Betrayal, Way To The Cross, Crucifixion and Entombment
Dublin Core
Title
Betrayal, Way To The Cross, Crucifixion and Entombment
Subject
Description
The frescoes of the northern half of the vault are dated to the late thirteenth early fourteenth century.
The grid format for the development of the frescoes continues. However, in contrast to the scenes of the south side, these are the actual narrative imageries (not the whole), telling the story of the Passion.
The Betrayal and the Way to the Cross scenes are depicted above and the Crucifixion and the Entombment are below.
The Betrayal depicts a number of soldiers at each side of Jesus and Judas. Jesus extends his arm toward Peter and Malchus, while Judas is ready to embrace Him.
The scene of Betrayal was excluded from the Middle Byzantine iconographic cycle from the interior of the church but in the Palaiologan period, when the extensive narratives returned, the scene retook its position in the naos. Most probably the Betrayal scene was part of the imagery cycle of 1106 A.D., as the same was adopted in the instance of the church of Saint John Chrysostom in Kutsovendis – whose the wall-painting program was an inspiration for the Asinou Master.
If this is the fact, the fourteenth-century frescoes undertook a series of remodelling. More explicitly the military presence is an important characteristic of the thirteenth century and of the Asinou and Cyprus’s historic reality. Therefore, soldiers were often portrayed in scenes of Greece and Cyprus due to the connection of military forces with areas of Crusader occupation.
Concerning Judas, the most surprising feature is his grey halo. Normally, Judas was depicted without a halo but at Asinou Judas has grey one. This is distinctive in Panayia Phorviotisa. The grey halo was attested in Arta Greece, and Trecento Italy, and probably reached Cyprus from Byzantium. Hence, the fact that such a detail survived and travelled to Cyprus shows the cosmopolitan and elite atmosphere of the Lusignan cities.
Next to the Betrayal scene is the scene of the Way to the Cross. Simon is depicted carrying an enormous cross and a soldier comes next, pulling Jesus by His wrists on a rope while other soldiers follow.
As in the instance of the Betrayal scene, the Way to the Cross scene was not attested on a regular basis in iconographic cycles of churches. In the thirteenth-century wall-paintings programmes, however, it was reintroduced as a narrative reference to the Passion. It is not impossible that the scene was part of the imagery program of the original frescoes. Supporting the argument, two instances of iconographic cycles of the twelfth century, Kutsoventis and Apsinthiotissa, contain a similar scene. If this is the case, i.e. the Way to the Cross scene was included in the iconographic cycle of the original wall-paintings, the fourteenth-century counterpart underwent a major facelift such as the addition of pearls on Jesus’s garment and the painting of a strongly wood-grained cross. These signs of richness gave to the later fresco its visual weight among the other scenes compared to its ‘flat’ predecessor – if in fact used there.
The Crucifixion is situated below the Betrayal scene. Jesus is on the cross, with His crown of thorns; the title bar on the top of it reads: “king of glory”; above his arms are attested His sigla. Below His right arm are three women, Maria, Mother of God, and Maria and on the right side is John and Longinus. Two angels are attested at each side of the cross along with the representations of sun and moon.
A combination of marks of conservatism and characteristics of novelty are attested within this scene. Firstly, the Crucifixion scene was an integral part of the original painting cycle whereas its conventional dramatis personae remained as it was. However, the vigorous frontality of the scene is innovative. Explicitly, the figures seemed to be stretched with the ‘bodies’ of John and Longinus seen as if in a close-up. John’s outward turn of his face and Mary’s expression, also seem to enrich the immediacy of the scene and provoke the viewer to stare at it and especially at Christ and His passion. Further pointing out the innovative character of the scene is Christ’s designation as the ‘king of glory’, which was introduced in the early thirteenth century and therefore not included in the original fresco.
The Entombment is the last and most intriguing scene of all four. It is named O'-ento'fiasmos and shows the dead body of Christ over the open stone sarcophagus. Mary holds the head of her child, John kneels to cradle His left arm and a bearded man, labelled ‘M’, but surely Joseph of Arimathea, kisses His feet.
The particular representation of the Entombment in Asinou seems to be mingled with different areas of the Mediterranean and must have not been included in the original programme of wall-paintings. This Entombment edition made its debut in the Palaiologan period, long after the first painting programme, but it would not be an abnormality if this place was occupied by the Middle Byzantine version of Mary’s lament over the dead body on the ground.
The representation of Mary’s mourning over Christ’s body before or while being placed in an open sarcophagus was the last moment of the canonical history of Entombment in the Western European scenes during the Middle Ages. But in Byzantium, the sarcophagus was never shown before the thirteenth-century. From this century onward, the period of Crusader expansion, there are several examples of this iconographic style of the Entombment and also adopted by the Asinou Master.
The grid format for the development of the frescoes continues. However, in contrast to the scenes of the south side, these are the actual narrative imageries (not the whole), telling the story of the Passion.
The Betrayal and the Way to the Cross scenes are depicted above and the Crucifixion and the Entombment are below.
The Betrayal depicts a number of soldiers at each side of Jesus and Judas. Jesus extends his arm toward Peter and Malchus, while Judas is ready to embrace Him.
The scene of Betrayal was excluded from the Middle Byzantine iconographic cycle from the interior of the church but in the Palaiologan period, when the extensive narratives returned, the scene retook its position in the naos. Most probably the Betrayal scene was part of the imagery cycle of 1106 A.D., as the same was adopted in the instance of the church of Saint John Chrysostom in Kutsovendis – whose the wall-painting program was an inspiration for the Asinou Master.
If this is the fact, the fourteenth-century frescoes undertook a series of remodelling. More explicitly the military presence is an important characteristic of the thirteenth century and of the Asinou and Cyprus’s historic reality. Therefore, soldiers were often portrayed in scenes of Greece and Cyprus due to the connection of military forces with areas of Crusader occupation.
Concerning Judas, the most surprising feature is his grey halo. Normally, Judas was depicted without a halo but at Asinou Judas has grey one. This is distinctive in Panayia Phorviotisa. The grey halo was attested in Arta Greece, and Trecento Italy, and probably reached Cyprus from Byzantium. Hence, the fact that such a detail survived and travelled to Cyprus shows the cosmopolitan and elite atmosphere of the Lusignan cities.
Next to the Betrayal scene is the scene of the Way to the Cross. Simon is depicted carrying an enormous cross and a soldier comes next, pulling Jesus by His wrists on a rope while other soldiers follow.
As in the instance of the Betrayal scene, the Way to the Cross scene was not attested on a regular basis in iconographic cycles of churches. In the thirteenth-century wall-paintings programmes, however, it was reintroduced as a narrative reference to the Passion. It is not impossible that the scene was part of the imagery program of the original frescoes. Supporting the argument, two instances of iconographic cycles of the twelfth century, Kutsoventis and Apsinthiotissa, contain a similar scene. If this is the case, i.e. the Way to the Cross scene was included in the iconographic cycle of the original wall-paintings, the fourteenth-century counterpart underwent a major facelift such as the addition of pearls on Jesus’s garment and the painting of a strongly wood-grained cross. These signs of richness gave to the later fresco its visual weight among the other scenes compared to its ‘flat’ predecessor – if in fact used there.
The Crucifixion is situated below the Betrayal scene. Jesus is on the cross, with His crown of thorns; the title bar on the top of it reads: “king of glory”; above his arms are attested His sigla. Below His right arm are three women, Maria, Mother of God, and Maria and on the right side is John and Longinus. Two angels are attested at each side of the cross along with the representations of sun and moon.
A combination of marks of conservatism and characteristics of novelty are attested within this scene. Firstly, the Crucifixion scene was an integral part of the original painting cycle whereas its conventional dramatis personae remained as it was. However, the vigorous frontality of the scene is innovative. Explicitly, the figures seemed to be stretched with the ‘bodies’ of John and Longinus seen as if in a close-up. John’s outward turn of his face and Mary’s expression, also seem to enrich the immediacy of the scene and provoke the viewer to stare at it and especially at Christ and His passion. Further pointing out the innovative character of the scene is Christ’s designation as the ‘king of glory’, which was introduced in the early thirteenth century and therefore not included in the original fresco.
The Entombment is the last and most intriguing scene of all four. It is named O'-ento'fiasmos and shows the dead body of Christ over the open stone sarcophagus. Mary holds the head of her child, John kneels to cradle His left arm and a bearded man, labelled ‘M’, but surely Joseph of Arimathea, kisses His feet.
The particular representation of the Entombment in Asinou seems to be mingled with different areas of the Mediterranean and must have not been included in the original programme of wall-paintings. This Entombment edition made its debut in the Palaiologan period, long after the first painting programme, but it would not be an abnormality if this place was occupied by the Middle Byzantine version of Mary’s lament over the dead body on the ground.
The representation of Mary’s mourning over Christ’s body before or while being placed in an open sarcophagus was the last moment of the canonical history of Entombment in the Western European scenes during the Middle Ages. But in Byzantium, the sarcophagus was never shown before the thirteenth-century. From this century onward, the period of Crusader expansion, there are several examples of this iconographic style of the Entombment and also adopted by the Asinou Master.
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-081-082-083-084
Coverage
35.046355, 32.973431
Files
Collection
Citation
Ioannides, Marinos, “Betrayal, Way To The Cross, Crucifixion and Entombment,” Αψίδα, accessed May 6, 2024, https://apsida.cut.ac.cy/items/show/45288.