The Present Article Focuses on a Cretan Icon
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ABSTRACTABSTRACT TheThe presentpresent article focusesfocuses on a Cretan icon dat-dat- inging from the third quarterquarter of the fifteenth centurycentury and signedsigned byby AAndreasndreas Ritzos, which stands out fforor its unusualunusual combination ooff IItaliantalian and BByzantineyzantine visual elements.elements. ItIt displaysdisplays an awkwardawkward “iconized”“iconized” version of the standard Gothic abbreviation forfor the HolyHoly Name ofof JesusJesus – the IHSIHS monogrammonogram associateassociatedd witwithh tthehe ppreachingreaching of St. Bernardine of Siena – the letters of whwhichich aarere ddecoratedecorated wwithith ththee scscenesenes of ChrChrist’sist’s CCrucirucifixion and Resurrection and accomaccompaniedpanied bbyy a Greek inscription taken after the ritual formulas ofof OrthodoxOrthodox SundaySunday Matins. The object is analanalysedysed againstagainst the background ofof Veneto-Greek interactions inin fifteenth-centuryfteenth-century Crete and ooff contemporarycontemporary disdis-- cucussionsssions aaboutbout ththee uusese of ththee IIHSHS aass aann aalternativelternative ttoo image worsworship.hip. /Ke/Keywords/ywords/ HolHolyy Name of Jesus, Observance, VVe-e- netiannetian Crete,Crete, ImageImage theortheory,y, IconIcon ppainting,ainting, AndreasAndreas Ritzosos 1 / OrazioOrazio didi Giacomo, panelpanel withwith thethe Crucifix and the Holy Name ooff Jesus, 190190 ca. 1431, Bologna,Bologna, San Petronio The HolyHoly Name of Jesus iinn Venetian-RuledVenetian-Ruled CrCreteete MicheleMichele BacciBacci AsAs severalseveral scscholarsholars havehave remarremarked,ked, a ddistinctiveistinctive publiclypublicly manifestingmanifesting their aversion to the promoterspromoters asaspectpect of Medieval ppaintingainting in Venetian-ruled Crete ofof Saint Francis’ worshiworshipp in the island: the Minor is the integrationintegration ofof the imageimage ofof Saint Francis into the friarsfriars were namelynamely representedrepresented among the damned monumental decoration ofof a number ofof Byzantine-riteByzantine-rite iinn Last JuJudgmentdgment scenes, as is witnessewitnessedd by thethe 1414th churches.churches. TheThe earliestearliest representationrepresentation is encounteredencountered centurcenturyy cyclescycles in thethe ProdromosProdromos churchchurch in thethe same in an earlyearly 14thth centurycentury frescofresco in the Panagia Kera villavillagege ooff Kritsa and in the church ooff Saint John in churchchurch in Kritsa Mirabellou /Fig./Fig. 2/. The Poverello Deliana near Chania /Fig. 3/. In the latter a ppainterainter appearsappears again, in the first half of the 15th century,century, in workingworking aroundaround 1340 worworkedked out a veryvery unusuaunusuall thethe murals ofof the Zoodochos Pege in SamSampaspas and the scheme,scheme, whichwhich seems to havehave beenbeen meant to ridiculeridicule Panagia churchchurch at Sklaverochori;Sklaverochori; anotheranother earlyearly image, the members ofof the Franciscan order: he representedrepresented now disappeared,disappeared, was seen byby Giuseppe GeroGerola,la, at namelynamely three friars, marked by their distinctively the beginningsbeginnings ofof the 2020thh century, in a small church at unshaven chins, that make gesturesgestures ofof astonishment Astrakoi.Astrakoi. StrikinglyStrikingly enough, in all ofof these buildings wwhilehile looking at the monstruous figure ooff the LeviLevia-a- FFrancisrancis is included in the lower reregistergister ooff the nave, tthanhan in the ververyy moment as it devours a man2. reserved forfor the most eminent saints ofof the ByzantineByzantine church;church; hehe is shownshown haloedhaloed andand bearingbearing thethe stigmata,stigmata, 1 On the topic see Kostas E. Lassithiotakis, “Ὁ Ἅγιος ΦραγκίσκοςΦραγκίσκος καὶκαὶ whereas in SampasSampas he is representedrepresented in frontfront ofof the ἡ ΚρήτηΚρήτη”, in ΠεπραγμέναΠεπραγμένα τοῦ Δ´ ΔιεθνοῦςΔιεθνοῦς ΚρητολογικοῦΚρητολογικοῦ ΣυνεΣυνεδρίουδρίου, ΗράκλειοΗράκλειο, 29 ΑὐγΑὐγ.–3 Σεπτ. 19761976, vol.vol. IIII,, AAthensthens 1981, pp. 1146–154;46–154; SeraphSeraph seen on Mount Verna, i.e. in thethe veryvery moment Chryssa Ranoutsaki, “Απεικονίσεις του Φραγκίσκου τηςτης ΑσσίζηςΑσσίζης as he receives the imprintsimprints of Christ’s wounds on his στις εκκλησίεςεκκλησίες τηςτης ΚρήτηςΚρήτης”, inin ΠεπραγμέναΠεπραγμένα τοῦ Ι´ ΔιεΔιεθνούςθνούς Κρη- τολογικούτολογικού ΣυνεδρίουΣυνεδρίου, Χανιά, 1–8 ΟκτωβρίουΟκτωβρίου 20062006, vol.vol. IIII/3,/3, Chania hands,hands, feetfeet and chest. InIn Sklaverochori the saint is 2011,2011, pp. 111–134; Eadem,Eadem, “Darstellungen des Franziskus von AssisiAssisi shown in his visual interaction with a fragmentaryfragmentary iinn den Kirchen Kretas”, IconographicaIconographica 13 (2014), pp.pp. 78–95, with pre-pre- Virgin of MercMercy,y, i.e. with another theme of Western vious bibliography.bibliography. OnOn AstrakoiAstrakoi see Giuseppe Gerola,Gerola, “I“I Francescani iinn Creta al tempo del dominio Veneziano”, CollectaneaCollectanea FranciscanaFranciscana, 2 ooriginsrigins which became relativelrelativelyy wideswidespreadpread in the (1932), pppp.. 301–325 andand 445–461, esp. p.p. 302. OnOn thethe image at Sklaver-Sklaver- LLevantevant iinn tthehe 1144th andand 1515th centurycentury1. ochori see Manolis Borboudakis, “Παρατηρήσεις στή ζωγραφικήζωγραφική τουτου ΣκλαβεροχωρίουΣκλαβεροχωρίου”, inin ΕὐφρόσυνονΕὐφρόσυνον. ἈφιέρωμαἈφιέρωμα στὸνστὸν Μανόλη The disdisplayplay of images honouring such a distindistinc-c- ΧατζηδάκηΧατζηδάκη, vol.vol. I,I, AthensAthens 1991, pp.pp. 375–399,375–399, esp. p.p. 362362 and fig. 134.134. tivetivelyly Latin saint in BByzantine-riteyzantine-rite cchurcheshurches imimpliesplies 2 Maria Vassilaki,Vassilaki, “ΚαθημερινήΚαθημερινή ζωήζωή και πραγματικότητα στη βενετοβενετο- κρατούμενηκρατούμενη ΚρήτηΚρήτη: Η μαρτυρία των τοιχογραφημένωντοιχογραφημένων εκκλησιών”, onlonlyy that Francis of AAssisissisi enjoyedenjoyed a high rereputationputation in Ενθύμησις Νικολάου Μ. Παναγιωτάκη, HerakleionHerakleion 2000, pp. 57–80;57–80; iinn the eyeseyes ooff Cretan Greeks and that local believers AnneAnne Derbes and AmyAmy Neff, “Italy,“Italy, the Mendicant OOrders,rders, and the ByzantineByzantine Sphere”, in Byzantium. Faith and Power (1261–1557)(1261–1557), exhibi-exhibi- ccouldould use it as a visuavisuall countercounterpartpart to ttheirheir pprayersrayers tion catalogue (New York,York, Metropolitan Museum ofof Art,Art, 2004), Helen andand supplications.supplications. Yet,Yet, this did not preventprevent them from C. EvansEvans ed.,ed., New Haven – LondonLondon 2004, pp.pp. 449–461,449–461, esp.esp. p. 453.453. 191191 2 / Saint Francis, muralmural painting,painting, beginningbeginning of the 14th century, Kritsa Mirabellou (Crete), PanagiaPanagia KeraKera ThisThis indicatesindicates thatthat tthehe indigenousindigenous peoplepeople couldcould 1515th centurycentury theythey achievedachieved to establishestablish an imimportantportant easilyeasily acknowledgeacknowledge thethe Francis’ sanctitysanctity andand appro-appro- collection ofof relics, partlypartly due to the munificence ofof priate his image even if they did not sympathize AAlexanderlexander V, that included, inter alia, a frafragmentgment ooff withwith thethe OrderOrder bearingbearing hishis name. TheThe lalatter provedproved the HolHolyy Cross, a ppieceiece ooff the Flagellation column to be one of the most influential among the manmanyy aandnd a ststoneone ooff ththee GGoldenolden GGateate aassociatedssociated wwithith ththee rreligiouseligious institutions ooperatingperating in the island, where commemoration ofof Christ’s EEntryntry into Jerusalem. it ownedowned severalseveral convents. TheThe most prominentprominent SuchSuch oobjectsbjects suitesuitedd tthehe pilgrims’pilgrims’ wishwish to worshipworship Franciscan house,house, first mentioned in 1242,1242, was sit-sit- holyholy mementoes hintinghinting at tthehe holyholy placesplaces theythey ex-ex- uated in the south-east corner ooff the citcityy ooff Candia, ppectedected to venerate in PalestinPalestinee5. This ChristologicalChristological andand includedincluded a bigbig churchchurch whichwhich visitors celebratedcelebrated ememphasisphasis combined with a sspecialpecial effort to ppresentresent asas thethe moremore attractiveractive inin town.town. ItIt waswas embellishedembellished the convent as an importantimportant cult-placecult-place for Saint Fran-Fran- by manmanyy altars, chachapels,pels, ffuneraryunerary monuments and cis. Since no bodilybodily relics ofof the latter were available ffurnishings,urnishings, including elegantlelegantlyy carved choir stalls to believersbelievers – thethe saint’s corpsecorpse hadhad namelynamely beenbeen andand paintings.paintings.3 TheThe convent possessepossessedd a ricrichh llibrary,ibrary, concealedconcealed in an unundergroundderground space, witwithinhin tthehe bbrickrick endowed with manuscriptsmanuscripts ooff the holholyy scriptures,scriptures, pillarpillar located under the Lower Church ofof Saint Fran-Fran- ttheologicalheological treatises andand biblicalbiblical commentaries, lli-i- cis at AssisiAssisi – the fragmentfragment ofof his habit preservedpreserved in turgicalturgical books, juridical manuals, hagiographies,hagiographies, thethe churchchurch wwasas ttoo bbee cconsideredonsidered aass a rrelicelic of ououtmosttmost and collections ofof sermons, as well as texts on phi-phi- importance.importance. AAnyway,nyway, the most relevant goal fforor local losophy,losophy, medicine,medicine, grammar, geogrageography,phy, astrologyastrology and