Art and miracles in medieval Byzantium : the crypt at Hosios Loukas and its frescoes / Carolyn L. Connor.

By:

Connor, Carolyn L. (Carolyn Loessel) [author]

Material type: Text

TextPublication details: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c1991.Description: xiii, 132 pages, approximately 68 pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 29 cmContent type:

text

Media type:

unmediated

Carrier type:

volume

ISBN:

0691040842

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

726.509495

Contents:

The frescoes -- Architecture and liturgy -- Context and patronage.

Summary: "The frescoes of the newly restored crypt at the Byzantine monastery of Hosios Loukas in Greece represent one of the best preserved ensembles of monumental decoration to survive from the Middle Ages. In this first full photo-documentation of the crypt at the monastery founded by Saint Luke of Steiris in the mid-tenth century, Carolyn Connor shows how the frescoes reflect the funerary and commemorative functions of the architecture they embellish, and how they suggest a new way of looking at this part of the medieval Byzantine empire. Offering clues to the sources of wealth and the motives of patrons who made possible such a lavish foundation, these frescoes also offer insight into Byzantine beliefs about miracles and healing cults - a topic rarely so well documented as in this fascinating monument. Connor begins by examining the complex relationships among the frescoes: together the forty portraits of saints, eight Christological scenes, and other depictions proclaim a message of salvation and confirm that this crypt was a place of miracles. Through a study of contemporary documents and of the religious, cultural, social, and political background of the monastery, Connor integrates the program of the frescoes with its historical context. The result is a new dating for this monastery - changed from the eleventh to the second half of the tenth century - based on historical evidence and on a fresh interpretation of the stages of building recounted in the Life of Saint Luke." -- Publisher's description.

Holdings ( 1 )
Title notes ( 3 )

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
Book - 7-day loan	CYA Library Main Collection	726.509495 CON (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		00000001756

Total holds: 0

Includes bibliographical references (pages 125-128) and index.

The frescoes -- Architecture and liturgy -- Context and patronage.

"The frescoes of the newly restored crypt at the Byzantine monastery of Hosios Loukas in Greece represent one of the best preserved ensembles of monumental decoration to survive from the Middle Ages. In this first full photo-documentation of the crypt at the monastery founded by Saint Luke of Steiris in the mid-tenth century, Carolyn Connor shows how the frescoes reflect the funerary and commemorative functions of the architecture they embellish, and how they suggest a new way of looking at this part of the medieval Byzantine empire. Offering clues to the sources of wealth and the motives of patrons who made possible such a lavish foundation, these frescoes also offer insight into Byzantine beliefs about miracles and healing cults - a topic rarely so well documented as in this fascinating monument.
Connor begins by examining the complex relationships among the frescoes: together the forty portraits of saints, eight Christological scenes, and other depictions proclaim a message of salvation and confirm that this crypt was a place of miracles. Through a study of contemporary documents and of the religious, cultural, social, and political background of the monastery, Connor integrates the program of the frescoes with its historical context. The result is a new dating for this monastery - changed from the eleventh to the second half of the tenth century - based on historical evidence and on a fresh interpretation of the stages of building recounted in the Life of Saint Luke." -- Publisher's description.