Greek painted inscriptions from churches on Gemiler Island near Ölüdeniz (Lycia, south-west Asia Minor) labelling pictures of several saints: probably *Nicholas (abbot of Holy Sion, ob. 564, S00559) or *Nicholas (bishop of Myra under Constantine, S00520), possibly *Sabas the Goth (martyr of the Danube region in 372, buried at Caesarea of Cappadocia, S00489), and one more figure whose name is lost. Probably 6th c. or later.
E00847
Images and objects - Wall paintings and mosaics
Inscriptions
Painted inscriptions at the entrance to Church II. The first inscription labels a painting of a standing figure, the second labels the bust of Christ, and the last one another standing figure:
A: ὅσιος Νικόλαο(ς)
B: Ἐμ(μανουήλ)
C: + Εὐτυχ[- -]
[- - - -]
τοῦ ὁσίου
Νικολάου
C. for a wholly hypothetical reconstruction: + Εὐτυχ[ιανὸς ἐλάχιστος ἐπίσκοπος ἐποίησεν τὸν ναὸν] τοῦ ὁσίου Νικολάου Masuda
A: 'Holy Nicholas'.
B: 'Emmanuel'
C: '+ Eutych[- - -] of the holy Nicholas'.
Text: Masuda 1995, 114-115 with comments in SEG 48, 1723.
Painted inscriptions on the northern wall of a small chapel added to Church III, labelling depictions of two saints. The upper section of the painting shows a narrative scene but is seriously damaged. The middle section shows medallions with busts of martyrs. Inscription A labels the fifth martyr from the left. The lower section shows standing saints. Inscription B labels the fourth saint from the left. The labels of other figures are not preserved.
D: (ἅγιος) Φαλ[- - -]
E: (ἅγιος) Σα(ββ)άς
D: 'Saint Phal[- - -].'
E: 'Saint Sabbas.'
Text: Masuda 1995, 116.
Cult building - unspecified
Use of ImagesPublic display of an image
Non Liturgical ActivityBequests, donations, gifts and offerings
Construction of cult buildings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Source
Greek painted inscriptions from churches on Gemiler Island near Ölüdeniz (Lycia, south Asia Minor) labelling pictures of several saints. The first series is on a wall at the entrance to Church II. The second on the northern wall of a small chapel added to Church III (the chapel may postdate AD 800).Discussion
These painted labels identify three saints, whose identity is, nevertheless, uncertain. The first label (A) is certainly to a Holy Nicholas: therefore presumably *Nicholas, abbot of the monastery of Holy Sion (Lycia, south Asia Minor), ob. 564 or *Nicholas, bishop of Myra (Lycia, south Asia Minor), ob. 343.Inscription C may record that the church was founded by a certain bishop Eutychianos (if the reconstruction suggested by Tomoyuki Masuda is correct). Another Eutychianos, bishop of Lycia, is know as the donor of silver vessels to the monastery of Sion in Lycia (see PCBE 3, Eutychianos 1 and Ševčenko 1993). Perhaps we are dealing with the same person.
Painted inscriptions from Church III say that the pictures show two saints: *Phal[- - -] and possibly *Sabas (the Goth, martyr, ob. 372).
The dating of these inscriptions is very uncertain.
Bibliography
Edition:Masuda, T., "Greek inscriptions in the Ölüdeniz-Gemiler Ada Bay area", in: S. Tsuji, The Survey of Early Byzantine Sites in Ölüdeniz Area (Lycia, Turkey). The First Preliminary Report (Memoirs of the Faculty of Letters, Osaka University 35, Osaka: Osaka University, 1995), 114-116 with comments in SEG 48, 1723, 1726.
Reference works:
Chroniques d'épigraphie byzantine, 336, 346.
Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 48, 1723, 1726.
For the identity of the bishop Eutychianos see:
Destephen, S., Prosopographie du Diocese d'Asie (325-641) (Prosopographie chrétienne du Bas-Empire 3, Paris: Association des amis du centre d'histoire et civilisation de Byzance, 2008), Eutychianos 1.
Ševčenko, I., "The Sion Treasure: the evidence of the inscriptions", in: S.A. Boyd & M. Mundell Mango (eds.), Ecclesiastical Silver Plate in Sixth-Century Byzantium. Papers of the Symposium Held May 16-18, 1986, at the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, and Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C., organized by Susan A. Boyd, Maria Mundell Mango, and Gary Vikan, (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1993), 39-56.
Pawel Nowakowski
09/11/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00489 | Sabas the Goth, martyr of the Danube region in 372, buried at Caesarea of Cappadocia | Σα(ββ)άς | Uncertain | S00520 | Nicholas, bishop of Myra in Lycia, under Constantine | Νικόλαος | Uncertain | S00559 | Nicholas, abbot of Holy Sion, Lycia, ob. 564 | Νικόλαος | Uncertain | S00716 | Gothic martyrs, named and unnamed | Certain | S01744 | Saints, name lost or very partially preserved | Certain |
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Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E00847 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00847