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The Last Judgement in Saydnaya

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The Last Judgement in Saydnaya ECA 7 (2010), p. 17-34; doi: 10.2143 / ECA.7.0.2136902 1 The Last Judgement in Saydnaya Mat IMMERZEEL INTRODUCTION about the church’s interior and its embellishment (Appendix, 3)4, and in 1697 Henry Maundrell The accounts and memoirs of travellers to the Mid- listed the city’s ruined churches5. Additional valu- dle East are a rewarding source of information as able sources are the pioneering accounts of the they testify to events from times past and contain Ukrainian monk Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky, who descriptions of places, buildings and works of art also made an accurate drawing of the monastery that may have disappeared or changed aspect in the and some churches in its vicinity in 1728 (Fig. 1)6, course of time. This particularly applies to the and Richard Pococke (1737). The latter noted the Monastery of Our Lady in Saydnaya, situated in presence of fragmented wall paintings in several the Qalamun Mountains to the north of Damas- dilapidated churches, but limited his observations cus. Famous for its miraculous icon, it has been one of the monastic church to the architecture and a of the most prominent centres of pilgrimage of the remark about ‘the old model’ of this construc- Middle East for centuries2. Although the monastery tion7. must have been founded in the early Byzantine This article deals with two British sources pub- period, the first reports of pilgrims flocking to this lished on the eve of the radical changes in the place date from the last quarter of the twelfth cen- 1860s, which entailed the almost total replacement tury. From that time on, dozens of accounts have of the ancient church by a modern building. These been written mainly by western travellers. The publications, by Josias Leslie Porter and John flourishing of Saydnaya’s cult is also apparent from Madox, both furnish interesting details about Last the considerable number of other monastic sites Judgement scenes: one in the church of the mon- and churches near the monastery. Some of these astery (Porter), and the other in a church that as yet were transformed Roman buildings, whereas others remains unidentified (Madox). Since these eyewit- were erected from antique spoils. Since Joos van ness accounts also deal with some aspects alluded to Ghistele found them ruined in 1491, the decline by their above-mentioned predecessors, the relevant must have started under Mamluk rule3. It was only parts of their texts on Saydnaya are reproduced in after the anti-Christian riots in 1860 that the the Appendix. remaining buildings were drastically renovated. This means that in attempting to reconstruct their history, we have to depend largely on the observa- tions of earlier visitors. 1 This research was funded by the Netherlands Organization Medieval pilgrims were attracted by the mirac- for Scientific Research (NWO) and Leiden University. I would like to express my gratitude to Nada Hélou and ulous workings of the icon rather than Saydnaya’s Bas Snelders for their valuable advice, and to Maria Sher- sanctuaries and their art, but in the course of time wood Smith for her corrections. this religious interest gradually gave way to an 2 See, e.g., Immerzeel 2007; idem 2009a, 43-56; idem 2009b, inquisitive antiquarian perspective. Van Ghistele all with further references. 3 Immerzeel 2009b, 112, 116; Zeebout 1998, 301. was the first traveller to mention the architecture 4 Aquilante Rocchetta 1630. of the monastery’s church; his notes formed the 5 Wright 1968, 493. The churches are those of Sts John, Paul, basis of the account composed by Ambrosius Zee- Thomas, Babylas, Barbara, Christopher, Joseph, Lazarus, bout in 1557. The pilgrim’s guide by the Sicilian Virgin, Demetrius, Saba, Peter, George, All Saints, the Ascension, and the Transfiguration. Don Aquilante Rocchetta, who visited Saydnaya 6 Barsky 1886; Immerzeel 2009b; Pyatnitsky 2009, 93, Fig. 1. in 1599, contains some fascinating information 7 Pococke 1745, 131-134. 17 94164_ECA7_2010_02.indd 17 28/11/11 14:27 JOSIAS LESLIE PORTER between wall paintings and icons, but in the case of the iconostasis there is no doubt that he meant the As a missionary of the Presbyterian Church of latter. The presence of an iconostasis with icons was Ireland, Josias Leslie Porter (1823-1889) lived in reported earlier by Rocchetta (Appendix, 3). At any Damascus from 1849 to 18598. He made the most rate, the iconostasis described was not the present of the opportunities afforded by his stay, and he one, which includes icons painted in 1812 by soon started exploring Lebanon and Syria, making Michael, a Cretan artist who signed his works with notes of everything he deemed to be of any interest. Michael Polychronis al-Kreti and was active in The results of his indefatigable wanderings were Syria between 1809 and 182112. At the building of published in two huge volumes in 1855. No less than the present church in the 1860s, Michael’s icons nine pages are dedicated to his visit to Saydnaya on were reused in the new iconostasis. Despite the 19th October 1852 (partly included in Appendix, high artistic qualities of these works of art, Porter 1). The most fascinating passages concern the inte- has not a good word to say about them. rior of the monastic church. Punctuated with his That the church was also decorated with wall own, often condescending, comments, his account paintings follows from his remark about ‘(…) the is a unique testimony to this building some ten first attempts of an ill-conditioned schoolboy with years before it was almost entirely destroyed to be a charred stick upon a white wall’. Although Poco- replaced by the present church. cke and Madox only refer briefly to fragments vis- In the broad outline, Porter’s description corrobo- ible in some of the churches around the monastery rates those of earlier visitors. The porch with four (see below), Porter’s assertion is credible. In 1999 columns was also commented on by van Ghistele a mural fragment of an archangel came to light in (1491)9 and Rocchetta (1599; Appendix, 3), and is the southern annex room of the Chapel of the Vir- depicted in detail on Barsky’s drawing from 1728 gin (al-cAdra)13. As regards the possibility of embel- (Fig. 1)10. Unlike his predecessors, Porter dedicates lished columns, one should note that two reused a few lines to a painting of the Virgin between the antique columns in the nearby Church of St John archangels Gabriel and Michael over the doorway. the Baptist still bear the traces of Christ and a mil- Although this image disappeared when the church itary saint, respectively14. During the renovation of was knocked down, its memory must have lived on the 1860s, the apse of the original monastery’s as in 1951 a wall painting with the same icono- church was spared demolition and turned into graphy was applied over the entrance of the new the present Chapel of al-cAdra15. The ‘pictures of church (Pl. 1). The observations about the church’s saints innumerable’ Porter observed inside the apse architecture, consisting of a nave and four aisles might well be the many icons, dating from the separated by four rows of five columns, are less seventeenth to the nineteenth century, which were detailed than those given by van Ghistele, Barsky inserted in a wooden framework covering the sem- and Pococke11. What is extremely important, how- icircular lower zone of the chapel (Pl. 2). This ever, is Porter’ reference to various works of art: framework must have replaced earlier wall paint- ‘The whole of the walls, pillars, and wooden altar- ings at some point; at least, this can be interred screen are adorned, or rather disfigured, by paint- from Rocchetta’s account (appendix, 3). The fact ings’. Unfortunately, Porter does not distinguish that the apse predates the renovation follows from the presence of mosaics representing animals in rec- tangles, seen by Barsky, the Russian Archimandrite 8 http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc09.html?term=Porter, Porfiriy Uspensky (in Saydnaya in 1843), and %20Josias%20Leslie. Emmanuel-Guillaume Rey (1883)16. Porter, too, 9 Immerzeel 2007; idem 2009b, 111. notes this ‘tessellated pavement of marble’, yet the 10 Immerzeel 2009b, 111, Figs 1, 2. 11 Immerzeel 2009a, 46-47; idem 2009b, 111. oldest reference to this early Byzantine floor embel- 12 Agémian 1993, 180; for this artist, see also Agémian 1969, lishment is found in Rocchetta’s account from 1599 116-122. (Appendix, 3). 13 Immerzeel 2005, 156, Pl. XVIIb; idem 2007, 19, Pl. 6; idem Leaving the refurbishment of the apse aside for 2009a, 47, Pls 10, 11. 14 Immerzeel 2007, 24, Pls 10, 11; idem 2009a, 48, Pl. 12. the time being, we now focus on Porter’s elaborate 15 Immerzeel 2007, 19-20; idem 2009a, 47. description of the Last Judgement on the west wall. 16 Immerzeel 2007, 19; idem 2009a, 47. This scene contained familiar elements such as 18 94164_ECA7_2010_02.indd 18 28/11/11 14:27 Fig. 1. The Monastery of Saydnaya in 1728; after the drawing by Barsky (Barsky 1886, 100-101) 1. Monastery of Our Lady 2. Church of St Peter 3. Roman tomb with reliefs 4. Church of St Babylas (destroyed) 5. Church of St Saba (destroyed) 6. Church of St Barbara 7. Church of St John the Baptist 8. Monastery of the Transfiguration 9. Church of St Sophia 10. Church of St Nicholas 11. Monastery of St George Fig. 2. Map of Saydnaya (drawing Mat Immerzeel) 19 94164_ECA7_2010_02.indd 19 28/11/11 14:27 Christ Enthroned between the twelve apostles, the beside the empty throne of the Second Coming doorway to heaven with St Peter holding the keys, (Hetoimasia).
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