Saint Mamas
Dublin Core
Title
Saint Mamas
Subject
Description
Saint Mamas is pictured on the wall of the south apse of the narthex, adjacent to Saint George. It is considered as additional to the protective and therapeutic implication of the fresco program of the area, as he was seen as a holy warrior and a curer.
The figure of Saint Mamas in the church of Asinu is one of the earliest in Cyprus and dates to the layer of 1332 A.D.. He is depicted beardless with a youthful face, riding a lion and having a lamb in his left hand and a shepherd’s crook in his right.
The image of Mamas riding a lion and holding both his attributes in the frescoes of Asinu is one of the earliest examples of the variant. In other instances, Mamas was depicted either only riding the lion, or holding the lamb and the shepherd’s crook.
Saint Mamas was especially venerated in both East and West, so his worship in Cyprus was not to remain unaffected. Traditionally, he was a protector of shepherds and curer of their flocks and therefore, he was a beloved saint on Cyprus and in other sheep-breeding areas such as kapadokia, Crete, Macedonia and Serbia. On the other hand, the Lusignan court in Cyprus was promoting the worship of Saint Mamas as he was a favoured patron saint in the West with the most prominent example being the Cathedral of Langres in Champagne.
Lastly, a connotation of the placement of Saint Mamas’s figure opposite the portrait of Saint Anastasia could not be hypothetical, as to both saints were attributed the characteristic of the curer.
The figure of Saint Mamas in the church of Asinu is one of the earliest in Cyprus and dates to the layer of 1332 A.D.. He is depicted beardless with a youthful face, riding a lion and having a lamb in his left hand and a shepherd’s crook in his right.
The image of Mamas riding a lion and holding both his attributes in the frescoes of Asinu is one of the earliest examples of the variant. In other instances, Mamas was depicted either only riding the lion, or holding the lamb and the shepherd’s crook.
Saint Mamas was especially venerated in both East and West, so his worship in Cyprus was not to remain unaffected. Traditionally, he was a protector of shepherds and curer of their flocks and therefore, he was a beloved saint on Cyprus and in other sheep-breeding areas such as kapadokia, Crete, Macedonia and Serbia. On the other hand, the Lusignan court in Cyprus was promoting the worship of Saint Mamas as he was a favoured patron saint in the West with the most prominent example being the Cathedral of Langres in Champagne.
Lastly, a connotation of the placement of Saint Mamas’s figure opposite the portrait of Saint Anastasia could not be hypothetical, as to both saints were attributed the characteristic of the curer.
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-102
Coverage
35.046355, 32.973431
Files
Collection
Citation
Ioannides, Marinos, “Saint Mamas,” Αψίδα, accessed January 31, 2025, https://apsida.cut.ac.cy/items/show/45302.