Figures of mounted warrior saints in medieval Crete. The representation of the equestrian Saint George “Thalassoperatis” at Diavaide in Heraklion Maria Bormpoudaki1 Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens UDC 75.052:75.041](495.9+564.3) 271.2–36:355 DOI 10.2298/ZOG1741143B Оригиналан научни рад In the church of Saint George Sfakiotis, built on the outskirts The church of Saint George Sfakiotis5 is built on of the settlement Diavaide in the Perfecture of Heraklion the outskirts of the settlement Diavaide,6 within short in Crete, narrative interest is focused on the large painting distance of the nearest village Kastelli, a large village of with the mounted figures of the military saints George and Demetrios. Saint George is shown together with the young Pediada which constituted one of the most significant pillion rider, whereas the element of water on the lower part provinces in Venetian Crete. The iconographic pro- of the scene establishes a connection between the episode of gramme of the church at Diavaide, which is typically the slave’s release and a rarer variant according to which the encountered in the churches of the island, includes rep- liberator saint crosses the sea (‘thalassoperatis’, trans. he who resentations of the Dodekaorton, narrative scenes from crosses the sea). The iconographic and stylistic analysis of the the life of Saint George and standing saints, dated to the representation of Saint George as well that of Saint Demetri- os at Diaviade reflects the artistic environment of the East- end of the 13th/early 14th century according to Manolis ern Mediterranean, possibly that of Cyprus, where images of Borboudakis7. In the church of Sfakiotis narrative in- equestrian military saints form part of the tradition of the terest is focused on the large painting that occupies the island. south wall of the church with the mounted figures of Key words: Thalassoperatis, Saint George, Saint Demetrios, the two military saints George and Demetrios galloping mounted military saints, Cyprus, Crete, Diavaide left, beneath scenes from the biographical cycle of Saint George (fig. 1). To our right is depicted the mounted In 1950 and 1951 the renowned Cretan academic Saint Demetrios (O AΓIOC ΔHMH [ΤΡΙΟC]), por- Manolis Chatzidakis conducted two surveys on the is- trayed with his head in a three-quarters turn riding on land of Crete in order to inspect the mural decoration a chestnut-red horse with lavish tack. The saint wears of some monuments of the island and ensure their con- his hair long and is dressed in long dark red sleeved tu- servation and rescue. He thus visited and briefly record- nic, ornamented with a pearl-embroidered band, scale ed the churches at the east and west part of the Cretan breastplate, girdled high just below the chest, whereas countryside and published the findings of his research the ochre mantle, which is decorated with heart-shaped in the journal Kretika Chronika of 1952, including patterns, flutters behind him. He holds a spear in his iconographic and stylistic analyses of the Cretan paint- right hand and the horse’s reins in his left hand while he ing during the Palaeologan era.2 Chatzidakis explored carries a round shield with radial decoration. The fig- Pediada District and among other monuments he vis- ure of Saint George, to whom the church is consecrated, ited the church of Saint George Sfakiotis at Diavaide.3 shown clad in military attire riding on a white horse The large representation of Saints George and Dem- with rich tack, will be the focus of this study. The saint etrios (fig. 1) on horseback seems to have captured his is frontally depicted, with lightly oval face, large finely attention. In his study reference is made to the fact that outlined almond eyes, short curly hair crowned with the two equestrian saints were depicted walking on the diadem decorated with pearls and a large semiprecious sea while he drew comparisons with the wall painting gemstone in the centre (stemmatogyrion). He wears next of Saint George Diasoritis from the church of Archan- gel Michael at Pedoulas in Cyprus dating from the 15th 5 G. Gerola, Τοπογραφικός κατάλογος των τοιχογραφημένων century.4 εκκλησιών της Κρήτης, Mετάφραση, Πρόλογος και Σημειώσεις Κ. Λασσιθιωτάκης, Ηράκλειο 1961, 80; Μ. Μπορμπουδάκης, 13η Εφορεία Βυζαντινών Αρχαιοτήτων, ΑΔ 54 (1999) Χρονικά Β2, 889; Μ. Ανδρι- 1 [email protected] ανάκης, Κ. Γιαπιτζόγλου, Χριστιανικά Μνημεία της Κρήτης, Ηράκλειο 2 Μ. Χατζηδάκης, Τοιχογραφίες στην Κρήτη, ΚΧ 6 (1952) 2012, 157. 59–91. 6 The settlement is referred to in the sources since 1577. Cf. 3 Ibid., 67 Ν. Ανδριώτης, Πληθυσμός και οικισμοί της Ανατολικής Κρήτης (16ος– 4 Γ. Σωτηρίου, Τα Βυζαντινά Μνημεία της Κύπρου, Aθήνα 19ος αι.), Ηράκλειο 2006, 382. 1935, pl 103. 7 Μπορμπουδάκης, 13η Εφορεία, 889. 143 ЗОГРАФ 41 (2017) [143–156] Fig. 1. Mounted Saint George and Demetrios from the Church of Saint George Sfakiotis at Diavaide, Pediada Province to his skin a shirt, from which only the wristbands are Cretan countryside in the 14th and the 15th centuries,10 shown, long dark red sleeved tunic, and deep blue leg- with the earliest representations being found sporadically gings embellished with an oblique checkerboard orna- in churches dating from the 13th century.11 The figures ment under red boots.8 His breastplate, which is belted of the equestrian saints, which have been linked with the high around the chest, is covered by scales, rectangular Byzantine tradition,12 are encountered in numerous mu- in cross-section, ending in lappets around the thighs. ral paintings of the Christian East during the Middle Byz- A large round shield with a diagonal checkerboard pat- antine period,13 whereas from the 13th century onwards tern painted red and blue hangs from his right side and 10 a red ample chlamys billows behind him. In his right Mounted Saints are very popular in the art of Crete. Evi- dence of equestrian soldiers is preserved, for example, in the church hand he grabs the reins of his horse, while in his left of Panagia Platania at Amari dated at the early 14th c. (I. Spatharakis, hand he holds a lance and simultaneously embraces a T. van Essenberg, Byzantine wall paintings of Crete III, Amari province, boy who sits on the horse’s croup. The youth is shown Leiden 2012, fig. 518) where the images of the mounted Saints George carrying a small pitcher in his right hand and a cup in and Demetrios are depicted in a frontal pose, of Saint John at Discouri his raised left hand whereas he wears an eastern type Mylopotamos Province dated to the late 14th c. (Μ. Borboudakis, K. Gallas, K. Wessel, Byzantinisches Kreta, München 1983, 122, fig. 73) or headgear. On the lower part of the representation (fig. in the church of the Virgin at Thronos, Amari dated to the 3rd quar- 4) the sea waves are indicated by semicircles tangent to ter of the 14th c. (Spatharakis, Essenberg, Amari Province, fig. 571–2). each other, arranged in three parallel rows, whereas fish For more examples v. Κ.Kαλοκύρης, Αι βυζαντιναί τοιχογραφίαι της and sea creatures, such as crabs, cuttlefish and moray Κρήτης. Συμβολή εις την Χριστιανικήν Τέχνην της Ελλάδος, Αθή- να 1957, 120–121. For the imagery of Saint George in the iconogra- eels, complete the decoration. phy of Crete v. I. Spatharakis, Byzantine wall paintings of Crete II, The representation illustrates one of the most popu- Mylopotamos province, Leiden 2010, 317–318. 11 lar pairs of military saints on horseback,9 depicted either For example, the mounted Saint George from the first individually or one next to the other in churches of the fresco layer in the church of Saint Marina at Chalepa, Mylopotamos province dated during the 13th c. (personal observation). Also, the painting from the central aisle of the church of Panagia Kera at Kritsa, 8 For military costume v. Μ. Parani, Reconstructing the reality in Merambello (Μ. Μπορμπουδάκης, Παναγιά Κερά. Βυζαντινές of images. Byzantine material culture and religious iconography 11th– τοιχογραφίες στην Κριτσά, Αθήνα, s. a., fig. 26). 15th centuries, Leiden–Boston 2003, 101–158. 12 Walter, Warrior saints. 9 For the figure of Saint George v. C. Walter, The warrior saints 13 T. Velmans, Une image rare de saint cavalier à Chypre et ses 144 in Byzantine art and tradition, Aldershot–Burlington 2003, 109–144. origines orientales, ΔXΑΕ 30 (2009) 239. In particular military saints Bormpoudaki M.: Figures of mounted warrior Saints in medieval Crete Fig. 2. Mounted Saint George from the Church of Saint George at Sklavopoula in Selino, Prefecture of Chania. Photographic archive Ephorate of Antiquities of Chania they appear mainly in regions under Latin rule, namely of the Eastern Mediterranean,17 with the icons from Sinai in the Holy Land,14 Cyprus15 and the Latin-occupied the being prime examples.18 Peloponnese.16 Figures of military saints on horseback are Saint George on horseback has been a favourite sub- also portrayed in a series of icons of the 13th, the 14th ject matter in the decoration of the churches of the Cretan and the 15th century which have been associated with countryside. In the church of Saint George Sfakiotis, the the so-called ‘Crusader art’ and the artistic environment namesake saint is shown together with the young pillion rider, an element that establishes a link between the Cre- are found in the art of Cappadocia and Georgia (Ν. Iamanitze, Saint tan representation and a relevant variation of the Synax- cavaliers. Culte et images en Géorgie aux IVe–XIe siècle, Weisbaden 2016; also A. Nicolaïdès, The murals of the narthex. The paintings of arion of the saint referring to his posthumous miracles, the twelfth century, in: Asinou across time.