The only other representation in the wider region of two males in one donor portrait on monumental architecture is that of King David III Bagrationi Kuropalates and his brother King Bagrat, Prince of Princes, at the tenth century church of Oshki in Tao-Klarjeti, in the medieval kingdom of Georgia. Perhaps the two figures represent two brothers or a father and son, possibly members of one of the well-known aristocratic families of Byzantine Anatolia such as Phokas, Maleinos, Bardas, or Skleros. Until now the portrait has been interpreted as the Virgin Mary blessing a husband and wife, however both figures wear the same embroidered robes of a male aristocratic. Additional standing figures convey an extended family. This donor portrait presents two standing, full-length figures in embroidered aristocratic robes positioned on either side of a central, holy figure that blesses them. The donor portrait painted on the interior, above the west entrance, may point further to connections with medieval Georgia. The arcade consists of an alternating column and pier support system, which is highly unusual for Middle Byzantine architecture in Cappadocia and most likely points to influences from Transcaucasia. Among the many remarkable features is the spacious, rock-carved basilica church, which is not only one of the largest rock-carved churches in the region from the Middle Byzantine period but also the only example of a basilica plan. This double-courtyard complex spreads eighty meters along the rock cliff at a strategic location in the landscape at Selime and recently has been interpreted as a secular rather than a monastic medieval residence. The structure known as Selime Kalesi in the Peristrema Valley, Cappadocia, is the most extensive and elaborately designed rock-carved complex of the region belonging to the Byzantine landed aristocracy of the 10th-11thC AD.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |