Οι τοιχογραφίες του ναού της Αγίας Μαρίνας στον Μουρνέ της Κρήτης : Ένας άγνωστος βιογραφικός κύκλος της Αγίας Μαρίνας
Part of : Δελτίον της Χριστιανικής Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας ; Vol.35, 1994, pages 211-222
Issue:
Pages:
211-222
Parallel Title:
The Wall Paintings of the Church of Saint Marina at Mournes on Crete : An Unknown Biographical Cycle of St. Marina
Section Title:
Articles
Author:
Abstract:
The church of Saint Marina (Fig. 1) situated outside the village of Mournes in the district of Rethymnon on Crete is a single-aisle, barrel-vaulted building 6.40 m long and 4.60 m wide. Its painted decoration includes one of the few biographical cycles of St. Marina preserved in Byzantine monumental painting. In the conch of the apse a bust of the Pantocrator is depicted, the semi-cylindrical section of the apse is occupied by four half-length portraits of officiating bishops, namely of Athanasios, Basil, John Chrysostom and μπουδάκης , Μεσαιωνικά μνημεία Κρήτης, ό.π. (ύποσημ. 1), πίν. 617α) μέ τόν Ρουβίμ άπό τήν "Αρνηση τών προσφορών των Θεοπατόρων στό Θρόνος (Κ. Δ. Καλοκύρης , Αί βυζαντινοί τοιχογραφίαι της Κρήτης, 'Αθήναι 1957, πίν. LXXV.2, LXXVI.1). 48. Οί τοιχογραφίες αυτές είναι αδημοσίευτες. Γιά τή χρονολόγηση βλ. Galla s - Wessel - Borboudakis, δ.π., σ. 287. 49. Σ. Ν. Μαδεράκης , Οί κρητικοί αγιογράφοι Θεόδωρος-Δανιήλ Βενέρης καί Μιχαήλ Βενέρης, Πεπραγμένα τοΰ Δ' Διεθνούς Κρητολογικοΰ Συνεδρίου ('Ηράκλειο, 29 Αυγούστου - 3 Σεπτεμβρίου 1976), II, 'Αθήνα 1981, σ. 155 κ.έ. 50. Πρβλ. τή σκηνή τής Μεταμόρφωσης στους δύο ναούς. Μπορ - μπουδάκης , ό.π., πίν. 617α. Ά . Κ. ' Ορλάνδος , Δύο βυζαντινά μνημεία τής Δυτικής Κρήτης, ΑΒΜΕ Η' (1955-56), είκ. 16. 51. Πρβλ. τόν Χριστό τής Μεταμόρφωσης στην 'Αγία Μαρίνα (Μπορμπουδάκης , ό.π., πίν. 617α) μέ τόν Χριστό τής Βάπτισης στην Κερά (Σ. Παπαδάκη-Okland , Ή Κερά τής Κριτσάς. Παρατηρήσεις στή χρονολόγηση τών τοιχογραφιών της, ΑΔ 22 (1967), Μελέται, σ. 105, πίν. 64), τις μορφές τής 'Απότομης στον Μουρνέ (Είκ. 10) μέ εκείνες τής Βρεφοκτονίας στην Κριτσά (δ.π., πίν. 70α). Gregory the Theologian. On the pediment above the conch the Ascension is represented, lower down the Annunciation is placed, as usually, on either side of the apse. In the bottom register of the east wall of the Berna are the busts of the deacons Romanos Melodos and Stephanos Protomartyr. The barrel vault of the Berna displays four Christological scenes, the Nativity and the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Fig. 3) in the north section, the Raising of Lazarus and the Resurrection in the south. Three full-length depictions of bishops are fragmentarily preserved in the bottom register of the north and of the south wall. The south section of the barrel vault of the nave contains depictions of the Baptism, the Entry into Jerusalem and the Kiss of Judas, which have suffered severe damage. Two scenes of the Life of St. Marina are preserved in the lower register, the Flogging and the Scratching. In the bottom register of the south wall, next to the templon, the Deesis was located. There follow four full-length portraits of saints dressed in the garments of Byzantine patricians. The last two figures of this group, starting from the east, can be identified by inscriptions as Panteleimon and Mamas, the remaining figures should have represented Cosmas and Damianos. In the upper north half of the barrel vault, from right to left, are the representations of the Transfiguration, the Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper. The decoration of the lower register includes five scenes from the cycle of St. Marina: the Prayer of St. Marina in prison (Fig. 6), the Killing of the dragon Rouphos (Fig. 7), the Victory over the demon Belzebuth (Fig. 8), the Boiling (Fig. 9), the Decapitation (Fig. 10). In the bottom register of the north wall is a group of four female martyrs. The first of these figures, to the east, in close proximity to the templon, is identifiable as St. Marina. The westernmost representation of the north wall is an equestrian portrait of St. George killing the dragon (Fig. 11). The tympanum of the west wall is occupied by the fragmentarily preserved scene of the Crucifixion. Lower down, on either side of the door, are represented the saints Constantine and Helen and the archangel Michael. A rectangular framed space above the door, under the Crucifixion, was reserved for the dedicatory inscription (Fig. 2) giving the name of the church and identifying the donors as members of the local family of Koudoumniakoi. The compositional schemes of the scenic representations and some iconographie details at Mournes reveal the dependence of this painted decoration on Middle Byzantine tradition. On the other hand certain iconographie features affected by Western influence and the presence of a biographical cycle of St. Marina, whose cyclical illustrations can be detected in the monumental and icon painting of the East from the end of the 13th century, point to a later date. The dedication of the church of Mournes to St. Marina, besides indicating that the saint probably had a local cult centre in the district, may have been related to the predilections of the donors. In the iconographie programme of the church special emphasis has been placed on healing saints, the Saints Anargyroi, to whom, according to a tradition, St. Marina also belongs. On the other hand the depictions of Sts. George and Mamas, whose cult enjoyed great popularity on Crete, reveal close relation to local tradition. The prominent place given to four Christological scenes inside the Berna, instead of a scene with liturgical symbolism, namely the Communion of the Apostles, accentuates two major concepts: the Redemption through the Incarnation and the Passion (Nativity and Presentation in the Temple) and the Victory over the death (Raising of Lazarus, Resurrection). The representation of the Deesis, which has a conspicuous place on the south wall next to the templon, also has connotations of Salvation. The illustrated Life of St. Marina, where the role of the prayer, by means of which she withstood her martyrdom, defeated the powers of the devil and at last succeeded the παρρησία to Christ, becomes apparent (Figs 6, 7, 9), should also be considered in the same context. Besides its prophylactic symbolism this cycle gives special emphasis to the role of prayer in the salvation of the body and the soul, and its depiction is indeed appropriate for the church of the Koudoumniakoi family, a small private place of prayer. The wall paintings of the church of Saint Marina at Mournes reveal an homogeneous style and may thus be assigned to one painter and probably an assistant. Most of the scenes, which show the typical symmetrical compositional scheme with the accentuation of the main axis, are characterized by an anti-monumental approach. The scale of the figures in relation to the buildings, the absence of the sense of depth and the backdrop rendering of the architectural background in the compositions hark back to Comnenian models. On the other hand an abundant juxtaposition of architectural features betrays Palaeologan influences. The restricted and timid use of painterly elements in the modelling of the faces and the drapery does not succeed in altering the flat impression of the figures. The gamut of colours is poor, however, and an attempt at detailed rendering of the decorated garments and military costumes, which belongs to the aesthetical preferences of the Comnenian period, is evident. On the basis of stylistic comparisons with a group of wall paintings in other Cretan churches the painted decoration of Saint Marina at Mournes can be placed to around 1300 but not later than the second decade of the 14th century. This period is characterized by an intense artistic activity in the district of Rethymnon after the treaty of Alexios Callergis (1299). However the island of Crete still remains artistically isolated from the stylistic developments of the "Palaeologan renaissance". The wall paintings of Saint Marina at Mournes can thus be assigned to a retrospective stylistic trend, which can also be observed in other areas of Greece under Western rule.
Subject:
Subject (LC):
