2011-Skyllis-11-Heft-1-Quark-2-.qxd 13.01.2012 00:28 Seite 8 8 Byzantine ship graffiti · A. Babuin – Y. Nakas Byzantine ship graffiti from the church of Prophitis Elias in Thessaloniki Andrea Babuin – Yannis Nakas Abstract – This paper aims in presenting for the first time a series of medieval ship graffiti preserved on the walls of the Byzantine church of the Prophet Elias in Thessalonica. The church was erected around 1360-1385 and func- tioned as a monastic church only for a couple of decades, since in 1394 it was turned into a mosque by the Ottoman Turks who had conquered the city. The Muslim covered with plaster the walls of the church, thus the graffiti can be safely dated in the last quarter of the 14th century. The ships belong to various types ranging from small boats to large merchantmen and galleys. Thanks to the fact that they form a chronologically closed group of images, they give us a rare insight into the form of the ships which travelled to and from the harbour of Thessalonica during the turbulent years of the end of the 14th century. Some contemporary historical sources concerning ships from this area will also be addressed. Inhalt – Dieser Beitrag stellt erstmals eine Reihe mittelalterlicher Schiffsgraffiti vor, die an den Wänden der byzantinischen Kirche des Propheten Elias in Thessaloniki erhalten sind. Diese wurde um 1360-85 erbaut und diente nur einige Jahrzehnte als Klosterkirche, da sie 1394 von den osmanischen Eroberern in eine Moschee ver- wandelt wurde. Die Moslems bedeckten die Kirchenwände mit Putz, weshalb die Graffiti sicher in das letzte Viertel des 14. Jhs. datiert werden können. Die Schiffe gehören verschiedenen Typen von kleinen Booten bis zu großen Frachtern und Galeeren an. Dank dem Umstand, dass sie eine chronologisch geschlossene Bildergruppe bilden, geben sie uns einen seltenen Einblick in die Schiffsformen, die während der turbulenten Jahre des ausgehenden 14. Jhs. in den Hafen Thessalonikis ein- und ausfuhren. Einige zeitgenössische historische Quellen zu Schiffen dieser Region werden ebenfalls behandelt. The church and the dating of the nation „Sarayli Camii“, the Otto- fy in Badrali Mustafa Pasha – a graffiti man name of the building. This was high official that lived at the time considered by some 19th century of Sultan Murad II (1404-1451) – The imposing church of Prophitis European scholars the corrupted the responsible for this transforma- Elias in Thessaloniki is one of the form of an original Greek denomi- tion8. Be that as it may, the building most important buildings of the nation „Saint Elias“ that in fact had is listed already as a Muslim place late Byzantine period in the city never existed3. In recent years, the of worship in the first surviving (Fig. 1). It is located in the upper church has been tentatively identi- Ottoman cadastral survey of town (Ano Poli), in the general fied with the monastery of Akap- Thessaloniki („defter“ in Turkish area where the Byzantine palace niou, a foundation related with the language), dating to the year 14789. and later the Ottoman governor’s imperial family of the Palaeologues4. house stood. Determining when Prophitis Elias According to general opinion, the became a Muslim place of worship Unfortunately, we do not know church of Prophitis Elias was built is of paramount importance, be- which its original dedication was and decorated in the third quarter cause it allows us to pin down a re- and so it is impossible to establish of the 14th century5. The exact date of liable terminus ante quem for the if the naval graffiti on its walls are its transformation into a mosque is graffiti. When a church was con- connected with the cult of a partic- not known, and while it has been verted into a mosque, it was com- ular holy person especially venera- suggested that this happened already mon practice to spread over its fresco ted in this place (Saint Nicholas, during the first Ottoman occupa- decoration a layer of plaster or the patron saint of sailors and mer- tion of Thessaloniki, between the whitewash. In Prophitis Elias, the chants being the first name that years 1387 and 14026, it seems safer marks left by the pick-axes used for springs to mind)1. The present-day to assume that it was converted anchoring the plaster on the walls dedication of the church to the into a Muslim temple after the affect almost all the carved images Prophet Elias2 is the result of the definitive Ottoman conquest of the of ships, proving beyond any doubt wrong interpretation of the desig- city in 14307. Some sources identi- that these graffiti were executed 2011-Skyllis-11-Heft-1-Quark-2-.qxd 13.01.2012 00:28 Seite 9 11. Jahrgang 2011 · Heft 1 9 Meinardus – who published prelim- inary drawings of four of them in 197211 – they have never appeared in full until today. The ship graffiti A total of 28 ship graffiti were recorded during our research on the walls of Prophitis Elias’ church, it is nevertheless almost certain that more exist. Images of ships are found practically on every surface which preserves the original pain- ted decoration, including the exter- nal walls of the anteroom. Other graffiti show stylized human figures, Fig. 1: The Church of Prophet Elias in Thessaloniki as it is today. weapons (axes), unintelligible lines and shapes and Ottoman inscrip- before the conversion into a mosque represent an extremely interesting, tions (on the external walls) (Fig. 2). of the building, in all likelihood be- firmly dated sample of the sailing tween the years 1370 and 1451 and vessels in use in the Eastern Medi- In the main church only one ship in any case no later than the year terranean area between the last graffito (ship 13) survives. This does 1478. quarter of the 14th and the first half not surprise us, since almost the of the 15th century10 While their im- whole wall decoration in this area In other words, the ship images carv- portance had already been recogniz- has been obliterated during the ed on the walls of Prophitis Elias ed almost forty years ago by Otto years this functioned as a mosque. Fig. 2 a-b: Various graffiti and marks on the frescoes on the walls of the Church of Prophet Elias. 2011-Skyllis-11-Heft-1-Quark-2-.qxd 13.01.2012 00:28 Seite 10 10 Byzantine ship graffiti · A. Babuin – Y. Nakas Another crude depiction of an oared vessel is ship 18, where the low and slender hull with its stern castle indicate a galley but without any further details. The complicat- ed rigging seems to comprise three masts with lateen sails. Given the scarcity of details, it is difficult to propose a firm dating for these images (Fig. 3). Ships 9, 10, 11 and 12 on the other hand are much more accurate, notwithstanding their small size (Fig. 4). They depict slender oared vessels with long spurs at their bow and curved sternposts, equipped with stern rudders. 27 to Fig. 3: Graffiti of galleys at the church of Prophet Elias. 23 oars are pictured, a number which seems to correspond to the regular number of rowing benches galleys had since the 13th century. It is un- clear whether these ships are tri- remes rowed with the alla senzile system12, common for 14th and 15th century galleys. Overstructures in- clude a stern castle with its awning and a protective rail over the oars. Fig. 4: The „galley fleet“ graffiti at the church of Prophet Elias. Rigging includes one mast with a big lateen sail and its shrouds. Flags The image is carved on the intra- south of the main entrance, six more of various sizes are pictured on the dos of one of the lateral windows ship graffiti survive. Ships 13 and mast, at the stern and at the bow, of the naos. Three more graffiti can 20 represent round ships (Fig. 10), the latter on an inclined post. be found in the north lateral chap- whereas a group of four galleys in a Worthy of attention is a roughly el, nowadays dedicated to Saint row (ships 9, 10, 11 and 12; Fig. 4) rectangular or cylindrical device Nektarios. These depict ships 2, 3 forms a small flotilla. Two more protruding from the end of the rail and 4, carved on the south niche of graffiti can be found on the external over the foredeck. the chapel (Figs. 3 and 9). It has not western wall, in niches with paint- been possible to investigate the ed decoration (Figs. 3 and 9).An The general arrangement of ships walls of the second chapel, built on oblique representation of a three- 9-12 corresponds to the appearance the south side of the building. masted merchantman (ship 21) of almost every Mediterranean gal- has been carved on the northern- ley known through iconography The anteroom or lité preserves most most niche and a similar image of a and texts after the 14th century (Figs. of the church’s painted surfaces three-masted galley can be found 5-6)13. Their dating is difficult, but and the largest number of ship on the niche south of the main en- the single lateen sail, as well as the graffiti. Ships 5, 6, 7, 8 and 14 were trance (ship 18). inclined flag post at the stern, can carved between the two pillars be found in other depictions of 15th close to the door on the southern The ship graffiti of the church of wall (Figs. 8-9), while two more Prophitis Elias can be divided into depictions of round ships (ships 1 two broad categories, oared vessels and 17; Fig.