Some notes on the register of the Passions and of the Resurrection From the nave of the church from Patrauti Summary The author of the paper analyses the position and the content of the register of the Passions and of the Resurrection...
moreSome notes on the register of the Passions and of the Resurrection
From the nave of the church from Patrauti
Summary
The author of the paper analyses the position and the content of the register of the Passions and of the Resurrection from the „Holy Cross” church from Pa- trauti (built in 1487 and painted probably before 1492). The church proves its individ-
uality due to a special selection and emphasis of the scenes of this cycle, but also due to an uncommon orientation of displaying its narrative, contrary to the sun course, despite the current tradition in the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine art. The same orien- tation was used also at the „St. Elijah” church from Suceava (built in 1488). Certain imprints of the disposal from Patrauti and „St. Elijah” from Suceava can also be no- ticed at the „St. George” church of the Voronet monastery (built in 1488), where they returned to the traditional orientation of displaying this cycle, according to the solar course. As a result of an investigation, the author proposes the following chronologi- cal sequence of painting the above-mentioned churches: Patrauti, St. Elijah, Voronet. The chronological componence of the cycle of Passions from Patrauti is explained through the almost exact correspondence with the readings of the 12 Gospels at the morning service on Holy Friday. The correspondence was rather closely observed at St. Elijah and several reminiscences were met at Voronet. In this respect, these three churches represent a distinct group, because at other painted monuments, from the end of the XVth century and along the XVIth century, was adopted another system of organizing the register of the Passions and of the Resurrection. Namely, within the continuous frieze, the selection of themes was inspired from the readings of the „har- monized” Gospel, read at the evening services from Holy Thursday and Holy Friday. The unusual orientation of this register, at Patrauti and St. Elijah, could be explained through the involvement of Basil, bishop of Roman, in the dispute concerning the direction of the church processions, a dispute between Gherontie, metropolitan of Moscow, and the Great Knyaz Ivan III. In his letter from February 2, 1484, bishop Basil approves the position of metropolitan Gherontie that all the processions, ac- cording to the „Greek law” and contrary to the „Latin” one, go against the solar course. The intervention of bishop Basil in ordering the paintings from Patrauti and St. Elijah, where the orientation of the cycle of the Passions was fit according to the orientation of liturgical processions and other services, could be explained through the fact that this hierarch was the confessor of Stephen the Great, the founder of both mentioned churches.
