c... more The present paper discusses materials collected and analysed in the frame of a research project coordinated by Michele Bacci at Fribourg University and supported by the Swiss National Found. It focuses on the spread of Marian cultic phenomena along the maritime routes between Venice and the Holy Land, which corresponded to the major commercial itineraries among territories mainly belonging to the Venetian Stato da Mar. Relying on evidence provided by 14th to mid-16th century pilgrims’ travelogues, this study lays emphasis on the dissemination of new holy sites and cultic attractions which took place in this intermediary space between Venice and Palestine, namely on the coasts of Istria, Dalmatia, Albania, Corfu, the Morea, Candia, Rhodes and Cyprus, during the Late Middle Ages. In this respect, a number of holy objects found in such sites were regarded as especially attractive on account of their more or less direct association with the Gospel narratives. A key-role was played, in t...