Angeliki Katsioti

The city of Rhodes was an important harbour in the Hellenistic period, and although its political role in the Roman period was significantly diminished, it never ceased to be a key hub for trade. The catastrophic earthquake of AD 515 marked the transition from the Late Roman to the Early Byzantine period in Rhodes. The glorious ancient city shrunk in size; its streets, which had been laid out according to the Hippodamian grid, were encroached upon and large basilicas were founded on the sites of ancient sanctuaries. A significant portion of the city has been uncovered over the past few years by rescue excavation, revealing houses, mansions, streets and extensive cemeteries, all yielding a large quantity of finds. This study focuses on the recording, study and publication of the corpus of the Late Antique lamps dating from the 3rd to the 7th centuries as found in these rescue excavations in the town of Rhodes. The lamps of this period from Rhodes and the other Dodecanesian islands are almost unknown in the published literature. The aim here is to present the diachronic changes in the artistic sensibility and preferences of this particular market. An integral component in this process are topographical observations regarding the Early Byzantine town of Rhodes, giving some details about the extent of the building remains. In addition, facets of the economic and commercial activities of the island during Late Antiquity are highlighted. Subjects such as the transformation/adaptation of the ancient city to new circumstances are also debated. For some lamps, analyses of the clay have been undertaken and the results are presented.

St. John the Theologian at Lakki, Leros, is a three-aisled domed basilica with traces of several building phases and repairs. The restoration of the church has revealed important elements of its history. The foundations of the original timber- roofed basilica with a narthex were laid on the soft bedrock of the area. The colonnades dividing the aisles incorporated dissimilar columns and capitals, reworked for aesthetic reasons at one of the later stages of intervention; their original provenance is unclear. The church had a synthronon and arched windows. The masonry was irregular, with a light coating of plaster interrupted in places to expose courses of brick on both sides of the wall and the arches of the openings; such was the original decoration of the monument. The plaster was divided into zones decorated with incisions. Its large size, in conjunction with the terracotta decoration, indicates that is was probably an episcopal church, a possibility also supported by the inscription on the marble lintel originally placed over the central west door. This inscription dates from the earliest phase of the building and mentions the year 1082 and the name of a bishop Nicholas as founder. During the first decades of the 13th century, perhaps after an earthquake, the church acquired a cross-vaulted roof with a dome. The facade was remodelled according to the dominant trend of the period. The apse to the left of the sanctuary (prothesis) was rebuilt without the brick courses, and the outside of the building was decorated with chevron patterns. The windows were blocked and the interior was covered with murals, taking advantage of the increased surface made available for painting. Judging from the north aisle—dedicated to the Blessed Christodoulos, the founder of the Patmos Monastery—the painting programme was of special character. The style of the murals, dating from the first half of the 13th century, recalls monuments of Rhodes, such as St. Michael at Thari and St. Phanourios in the medieval town, which possibly reflect the art of the Byzantine empire of Nicaea. The third important modification of the church, dating from the post-Byzantine period, involved the walling of both colonnades, the blocking of three out of the four windows of the dome and the construction of a wall dividing the sanctuary from the nave. At this time the murals were badly damaged, since a pale plaster coating covered much of the interior.

his paper aims to explore the artistic influence gained by the Nicene empire in the islands
of the Aegean Sea during the first half of the 13th century. The insights about the painting of the islands
of the Southeast Aegean emphasizes on Rhodes with some brilliant and monumental examples, such as
the murals in the church of St. Phanourios in the Medieval Town, the main urban centre of the region,
and in the katholikon of the monastery of St. Michael (Taxiarches) at Tharri. Both were linked to the
Gavalas family rulers of the island of Rhodes and highlight the imported character of the art which, in
keeping with historical realities, apparently originates from the empire of Nicaea and its endeavour to
influence the islands in various ways. On a parallel way the Empire was connected with the Monastery
of Saint John the Theologian on Patmos whose properties became symbols of imperial patronage
and foci of settlements and also with local churches and community. Thus, the frescoes of the second
layer of the Trapeza on Patmos, of St. John the Theologian at Lakki on Leros, a holding of the Patmos
Monastery (?), and others in neighbouring Kos were executed during and probably financed by the
Nicene regime. The gradual concentration of power by the Monastery offers the opportunity to read
into the landscape of the Aegean islands under its influence and define identities in the region. All
these surviving mural decorations constitute a visual vocabulary open to interpretation.

Η ΛΑΤΡΕΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΙΩΑΝΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΟΔΡΟΜΟΥ ΕΧΕΙ ΤΙΣ ΡΙΖΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΠΑΛΑΙΣΤΙΝΗ, ΣΕ ΙΕΡΑ ΠΟΥ ΙΔΡΥΘΗΚΑΝ ΣΕ ΤΟΠΟΥΣ ΣΥΝΔΕΔΕΜΕΝΟΥΣ ΜΕ ΤΗ ΔΡΑΣΗ, ΤΟ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΟ ΚΑΙ ΤΙΣ ΕΥΡΕΣΕΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΕΦΑΛΗΣ ΤΟΥ. ΔΥΣΤΥΧΩΣ ΟΙ ΓΝΩΣΕΙΣ ΜΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΡΩΙΜΗ ΑΥΤΗ ΠΕΡΙΔΟ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΕΝ ΛΟΓΩ ΙΕΡΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΠΟΛΥ ΠΕΡΙΟΡΙΣΜΕΝΕΣ. ΣΤΟΥΣ ΑΙΩΝΕΣ ΠΟΥ ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΗΣΑΝ Η ΛΑΤΡΕΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΔΙΑΔΟΘΗΚΕ ΚΑΙ ΟΙ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΕΣ ΠΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΑΦΙΕΡΩΘΗΚΑΝ ΣΕ ΟΛΗ ΤΗ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΗ ΕΠΙΚΡΑΤΕΙΑ ΥΠΗΡΞΑΝ ΠΟΛΥΑΡΙΘΜΕΣ. Η ΕΙΚΟΝΟΓΡΑΦΗΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΣΚΗΝΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΖΩΗΣ ΤΟΥ, ΠΡΟΕΡΧΕΤΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΡΕΙΣ ΠΗΓΕΣ, ΤΑ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΑ, ΑΠΟΚΡΥΦΕΣ ΔΙΗΓΗΣΕΙΣ ΠΟΥ ΣΧΕΤΙΖΟΝΤΑΙ ΚΥΡΙΩΣ ΜΕ ΕΠΕΙΣΟΔΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΠΑΙΔΙΚΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΗΛΙΚΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΚΑ ΚΕΙΜΕΝΑ ΠΟΥ ΑΦΗΓΟΥΝΤΑΙ ΤΙΣ ΤΡΕΙΣ ΕΥΡΕΣΕΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΕΦΑΛΗΣ ΤΟΥ. ΟΙ ΣΚΗΝΕΣ ΑΥΤΕΣ, ΟΤΑΝ ΔΕΝ ΕΝΤΑΣΣΟΝΤΑΙ ΣΤΟΝΕΙΚΟΝΟΓΡΑΦΗΜΕΝΟ ΚΥΚΛΟ ΤΗΣ ΖΩΗΣ ΤΟΥ, Η ΑΛΛΩΝ ΚΥΚΛΩΝ (Π.Χ. Η ΒΑΠΤΙΣΗ ΣΤΟ ΔΩΔΕΚΑΟΡΤΟ, Ο ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΣΜΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΖΑΧΑΡΙΑ ΣΤΟΝ ΚΥΚΛΟ ΤΩΝ ΑΡΧΑΓΓΕΛΩΝ) ΕΙΚΟΝΟΓΡΑΦΟΥΝ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΑ, ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΣΤΑΡΙΑ, ΜΗΝΟΛΟΓΙΑ ΣΕ ΧΕΙΡΟΓΡΑΦΑ, ΕΙΚΟΝΕΣ Η ΕΝΤΟΙΧΙΑ. ΣΕ ΔΙΑΦΟΡΕΤΙΚΗ ΠΕΡΙΠΤΩΣΗ, ΣΚΗΝΕΣ ΔΗΛΑΔΗ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΟΔΡΟΜΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΝΟΜΕΣ ΣΤΗ ΜΝΗΜΕΙΑ...

From 1309 to 1523, Rhodes was ruled by the Order of the Knights of St. John. The relics of John the Baptist, their patron saint, held a prominent place in the Hospitallers? devotion. Among the relics, his arm became a significant focus of attention and pilgrimage for the Christian world. After a brief review of the earliest references to the arm, its travels about the eastern Mediterranean, as well as some of the testimonies related to it, the representations of the saint?s arm in medieval painting are briefly examined. After 1204, the Knights appear to have had a direct or indirect connection with the proliferation and dispersal of the relics of the saint, aiming at political and economic benefits. The ?miraculous replication? of the arm opened new perspectives for power and influence.

From 1309 to 1523, Rhodes was ruled by the Order of the Knights of St. John. The relics of John the Baptist, their patron saint, held a prominent place in the Hospitallers' devotion. Among the relics, his arm became a significant focus of attention and pilgrimage for the Christian world. After a brief review of the earliest references to the arm, its travels about the eastern Mediterranean, as well as some of the testimonies related to it, the representations of the saint's arm in medieval painting are briefly examined. After 1204, the Knights appear to have had a direct or indirect connection with the proliferation and dispersal of the relics of the saint, aiming at political and economic benefits. The "miraculous replication" of the arm opened new perspectives for power and influence.

St. John the Theologian at Lakki, Leros, is a three-aisled domed basilica with traces of several building phases and repairs. The restoration of the church has revealed important elements of its history. The foundations of the original timber- roofed basilica with a narthex were laid on the soft bedrock of the area. The colonnades dividing the aisles incorporated dissimilar columns and capitals, reworked for aesthetic reasons at one of the later stages of intervention; their original provenance is unclear. The church had a synthronon and arched windows. The masonry was irregular, with a light coating of plaster interrupted in places to expose courses of brick on both sides of the wall and the arches of the openings; such was the original decoration of the monument. The plaster was divided into zones decorated with incisions. Its large size, in conjunction with the terracotta decoration, indicates that is was probably an episcopal church, a possibility also supported by the inscription on the marble lintel originally placed over the central west door. This inscription dates from the earliest phase of the building and mentions the year 1082 and the name of a bishop Nicholas as founder. During the first decades of the 13th century, perhaps after an earthquake, the church acquired a cross-vaulted roof with a dome. The facade was remodelled according to the dominant trend of the period. The apse to the left of the sanctuary (prothesis) was rebuilt without the brick courses, and the outside of the building was decorated with chevron patterns. The windows were blocked and the interior was covered with murals, taking advantage of the increased surface made available for painting. Judging from the north aisle—dedicated to the Blessed Christodoulos, the founder of the Patmos Monastery—the painting programme was of special character. The style of the murals, dating from the first half of the 13th century, recalls monuments of Rhodes, such as St. Michael at Thari and St. Phanourios in the medieval town, which possibly reflect the art of the Byzantine empire of Nicaea. The third important modification of the church, dating from the post-Byzantine period, involved the walling of both colonnades, the blocking of three out of the four windows of the dome and the construction of a wall dividing the sanctuary from the nave. At this time the murals were badly damaged, since a pale plaster coating covered much of the interior.

St. John the Theologian at Lakki, Leros, is a three­ aisled domed basilica with traces of several building phases and repairs. The restoration of the church has revealed important elements of its history. The foundations of the original tim­ ber­roofed basilica with a narthex were laid on the soft bedrock of the area. The colonnades dividing the aisles incorporated dis­ similar columns and capitals, reworked for aesthetic reasons at one of the later stages of intervention; their original provenance is unclear. The church had a synthronon and arched windows. The masonry was irregular, with a light coating of plaster interrupted in places to expose courses of brick on both sides of the wall and the arches of the openings; such was the original decoration of the monument. The plaster was divided into zones decorated with incisions. Its large size, in conjunction with the terracotta decoration, indicates that is was probably an episcopal church, a possibility also supported by the inscription on the marble lintel originally placed over the central west door. This inscription dates from the earliest phase of the building and mentions the year 1082 and the name of a bishop Nicholas as founder. During the first decades of the 13 th century, perhaps after an earthquake, the church acquired a cross­vaulted roof with a dome. The façade was remodelled according to the dominant trend of the period. The apse to the left of the sanctuary (prothesis) was rebuilt without the brick courses, and the outside of the building was decorated with chevron patterns. The windows were blocked and the interior was covered with murals, taking advantage of the increased surface made available for painting. Judging from the north aisle—dedicated to the Blessed Christodoulos, the founder of the Patmos Monastery—the painting programme was of special character. The style of the murals, dating from the first half of the 13th century, recalls monuments of Rhodes, such as St. Michael at Thari and St. Phanourios in the medieval town, which possibly reflect the art of the Byzantine empire of Nicaea. The third important modification of the church, dating from the post­Byzantine period, involved the walling of both colonnades, the blocking of three out of the four windows of the dome and the construction of a wall dividing the sanctuary from the nave. At this time the murals were badly damaged, since a pale plaster coating covered much of the interior.