Women At The Tomb
Dublin Core
Title
Women At The Tomb
Subject
Description
The scene on the lunette over the north door of the central bay narrates the series of events which took place after the Entombment of Jesus.
The scene depicts the visit of the three Maries to the tomb of Christ three days after His deposition. In other words, it tells the story of what actually happened on the Easter Sunday. Curiously enough, the representation is not labelled.
The Maries are shown heading to the place where the tomb of Christ is. There they face Archangel Michael and the opened tomb containing only the burial wrappings and the mandylion but not the dead body.
Even though there are features that declare a twelfth century tradition, such as the inscription accompanying the angel, the scene seems to be a fourteenth century conception. Firstly, every scene appearing in middle Byzantine murals in churches, that narrate the series of events after the Entombment, contain only the most important event, the Anastasis. Secondly, Komnenan-era mural cycles in churches which contain the Women at the Tomb scene, are accompanied by other scenes, which also have the theme of an open sarcophagus. Therefore, the dictation, of the presence of the particular scene was dependent, on the presence of the open sarcophagus within the previous scene. And thirdly, custom as it was, in the twelfth century the scenes should be corresponded by another scene across the wall, succeeding to a visual interplay. Thus, as the lunette above the southern door hosts the Donor portrait, then on the lunette above the northern door, should be depicted only one scene, that of Anastasis. Deviating from the norm though, and adding new, late Byzantine conceptions as mentioned above, the synthesis took its current form.
The scene depicts the visit of the three Maries to the tomb of Christ three days after His deposition. In other words, it tells the story of what actually happened on the Easter Sunday. Curiously enough, the representation is not labelled.
The Maries are shown heading to the place where the tomb of Christ is. There they face Archangel Michael and the opened tomb containing only the burial wrappings and the mandylion but not the dead body.
Even though there are features that declare a twelfth century tradition, such as the inscription accompanying the angel, the scene seems to be a fourteenth century conception. Firstly, every scene appearing in middle Byzantine murals in churches, that narrate the series of events after the Entombment, contain only the most important event, the Anastasis. Secondly, Komnenan-era mural cycles in churches which contain the Women at the Tomb scene, are accompanied by other scenes, which also have the theme of an open sarcophagus. Therefore, the dictation, of the presence of the particular scene was dependent, on the presence of the open sarcophagus within the previous scene. And thirdly, custom as it was, in the twelfth century the scenes should be corresponded by another scene across the wall, succeeding to a visual interplay. Thus, as the lunette above the southern door hosts the Donor portrait, then on the lunette above the northern door, should be depicted only one scene, that of Anastasis. Deviating from the norm though, and adding new, late Byzantine conceptions as mentioned above, the synthesis took its current form.
Creator
Source
Digital Heritage Research Lab of Cyprus University of Technology
Publisher
Digital Heritage Research Lab of Cyprus University of Technology
Library of Cyprus University of Technology
Date
Contributor
Digital Heritage Research Lab of Cyprus University of Technology
Rights
Απαγορεύεται η δημοσίευση ή αναπαραγωγή, ηλεκτρονική ή άλλη χωρίς τη γραπτή συγκατάθεση του δημιουργού.
Relation
https://apsida.cut.ac.cy/items/show/45036
Format
JPG, MP3
Language
en
Type
Identifier
Figure-063
Coverage
35.046355, 32.973431
Files
Collection
Citation
Ioannides, Marinos, “Women At The Tomb,” Αψίδα, accessed January 31, 2025, https://apsida.cut.ac.cy/items/show/45273.