Review of Ann Marie Yasin, Saints and Church Spaces in the Late Antique Mediterranean: Architecture, Cult, and Community (original) (raw)
http://www.caareviews.org/reviews/1633 May 2011
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Architecture and Visual Culture in the Late Antique and Medieval Mediterranean Studies in Honor of Robert G. Ousterhout , 2020
Using the carved interior, inscriptions, and painted decorations of Bezirana Kilisesi in Cappadocia as a case study, in light of recent theoretical discussions this paper aims to illustrate to what extent the making of sacred space in a remote region outside imperial territory – and under Islamic rule – can mimic the well-established patterns and symbol systems of Byzantium’s urban and cultural centers. A comprehensive investigation across the late medieval painted programs in Cappadocia from the perspective of Bezirana Kilise shows how the fashioning of sacred space involved forging close links between the deceased and the living (both clerics and laypeople), as well as between decoration, commemoration, and the idea of protection, thus replicating the construction process of Late Byzantine cultural identity. This systematic inquiry into the sacred character of these church spaces thereby challenges commonly accepted notions of center and periphery in the cultural production and communal identity of Cappadocia in opposition to the rest of the Byzantine Empire at this period. Although the carved, painted, and inscribed environment of Bezirana Kilisesi is a product of the ‘post-Byzantine’ social and cultural context, the result represents one the of the finest and most opulent Late Byzantine sacred spaces.
More than a Church: Late antique ecclesiastical complexes in Cyprus
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In Late Antiquity, Cyprus was a prosperous, independent island that was able to build its importance through diverse trade relations. Its socio-economic and cultural development was shaped by invasions and earthquakes, but also by trans-Mediterranean contact and the lively cult of saints from the earliest years of Christianity. As Christianity developed in the eastern Mediterranean, the Church established a great influence over the island, as evidenced by numerous large basilicas and the formation of many bishoprics. Within Cypriot localities, both rural and urban, a strong connection between religious and secular buildings can be traced, indicating a strong influence of the church on the local economy. From an archaeological point of view, this phenomenon takes numerous forms and transformations. Both civic and religious monuments have been given archaeological attention in the past, however, the relationships between production sites and economic structures located close to churches have been neglected. This dissertation is a comprehensive study of ecclesiastical monuments in relation to agricultural and industrial facilities from the 4th to 10th centuries. The particular focus is on the dynamics between economic spaces and sacred architecture, and is organised by the type of product or industrial activity. By bringing together the fields of architecture, ceramics, numismatics, and landscape archaeology, combined with a consideration of the island’s late antique history and vitality, the role of the church and its influence before and after the 7th century Arab invasions is comprehensively presented here for the first time.
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in: Identity / Identities in Late Medieval Cyprus, Proceedings of the Joint Newton Fellowship and Annual ICS Byzantine Colloquium, London, King’s College, 13.–14.6.2011, ed. Guillaume Saint-Guillain, Tassos Papacostas, Nicosia 2014, pp. 241-279.
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