INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE 75 YEAR JUBILEE OF THE INSTITUTE OF ART HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY. 12th – 14th October 2022 Dojran, Macedonia. Book of Proceedings (eds. Antonio Jakimovski & Elizabeta Dimitrova), 2024
During the second half of the 18th century and throughout the 19th century, the composition of th... more During the second half of the 18th century and throughout the 19th century, the composition of the Last Judgement was enriched with additional themes and contents. Among the striking contents are the three so-called apocalyptic scenes derived from the Book of Revelation where the main protagonists are the Righteous Enoch, the Prophet Elijah, the Antichrist and the Archangel Michael. Although, long before the scenes were included in the Last Judgement, there had been a great interest in Revelation in the Western world since the 9th century. Hence, we are tracking the oldest depictions, as well as the visualization of the scenes regarding the above-mentioned protagonists in the medieval illuminated manuscripts, and also in the Athonite Apocalypse cycles, representing a significant source of inspiration. Furthermore, we present the examples of the Last Judgement incorporating the three scenes in chronological order from 1754(94) to 1873, depicted on icons, paper icons and wall painting.
Metamorphoses. Art Readings, Thematic Peer-reviewed Annual in Art Studies, 2024
St. Simeon Stylites the Elder is one of the most commonly venerated and frequently portrayed pill... more St. Simeon Stylites the Elder is one of the most commonly venerated and frequently portrayed pillar saints. He is the founder of the distinctive and unusual form of monastic asceticism, and in numerous examples he is represented in an iconographic variant in which his bare leg that is eaten by worms and covered with wounds protrudes or hangs from the capital. The main focus of this research is the iconography of this version and its origin, including the shapes of columns, the territorial distribution, as well as the location and disposition in wall paintings, from the oldest known example from 12th century, until 18th century, but also its influence in the following period, until modern times. Тhe oldest known and preserved representation of this particular type is in Kastoria, where the greatest number of examples are found. It is also quite common in the Prespa region, then in Skopje, Ohrid, Epirus, Meteora, and Mount Athos. The farthest point where this model of the representation of St. Simeon Stylites can be found is in the Abou Adal collection and Balamand Monastery, Lebanon.
The church of St. George the Victorious in Mlado Nagorichane was built in the second half of the ... more The church of St. George the Victorious in Mlado Nagorichane was built in the second half of the 16th century, and the wall painting, which had long been covered by limestone coatings, was created toward the end of the same century. It has long been noted by the scholars that the dedication, but also the architectural conception of the church, represents a kind of imitation of the church of St. George in Staro Nagorichane. With the removal of the limestone coatings, it was concluded that the painting program was created under the influence of the church in Staro Nagorichane, which is indicated by the numerous conceptual-thematic relations and similarities. Among the rich thematic units and cycles represented in the two churches in Nagorichane, is the hagiographic cycle of the patron, Saint George. The hagiographic cycle of the Cappadocian Great Martyr from the church in Mlado Nagoricane is visualized in the second zone under the Christological cycles, and above the representations of saints from the first zone. According to the preserved scenes, but also according to the fragments of several compositions, the cycle in the church in Mlado Nagorichane probably was consisted of eighteen scenes. The first three scenes in Mlado Nagorichane, St. George before Emperor Diocletian, The Piercing of St. George with spears and The Martyrdom of St. George in prison with the stone, depicted on the south wall, are not divided by a borderline but are merged into one story. The fourth scene on the south wall depicts one of the most often illustrated tortures of St. George on the Wheel. The scene is followed by the composition in which St. George is brought again before the Emperor Diocletian, and in continuation is The Murder of the Christians, which are less frequently represented in the painted cycles of the saint. The following scene is also one of the most frequently included legends of The Martyrdom of St. George in the lime pit. The next scene on the south wall is The Poisoning of St. George in the presence of the Emperor. The next scene, although very damaged, but in comparison with the one from Staro Nagorichane, actually depicts The Torture of St. George by nailing his feet. The last scene on the south wall is St. George beaten with ox sinews. On the west wall are depicted The Resurrection of the Dead and The Scraping of St. George. On the north wall, the scenes are damaged almost to the level of the inscriptions. However, some of them can be identified by certain preserved elements, especially compared to the scenes in Staro Nagorichane. Perhaps the following scenes were depicted: The Resurrection of the Ox, Destruction of the Idols, St. George slaying the dragon, Diocletian condemns to death St. George and Alexandra, the Beheading of St. George, The Burial of St. George and The Death of Other Christians with St. George. The selection and the iconography of the scenes in Mlado Nagorichane are to a large extent influenced by the hagiographic cycle in King Milutin's church. However, they are not just a simple copy or imitation, while the inspiration for different schemes can be found in The Painter's Manual of Dionysius of Fourna and in some of the given examples, but they are also due to the capability and the creativity of the painters.
Свети Меркуриј воинот и неговиот триумф низ вековите, 2021
SAINT MERCURIUS THE WARRIOR AND HIS TRIUMPH THROUGH THE CENTURIES
NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia... more SAINT MERCURIUS THE WARRIOR AND HIS TRIUMPH THROUGH THE CENTURIES NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia October 26th – November 26th, 2021
The idea for organizing an exhibition dedicated to St. Mercurius was conceived during the previous research related to this warrior saint. For this purpose, a team was formed consisting of the author of the exhibition and the publication together with Vlado Kiprijanovski (professional photographer), author of the excellent photographs; Elizabeta Dimitrova, Ph.D. (professor at the Institute of History of Art and Archeology, Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje), whose valuable suggestions and ideas were essential, and Tatjana Trajković, MA (art historian, curator at the NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia), as collaborator. The project and the exhibition would not have been realized without the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia, for which I owe special gratitude. Also, the project would not have been possible without the approvals for photographing the depictions of St. Mercurius, issued by the Archbishop and the Metropolitans of the Dioceses of the Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archbishopric, to whom I express my great appreciation. I would also like to express sincere gratitude to the director Jovan Shurbanovski for allowing the exhibition to be open at the NI Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia. The exhibition entitled "Saint Mercurius the Warrior and his triumph through the centuries" is consisted of thirty two illustrations with representations of this warrior saint from various churches and monasteries, as well as depictions on icons from the R.N. Macedonia, painted in the period from 12th to 19th century.
Religion. Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Byzantine and Medieval Studies “Days of Justinian I”, Skopje, 13-14 November, 2020, 2021
The subject of this paper is the painting program from the first zone in the narthex of the churc... more The subject of this paper is the painting program from the first zone in the narthex of the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica (1534/35), where monks, hymnographers and, hermits are depicted. The wall painting in the narthex, signed by the painter John (Jovan) of Grammosta, is partially damaged and faded, especially in the first zone, which makes it difficult to identify some of the representations, mostly those whose inscriptions have not been preserved. The identification of the damaged representations was additionally complicated as they are depicted with closed scrolls instead of written texts. According to the preserved figures and fragments, a total of twenty-four representations were depicted in the narthex of the Monastery of Toplica, of which seventeen can be identified. Hence, it is certain that some of the most respected and most venerated monks, hymnographers, and hermits were selected and presented, and perhaps other important representatives of Orthodox monasticism were also depicted. A similar selection of saints is noted in Manastir, Mariovo, in the church of St. Nicetas near Skopje, in the Monastery of Lesnovo, in Matejče, in Psača and especially in the upper floor of the narthex of St. Sophia in Ohrid, as well as in some of the monasteries at Mount Athos and at Meteora.
Манастирот Слепче и поствизантиската уметност на Балканот од XVI и XVII век, 2021
The painter John from Grammosta is one of the most prominent artists who marked the post-Byzantin... more The painter John from Grammosta is one of the most prominent artists who marked the post-Byzantine аrt on the territory of the Ohrid Archbishopric from the first half of the 16th century. According to the signed, dated and attributed icons and frescoes, his artistic activity can be traced from 1527 to 1543. А decade ago, we attributed the frescoes from the second phase in the church of Panagia Mouzeviki (St. Menas) in Kastoria (post 1532) to this artist. The subject of our research are the comparative iconographic and stylistic analysis between the preserved scenes and representations from the second phase of the frescoes in the church of Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria and his other works, with which the authorship of the painter John from Grammosta in this church becomes certain.
Patrimonium.MK. Periodical for Cultural Heritage, Monuments, Restoration, Museums, 2020
The chemical analyses presented in this paper were performed as a part of the extensive research ... more The chemical analyses presented in this paper were performed as a part of the extensive research of the wall painting in the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica, as well as the work of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta. The chemical investigation intended to characterize the painter’s palette and the painting technique in order to complement the research related to the authorship, and the chronological framework in which the wall painting was created. The wall painting in the narthex is the work of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta, who left his signature on the wooden beam in 1534/35, while the paintings in the nave and in the altar (1536/37), but also in the north parakklesion (c. 1537/38) are attributed to him. At the same time, on the west wall of the nave, an original layer of the wall painting is preserved, which is thought to have been created in the late 14th or early 15th century. The analyses included numerous samples taken from different positions of the wall painting. The most employed analytical technique in this study was the Micro-Raman spectroscopy, but also a great part of the analyses were performed utilizing infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). To obtain information about the stratigraphic structure of the painting, some of the samples were cross sectioned and analyzed using Optical microscopy. The combined use of the analytical techniques enabled unequivocal identification of the painting materials. The palette used by the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta is composed of natural pigments that were most commonly used during the 16th century, such as yellow and red ochre, cinnabar, ultramarine, lime white, and carbon black. The painter used one type of pigment, but also a mixture of various pigments to achieve certain colors, for example, the combination of yellow ochre and ultramarine in producing the green. An exceptional finding in the analyzed painting was the blue mineral pigment azurite identified only in the blue background on the north wall of the nave. It is noteworthy that in few samples related to the green color, the analyses detected a presence of the mineral pigment malachite. This finding could be attributed to the retouching during the conservation interventions carried out in the past. Moreover, the identification of the titanium white, the synthetic iron-based pigments, and materials produced in the 20th century undoubtedly relate to the conservation work. The identification of calcium carbonate in all samples and the micro-structural features of the cross sectioned samples, indicate that the wall painting was created in both fresco and secco technique, in terms of mixing pigments with a lime based binder and applying them to a dried surface. The analytical data obtained through the chemical analysis is a relevant indicator in confirming the authorship of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta in the other compartments of the church as well. The analyzes also contribute to resolving the dilemmas regarding the determination of the time frame in which the original layer of the wall painting from the west wall of the nave was created. The pigments and the painting technique identified on this layer coincide with those discovered in the 16th century paintings, signed and attributed to the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta. Hence, the original layer of the wall painting was most probably created by the same painter in the approximately same period.
Patrimonium.MK. Periodical for Cultural Heritage, Monuments, Restoration, Museums, 2019
THE ICONOSTASIS IN THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS IN THE MONASTERY OF TOPLICA (16th CENTURY)
Summary... more THE ICONOSTASIS IN THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS IN THE MONASTERY OF TOPLICA (16th CENTURY)
Summary
The original iconostasis in the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica dating back to the 16th century has not been preserved, and a new construction has been created in its place. From the old iconostasis are preserved the bearing beam in the upper part of the construction, the kemeria and the Great Cross with the Crucifixion and the two accompanying icons/lypiras with the representations of the Mother of God and the Apostle John. The other authentic works originating from this church are the three despotic icons Jesus Christ the Savior, Holy Mother of God Hodegetria and St. Nicholas the Warm-hearted Protector, then the epistyle with the Great Deësis and the two feast icons The Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God. An inscription in the form of a prayer by the duke Dimitar (Pepik) and the year 1542/43 is inscribed on the despotic icon Jesus Christ the Savior, while the two feast icons indicate the name of another donor with the same name, Dimitar from the village of Leunovo. Dimitar from Leunovo has long been regarded as a painter of both icons, but according to stylistic and iconographic features the authorship of all icons is attributed to the painter John from Grammosta, whose signature is inscribed on the crossbeam in the narthex of the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica (1535/36). In terms of dating, though only the icon of Jesus Christ the Savior is precisely dated in 1542/43, the year also applies to other icons from the Monastery of Toplica, except the iconostasis cross. The Great Cross belongs to a specific group of well-known iconostasis crosses from the mid-16th century that is associated with the same woodcarving workshop and is characteristic for this region only. The Great Cross is dated between the fifth to the seventh decade of the 16th century. The iconostasis from the Monastery of Toplica belonged to the group of iconostases with two rows of icons on which were the three despotic icons, the Great Deësis and the Great Cross at the top. The two feast icons are believed to have been placed above the central and lateral entrances. However, we believe that these two icons were placed on the iconostasis in the North Parakklesion, while the central and the north entrance of the iconostasis had kemerias.
Patrimonium.MK. Periodical for Cultural Heritage, Monuments, Restoration, Museums, 2018
The church of St. George built and painted in 1548/49, is located in the village of Banjani near ... more The church of St. George built and painted in 1548/49, is located in the village of Banjani near Skopje. The appearance of the single-aisle church was altered during the 19th century when the narthex was added. The inscription above the western entrance leading to the nave indicates that the renovation of the church was a merit of the donor Petar Kaovche and the local villagers. In addition it is stated that the paintings are work of the painter Dimitar Krstev(ich) - Dicho from Debar, completed in 1846. On the entire surface of the eastern wall of the narthex, Dicho Zograf depicted the impressive and complex composition of the Last Judgement, characterized by rich illustrative qualities, a narrative approach, and an extraordinary sense of detail, accompanied by numerous explanatory inscriptions. In this composition he incorporated many new themes with a moralizing-didactic character, motifs with Russian and Bulgarian provenance, and apocalyptic components.
Marginalia. Art Readings, Thematic Peer-reviewed Annual in Art Studies, eds. I. Gergova and E. Moussakova, 2018
The Last Judgement in the narthex of the Church of St George in Banjani,near Skopje, was painted ... more The Last Judgement in the narthex of the Church of St George in Banjani,near Skopje, was painted in 1846 by the famous painter Dičo Zograf. He created an impressive and complex composition enriched with numerous scenes, episodes and inscriptions. In it he incorporated many new themes with a moralizing-didactic character, motifs with Russian and Bulgarian provenance, and apocalyptic components. On this occasion, most strikingly, we distinguish the representations of the Fiery River, the Aerial Tollbooths and three scenes related to the prophet Elijah,the righteous Enoch and the Antichrist, which make the Last Judgment in Banjani exceptional.
St. Mercurius is one of the best known high ranking warrior saints who is often presented and who... more St. Mercurius is one of the best known high ranking warrior saints who is often presented and who has already drawn a lot of scholarly attention. The data and sequences in various hagiographic sources are visually transmitted into depictions of the saint in standing position or on a horse while stabbing the enemy with a spear. Regarding the physiognomy, St. Mercurius does not have completely defined and permanent characteristics, and his figure goes through several changes that we trace from 10th to 12th century, and through the various depictions in the following centuries, especially in the examples from the Republic of Macedonia. Hence, for his earliest representation here, we consider the one from the western wall in the church of St. Panteleimon in Nerezi. At the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, the depictions of St. Mercurius obtain different typological and formal characteristics as evidenced by the examples from Holy Mother of God - Peribleptos in Ohrid and from Staro Nagorichane, where his depictions with helmet and sword in hand dominate. The following alteration of the iconography of the saint occur by changing its frontal figure into three-quarters depiction, with a helmet on his head, and bow and arrow in his hands, which he draws near to his eyes to assess whether it is straight. These changes are already noticeable in his depiction from the nave of the Lesnovo Monastery, and will be established in Konche Monastery. Among scholars prevails the opinion that the “specific depiction” of St. Mercurius is due to Ottoman-Persian influences on the saints iconography detected and explained by the influence of the so-called warriors model present in Persian miniatures. The changes in his iconography, in fact, will be the dominant post-Byzantine model for representing St. Mercurius in the church painting, especially on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. The earliest examples are noted in the works of the painters from the so-called Ohrid School dating from the middle of the 15th century. It is evident that St. Mercurius is also depicted in the same manner in the following centuries, and we can also trace the continuity of his depictions during the 18th and 19th century.
In contrast to the architectural and ethnological context, Islamic influences on painting as a p... more In contrast to the architectural and ethnological context, Islamic influences on painting as a primary painterly/visual medium have not been the subject of more elaborate scholarly analyses. The subject matter of our research is precisely Islamic influences in the Post-Byzantine painting in the period between the 15th and 18th centuries in the region of Turcocratic Macedonia. The influences ascertained by our analyses are classified in three groups that are iconographically defined as follows: (1) influences on the iconography of saints; (2) influences on the iconography of themes and scenes and (3) influences on the depiction of the interior and the exterior in the scenes. By analyzing the semiological aspects of the iconographic modifications, we conclude that Islamic influences are (1) essential in terms of the content, which points to a new reading of the traditional Byzantine thematic wholes and (2) these influences are formal/illustrative/decorative in nature. The focus of our scholarly interest are exactly those Islamic influences that have a semiotic impact on (Post)Byzantine painting. Tracing the penetration of figures dressed in traditional Ottoman Turkish and Persian Turkish garments, as well as the frequent replacement of the sword with the yataghan in Post-Byzantine painting, we conclude that the formal changes have an essential effect on the symbolism of the themes and the scenes, giving them new meaning. An overall analysis (excepting the saints’ representations) demonstrates that the fresco painters of the Late Middle Ages substituted the terms Jews/Judeans, heretics, heterodoxoi and pagans which were encountered in the scene descriptions (the subject matter of the focus of our research) in their painters’ manuals (Erminia) and visualized them as groups of figures in characteristic Ottoman Turkish garments. The historical and social context of Islamic influences are of particular interest for our analyses, due to the fact that our objective was to provide a more precise determining of the chronological framework of their penetration in the painting of the Late Middle Ages in the wider Balkan region.
In the porch of the church St. Athanasius of Alexandria at the Monastery of Zhurche there are cer... more In the porch of the church St. Athanasius of Alexandria at the Monastery of Zhurche there are certain thematic units and compositions, painted in 1621/22. The main accent is placed on the ilustration of the Calendar which is a unique example in our country, but also in the wider region. Calendar scenes from Zhurche are represented by one protagonist who performs particular activity, except August and October which are depicted by two figures. Although some of the scenes are damaged/faded and their inscriptions are not preserved, May is missing and obviously it was not included at all, while the most enigmatic is illustration of August. Large part of the wall surfaces was under lime coatings, and after its removal new contents were discovered. It is the representation of Mother of God with the infant Christ among Archangels Gabriel and Michael, Deeisis, and the depiction of abba Sisoes above the open tomb with the bones of Alexander the Great that is noted for the first time. The painting program of the porch is complemented with representations of four animals (stag, lion, dog and bear) in the first zone of pillars as guards at the entrance to the church, as well as decorative geometric motifs and vases with flowers. The complex thematic and iconographic concept in the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is probably conceived by the hieromonk Benedict while the painter skillfully and ingeniously managed to create a remarkable and original painting program.
In the thematically and iconographical complex painterly program in the porch of the church St. A... more In the thematically and iconographical complex painterly program in the porch of the church St. Athanasius of Alexandria at the Monastery of Zhurche, painted in 1621/22, the Calendar cycle is included. Greater parts of the lower zones were covered with lime, and after their removal new contents were discovered. The remarkable Calendar cycle is a unique example in our country, but also in the region, unlike its many representations in different media in Western art as one of the favorite themes, where months of the year are often accompanied by zodiac signs. Examples from Western art usually begin with January, that is not the case with the Calendar in Monastery of Zhurche, which according to its disposition and according to the Byzantine calculation of the beginning of the year it starts in September. Calendar scenes from Zhurche are represented by one protagonist who performs particular activity, except August and October which are depicted by two figures. Although some of the scenes are damaged/faded and their inscriptions are not preserved, May is missing and obviously it was not included at all, while the most enigmatic is the illustration of August. Of the remaining contents in the porch we single out the four animals: stag, lion, dog and bear, painted in the first zone of pillars as guards at the entrance to the church. Depicted as tame animals with elegant movements, they are presented in a natural environment which resembles the Garden of Eden, as is the very surrounding in which the monastery is located. Here the animals despite their possible prophylactic role could be brought in correspondence to the calendar cycle as a kind of personification of the four seasons, although we did not encounter similar examples. According to scholars an opinion prevailes that the Calendar from the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is created under the influence of Western models. Meanwhile, according to our observations, especially with comparative analysis of the noted Western examples, the scenes of the Calendar cycle show different compositional conception. The Western influence can be reduced to the small size of the scenes, as well as particular iconographic and decorative elements that resemble illuminations, which is to say that the painter may have had insight into a manuscript with Western provenance, but we should not exclude any emulation in early Christian mosaics, nor the influence from the Islamic art. In the donor’s inscription around the calotte of the porch, despite the efforts of the head of the monastery, hieromonk Benedict, it is mentioned that the Orthodox Christians who made possible the construction of the porch and the paintings, donated various objects, fields, vineyards and livestock, but the inscription also refers to the monastery’s estates. These data suggest that primary activities of local residents including monks from the monastery were agriculture and livestock, which is one of the possible reasons for inclusion of the calendar in the painting program of the porch. Thus scenes (would) acquire function of a wall calendar to calculate the time and for organizing customary rites and economic activities intended for monks and believers in a rather profane variant. The profane character is one of the main reasons that this theme was not given appropriate place in the Orthodox Church circles, making the calendar in Zhurche exceptional and unique phenomenon in our country, but also in the wider region. The complex thematic and iconographic concept in the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is probably conceived by the hieromonk Benedict, while the painter skillfully and ingeniously managed to create a remarkable painterly program and particularly original utilitarian-sacral Calendar cycle derived from folk tradition, cults, church feasts, various rituals and customs.
The Management Plan refers to the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane that represen... more The Management Plan refers to the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane that represents cultural heritage of exceptional value and is of highest national significance. The church of St. George is among the most important architectural and artistic achievements of the medieval art not only in Macedonia but at the same time on Balkan Peninsula, and in Byzantine art of 14th century in general, thus the monument has universal value as an architectural and artistic achievement and testimony for the artistic achievement of mankind.
For the preparation of the Plan, the used methodology was according to the preparation of management plans for sites that have been proclaimed as World Heritage by UNESCO, adapted to the church complex of St. George, Staro Nagorichane. The Plan contains historical data about the site, its values and meaning, its condition and challenges to which it is exposed, policies, strategies and aims/purposes of the management, as well as activities, organization and instruments for implementation of the Management Plan.
Chapter 1 presents set of information for the geographical location of the church complex, the protected area which includes boundaries and buffer zones, legal protection respectively protection status, legislative and spatial and urban plans associated with the complex. This chapter also contains historical information and description of the complex and its surroundings, its place in regional context, as well as descriptions of activities in and around the complex, its accessibility, existing infrastructure and data for the current management.
In Chapter 2 the church complex is evaluated and its universal values, authenticity, integrity and exceptional national importance of St. George and the site in general are listed/pointed. Based on the analysis of information contained in Chapter 1, an assessment on the condition of the church complex presented in Chapter 3 is given. Besides the physical condition of the site, damages of the buildings and wall paintings, this chapter also contains information on the accessibility, the level of research, presentation and popularization of the church complex and its inclusion in local economy.
In Chapter 4 the principles of management, the position of the Plan and the institutional framework for the management respectively policies of the management of the church complex are listed.
Strategy management, expected values and aims/goals of the Management plan for the
Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane is contained in Chapter 5 – “Implementation of the Management Plan”. The objectives of the Plan are grouped into long-term goals, management goals, conservation goals and goals in the area of legislation and policy of preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the needs in terms of future research, interpretation and presentation of the site, its involvement in the local economy and protection of the landscape. For each designated goal or need in this chapter activities needed for their implementation are listed.
The last Chapter (6) contains the model of organization and instruments for implementing, duration of the validity and review/revision of the Management Plan. The model and subjects of cooperation in implementation of the Plan are also part of this chapter.
The Management plan for the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane was prepared by the professional team of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje: Msc. Jasminka Nikolich Novakovich, Art histortian – Advisor conservator, Msc. Cvetanka Hadji Pecova, Architect – Advisor conservator, Msc. Jehona Spahiu, Art historian – Senior conservator, and Jovan Ristov, jurist in cooperation with representatives from Cultural Heritage Protection Office at the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia, Municipality of Staro Nagorichane, Bishopric/Diocese of Kumanovo and Osogovo, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Municipality of Staro Nagorichane.
The preparation of the Plan was enabled in the framework of the project Ljubljana Process II:
Rehabilitating Our Common Heritage with financial assistance in the form of the EU Parliament grant for Sustaining Heritage Rehabilitation in the Western Balkans, implemented by the Task Force on Culture and Society of the Regional Cooperation Council. At national level, the Ljubljana Process II is coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia.
The Management Plan refers to the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane that represen... more The Management Plan refers to the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane that represents cultural heritage of exceptional value and is of highest national significance. The church of St. George is among the most important architectural and artistic achievements of the medieval art not only in Macedonia but at the same time on Balkan Peninsula, and in Byzantine art of 14th century in general, thus the monument has universal value as an architectural and artistic achievement and testimony for the artistic achievement of mankind.
For the preparation of the Plan, the used methodology was according to the preparation of management plans for sites that have been proclaimed as World Heritage by UNESCO, adapted to the church complex of St. George, Staro Nagorichane. The Plan contains historical data about the site, its values and meaning, its condition and challenges to which it is exposed, policies, strategies and aims/purposes of the management, as well as activities, organization and instruments for implementation of the Management Plan.
Chapter 1 presents set of information for the geographical location of the church complex, the protected area which includes boundaries and buffer zones, legal protection respectively protection status, legislative and spatial and urban plans associated with the complex. This chapter also contains historical information and description of the complex and its surroundings, its place in regional context, as well as descriptions of activities in and around the complex, its accessibility, existing infrastructure and data for the current management.
In Chapter 2 the church complex is evaluated and its universal values, authenticity, integrity and exceptional national importance of St. George and the site in general are listed/pointed. Based on the analysis of information contained in Chapter 1, an assessment on the condition of the church complex presented in Chapter 3 is given. Besides the physical condition of the site, damages of the buildings and wall paintings, this chapter also contains information on the accessibility, the level of research, presentation and popularization of the church complex and its inclusion in local economy.
In Chapter 4 the principles of management, the position of the Plan and the institutional framework for the management respectively policies of the management of the church complex are listed.
Strategy management, expected values and aims/goals of the Management plan for the
Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane is contained in Chapter 5 – “Implementation of the Management Plan”. The objectives of the Plan are grouped into long-term goals, management goals, conservation goals and goals in the area of legislation and policy of preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the needs in terms of future research, interpretation and presentation of the site, its involvement in the local economy and protection of the landscape. For each designated goal or need in this chapter activities needed for their implementation are listed.
The last Chapter (6) contains the model of organization and instruments for implementing, duration of the validity and review/revision of the Management Plan. The model and subjects of cooperation in implementation of the Plan are also part of this chapter.
The Management plan for the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane was prepared by the professional team of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje: Msc. Jasminka Nikolich Novakovich, Art histortian – Advisor conservator, Msc. Cvetanka Hadji Pecova, Architect – Advisor conservator, Msc. Jehona Spahiu, Art historian – Senior conservator, and Jovan Ristov, jurist in cooperation with representatives from Cultural Heritage Protection Office at the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia, Municipality of Staro Nagorichane, Bishopric/Diocese of Kumanovo and Osogovo, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Municipality of Staro Nagorichane.
The preparation of the Plan was enabled in the framework of the project Ljubljana Process II:
Rehabilitating Our Common Heritage with financial assistance in the form of the EU Parliament grant for Sustaining Heritage Rehabilitation in the Western Balkans, implemented by the Task Force on Culture and Society of the Regional Cooperation Council. At national level, the Ljubljana Process II is coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia.
The monastery of Toplica is located in a vivid surrounding among the villages of Žvan, Sloešnica ... more The monastery of Toplica is located in a vivid surrounding among the villages of Žvan, Sloešnica and Babino, near Demir Hisar. The church dedicated to St.Nicholas, the narthex on the west side, and the north parakklesion which was a funerary church have survived from the original monastery complex. The fresco paintings in the nave of the north parakklesion were finished about 1537/38 and are comprised of three thematic units: themes and depictions in the alter space, scenes from the Christ’s Miracles and Teachings found in the two upper zones of the nave, which are greatly damaged. The images of the monks and the donor’s composition are found in the first zone of the nave.
The themes and the depictions in the alter space of the north parakklesion are largely a repetition of those found in the main church (1536/37), and a similar choice is seen in the altar space of the churches of St.Athanasius in Sloeštica (second half of the 16th century) and Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria (after 1532), who's paintings are attributed to the painter of Toplica. However, other choices are observed in the different selection of the archbishops, the bust size image of the Virgin Platitera (Sign) with the infant Christ found in the conch of the apse, the Man of Sorrow in the niche of the prothesis, and the figure of the archangel in the Annunciation.
The scenes on the face of the vault commence from the two upper zones. In the third zone are depicted: Christ Calls to Zacchaeus, the Healing of the ten lepers, and the Healing of the Two Blind Men (according to Matthew 20: 30-34) found on the south wall, and an unidentified scene on the west wall on the tympanum. In the second zone of the south wall unfold the scenes with the Appearance of Christ to the Myrrhophores, the Healing of the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda, Christ and Samaritan Woman, and the Healing of the Woman with the Curved Back. The scene of the Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple is painted on the west wall, and in the same zone on the north wall is the Wedding at Cana of Galilee, two (?) unpreserved scenes, as well as the Cursing of the fig tree. The damaged fresco paintings in the nave of the north parakklesion make it difficult to identify all the scenes of Christ’s Miracles and Teachings, and their connection with the Liturgy calendar. Nevertheless, the preserved scenes show orderliness to the character of the Liturgy service.
In the gallery of the first zone are portrayed the most recognized monks in Orthodox world, among them the Marcellus the righteous, the archimandrite of the Akoimetoi monastery in Constantinople known for the “sleepless monks. On the north wall is the donor’s composition were the donor Dimitar dedicates his church to Christ by means of the patron St. Nicholas.
The repetition of style and thematic features directs to the assumption that the same painting team lead by Jovan from Gramosta, the main painter who left his signature on the transversal beam in the narthex in 1534/35 continued his work into the nave (1536/37), and later to the north parakklesion (ca. 1537/38). In future with the research of the works of the main Toplica painter and his workshop, the dilemmas about a more precise dating of the painting in the north parakklesion will be resolved.
"In contrast to the architectural and ethnological context, Islamic influences on painting as a p... more "In contrast to the architectural and ethnological context, Islamic influences on painting as a primary painterly/visual medium have not been the subject of more elaborate scholarly analyses.
The subject matter of our research is precisely Islamic influences in the Post-Byzantine painting in the period between the 15th and 18th centuries in the region of Turcocratic Macedonia. The influences ascertained by our analyses are classified in three groups that are iconographically defined as follows: (1) influences on the iconography of saints; (2) influences on the iconography of themes and scenes and (3) influences on the depiction of the interior and the exterior in the scenes. By analyzing the semiological aspects of the iconographic modifications, we conclude that Islamic influences are (1) essential in terms of the content, which points to a new reading of the traditional Byzantine thematic wholes and (2) these influences are formal/illustrative/decorative in nature.
The focus of our scholarly interest are exactly those Islamic influences that have a semiotic impact on (Post)Byzantine painting. Tracing the penetration of figures dressed in traditional Ottoman Turkish and Persian Turkish garments, as well as the frequent replacement of the sword with the yataghan in Post-Byzantine painting, we conclude that the formal changes have an essential effect on the symbolism of the themes and the scenes, giving them new meaning.
The historical and social context of Islamic influences are of particular interest for our analyses, due to the fact that our objective was to provide a more precise determining of the chronological framework of their penetration in the painting of the Late Middle Ages in the wider Balkan region.
"
"The church dedicated to the archpriest and miracleworker St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplic... more "The church dedicated to the archpriest and miracleworker St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica in the region of Demir Hisar has been an object of a number of scholarly studies, however the complete painting program till now has not acquired a monographic review.
In the scholarly literature the greatest attention has been given to the building phases, the donator’s inscriptions, the donator’s composition, and especially to the work of the painter Jovan Theodor from Gramosta. The fresco painting of the church of Toplica has remained in the shadow of these studies, although in the literature some saint depictions and thematic units have received a valid standing. Hence the object of our research is the Great Feasts cycle rendered in the upper registers of the nave and the sanctuary.
The Great Feasts cycle which is part of the nave paintings was created in 1536/37, and contains 12 scenes, incorporating the scenes of the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb and the Descent into Hell, while the scene of the Descent of the Holy Ghost has been omitted. To a large degree the Nativity and the Baptism of Christ are destroyed, while the Presentation in the Temple is only preserved in the upper section. Busts of prophets bearing open scrolls have been incorporated in to the Great Feast scenes associated to them, except for the Transfiguration, Ascension and the Dormition of the Holy Virgin.
For the artistic concept alongside the use of the canonic Gospels in the church at Toplica also apocryphal text were implemented. These apocryphal texts were especially inspiring for enhancement of many scenes. The scenes of the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Dormition of the Holy Virgin are distinct with their accentuated narration. From the numerous iconographic details we draw attention to the sitting /semi figure of Lazarus in the scene of his Rising and the depiction of Archangel Michael among the figures on the right side section of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin. The majority of the scenes are enriched with busts of prophets. A great part of the inscriptions of the prophets’ scroll were not written in accordance to the painting manuals, never the less they were wisely chosen and correspond to the events. The Old Testament kings David and Solomon are portrayed below the figures of Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin from the Annunciation. These are followed up by the prophets Isaiah and Zacharias in the Nativity, Elijah and Jeremiah in the Presentation in the Temple, Elisha and Baruch in the Baptism, Jacob in the Raising of Lazarus, and Malachi in the Entry into Jerusalem. The prophets Haggai and Abbakum are depicted in the Crucifixion, Sophonia and Joel in the scene of the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb, while Jonah and Job in the Descent into Hell. The Great Feasts cycle according to the large number of incorporated prophets represents a rare example in the Post Byzantine art on the territory of Macedonia.
For the research of the Great Feasts cycle the parallels above all were the corresponding examples found in the works of the Ohrid and Kastoria school/workshop, thus righteously pointing to the core of the Archbishopric as an unquestioning educational center. In the science an opinion has been stated that the painter Jovan received his artistic education in Kastoria, which is confirmed by works of earlier date. With great caution and due to the small references in literature and insufficient photo documentation we can attribute to the painter of Toplica the second phase of the painting in the sanctuary of the church of the Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria dated after the year of 1532. From the accessible literature and illustrations it is evident that very few scenes and depictions are found in the sanctuary. On this occasion we will review only two scenes from the Great Feasts cycle, the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb and the Descent into Hell, which have identical iconographic structure and coloristic values with the matching scenes in the nave of the Monastery of Toplica. With this argument we assert the assumption that the zograph Jovan Theodor of Gramosta began his painting activity in Kastoria. We believe that in future times a more in depth analysis must be carried out of the painting of this particular church in Kastoria so a more convincing attribution can be given for this same zograph."
"Subjects of our research are the scenes of the cycle of Christ's Passion in the Church of St. Ni... more "Subjects of our research are the scenes of the cycle of Christ's Passion in the Church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica painted in 1536/37. The Passion cycle in Toplica’s church is characteristic for the specific depictions treated as Post-Byzantine contributions in the traditional iconographic scheme.
In The Betrayal of Judas we single out the figure of Christ who turns his head from the betrayer, a motive which in the Byzantine iconography is considered to be influenced by the Western art. The Denial of Peter has two iconographic features: the semicircular bench where the presented figures are sitting and Peter warming his legs by the fire, which represent characteristic features of the monuments of the Ohrid and Kastoria school/workshop in 15th century. The including of Annas and Caiaphas in The Washing of the Hands i.e. the joining of the two judgments in one scene is also characteristic because of the written scroll in front of the Pilate's feet, with which he frees himself from the guilt. The Dividing of Christ's Garment, which is usually presented as an episode included in/within the Crucifixion, is distinguished as a separate scene in the Post-Byzantine period and it becomes a part of the cycle of Christ's Passion as it is presented in the Monastery of Toplica. In the Road to Golgotha, Pilate is presented among the group of horsemen and his presence in Golgotha is seen in the monuments of the 15th century, represented by the painters of the Ohrid school. As a feature in the scene Christ Ascending the Cross, we distinguish the two Jews, preparing the liquid, and also the busts of Hosea and Obadiah with written scrolls on their arms. The Lamentation of Christ is expanded with the episode with Nicodemus who prepares the grave that is more frequently depicted in the Post-Byzantine period. In this particular scene Virgin Mary is sitting on a throne which attracts attention, an illustration that we trace from the 15th century. The Lamentation of Christ in this variant is characteristic for the repertoire of the Ohrid school and Kastoria workshop at the end of the 15th century.
It is stated that Toplica's painter Jovan Theodore of Gramosta based his artistic creation on the older tradition of Kastoria painting and on the best traditions of the Palaeologan art. Besides the iconographic features from this era, the patterns used by this author are mostly based on the Ohrid school and Kastoria workshop of the 15th century. According to numerous scholarly studies the painter Jovan received his artistic education in Kastoria, where he worked before he started his creative work in Pelagonian region, and with the recent researches we attribute to him the second phase of painting in the sanctuary of the church of the Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria, dated after the year of 1532. In addition to our assumption are the iconographically and stylistically identical depictions of the scene Lamentation of Christ from the churches of Toplica and Kastoria."
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE 75 YEAR JUBILEE OF THE INSTITUTE OF ART HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY. 12th – 14th October 2022 Dojran, Macedonia. Book of Proceedings (eds. Antonio Jakimovski & Elizabeta Dimitrova), 2024
During the second half of the 18th century and throughout the 19th century, the composition of th... more During the second half of the 18th century and throughout the 19th century, the composition of the Last Judgement was enriched with additional themes and contents. Among the striking contents are the three so-called apocalyptic scenes derived from the Book of Revelation where the main protagonists are the Righteous Enoch, the Prophet Elijah, the Antichrist and the Archangel Michael. Although, long before the scenes were included in the Last Judgement, there had been a great interest in Revelation in the Western world since the 9th century. Hence, we are tracking the oldest depictions, as well as the visualization of the scenes regarding the above-mentioned protagonists in the medieval illuminated manuscripts, and also in the Athonite Apocalypse cycles, representing a significant source of inspiration. Furthermore, we present the examples of the Last Judgement incorporating the three scenes in chronological order from 1754(94) to 1873, depicted on icons, paper icons and wall painting.
Metamorphoses. Art Readings, Thematic Peer-reviewed Annual in Art Studies, 2024
St. Simeon Stylites the Elder is one of the most commonly venerated and frequently portrayed pill... more St. Simeon Stylites the Elder is one of the most commonly venerated and frequently portrayed pillar saints. He is the founder of the distinctive and unusual form of monastic asceticism, and in numerous examples he is represented in an iconographic variant in which his bare leg that is eaten by worms and covered with wounds protrudes or hangs from the capital. The main focus of this research is the iconography of this version and its origin, including the shapes of columns, the territorial distribution, as well as the location and disposition in wall paintings, from the oldest known example from 12th century, until 18th century, but also its influence in the following period, until modern times. Тhe oldest known and preserved representation of this particular type is in Kastoria, where the greatest number of examples are found. It is also quite common in the Prespa region, then in Skopje, Ohrid, Epirus, Meteora, and Mount Athos. The farthest point where this model of the representation of St. Simeon Stylites can be found is in the Abou Adal collection and Balamand Monastery, Lebanon.
The church of St. George the Victorious in Mlado Nagorichane was built in the second half of the ... more The church of St. George the Victorious in Mlado Nagorichane was built in the second half of the 16th century, and the wall painting, which had long been covered by limestone coatings, was created toward the end of the same century. It has long been noted by the scholars that the dedication, but also the architectural conception of the church, represents a kind of imitation of the church of St. George in Staro Nagorichane. With the removal of the limestone coatings, it was concluded that the painting program was created under the influence of the church in Staro Nagorichane, which is indicated by the numerous conceptual-thematic relations and similarities. Among the rich thematic units and cycles represented in the two churches in Nagorichane, is the hagiographic cycle of the patron, Saint George. The hagiographic cycle of the Cappadocian Great Martyr from the church in Mlado Nagoricane is visualized in the second zone under the Christological cycles, and above the representations of saints from the first zone. According to the preserved scenes, but also according to the fragments of several compositions, the cycle in the church in Mlado Nagorichane probably was consisted of eighteen scenes. The first three scenes in Mlado Nagorichane, St. George before Emperor Diocletian, The Piercing of St. George with spears and The Martyrdom of St. George in prison with the stone, depicted on the south wall, are not divided by a borderline but are merged into one story. The fourth scene on the south wall depicts one of the most often illustrated tortures of St. George on the Wheel. The scene is followed by the composition in which St. George is brought again before the Emperor Diocletian, and in continuation is The Murder of the Christians, which are less frequently represented in the painted cycles of the saint. The following scene is also one of the most frequently included legends of The Martyrdom of St. George in the lime pit. The next scene on the south wall is The Poisoning of St. George in the presence of the Emperor. The next scene, although very damaged, but in comparison with the one from Staro Nagorichane, actually depicts The Torture of St. George by nailing his feet. The last scene on the south wall is St. George beaten with ox sinews. On the west wall are depicted The Resurrection of the Dead and The Scraping of St. George. On the north wall, the scenes are damaged almost to the level of the inscriptions. However, some of them can be identified by certain preserved elements, especially compared to the scenes in Staro Nagorichane. Perhaps the following scenes were depicted: The Resurrection of the Ox, Destruction of the Idols, St. George slaying the dragon, Diocletian condemns to death St. George and Alexandra, the Beheading of St. George, The Burial of St. George and The Death of Other Christians with St. George. The selection and the iconography of the scenes in Mlado Nagorichane are to a large extent influenced by the hagiographic cycle in King Milutin's church. However, they are not just a simple copy or imitation, while the inspiration for different schemes can be found in The Painter's Manual of Dionysius of Fourna and in some of the given examples, but they are also due to the capability and the creativity of the painters.
Свети Меркуриј воинот и неговиот триумф низ вековите, 2021
SAINT MERCURIUS THE WARRIOR AND HIS TRIUMPH THROUGH THE CENTURIES
NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia... more SAINT MERCURIUS THE WARRIOR AND HIS TRIUMPH THROUGH THE CENTURIES NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia October 26th – November 26th, 2021
The idea for organizing an exhibition dedicated to St. Mercurius was conceived during the previous research related to this warrior saint. For this purpose, a team was formed consisting of the author of the exhibition and the publication together with Vlado Kiprijanovski (professional photographer), author of the excellent photographs; Elizabeta Dimitrova, Ph.D. (professor at the Institute of History of Art and Archeology, Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje), whose valuable suggestions and ideas were essential, and Tatjana Trajković, MA (art historian, curator at the NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia), as collaborator. The project and the exhibition would not have been realized without the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia, for which I owe special gratitude. Also, the project would not have been possible without the approvals for photographing the depictions of St. Mercurius, issued by the Archbishop and the Metropolitans of the Dioceses of the Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archbishopric, to whom I express my great appreciation. I would also like to express sincere gratitude to the director Jovan Shurbanovski for allowing the exhibition to be open at the NI Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia. The exhibition entitled "Saint Mercurius the Warrior and his triumph through the centuries" is consisted of thirty two illustrations with representations of this warrior saint from various churches and monasteries, as well as depictions on icons from the R.N. Macedonia, painted in the period from 12th to 19th century.
Religion. Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Byzantine and Medieval Studies “Days of Justinian I”, Skopje, 13-14 November, 2020, 2021
The subject of this paper is the painting program from the first zone in the narthex of the churc... more The subject of this paper is the painting program from the first zone in the narthex of the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica (1534/35), where monks, hymnographers and, hermits are depicted. The wall painting in the narthex, signed by the painter John (Jovan) of Grammosta, is partially damaged and faded, especially in the first zone, which makes it difficult to identify some of the representations, mostly those whose inscriptions have not been preserved. The identification of the damaged representations was additionally complicated as they are depicted with closed scrolls instead of written texts. According to the preserved figures and fragments, a total of twenty-four representations were depicted in the narthex of the Monastery of Toplica, of which seventeen can be identified. Hence, it is certain that some of the most respected and most venerated monks, hymnographers, and hermits were selected and presented, and perhaps other important representatives of Orthodox monasticism were also depicted. A similar selection of saints is noted in Manastir, Mariovo, in the church of St. Nicetas near Skopje, in the Monastery of Lesnovo, in Matejče, in Psača and especially in the upper floor of the narthex of St. Sophia in Ohrid, as well as in some of the monasteries at Mount Athos and at Meteora.
Манастирот Слепче и поствизантиската уметност на Балканот од XVI и XVII век, 2021
The painter John from Grammosta is one of the most prominent artists who marked the post-Byzantin... more The painter John from Grammosta is one of the most prominent artists who marked the post-Byzantine аrt on the territory of the Ohrid Archbishopric from the first half of the 16th century. According to the signed, dated and attributed icons and frescoes, his artistic activity can be traced from 1527 to 1543. А decade ago, we attributed the frescoes from the second phase in the church of Panagia Mouzeviki (St. Menas) in Kastoria (post 1532) to this artist. The subject of our research are the comparative iconographic and stylistic analysis between the preserved scenes and representations from the second phase of the frescoes in the church of Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria and his other works, with which the authorship of the painter John from Grammosta in this church becomes certain.
Patrimonium.MK. Periodical for Cultural Heritage, Monuments, Restoration, Museums, 2020
The chemical analyses presented in this paper were performed as a part of the extensive research ... more The chemical analyses presented in this paper were performed as a part of the extensive research of the wall painting in the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica, as well as the work of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta. The chemical investigation intended to characterize the painter’s palette and the painting technique in order to complement the research related to the authorship, and the chronological framework in which the wall painting was created. The wall painting in the narthex is the work of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta, who left his signature on the wooden beam in 1534/35, while the paintings in the nave and in the altar (1536/37), but also in the north parakklesion (c. 1537/38) are attributed to him. At the same time, on the west wall of the nave, an original layer of the wall painting is preserved, which is thought to have been created in the late 14th or early 15th century. The analyses included numerous samples taken from different positions of the wall painting. The most employed analytical technique in this study was the Micro-Raman spectroscopy, but also a great part of the analyses were performed utilizing infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). To obtain information about the stratigraphic structure of the painting, some of the samples were cross sectioned and analyzed using Optical microscopy. The combined use of the analytical techniques enabled unequivocal identification of the painting materials. The palette used by the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta is composed of natural pigments that were most commonly used during the 16th century, such as yellow and red ochre, cinnabar, ultramarine, lime white, and carbon black. The painter used one type of pigment, but also a mixture of various pigments to achieve certain colors, for example, the combination of yellow ochre and ultramarine in producing the green. An exceptional finding in the analyzed painting was the blue mineral pigment azurite identified only in the blue background on the north wall of the nave. It is noteworthy that in few samples related to the green color, the analyses detected a presence of the mineral pigment malachite. This finding could be attributed to the retouching during the conservation interventions carried out in the past. Moreover, the identification of the titanium white, the synthetic iron-based pigments, and materials produced in the 20th century undoubtedly relate to the conservation work. The identification of calcium carbonate in all samples and the micro-structural features of the cross sectioned samples, indicate that the wall painting was created in both fresco and secco technique, in terms of mixing pigments with a lime based binder and applying them to a dried surface. The analytical data obtained through the chemical analysis is a relevant indicator in confirming the authorship of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta in the other compartments of the church as well. The analyzes also contribute to resolving the dilemmas regarding the determination of the time frame in which the original layer of the wall painting from the west wall of the nave was created. The pigments and the painting technique identified on this layer coincide with those discovered in the 16th century paintings, signed and attributed to the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta. Hence, the original layer of the wall painting was most probably created by the same painter in the approximately same period.
Patrimonium.MK. Periodical for Cultural Heritage, Monuments, Restoration, Museums, 2019
THE ICONOSTASIS IN THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS IN THE MONASTERY OF TOPLICA (16th CENTURY)
Summary... more THE ICONOSTASIS IN THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS IN THE MONASTERY OF TOPLICA (16th CENTURY)
Summary
The original iconostasis in the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica dating back to the 16th century has not been preserved, and a new construction has been created in its place. From the old iconostasis are preserved the bearing beam in the upper part of the construction, the kemeria and the Great Cross with the Crucifixion and the two accompanying icons/lypiras with the representations of the Mother of God and the Apostle John. The other authentic works originating from this church are the three despotic icons Jesus Christ the Savior, Holy Mother of God Hodegetria and St. Nicholas the Warm-hearted Protector, then the epistyle with the Great Deësis and the two feast icons The Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God. An inscription in the form of a prayer by the duke Dimitar (Pepik) and the year 1542/43 is inscribed on the despotic icon Jesus Christ the Savior, while the two feast icons indicate the name of another donor with the same name, Dimitar from the village of Leunovo. Dimitar from Leunovo has long been regarded as a painter of both icons, but according to stylistic and iconographic features the authorship of all icons is attributed to the painter John from Grammosta, whose signature is inscribed on the crossbeam in the narthex of the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica (1535/36). In terms of dating, though only the icon of Jesus Christ the Savior is precisely dated in 1542/43, the year also applies to other icons from the Monastery of Toplica, except the iconostasis cross. The Great Cross belongs to a specific group of well-known iconostasis crosses from the mid-16th century that is associated with the same woodcarving workshop and is characteristic for this region only. The Great Cross is dated between the fifth to the seventh decade of the 16th century. The iconostasis from the Monastery of Toplica belonged to the group of iconostases with two rows of icons on which were the three despotic icons, the Great Deësis and the Great Cross at the top. The two feast icons are believed to have been placed above the central and lateral entrances. However, we believe that these two icons were placed on the iconostasis in the North Parakklesion, while the central and the north entrance of the iconostasis had kemerias.
Patrimonium.MK. Periodical for Cultural Heritage, Monuments, Restoration, Museums, 2018
The church of St. George built and painted in 1548/49, is located in the village of Banjani near ... more The church of St. George built and painted in 1548/49, is located in the village of Banjani near Skopje. The appearance of the single-aisle church was altered during the 19th century when the narthex was added. The inscription above the western entrance leading to the nave indicates that the renovation of the church was a merit of the donor Petar Kaovche and the local villagers. In addition it is stated that the paintings are work of the painter Dimitar Krstev(ich) - Dicho from Debar, completed in 1846. On the entire surface of the eastern wall of the narthex, Dicho Zograf depicted the impressive and complex composition of the Last Judgement, characterized by rich illustrative qualities, a narrative approach, and an extraordinary sense of detail, accompanied by numerous explanatory inscriptions. In this composition he incorporated many new themes with a moralizing-didactic character, motifs with Russian and Bulgarian provenance, and apocalyptic components.
Marginalia. Art Readings, Thematic Peer-reviewed Annual in Art Studies, eds. I. Gergova and E. Moussakova, 2018
The Last Judgement in the narthex of the Church of St George in Banjani,near Skopje, was painted ... more The Last Judgement in the narthex of the Church of St George in Banjani,near Skopje, was painted in 1846 by the famous painter Dičo Zograf. He created an impressive and complex composition enriched with numerous scenes, episodes and inscriptions. In it he incorporated many new themes with a moralizing-didactic character, motifs with Russian and Bulgarian provenance, and apocalyptic components. On this occasion, most strikingly, we distinguish the representations of the Fiery River, the Aerial Tollbooths and three scenes related to the prophet Elijah,the righteous Enoch and the Antichrist, which make the Last Judgment in Banjani exceptional.
St. Mercurius is one of the best known high ranking warrior saints who is often presented and who... more St. Mercurius is one of the best known high ranking warrior saints who is often presented and who has already drawn a lot of scholarly attention. The data and sequences in various hagiographic sources are visually transmitted into depictions of the saint in standing position or on a horse while stabbing the enemy with a spear. Regarding the physiognomy, St. Mercurius does not have completely defined and permanent characteristics, and his figure goes through several changes that we trace from 10th to 12th century, and through the various depictions in the following centuries, especially in the examples from the Republic of Macedonia. Hence, for his earliest representation here, we consider the one from the western wall in the church of St. Panteleimon in Nerezi. At the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, the depictions of St. Mercurius obtain different typological and formal characteristics as evidenced by the examples from Holy Mother of God - Peribleptos in Ohrid and from Staro Nagorichane, where his depictions with helmet and sword in hand dominate. The following alteration of the iconography of the saint occur by changing its frontal figure into three-quarters depiction, with a helmet on his head, and bow and arrow in his hands, which he draws near to his eyes to assess whether it is straight. These changes are already noticeable in his depiction from the nave of the Lesnovo Monastery, and will be established in Konche Monastery. Among scholars prevails the opinion that the “specific depiction” of St. Mercurius is due to Ottoman-Persian influences on the saints iconography detected and explained by the influence of the so-called warriors model present in Persian miniatures. The changes in his iconography, in fact, will be the dominant post-Byzantine model for representing St. Mercurius in the church painting, especially on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. The earliest examples are noted in the works of the painters from the so-called Ohrid School dating from the middle of the 15th century. It is evident that St. Mercurius is also depicted in the same manner in the following centuries, and we can also trace the continuity of his depictions during the 18th and 19th century.
In contrast to the architectural and ethnological context, Islamic influences on painting as a p... more In contrast to the architectural and ethnological context, Islamic influences on painting as a primary painterly/visual medium have not been the subject of more elaborate scholarly analyses. The subject matter of our research is precisely Islamic influences in the Post-Byzantine painting in the period between the 15th and 18th centuries in the region of Turcocratic Macedonia. The influences ascertained by our analyses are classified in three groups that are iconographically defined as follows: (1) influences on the iconography of saints; (2) influences on the iconography of themes and scenes and (3) influences on the depiction of the interior and the exterior in the scenes. By analyzing the semiological aspects of the iconographic modifications, we conclude that Islamic influences are (1) essential in terms of the content, which points to a new reading of the traditional Byzantine thematic wholes and (2) these influences are formal/illustrative/decorative in nature. The focus of our scholarly interest are exactly those Islamic influences that have a semiotic impact on (Post)Byzantine painting. Tracing the penetration of figures dressed in traditional Ottoman Turkish and Persian Turkish garments, as well as the frequent replacement of the sword with the yataghan in Post-Byzantine painting, we conclude that the formal changes have an essential effect on the symbolism of the themes and the scenes, giving them new meaning. An overall analysis (excepting the saints’ representations) demonstrates that the fresco painters of the Late Middle Ages substituted the terms Jews/Judeans, heretics, heterodoxoi and pagans which were encountered in the scene descriptions (the subject matter of the focus of our research) in their painters’ manuals (Erminia) and visualized them as groups of figures in characteristic Ottoman Turkish garments. The historical and social context of Islamic influences are of particular interest for our analyses, due to the fact that our objective was to provide a more precise determining of the chronological framework of their penetration in the painting of the Late Middle Ages in the wider Balkan region.
In the porch of the church St. Athanasius of Alexandria at the Monastery of Zhurche there are cer... more In the porch of the church St. Athanasius of Alexandria at the Monastery of Zhurche there are certain thematic units and compositions, painted in 1621/22. The main accent is placed on the ilustration of the Calendar which is a unique example in our country, but also in the wider region. Calendar scenes from Zhurche are represented by one protagonist who performs particular activity, except August and October which are depicted by two figures. Although some of the scenes are damaged/faded and their inscriptions are not preserved, May is missing and obviously it was not included at all, while the most enigmatic is illustration of August. Large part of the wall surfaces was under lime coatings, and after its removal new contents were discovered. It is the representation of Mother of God with the infant Christ among Archangels Gabriel and Michael, Deeisis, and the depiction of abba Sisoes above the open tomb with the bones of Alexander the Great that is noted for the first time. The painting program of the porch is complemented with representations of four animals (stag, lion, dog and bear) in the first zone of pillars as guards at the entrance to the church, as well as decorative geometric motifs and vases with flowers. The complex thematic and iconographic concept in the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is probably conceived by the hieromonk Benedict while the painter skillfully and ingeniously managed to create a remarkable and original painting program.
In the thematically and iconographical complex painterly program in the porch of the church St. A... more In the thematically and iconographical complex painterly program in the porch of the church St. Athanasius of Alexandria at the Monastery of Zhurche, painted in 1621/22, the Calendar cycle is included. Greater parts of the lower zones were covered with lime, and after their removal new contents were discovered. The remarkable Calendar cycle is a unique example in our country, but also in the region, unlike its many representations in different media in Western art as one of the favorite themes, where months of the year are often accompanied by zodiac signs. Examples from Western art usually begin with January, that is not the case with the Calendar in Monastery of Zhurche, which according to its disposition and according to the Byzantine calculation of the beginning of the year it starts in September. Calendar scenes from Zhurche are represented by one protagonist who performs particular activity, except August and October which are depicted by two figures. Although some of the scenes are damaged/faded and their inscriptions are not preserved, May is missing and obviously it was not included at all, while the most enigmatic is the illustration of August. Of the remaining contents in the porch we single out the four animals: stag, lion, dog and bear, painted in the first zone of pillars as guards at the entrance to the church. Depicted as tame animals with elegant movements, they are presented in a natural environment which resembles the Garden of Eden, as is the very surrounding in which the monastery is located. Here the animals despite their possible prophylactic role could be brought in correspondence to the calendar cycle as a kind of personification of the four seasons, although we did not encounter similar examples. According to scholars an opinion prevailes that the Calendar from the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is created under the influence of Western models. Meanwhile, according to our observations, especially with comparative analysis of the noted Western examples, the scenes of the Calendar cycle show different compositional conception. The Western influence can be reduced to the small size of the scenes, as well as particular iconographic and decorative elements that resemble illuminations, which is to say that the painter may have had insight into a manuscript with Western provenance, but we should not exclude any emulation in early Christian mosaics, nor the influence from the Islamic art. In the donor’s inscription around the calotte of the porch, despite the efforts of the head of the monastery, hieromonk Benedict, it is mentioned that the Orthodox Christians who made possible the construction of the porch and the paintings, donated various objects, fields, vineyards and livestock, but the inscription also refers to the monastery’s estates. These data suggest that primary activities of local residents including monks from the monastery were agriculture and livestock, which is one of the possible reasons for inclusion of the calendar in the painting program of the porch. Thus scenes (would) acquire function of a wall calendar to calculate the time and for organizing customary rites and economic activities intended for monks and believers in a rather profane variant. The profane character is one of the main reasons that this theme was not given appropriate place in the Orthodox Church circles, making the calendar in Zhurche exceptional and unique phenomenon in our country, but also in the wider region. The complex thematic and iconographic concept in the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is probably conceived by the hieromonk Benedict, while the painter skillfully and ingeniously managed to create a remarkable painterly program and particularly original utilitarian-sacral Calendar cycle derived from folk tradition, cults, church feasts, various rituals and customs.
The Management Plan refers to the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane that represen... more The Management Plan refers to the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane that represents cultural heritage of exceptional value and is of highest national significance. The church of St. George is among the most important architectural and artistic achievements of the medieval art not only in Macedonia but at the same time on Balkan Peninsula, and in Byzantine art of 14th century in general, thus the monument has universal value as an architectural and artistic achievement and testimony for the artistic achievement of mankind.
For the preparation of the Plan, the used methodology was according to the preparation of management plans for sites that have been proclaimed as World Heritage by UNESCO, adapted to the church complex of St. George, Staro Nagorichane. The Plan contains historical data about the site, its values and meaning, its condition and challenges to which it is exposed, policies, strategies and aims/purposes of the management, as well as activities, organization and instruments for implementation of the Management Plan.
Chapter 1 presents set of information for the geographical location of the church complex, the protected area which includes boundaries and buffer zones, legal protection respectively protection status, legislative and spatial and urban plans associated with the complex. This chapter also contains historical information and description of the complex and its surroundings, its place in regional context, as well as descriptions of activities in and around the complex, its accessibility, existing infrastructure and data for the current management.
In Chapter 2 the church complex is evaluated and its universal values, authenticity, integrity and exceptional national importance of St. George and the site in general are listed/pointed. Based on the analysis of information contained in Chapter 1, an assessment on the condition of the church complex presented in Chapter 3 is given. Besides the physical condition of the site, damages of the buildings and wall paintings, this chapter also contains information on the accessibility, the level of research, presentation and popularization of the church complex and its inclusion in local economy.
In Chapter 4 the principles of management, the position of the Plan and the institutional framework for the management respectively policies of the management of the church complex are listed.
Strategy management, expected values and aims/goals of the Management plan for the
Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane is contained in Chapter 5 – “Implementation of the Management Plan”. The objectives of the Plan are grouped into long-term goals, management goals, conservation goals and goals in the area of legislation and policy of preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the needs in terms of future research, interpretation and presentation of the site, its involvement in the local economy and protection of the landscape. For each designated goal or need in this chapter activities needed for their implementation are listed.
The last Chapter (6) contains the model of organization and instruments for implementing, duration of the validity and review/revision of the Management Plan. The model and subjects of cooperation in implementation of the Plan are also part of this chapter.
The Management plan for the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane was prepared by the professional team of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje: Msc. Jasminka Nikolich Novakovich, Art histortian – Advisor conservator, Msc. Cvetanka Hadji Pecova, Architect – Advisor conservator, Msc. Jehona Spahiu, Art historian – Senior conservator, and Jovan Ristov, jurist in cooperation with representatives from Cultural Heritage Protection Office at the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia, Municipality of Staro Nagorichane, Bishopric/Diocese of Kumanovo and Osogovo, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Municipality of Staro Nagorichane.
The preparation of the Plan was enabled in the framework of the project Ljubljana Process II:
Rehabilitating Our Common Heritage with financial assistance in the form of the EU Parliament grant for Sustaining Heritage Rehabilitation in the Western Balkans, implemented by the Task Force on Culture and Society of the Regional Cooperation Council. At national level, the Ljubljana Process II is coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia.
The Management Plan refers to the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane that represen... more The Management Plan refers to the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane that represents cultural heritage of exceptional value and is of highest national significance. The church of St. George is among the most important architectural and artistic achievements of the medieval art not only in Macedonia but at the same time on Balkan Peninsula, and in Byzantine art of 14th century in general, thus the monument has universal value as an architectural and artistic achievement and testimony for the artistic achievement of mankind.
For the preparation of the Plan, the used methodology was according to the preparation of management plans for sites that have been proclaimed as World Heritage by UNESCO, adapted to the church complex of St. George, Staro Nagorichane. The Plan contains historical data about the site, its values and meaning, its condition and challenges to which it is exposed, policies, strategies and aims/purposes of the management, as well as activities, organization and instruments for implementation of the Management Plan.
Chapter 1 presents set of information for the geographical location of the church complex, the protected area which includes boundaries and buffer zones, legal protection respectively protection status, legislative and spatial and urban plans associated with the complex. This chapter also contains historical information and description of the complex and its surroundings, its place in regional context, as well as descriptions of activities in and around the complex, its accessibility, existing infrastructure and data for the current management.
In Chapter 2 the church complex is evaluated and its universal values, authenticity, integrity and exceptional national importance of St. George and the site in general are listed/pointed. Based on the analysis of information contained in Chapter 1, an assessment on the condition of the church complex presented in Chapter 3 is given. Besides the physical condition of the site, damages of the buildings and wall paintings, this chapter also contains information on the accessibility, the level of research, presentation and popularization of the church complex and its inclusion in local economy.
In Chapter 4 the principles of management, the position of the Plan and the institutional framework for the management respectively policies of the management of the church complex are listed.
Strategy management, expected values and aims/goals of the Management plan for the
Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane is contained in Chapter 5 – “Implementation of the Management Plan”. The objectives of the Plan are grouped into long-term goals, management goals, conservation goals and goals in the area of legislation and policy of preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the needs in terms of future research, interpretation and presentation of the site, its involvement in the local economy and protection of the landscape. For each designated goal or need in this chapter activities needed for their implementation are listed.
The last Chapter (6) contains the model of organization and instruments for implementing, duration of the validity and review/revision of the Management Plan. The model and subjects of cooperation in implementation of the Plan are also part of this chapter.
The Management plan for the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane was prepared by the professional team of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje: Msc. Jasminka Nikolich Novakovich, Art histortian – Advisor conservator, Msc. Cvetanka Hadji Pecova, Architect – Advisor conservator, Msc. Jehona Spahiu, Art historian – Senior conservator, and Jovan Ristov, jurist in cooperation with representatives from Cultural Heritage Protection Office at the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia, Municipality of Staro Nagorichane, Bishopric/Diocese of Kumanovo and Osogovo, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Municipality of Staro Nagorichane.
The preparation of the Plan was enabled in the framework of the project Ljubljana Process II:
Rehabilitating Our Common Heritage with financial assistance in the form of the EU Parliament grant for Sustaining Heritage Rehabilitation in the Western Balkans, implemented by the Task Force on Culture and Society of the Regional Cooperation Council. At national level, the Ljubljana Process II is coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia.
The monastery of Toplica is located in a vivid surrounding among the villages of Žvan, Sloešnica ... more The monastery of Toplica is located in a vivid surrounding among the villages of Žvan, Sloešnica and Babino, near Demir Hisar. The church dedicated to St.Nicholas, the narthex on the west side, and the north parakklesion which was a funerary church have survived from the original monastery complex. The fresco paintings in the nave of the north parakklesion were finished about 1537/38 and are comprised of three thematic units: themes and depictions in the alter space, scenes from the Christ’s Miracles and Teachings found in the two upper zones of the nave, which are greatly damaged. The images of the monks and the donor’s composition are found in the first zone of the nave.
The themes and the depictions in the alter space of the north parakklesion are largely a repetition of those found in the main church (1536/37), and a similar choice is seen in the altar space of the churches of St.Athanasius in Sloeštica (second half of the 16th century) and Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria (after 1532), who's paintings are attributed to the painter of Toplica. However, other choices are observed in the different selection of the archbishops, the bust size image of the Virgin Platitera (Sign) with the infant Christ found in the conch of the apse, the Man of Sorrow in the niche of the prothesis, and the figure of the archangel in the Annunciation.
The scenes on the face of the vault commence from the two upper zones. In the third zone are depicted: Christ Calls to Zacchaeus, the Healing of the ten lepers, and the Healing of the Two Blind Men (according to Matthew 20: 30-34) found on the south wall, and an unidentified scene on the west wall on the tympanum. In the second zone of the south wall unfold the scenes with the Appearance of Christ to the Myrrhophores, the Healing of the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda, Christ and Samaritan Woman, and the Healing of the Woman with the Curved Back. The scene of the Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple is painted on the west wall, and in the same zone on the north wall is the Wedding at Cana of Galilee, two (?) unpreserved scenes, as well as the Cursing of the fig tree. The damaged fresco paintings in the nave of the north parakklesion make it difficult to identify all the scenes of Christ’s Miracles and Teachings, and their connection with the Liturgy calendar. Nevertheless, the preserved scenes show orderliness to the character of the Liturgy service.
In the gallery of the first zone are portrayed the most recognized monks in Orthodox world, among them the Marcellus the righteous, the archimandrite of the Akoimetoi monastery in Constantinople known for the “sleepless monks. On the north wall is the donor’s composition were the donor Dimitar dedicates his church to Christ by means of the patron St. Nicholas.
The repetition of style and thematic features directs to the assumption that the same painting team lead by Jovan from Gramosta, the main painter who left his signature on the transversal beam in the narthex in 1534/35 continued his work into the nave (1536/37), and later to the north parakklesion (ca. 1537/38). In future with the research of the works of the main Toplica painter and his workshop, the dilemmas about a more precise dating of the painting in the north parakklesion will be resolved.
"In contrast to the architectural and ethnological context, Islamic influences on painting as a p... more "In contrast to the architectural and ethnological context, Islamic influences on painting as a primary painterly/visual medium have not been the subject of more elaborate scholarly analyses.
The subject matter of our research is precisely Islamic influences in the Post-Byzantine painting in the period between the 15th and 18th centuries in the region of Turcocratic Macedonia. The influences ascertained by our analyses are classified in three groups that are iconographically defined as follows: (1) influences on the iconography of saints; (2) influences on the iconography of themes and scenes and (3) influences on the depiction of the interior and the exterior in the scenes. By analyzing the semiological aspects of the iconographic modifications, we conclude that Islamic influences are (1) essential in terms of the content, which points to a new reading of the traditional Byzantine thematic wholes and (2) these influences are formal/illustrative/decorative in nature.
The focus of our scholarly interest are exactly those Islamic influences that have a semiotic impact on (Post)Byzantine painting. Tracing the penetration of figures dressed in traditional Ottoman Turkish and Persian Turkish garments, as well as the frequent replacement of the sword with the yataghan in Post-Byzantine painting, we conclude that the formal changes have an essential effect on the symbolism of the themes and the scenes, giving them new meaning.
The historical and social context of Islamic influences are of particular interest for our analyses, due to the fact that our objective was to provide a more precise determining of the chronological framework of their penetration in the painting of the Late Middle Ages in the wider Balkan region.
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"The church dedicated to the archpriest and miracleworker St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplic... more "The church dedicated to the archpriest and miracleworker St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica in the region of Demir Hisar has been an object of a number of scholarly studies, however the complete painting program till now has not acquired a monographic review.
In the scholarly literature the greatest attention has been given to the building phases, the donator’s inscriptions, the donator’s composition, and especially to the work of the painter Jovan Theodor from Gramosta. The fresco painting of the church of Toplica has remained in the shadow of these studies, although in the literature some saint depictions and thematic units have received a valid standing. Hence the object of our research is the Great Feasts cycle rendered in the upper registers of the nave and the sanctuary.
The Great Feasts cycle which is part of the nave paintings was created in 1536/37, and contains 12 scenes, incorporating the scenes of the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb and the Descent into Hell, while the scene of the Descent of the Holy Ghost has been omitted. To a large degree the Nativity and the Baptism of Christ are destroyed, while the Presentation in the Temple is only preserved in the upper section. Busts of prophets bearing open scrolls have been incorporated in to the Great Feast scenes associated to them, except for the Transfiguration, Ascension and the Dormition of the Holy Virgin.
For the artistic concept alongside the use of the canonic Gospels in the church at Toplica also apocryphal text were implemented. These apocryphal texts were especially inspiring for enhancement of many scenes. The scenes of the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Dormition of the Holy Virgin are distinct with their accentuated narration. From the numerous iconographic details we draw attention to the sitting /semi figure of Lazarus in the scene of his Rising and the depiction of Archangel Michael among the figures on the right side section of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin. The majority of the scenes are enriched with busts of prophets. A great part of the inscriptions of the prophets’ scroll were not written in accordance to the painting manuals, never the less they were wisely chosen and correspond to the events. The Old Testament kings David and Solomon are portrayed below the figures of Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin from the Annunciation. These are followed up by the prophets Isaiah and Zacharias in the Nativity, Elijah and Jeremiah in the Presentation in the Temple, Elisha and Baruch in the Baptism, Jacob in the Raising of Lazarus, and Malachi in the Entry into Jerusalem. The prophets Haggai and Abbakum are depicted in the Crucifixion, Sophonia and Joel in the scene of the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb, while Jonah and Job in the Descent into Hell. The Great Feasts cycle according to the large number of incorporated prophets represents a rare example in the Post Byzantine art on the territory of Macedonia.
For the research of the Great Feasts cycle the parallels above all were the corresponding examples found in the works of the Ohrid and Kastoria school/workshop, thus righteously pointing to the core of the Archbishopric as an unquestioning educational center. In the science an opinion has been stated that the painter Jovan received his artistic education in Kastoria, which is confirmed by works of earlier date. With great caution and due to the small references in literature and insufficient photo documentation we can attribute to the painter of Toplica the second phase of the painting in the sanctuary of the church of the Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria dated after the year of 1532. From the accessible literature and illustrations it is evident that very few scenes and depictions are found in the sanctuary. On this occasion we will review only two scenes from the Great Feasts cycle, the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb and the Descent into Hell, which have identical iconographic structure and coloristic values with the matching scenes in the nave of the Monastery of Toplica. With this argument we assert the assumption that the zograph Jovan Theodor of Gramosta began his painting activity in Kastoria. We believe that in future times a more in depth analysis must be carried out of the painting of this particular church in Kastoria so a more convincing attribution can be given for this same zograph."
"Subjects of our research are the scenes of the cycle of Christ's Passion in the Church of St. Ni... more "Subjects of our research are the scenes of the cycle of Christ's Passion in the Church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica painted in 1536/37. The Passion cycle in Toplica’s church is characteristic for the specific depictions treated as Post-Byzantine contributions in the traditional iconographic scheme.
In The Betrayal of Judas we single out the figure of Christ who turns his head from the betrayer, a motive which in the Byzantine iconography is considered to be influenced by the Western art. The Denial of Peter has two iconographic features: the semicircular bench where the presented figures are sitting and Peter warming his legs by the fire, which represent characteristic features of the monuments of the Ohrid and Kastoria school/workshop in 15th century. The including of Annas and Caiaphas in The Washing of the Hands i.e. the joining of the two judgments in one scene is also characteristic because of the written scroll in front of the Pilate's feet, with which he frees himself from the guilt. The Dividing of Christ's Garment, which is usually presented as an episode included in/within the Crucifixion, is distinguished as a separate scene in the Post-Byzantine period and it becomes a part of the cycle of Christ's Passion as it is presented in the Monastery of Toplica. In the Road to Golgotha, Pilate is presented among the group of horsemen and his presence in Golgotha is seen in the monuments of the 15th century, represented by the painters of the Ohrid school. As a feature in the scene Christ Ascending the Cross, we distinguish the two Jews, preparing the liquid, and also the busts of Hosea and Obadiah with written scrolls on their arms. The Lamentation of Christ is expanded with the episode with Nicodemus who prepares the grave that is more frequently depicted in the Post-Byzantine period. In this particular scene Virgin Mary is sitting on a throne which attracts attention, an illustration that we trace from the 15th century. The Lamentation of Christ in this variant is characteristic for the repertoire of the Ohrid school and Kastoria workshop at the end of the 15th century.
It is stated that Toplica's painter Jovan Theodore of Gramosta based his artistic creation on the older tradition of Kastoria painting and on the best traditions of the Palaeologan art. Besides the iconographic features from this era, the patterns used by this author are mostly based on the Ohrid school and Kastoria workshop of the 15th century. According to numerous scholarly studies the painter Jovan received his artistic education in Kastoria, where he worked before he started his creative work in Pelagonian region, and with the recent researches we attribute to him the second phase of painting in the sanctuary of the church of the Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria, dated after the year of 1532. In addition to our assumption are the iconographically and stylistically identical depictions of the scene Lamentation of Christ from the churches of Toplica and Kastoria."
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Тhe oldest known and preserved representation of this particular type is in Kastoria, where the greatest number of examples are found. It is also quite common in the Prespa region, then in Skopje, Ohrid, Epirus, Meteora, and Mount Athos. The farthest point where this model of the representation of St. Simeon Stylites can be found is in the Abou Adal collection and Balamand Monastery, Lebanon.
The first three scenes in Mlado Nagorichane, St. George before Emperor Diocletian, The Piercing of St. George with spears and The Martyrdom of St. George in prison with the stone, depicted on the south wall, are not divided by a borderline but are merged into one story. The fourth scene on the south wall depicts one of the most often illustrated tortures of St. George on the Wheel. The scene is followed by the composition in which St. George is brought again before the Emperor Diocletian, and in continuation is The Murder of the Christians, which are less frequently represented in the painted cycles of the saint. The following scene is also one of the most frequently included legends of The Martyrdom of St. George in the lime pit. The next scene on the south wall is The Poisoning of St. George in the presence of the Emperor. The next scene, although very damaged, but in comparison with the one from Staro Nagorichane, actually depicts The Torture of St. George by nailing his feet. The last scene on the south wall is St. George beaten with ox sinews. On the west wall are depicted The Resurrection of the Dead and The Scraping of St. George. On the north wall, the scenes are damaged almost to the level of the inscriptions. However, some of them can be identified by certain preserved elements, especially compared to the scenes in Staro Nagorichane. Perhaps the following scenes were depicted: The Resurrection of the Ox, Destruction of the Idols, St. George slaying the dragon, Diocletian condemns to death St. George and Alexandra, the Beheading of St. George, The Burial of St. George and The Death of Other Christians with St. George.
The selection and the iconography of the scenes in Mlado Nagorichane are to a large extent influenced by the hagiographic cycle in King Milutin's church. However, they are not just a simple copy or imitation, while the inspiration for different schemes can be found in The Painter's Manual of Dionysius of Fourna and in some of the given examples, but they are also due to the capability and the creativity of the painters.
NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia
October 26th – November 26th, 2021
The idea for organizing an exhibition dedicated to St. Mercurius was conceived during the previous research related to this warrior saint. For this purpose, a team was formed consisting of the author of the exhibition and the publication together with Vlado Kiprijanovski (professional photographer), author of the excellent photographs; Elizabeta Dimitrova, Ph.D. (professor at the Institute of History of Art and Archeology, Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje), whose valuable suggestions and ideas were essential, and Tatjana Trajković, MA (art historian, curator at the NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia), as collaborator. The project and the exhibition would not have been realized without the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia, for which I owe special gratitude. Also, the project would not have been possible without the approvals for photographing the depictions of St. Mercurius, issued by the Archbishop and the Metropolitans of the Dioceses of the Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archbishopric, to whom I express my great appreciation. I would also like to express sincere gratitude to the director Jovan Shurbanovski for allowing the exhibition to be open at the NI Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The exhibition entitled "Saint Mercurius the Warrior and his triumph through the centuries" is consisted of thirty two illustrations with representations of this warrior saint from various churches and monasteries, as well as depictions on icons from the R.N. Macedonia, painted in the period from 12th to 19th century.
The wall painting in the narthex is the work of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta, who left his signature on the wooden beam in 1534/35, while the paintings in the nave and in the altar (1536/37), but also in the north parakklesion (c. 1537/38) are attributed to him. At the same time, on the west wall of the nave, an original layer of the wall painting is preserved, which is thought to have been created in the late 14th or early 15th century.
The analyses included numerous samples taken from different positions of the wall painting. The most employed analytical technique in this study was the Micro-Raman spectroscopy, but also a great part of the analyses were performed utilizing infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). To obtain information about the stratigraphic structure of the painting, some of the samples were cross sectioned and analyzed using Optical microscopy.
The combined use of the analytical techniques enabled unequivocal identification of the painting materials. The palette used by the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta is composed of natural pigments that were most commonly used during the 16th century, such as yellow and red ochre, cinnabar, ultramarine, lime white, and carbon black. The painter used one type of pigment, but also a mixture of various pigments to achieve certain colors, for example, the combination of yellow ochre and ultramarine in producing the green. An exceptional finding in the analyzed painting was the blue mineral pigment azurite identified only in the blue background on the north wall of the nave. It is noteworthy that in few samples related to the green color, the analyses detected a presence of the mineral pigment malachite. This finding could be attributed to the retouching during the conservation interventions carried out in the past. Moreover, the identification of the titanium white, the synthetic iron-based pigments, and materials produced in the 20th century undoubtedly relate to the conservation work.
The identification of calcium carbonate in all samples and the micro-structural features of the cross sectioned samples, indicate that the wall painting was created in both fresco and secco technique, in terms of mixing pigments with a lime based binder and applying them to a dried surface.
The analytical data obtained through the chemical analysis is a relevant indicator in confirming the authorship of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta in the other compartments of the church as well. The analyzes also contribute to resolving the dilemmas regarding the determination of the time frame in which the original layer of the wall painting from the west wall of the nave was created. The pigments and the painting technique identified on this layer coincide with those discovered in the 16th century paintings, signed and attributed to the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta. Hence, the original layer of the wall painting was most probably created by the same painter in the approximately same period.
Summary
The original iconostasis in the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica dating back to the 16th century has not been preserved, and a new construction has been created in its place. From the old iconostasis are preserved the bearing beam in the upper part of the construction, the kemeria and the Great Cross with the Crucifixion and the two accompanying icons/lypiras with the representations of the Mother of God and the Apostle John. The other authentic works originating from this church are the three despotic icons Jesus Christ the Savior, Holy Mother of God Hodegetria and St. Nicholas the Warm-hearted Protector, then the epistyle with the Great Deësis and the two feast icons The Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God.
An inscription in the form of a prayer by the duke Dimitar (Pepik) and the year 1542/43 is inscribed on the despotic icon Jesus Christ the Savior, while the two feast icons indicate the name of another donor with the same name, Dimitar from the village of Leunovo. Dimitar from Leunovo has long been regarded as a painter of both icons, but according to stylistic and iconographic features the authorship of all icons is attributed to the painter John from Grammosta, whose signature is inscribed on the crossbeam in the narthex of the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica (1535/36). In terms of dating, though only the icon of Jesus Christ the Savior is precisely dated in 1542/43, the year also applies to other icons from the Monastery of Toplica, except the iconostasis cross. The Great Cross belongs to a specific group of well-known iconostasis crosses from the mid-16th century that is associated with the same woodcarving workshop and is characteristic for this region only. The Great Cross is dated between the fifth to the seventh decade of the 16th century.
The iconostasis from the Monastery of Toplica belonged to the group of iconostases with two rows of icons on which were the three despotic icons, the Great Deësis and the Great Cross at the top. The two feast icons are believed to have been placed above the central and lateral entrances. However, we believe that these two icons were placed on the iconostasis in the North Parakklesion, while the central and the north entrance of the iconostasis had kemerias.
approach, and an extraordinary sense of detail, accompanied by numerous explanatory inscriptions. In this composition he incorporated many new themes with a moralizing-didactic character, motifs with Russian and Bulgarian provenance, and apocalyptic components.
At the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, the depictions of St. Mercurius obtain different typological and formal characteristics as evidenced by the examples from Holy Mother of God - Peribleptos in Ohrid and from Staro Nagorichane, where his depictions with helmet and sword in hand dominate. The following alteration of the iconography of the saint occur by changing its frontal figure into three-quarters depiction, with a helmet on his head, and bow and arrow in his hands, which he draws near to his eyes to assess whether it is straight. These changes are already noticeable in his depiction from the nave of the Lesnovo Monastery, and will be established in Konche Monastery.
Among scholars prevails the opinion that the “specific depiction” of St. Mercurius is due to Ottoman-Persian influences on the saints iconography detected and explained by the influence of the so-called warriors model present in Persian miniatures. The changes in his iconography, in fact, will be the dominant post-Byzantine model for representing St. Mercurius in the church painting, especially on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. The earliest examples are noted in the works of the painters from the so-called Ohrid School dating from the middle of the 15th century. It is evident that St. Mercurius is also depicted in the same manner in the following centuries, and we can also trace the continuity of his depictions during the 18th and 19th century.
The subject matter of our research is precisely Islamic influences in the Post-Byzantine painting in the period between the 15th and 18th centuries in the region of Turcocratic Macedonia. The influences ascertained by our analyses are classified in three groups that are iconographically defined as follows: (1) influences on the iconography of saints; (2) influences on the iconography of themes and scenes and (3) influences on the depiction of the interior and the exterior in the scenes. By analyzing the semiological aspects of the iconographic modifications, we conclude that Islamic influences are (1) essential in terms of the content, which points to a new reading of the traditional Byzantine thematic wholes and (2) these influences are formal/illustrative/decorative in nature.
The focus of our scholarly interest are exactly those Islamic influences that have a semiotic impact on (Post)Byzantine painting. Tracing the penetration of figures dressed in traditional Ottoman Turkish and Persian Turkish garments, as well as the frequent replacement of the sword with the yataghan in Post-Byzantine painting, we conclude that the formal changes have an essential effect on the symbolism of the themes and the scenes, giving them new meaning.
An overall analysis (excepting the saints’ representations) demonstrates that the fresco painters of the Late Middle Ages substituted the terms Jews/Judeans, heretics, heterodoxoi and pagans which were encountered in the scene descriptions (the subject matter of the focus of our research) in their painters’ manuals (Erminia) and visualized them as groups of figures in characteristic Ottoman Turkish garments.
The historical and social context of Islamic influences are of particular interest for our analyses, due to the fact that our objective was to provide a more precise determining of the chronological framework of their penetration in the painting of the Late Middle Ages in the wider Balkan region.
Large part of the wall surfaces was under lime coatings, and after its removal new contents were discovered. It is the representation of Mother of God with the infant Christ among Archangels Gabriel and Michael, Deeisis, and the depiction of abba Sisoes above the open tomb with the bones of Alexander the Great that is noted for the first time. The painting program of the porch is complemented with representations of four animals (stag, lion, dog and bear) in the first zone of pillars as guards at the entrance to the church, as well as decorative geometric motifs and vases with flowers.
The complex thematic and iconographic concept in the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is probably conceived by the hieromonk Benedict while the painter skillfully and ingeniously managed to create a remarkable and original painting program.
The remarkable Calendar cycle is a unique example in our country, but also in the region, unlike its many representations in different media in Western art as one of the favorite themes, where months of the year are often accompanied by zodiac signs. Examples from Western art usually begin with January, that is not the case with the Calendar in Monastery of Zhurche, which according to its disposition and according to the Byzantine calculation of the beginning of the year it starts in September. Calendar scenes from Zhurche are represented by one protagonist who performs particular activity, except August and October which are depicted by two figures. Although some of the scenes are damaged/faded and their inscriptions are not preserved, May is missing and obviously it was not included at all, while the most enigmatic is the illustration of August.
Of the remaining contents in the porch we single out the four animals: stag, lion, dog and bear, painted in the first zone of pillars as guards at the entrance to the church. Depicted as tame animals with elegant movements, they are presented in a natural environment which resembles the Garden of Eden, as is the very surrounding in which the monastery is located. Here the animals despite their possible prophylactic role could be brought in correspondence to the calendar cycle as a kind of personification of the four seasons, although we did not encounter similar examples.
According to scholars an opinion prevailes that the Calendar from the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is created under the influence of Western models. Meanwhile, according to our observations, especially with comparative analysis of the noted Western examples, the scenes of the Calendar cycle show different compositional conception. The Western influence can be reduced to the small size of the scenes, as well as particular iconographic and decorative elements that resemble illuminations, which is to say that the painter may have had insight into a manuscript with Western provenance, but we should not exclude any emulation in early Christian mosaics, nor the influence from the Islamic art.
In the donor’s inscription around the calotte of the porch, despite the efforts of the head of the monastery, hieromonk Benedict, it is mentioned that the Orthodox Christians who made possible the construction of the porch and the paintings, donated various objects, fields, vineyards and livestock, but the inscription also refers to the monastery’s estates. These data suggest that primary activities of local residents including monks from the monastery were agriculture and livestock, which is one of the possible reasons for inclusion of the calendar in the painting program of the porch. Thus scenes (would) acquire function of a wall calendar to calculate the time and for organizing customary rites and economic activities intended for monks and believers in a rather profane variant. The profane character is one of the main reasons that this theme was not given appropriate place in the Orthodox Church circles, making the calendar in Zhurche exceptional and unique phenomenon in our country, but also in the wider region.
The complex thematic and iconographic concept in the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is probably conceived by the hieromonk Benedict, while the painter skillfully and ingeniously managed to create a remarkable painterly program and particularly original utilitarian-sacral Calendar cycle derived from folk tradition, cults, church feasts, various rituals and customs.
For the preparation of the Plan, the used methodology was according to the preparation of management plans for sites that have been proclaimed as World Heritage by UNESCO, adapted to the church complex of St. George, Staro Nagorichane. The Plan contains historical data about the site, its values and meaning, its condition and challenges to which it is exposed, policies, strategies and aims/purposes of the management, as well as activities, organization and instruments for implementation of the Management Plan.
Chapter 1 presents set of information for the geographical location of the church complex, the protected area which includes boundaries and buffer zones, legal protection respectively protection status, legislative and spatial and urban plans associated with the complex. This chapter also contains historical information and description of the complex and its surroundings, its place in regional context, as well as descriptions of activities in and around the complex, its accessibility, existing infrastructure and data for the current management.
In Chapter 2 the church complex is evaluated and its universal values, authenticity, integrity and exceptional national importance of St. George and the site in general are listed/pointed. Based on the analysis of information contained in Chapter 1, an assessment on the condition of the church complex presented in Chapter 3 is given. Besides the physical condition of the site, damages of the buildings and wall paintings, this chapter also contains information on the accessibility, the level of research, presentation and popularization of the church complex and its inclusion in local economy.
In Chapter 4 the principles of management, the position of the Plan and the institutional framework for the management respectively policies of the management of the church complex are listed.
Strategy management, expected values and aims/goals of the Management plan for the
Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane is contained in Chapter 5 – “Implementation of the Management Plan”. The objectives of the Plan are grouped into long-term goals, management goals, conservation goals and goals in the area of legislation and policy of preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the needs in terms of future research, interpretation and presentation of the site, its involvement in the local economy and protection of the landscape. For each designated goal or need in this chapter activities needed for their implementation are listed.
The last Chapter (6) contains the model of organization and instruments for implementing, duration of the validity and review/revision of the Management Plan. The model and subjects of cooperation in implementation of the Plan are also part of this chapter.
The Management plan for the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane was prepared by the professional team of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje: Msc. Jasminka Nikolich Novakovich, Art histortian – Advisor conservator, Msc. Cvetanka Hadji Pecova, Architect – Advisor conservator, Msc. Jehona Spahiu, Art historian – Senior conservator, and Jovan Ristov, jurist in cooperation with representatives from Cultural Heritage Protection Office at the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia, Municipality of Staro Nagorichane, Bishopric/Diocese of Kumanovo and Osogovo, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Municipality of Staro Nagorichane.
The preparation of the Plan was enabled in the framework of the project Ljubljana Process II:
Rehabilitating Our Common Heritage with financial assistance in the form of the EU Parliament grant for Sustaining Heritage Rehabilitation in the Western Balkans, implemented by the Task Force on Culture and Society of the Regional Cooperation Council. At national level, the Ljubljana Process II is coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia.
For the preparation of the Plan, the used methodology was according to the preparation of management plans for sites that have been proclaimed as World Heritage by UNESCO, adapted to the church complex of St. George, Staro Nagorichane. The Plan contains historical data about the site, its values and meaning, its condition and challenges to which it is exposed, policies, strategies and aims/purposes of the management, as well as activities, organization and instruments for implementation of the Management Plan.
Chapter 1 presents set of information for the geographical location of the church complex, the protected area which includes boundaries and buffer zones, legal protection respectively protection status, legislative and spatial and urban plans associated with the complex. This chapter also contains historical information and description of the complex and its surroundings, its place in regional context, as well as descriptions of activities in and around the complex, its accessibility, existing infrastructure and data for the current management.
In Chapter 2 the church complex is evaluated and its universal values, authenticity, integrity and exceptional national importance of St. George and the site in general are listed/pointed. Based on the analysis of information contained in Chapter 1, an assessment on the condition of the church complex presented in Chapter 3 is given. Besides the physical condition of the site, damages of the buildings and wall paintings, this chapter also contains information on the accessibility, the level of research, presentation and popularization of the church complex and its inclusion in local economy.
In Chapter 4 the principles of management, the position of the Plan and the institutional framework for the management respectively policies of the management of the church complex are listed.
Strategy management, expected values and aims/goals of the Management plan for the
Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane is contained in Chapter 5 – “Implementation of the Management Plan”. The objectives of the Plan are grouped into long-term goals, management goals, conservation goals and goals in the area of legislation and policy of preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the needs in terms of future research, interpretation and presentation of the site, its involvement in the local economy and protection of the landscape. For each designated goal or need in this chapter activities needed for their implementation are listed.
The last Chapter (6) contains the model of organization and instruments for implementing, duration of the validity and review/revision of the Management Plan. The model and subjects of cooperation in implementation of the Plan are also part of this chapter.
The Management plan for the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane was prepared by the professional team of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje: Msc. Jasminka Nikolich Novakovich, Art histortian – Advisor conservator, Msc. Cvetanka Hadji Pecova, Architect – Advisor conservator, Msc. Jehona Spahiu, Art historian – Senior conservator, and Jovan Ristov, jurist in cooperation with representatives from Cultural Heritage Protection Office at the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia, Municipality of Staro Nagorichane, Bishopric/Diocese of Kumanovo and Osogovo, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Municipality of Staro Nagorichane.
The preparation of the Plan was enabled in the framework of the project Ljubljana Process II:
Rehabilitating Our Common Heritage with financial assistance in the form of the EU Parliament grant for Sustaining Heritage Rehabilitation in the Western Balkans, implemented by the Task Force on Culture and Society of the Regional Cooperation Council. At national level, the Ljubljana Process II is coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia.
The themes and the depictions in the alter space of the north parakklesion are largely a repetition of those found in the main church (1536/37), and a similar choice is seen in the altar space of the churches of St.Athanasius in Sloeštica (second half of the 16th century) and Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria (after 1532), who's paintings are attributed to the painter of Toplica. However, other choices are observed in the different selection of the archbishops, the bust size image of the Virgin Platitera (Sign) with the infant Christ found in the conch of the apse, the Man of Sorrow in the niche of the prothesis, and the figure of the archangel in the Annunciation.
The scenes on the face of the vault commence from the two upper zones. In the third zone are depicted: Christ Calls to Zacchaeus, the Healing of the ten lepers, and the Healing of the Two Blind Men (according to Matthew 20: 30-34) found on the south wall, and an unidentified scene on the west wall on the tympanum. In the second zone of the south wall unfold the scenes with the Appearance of Christ to the Myrrhophores, the Healing of the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda, Christ and Samaritan Woman, and the Healing of the Woman with the Curved Back. The scene of the Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple is painted on the west wall, and in the same zone on the north wall is the Wedding at Cana of Galilee, two (?) unpreserved scenes, as well as the Cursing of the fig tree. The damaged fresco paintings in the nave of the north parakklesion make it difficult to identify all the scenes of Christ’s Miracles and Teachings, and their connection with the Liturgy calendar. Nevertheless, the preserved scenes show orderliness to the character of the Liturgy service.
In the gallery of the first zone are portrayed the most recognized monks in Orthodox world, among them the Marcellus the righteous, the archimandrite of the Akoimetoi monastery in Constantinople known for the “sleepless monks. On the north wall is the donor’s composition were the donor Dimitar dedicates his church to Christ by means of the patron St. Nicholas.
The repetition of style and thematic features directs to the assumption that the same painting team lead by Jovan from Gramosta, the main painter who left his signature on the transversal beam in the narthex in 1534/35 continued his work into the nave (1536/37), and later to the north parakklesion (ca. 1537/38). In future with the research of the works of the main Toplica painter and his workshop, the dilemmas about a more precise dating of the painting in the north parakklesion will be resolved.
The subject matter of our research is precisely Islamic influences in the Post-Byzantine painting in the period between the 15th and 18th centuries in the region of Turcocratic Macedonia. The influences ascertained by our analyses are classified in three groups that are iconographically defined as follows: (1) influences on the iconography of saints; (2) influences on the iconography of themes and scenes and (3) influences on the depiction of the interior and the exterior in the scenes. By analyzing the semiological aspects of the iconographic modifications, we conclude that Islamic influences are (1) essential in terms of the content, which points to a new reading of the traditional Byzantine thematic wholes and (2) these influences are formal/illustrative/decorative in nature.
The focus of our scholarly interest are exactly those Islamic influences that have a semiotic impact on (Post)Byzantine painting. Tracing the penetration of figures dressed in traditional Ottoman Turkish and Persian Turkish garments, as well as the frequent replacement of the sword with the yataghan in Post-Byzantine painting, we conclude that the formal changes have an essential effect on the symbolism of the themes and the scenes, giving them new meaning.
The historical and social context of Islamic influences are of particular interest for our analyses, due to the fact that our objective was to provide a more precise determining of the chronological framework of their penetration in the painting of the Late Middle Ages in the wider Balkan region.
"
In the scholarly literature the greatest attention has been given to the building phases, the donator’s inscriptions, the donator’s composition, and especially to the work of the painter Jovan Theodor from Gramosta. The fresco painting of the church of Toplica has remained in the shadow of these studies, although in the literature some saint depictions and thematic units have received a valid standing. Hence the object of our research is the Great Feasts cycle rendered in the upper registers of the nave and the sanctuary.
The Great Feasts cycle which is part of the nave paintings was created in 1536/37, and contains 12 scenes, incorporating the scenes of the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb and the Descent into Hell, while the scene of the Descent of the Holy Ghost has been omitted. To a large degree the Nativity and the Baptism of Christ are destroyed, while the Presentation in the Temple is only preserved in the upper section. Busts of prophets bearing open scrolls have been incorporated in to the Great Feast scenes associated to them, except for the Transfiguration, Ascension and the Dormition of the Holy Virgin.
For the artistic concept alongside the use of the canonic Gospels in the church at Toplica also apocryphal text were implemented. These apocryphal texts were especially inspiring for enhancement of many scenes. The scenes of the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Dormition of the Holy Virgin are distinct with their accentuated narration. From the numerous iconographic details we draw attention to the sitting /semi figure of Lazarus in the scene of his Rising and the depiction of Archangel Michael among the figures on the right side section of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin. The majority of the scenes are enriched with busts of prophets. A great part of the inscriptions of the prophets’ scroll were not written in accordance to the painting manuals, never the less they were wisely chosen and correspond to the events. The Old Testament kings David and Solomon are portrayed below the figures of Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin from the Annunciation. These are followed up by the prophets Isaiah and Zacharias in the Nativity, Elijah and Jeremiah in the Presentation in the Temple, Elisha and Baruch in the Baptism, Jacob in the Raising of Lazarus, and Malachi in the Entry into Jerusalem. The prophets Haggai and Abbakum are depicted in the Crucifixion, Sophonia and Joel in the scene of the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb, while Jonah and Job in the Descent into Hell. The Great Feasts cycle according to the large number of incorporated prophets represents a rare example in the Post Byzantine art on the territory of Macedonia.
For the research of the Great Feasts cycle the parallels above all were the corresponding examples found in the works of the Ohrid and Kastoria school/workshop, thus righteously pointing to the core of the Archbishopric as an unquestioning educational center. In the science an opinion has been stated that the painter Jovan received his artistic education in Kastoria, which is confirmed by works of earlier date. With great caution and due to the small references in literature and insufficient photo documentation we can attribute to the painter of Toplica the second phase of the painting in the sanctuary of the church of the Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria dated after the year of 1532. From the accessible literature and illustrations it is evident that very few scenes and depictions are found in the sanctuary. On this occasion we will review only two scenes from the Great Feasts cycle, the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb and the Descent into Hell, which have identical iconographic structure and coloristic values with the matching scenes in the nave of the Monastery of Toplica. With this argument we assert the assumption that the zograph Jovan Theodor of Gramosta began his painting activity in Kastoria. We believe that in future times a more in depth analysis must be carried out of the painting of this particular church in Kastoria so a more convincing attribution can be given for this same zograph."
In The Betrayal of Judas we single out the figure of Christ who turns his head from the betrayer, a motive which in the Byzantine iconography is considered to be influenced by the Western art. The Denial of Peter has two iconographic features: the semicircular bench where the presented figures are sitting and Peter warming his legs by the fire, which represent characteristic features of the monuments of the Ohrid and Kastoria school/workshop in 15th century. The including of Annas and Caiaphas in The Washing of the Hands i.e. the joining of the two judgments in one scene is also characteristic because of the written scroll in front of the Pilate's feet, with which he frees himself from the guilt. The Dividing of Christ's Garment, which is usually presented as an episode included in/within the Crucifixion, is distinguished as a separate scene in the Post-Byzantine period and it becomes a part of the cycle of Christ's Passion as it is presented in the Monastery of Toplica. In the Road to Golgotha, Pilate is presented among the group of horsemen and his presence in Golgotha is seen in the monuments of the 15th century, represented by the painters of the Ohrid school. As a feature in the scene Christ Ascending the Cross, we distinguish the two Jews, preparing the liquid, and also the busts of Hosea and Obadiah with written scrolls on their arms. The Lamentation of Christ is expanded with the episode with Nicodemus who prepares the grave that is more frequently depicted in the Post-Byzantine period. In this particular scene Virgin Mary is sitting on a throne which attracts attention, an illustration that we trace from the 15th century. The Lamentation of Christ in this variant is characteristic for the repertoire of the Ohrid school and Kastoria workshop at the end of the 15th century.
It is stated that Toplica's painter Jovan Theodore of Gramosta based his artistic creation on the older tradition of Kastoria painting and on the best traditions of the Palaeologan art. Besides the iconographic features from this era, the patterns used by this author are mostly based on the Ohrid school and Kastoria workshop of the 15th century. According to numerous scholarly studies the painter Jovan received his artistic education in Kastoria, where he worked before he started his creative work in Pelagonian region, and with the recent researches we attribute to him the second phase of painting in the sanctuary of the church of the Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria, dated after the year of 1532. In addition to our assumption are the iconographically and stylistically identical depictions of the scene Lamentation of Christ from the churches of Toplica and Kastoria."
Тhe oldest known and preserved representation of this particular type is in Kastoria, where the greatest number of examples are found. It is also quite common in the Prespa region, then in Skopje, Ohrid, Epirus, Meteora, and Mount Athos. The farthest point where this model of the representation of St. Simeon Stylites can be found is in the Abou Adal collection and Balamand Monastery, Lebanon.
The first three scenes in Mlado Nagorichane, St. George before Emperor Diocletian, The Piercing of St. George with spears and The Martyrdom of St. George in prison with the stone, depicted on the south wall, are not divided by a borderline but are merged into one story. The fourth scene on the south wall depicts one of the most often illustrated tortures of St. George on the Wheel. The scene is followed by the composition in which St. George is brought again before the Emperor Diocletian, and in continuation is The Murder of the Christians, which are less frequently represented in the painted cycles of the saint. The following scene is also one of the most frequently included legends of The Martyrdom of St. George in the lime pit. The next scene on the south wall is The Poisoning of St. George in the presence of the Emperor. The next scene, although very damaged, but in comparison with the one from Staro Nagorichane, actually depicts The Torture of St. George by nailing his feet. The last scene on the south wall is St. George beaten with ox sinews. On the west wall are depicted The Resurrection of the Dead and The Scraping of St. George. On the north wall, the scenes are damaged almost to the level of the inscriptions. However, some of them can be identified by certain preserved elements, especially compared to the scenes in Staro Nagorichane. Perhaps the following scenes were depicted: The Resurrection of the Ox, Destruction of the Idols, St. George slaying the dragon, Diocletian condemns to death St. George and Alexandra, the Beheading of St. George, The Burial of St. George and The Death of Other Christians with St. George.
The selection and the iconography of the scenes in Mlado Nagorichane are to a large extent influenced by the hagiographic cycle in King Milutin's church. However, they are not just a simple copy or imitation, while the inspiration for different schemes can be found in The Painter's Manual of Dionysius of Fourna and in some of the given examples, but they are also due to the capability and the creativity of the painters.
NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia
October 26th – November 26th, 2021
The idea for organizing an exhibition dedicated to St. Mercurius was conceived during the previous research related to this warrior saint. For this purpose, a team was formed consisting of the author of the exhibition and the publication together with Vlado Kiprijanovski (professional photographer), author of the excellent photographs; Elizabeta Dimitrova, Ph.D. (professor at the Institute of History of Art and Archeology, Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje), whose valuable suggestions and ideas were essential, and Tatjana Trajković, MA (art historian, curator at the NI Museum of the R.N. Macedonia), as collaborator. The project and the exhibition would not have been realized without the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia, for which I owe special gratitude. Also, the project would not have been possible without the approvals for photographing the depictions of St. Mercurius, issued by the Archbishop and the Metropolitans of the Dioceses of the Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archbishopric, to whom I express my great appreciation. I would also like to express sincere gratitude to the director Jovan Shurbanovski for allowing the exhibition to be open at the NI Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The exhibition entitled "Saint Mercurius the Warrior and his triumph through the centuries" is consisted of thirty two illustrations with representations of this warrior saint from various churches and monasteries, as well as depictions on icons from the R.N. Macedonia, painted in the period from 12th to 19th century.
The wall painting in the narthex is the work of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta, who left his signature on the wooden beam in 1534/35, while the paintings in the nave and in the altar (1536/37), but also in the north parakklesion (c. 1537/38) are attributed to him. At the same time, on the west wall of the nave, an original layer of the wall painting is preserved, which is thought to have been created in the late 14th or early 15th century.
The analyses included numerous samples taken from different positions of the wall painting. The most employed analytical technique in this study was the Micro-Raman spectroscopy, but also a great part of the analyses were performed utilizing infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). To obtain information about the stratigraphic structure of the painting, some of the samples were cross sectioned and analyzed using Optical microscopy.
The combined use of the analytical techniques enabled unequivocal identification of the painting materials. The palette used by the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta is composed of natural pigments that were most commonly used during the 16th century, such as yellow and red ochre, cinnabar, ultramarine, lime white, and carbon black. The painter used one type of pigment, but also a mixture of various pigments to achieve certain colors, for example, the combination of yellow ochre and ultramarine in producing the green. An exceptional finding in the analyzed painting was the blue mineral pigment azurite identified only in the blue background on the north wall of the nave. It is noteworthy that in few samples related to the green color, the analyses detected a presence of the mineral pigment malachite. This finding could be attributed to the retouching during the conservation interventions carried out in the past. Moreover, the identification of the titanium white, the synthetic iron-based pigments, and materials produced in the 20th century undoubtedly relate to the conservation work.
The identification of calcium carbonate in all samples and the micro-structural features of the cross sectioned samples, indicate that the wall painting was created in both fresco and secco technique, in terms of mixing pigments with a lime based binder and applying them to a dried surface.
The analytical data obtained through the chemical analysis is a relevant indicator in confirming the authorship of the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta in the other compartments of the church as well. The analyzes also contribute to resolving the dilemmas regarding the determination of the time frame in which the original layer of the wall painting from the west wall of the nave was created. The pigments and the painting technique identified on this layer coincide with those discovered in the 16th century paintings, signed and attributed to the painter Jovan (John) of Grammosta. Hence, the original layer of the wall painting was most probably created by the same painter in the approximately same period.
Summary
The original iconostasis in the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica dating back to the 16th century has not been preserved, and a new construction has been created in its place. From the old iconostasis are preserved the bearing beam in the upper part of the construction, the kemeria and the Great Cross with the Crucifixion and the two accompanying icons/lypiras with the representations of the Mother of God and the Apostle John. The other authentic works originating from this church are the three despotic icons Jesus Christ the Savior, Holy Mother of God Hodegetria and St. Nicholas the Warm-hearted Protector, then the epistyle with the Great Deësis and the two feast icons The Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God.
An inscription in the form of a prayer by the duke Dimitar (Pepik) and the year 1542/43 is inscribed on the despotic icon Jesus Christ the Savior, while the two feast icons indicate the name of another donor with the same name, Dimitar from the village of Leunovo. Dimitar from Leunovo has long been regarded as a painter of both icons, but according to stylistic and iconographic features the authorship of all icons is attributed to the painter John from Grammosta, whose signature is inscribed on the crossbeam in the narthex of the church of St. Nicholas in the Monastery of Toplica (1535/36). In terms of dating, though only the icon of Jesus Christ the Savior is precisely dated in 1542/43, the year also applies to other icons from the Monastery of Toplica, except the iconostasis cross. The Great Cross belongs to a specific group of well-known iconostasis crosses from the mid-16th century that is associated with the same woodcarving workshop and is characteristic for this region only. The Great Cross is dated between the fifth to the seventh decade of the 16th century.
The iconostasis from the Monastery of Toplica belonged to the group of iconostases with two rows of icons on which were the three despotic icons, the Great Deësis and the Great Cross at the top. The two feast icons are believed to have been placed above the central and lateral entrances. However, we believe that these two icons were placed on the iconostasis in the North Parakklesion, while the central and the north entrance of the iconostasis had kemerias.
approach, and an extraordinary sense of detail, accompanied by numerous explanatory inscriptions. In this composition he incorporated many new themes with a moralizing-didactic character, motifs with Russian and Bulgarian provenance, and apocalyptic components.
At the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, the depictions of St. Mercurius obtain different typological and formal characteristics as evidenced by the examples from Holy Mother of God - Peribleptos in Ohrid and from Staro Nagorichane, where his depictions with helmet and sword in hand dominate. The following alteration of the iconography of the saint occur by changing its frontal figure into three-quarters depiction, with a helmet on his head, and bow and arrow in his hands, which he draws near to his eyes to assess whether it is straight. These changes are already noticeable in his depiction from the nave of the Lesnovo Monastery, and will be established in Konche Monastery.
Among scholars prevails the opinion that the “specific depiction” of St. Mercurius is due to Ottoman-Persian influences on the saints iconography detected and explained by the influence of the so-called warriors model present in Persian miniatures. The changes in his iconography, in fact, will be the dominant post-Byzantine model for representing St. Mercurius in the church painting, especially on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. The earliest examples are noted in the works of the painters from the so-called Ohrid School dating from the middle of the 15th century. It is evident that St. Mercurius is also depicted in the same manner in the following centuries, and we can also trace the continuity of his depictions during the 18th and 19th century.
The subject matter of our research is precisely Islamic influences in the Post-Byzantine painting in the period between the 15th and 18th centuries in the region of Turcocratic Macedonia. The influences ascertained by our analyses are classified in three groups that are iconographically defined as follows: (1) influences on the iconography of saints; (2) influences on the iconography of themes and scenes and (3) influences on the depiction of the interior and the exterior in the scenes. By analyzing the semiological aspects of the iconographic modifications, we conclude that Islamic influences are (1) essential in terms of the content, which points to a new reading of the traditional Byzantine thematic wholes and (2) these influences are formal/illustrative/decorative in nature.
The focus of our scholarly interest are exactly those Islamic influences that have a semiotic impact on (Post)Byzantine painting. Tracing the penetration of figures dressed in traditional Ottoman Turkish and Persian Turkish garments, as well as the frequent replacement of the sword with the yataghan in Post-Byzantine painting, we conclude that the formal changes have an essential effect on the symbolism of the themes and the scenes, giving them new meaning.
An overall analysis (excepting the saints’ representations) demonstrates that the fresco painters of the Late Middle Ages substituted the terms Jews/Judeans, heretics, heterodoxoi and pagans which were encountered in the scene descriptions (the subject matter of the focus of our research) in their painters’ manuals (Erminia) and visualized them as groups of figures in characteristic Ottoman Turkish garments.
The historical and social context of Islamic influences are of particular interest for our analyses, due to the fact that our objective was to provide a more precise determining of the chronological framework of their penetration in the painting of the Late Middle Ages in the wider Balkan region.
Large part of the wall surfaces was under lime coatings, and after its removal new contents were discovered. It is the representation of Mother of God with the infant Christ among Archangels Gabriel and Michael, Deeisis, and the depiction of abba Sisoes above the open tomb with the bones of Alexander the Great that is noted for the first time. The painting program of the porch is complemented with representations of four animals (stag, lion, dog and bear) in the first zone of pillars as guards at the entrance to the church, as well as decorative geometric motifs and vases with flowers.
The complex thematic and iconographic concept in the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is probably conceived by the hieromonk Benedict while the painter skillfully and ingeniously managed to create a remarkable and original painting program.
The remarkable Calendar cycle is a unique example in our country, but also in the region, unlike its many representations in different media in Western art as one of the favorite themes, where months of the year are often accompanied by zodiac signs. Examples from Western art usually begin with January, that is not the case with the Calendar in Monastery of Zhurche, which according to its disposition and according to the Byzantine calculation of the beginning of the year it starts in September. Calendar scenes from Zhurche are represented by one protagonist who performs particular activity, except August and October which are depicted by two figures. Although some of the scenes are damaged/faded and their inscriptions are not preserved, May is missing and obviously it was not included at all, while the most enigmatic is the illustration of August.
Of the remaining contents in the porch we single out the four animals: stag, lion, dog and bear, painted in the first zone of pillars as guards at the entrance to the church. Depicted as tame animals with elegant movements, they are presented in a natural environment which resembles the Garden of Eden, as is the very surrounding in which the monastery is located. Here the animals despite their possible prophylactic role could be brought in correspondence to the calendar cycle as a kind of personification of the four seasons, although we did not encounter similar examples.
According to scholars an opinion prevailes that the Calendar from the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is created under the influence of Western models. Meanwhile, according to our observations, especially with comparative analysis of the noted Western examples, the scenes of the Calendar cycle show different compositional conception. The Western influence can be reduced to the small size of the scenes, as well as particular iconographic and decorative elements that resemble illuminations, which is to say that the painter may have had insight into a manuscript with Western provenance, but we should not exclude any emulation in early Christian mosaics, nor the influence from the Islamic art.
In the donor’s inscription around the calotte of the porch, despite the efforts of the head of the monastery, hieromonk Benedict, it is mentioned that the Orthodox Christians who made possible the construction of the porch and the paintings, donated various objects, fields, vineyards and livestock, but the inscription also refers to the monastery’s estates. These data suggest that primary activities of local residents including monks from the monastery were agriculture and livestock, which is one of the possible reasons for inclusion of the calendar in the painting program of the porch. Thus scenes (would) acquire function of a wall calendar to calculate the time and for organizing customary rites and economic activities intended for monks and believers in a rather profane variant. The profane character is one of the main reasons that this theme was not given appropriate place in the Orthodox Church circles, making the calendar in Zhurche exceptional and unique phenomenon in our country, but also in the wider region.
The complex thematic and iconographic concept in the porch of Monastery of Zhurche is probably conceived by the hieromonk Benedict, while the painter skillfully and ingeniously managed to create a remarkable painterly program and particularly original utilitarian-sacral Calendar cycle derived from folk tradition, cults, church feasts, various rituals and customs.
For the preparation of the Plan, the used methodology was according to the preparation of management plans for sites that have been proclaimed as World Heritage by UNESCO, adapted to the church complex of St. George, Staro Nagorichane. The Plan contains historical data about the site, its values and meaning, its condition and challenges to which it is exposed, policies, strategies and aims/purposes of the management, as well as activities, organization and instruments for implementation of the Management Plan.
Chapter 1 presents set of information for the geographical location of the church complex, the protected area which includes boundaries and buffer zones, legal protection respectively protection status, legislative and spatial and urban plans associated with the complex. This chapter also contains historical information and description of the complex and its surroundings, its place in regional context, as well as descriptions of activities in and around the complex, its accessibility, existing infrastructure and data for the current management.
In Chapter 2 the church complex is evaluated and its universal values, authenticity, integrity and exceptional national importance of St. George and the site in general are listed/pointed. Based on the analysis of information contained in Chapter 1, an assessment on the condition of the church complex presented in Chapter 3 is given. Besides the physical condition of the site, damages of the buildings and wall paintings, this chapter also contains information on the accessibility, the level of research, presentation and popularization of the church complex and its inclusion in local economy.
In Chapter 4 the principles of management, the position of the Plan and the institutional framework for the management respectively policies of the management of the church complex are listed.
Strategy management, expected values and aims/goals of the Management plan for the
Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane is contained in Chapter 5 – “Implementation of the Management Plan”. The objectives of the Plan are grouped into long-term goals, management goals, conservation goals and goals in the area of legislation and policy of preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the needs in terms of future research, interpretation and presentation of the site, its involvement in the local economy and protection of the landscape. For each designated goal or need in this chapter activities needed for their implementation are listed.
The last Chapter (6) contains the model of organization and instruments for implementing, duration of the validity and review/revision of the Management Plan. The model and subjects of cooperation in implementation of the Plan are also part of this chapter.
The Management plan for the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane was prepared by the professional team of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje: Msc. Jasminka Nikolich Novakovich, Art histortian – Advisor conservator, Msc. Cvetanka Hadji Pecova, Architect – Advisor conservator, Msc. Jehona Spahiu, Art historian – Senior conservator, and Jovan Ristov, jurist in cooperation with representatives from Cultural Heritage Protection Office at the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia, Municipality of Staro Nagorichane, Bishopric/Diocese of Kumanovo and Osogovo, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Municipality of Staro Nagorichane.
The preparation of the Plan was enabled in the framework of the project Ljubljana Process II:
Rehabilitating Our Common Heritage with financial assistance in the form of the EU Parliament grant for Sustaining Heritage Rehabilitation in the Western Balkans, implemented by the Task Force on Culture and Society of the Regional Cooperation Council. At national level, the Ljubljana Process II is coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia.
For the preparation of the Plan, the used methodology was according to the preparation of management plans for sites that have been proclaimed as World Heritage by UNESCO, adapted to the church complex of St. George, Staro Nagorichane. The Plan contains historical data about the site, its values and meaning, its condition and challenges to which it is exposed, policies, strategies and aims/purposes of the management, as well as activities, organization and instruments for implementation of the Management Plan.
Chapter 1 presents set of information for the geographical location of the church complex, the protected area which includes boundaries and buffer zones, legal protection respectively protection status, legislative and spatial and urban plans associated with the complex. This chapter also contains historical information and description of the complex and its surroundings, its place in regional context, as well as descriptions of activities in and around the complex, its accessibility, existing infrastructure and data for the current management.
In Chapter 2 the church complex is evaluated and its universal values, authenticity, integrity and exceptional national importance of St. George and the site in general are listed/pointed. Based on the analysis of information contained in Chapter 1, an assessment on the condition of the church complex presented in Chapter 3 is given. Besides the physical condition of the site, damages of the buildings and wall paintings, this chapter also contains information on the accessibility, the level of research, presentation and popularization of the church complex and its inclusion in local economy.
In Chapter 4 the principles of management, the position of the Plan and the institutional framework for the management respectively policies of the management of the church complex are listed.
Strategy management, expected values and aims/goals of the Management plan for the
Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane is contained in Chapter 5 – “Implementation of the Management Plan”. The objectives of the Plan are grouped into long-term goals, management goals, conservation goals and goals in the area of legislation and policy of preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the needs in terms of future research, interpretation and presentation of the site, its involvement in the local economy and protection of the landscape. For each designated goal or need in this chapter activities needed for their implementation are listed.
The last Chapter (6) contains the model of organization and instruments for implementing, duration of the validity and review/revision of the Management Plan. The model and subjects of cooperation in implementation of the Plan are also part of this chapter.
The Management plan for the Church Complex of St. George in Staro Nagorichane was prepared by the professional team of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje: Msc. Jasminka Nikolich Novakovich, Art histortian – Advisor conservator, Msc. Cvetanka Hadji Pecova, Architect – Advisor conservator, Msc. Jehona Spahiu, Art historian – Senior conservator, and Jovan Ristov, jurist in cooperation with representatives from Cultural Heritage Protection Office at the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia, Municipality of Staro Nagorichane, Bishopric/Diocese of Kumanovo and Osogovo, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Municipality of Staro Nagorichane.
The preparation of the Plan was enabled in the framework of the project Ljubljana Process II:
Rehabilitating Our Common Heritage with financial assistance in the form of the EU Parliament grant for Sustaining Heritage Rehabilitation in the Western Balkans, implemented by the Task Force on Culture and Society of the Regional Cooperation Council. At national level, the Ljubljana Process II is coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia.
The themes and the depictions in the alter space of the north parakklesion are largely a repetition of those found in the main church (1536/37), and a similar choice is seen in the altar space of the churches of St.Athanasius in Sloeštica (second half of the 16th century) and Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria (after 1532), who's paintings are attributed to the painter of Toplica. However, other choices are observed in the different selection of the archbishops, the bust size image of the Virgin Platitera (Sign) with the infant Christ found in the conch of the apse, the Man of Sorrow in the niche of the prothesis, and the figure of the archangel in the Annunciation.
The scenes on the face of the vault commence from the two upper zones. In the third zone are depicted: Christ Calls to Zacchaeus, the Healing of the ten lepers, and the Healing of the Two Blind Men (according to Matthew 20: 30-34) found on the south wall, and an unidentified scene on the west wall on the tympanum. In the second zone of the south wall unfold the scenes with the Appearance of Christ to the Myrrhophores, the Healing of the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda, Christ and Samaritan Woman, and the Healing of the Woman with the Curved Back. The scene of the Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple is painted on the west wall, and in the same zone on the north wall is the Wedding at Cana of Galilee, two (?) unpreserved scenes, as well as the Cursing of the fig tree. The damaged fresco paintings in the nave of the north parakklesion make it difficult to identify all the scenes of Christ’s Miracles and Teachings, and their connection with the Liturgy calendar. Nevertheless, the preserved scenes show orderliness to the character of the Liturgy service.
In the gallery of the first zone are portrayed the most recognized monks in Orthodox world, among them the Marcellus the righteous, the archimandrite of the Akoimetoi monastery in Constantinople known for the “sleepless monks. On the north wall is the donor’s composition were the donor Dimitar dedicates his church to Christ by means of the patron St. Nicholas.
The repetition of style and thematic features directs to the assumption that the same painting team lead by Jovan from Gramosta, the main painter who left his signature on the transversal beam in the narthex in 1534/35 continued his work into the nave (1536/37), and later to the north parakklesion (ca. 1537/38). In future with the research of the works of the main Toplica painter and his workshop, the dilemmas about a more precise dating of the painting in the north parakklesion will be resolved.
The subject matter of our research is precisely Islamic influences in the Post-Byzantine painting in the period between the 15th and 18th centuries in the region of Turcocratic Macedonia. The influences ascertained by our analyses are classified in three groups that are iconographically defined as follows: (1) influences on the iconography of saints; (2) influences on the iconography of themes and scenes and (3) influences on the depiction of the interior and the exterior in the scenes. By analyzing the semiological aspects of the iconographic modifications, we conclude that Islamic influences are (1) essential in terms of the content, which points to a new reading of the traditional Byzantine thematic wholes and (2) these influences are formal/illustrative/decorative in nature.
The focus of our scholarly interest are exactly those Islamic influences that have a semiotic impact on (Post)Byzantine painting. Tracing the penetration of figures dressed in traditional Ottoman Turkish and Persian Turkish garments, as well as the frequent replacement of the sword with the yataghan in Post-Byzantine painting, we conclude that the formal changes have an essential effect on the symbolism of the themes and the scenes, giving them new meaning.
The historical and social context of Islamic influences are of particular interest for our analyses, due to the fact that our objective was to provide a more precise determining of the chronological framework of their penetration in the painting of the Late Middle Ages in the wider Balkan region.
"
In the scholarly literature the greatest attention has been given to the building phases, the donator’s inscriptions, the donator’s composition, and especially to the work of the painter Jovan Theodor from Gramosta. The fresco painting of the church of Toplica has remained in the shadow of these studies, although in the literature some saint depictions and thematic units have received a valid standing. Hence the object of our research is the Great Feasts cycle rendered in the upper registers of the nave and the sanctuary.
The Great Feasts cycle which is part of the nave paintings was created in 1536/37, and contains 12 scenes, incorporating the scenes of the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb and the Descent into Hell, while the scene of the Descent of the Holy Ghost has been omitted. To a large degree the Nativity and the Baptism of Christ are destroyed, while the Presentation in the Temple is only preserved in the upper section. Busts of prophets bearing open scrolls have been incorporated in to the Great Feast scenes associated to them, except for the Transfiguration, Ascension and the Dormition of the Holy Virgin.
For the artistic concept alongside the use of the canonic Gospels in the church at Toplica also apocryphal text were implemented. These apocryphal texts were especially inspiring for enhancement of many scenes. The scenes of the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Dormition of the Holy Virgin are distinct with their accentuated narration. From the numerous iconographic details we draw attention to the sitting /semi figure of Lazarus in the scene of his Rising and the depiction of Archangel Michael among the figures on the right side section of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin. The majority of the scenes are enriched with busts of prophets. A great part of the inscriptions of the prophets’ scroll were not written in accordance to the painting manuals, never the less they were wisely chosen and correspond to the events. The Old Testament kings David and Solomon are portrayed below the figures of Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin from the Annunciation. These are followed up by the prophets Isaiah and Zacharias in the Nativity, Elijah and Jeremiah in the Presentation in the Temple, Elisha and Baruch in the Baptism, Jacob in the Raising of Lazarus, and Malachi in the Entry into Jerusalem. The prophets Haggai and Abbakum are depicted in the Crucifixion, Sophonia and Joel in the scene of the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb, while Jonah and Job in the Descent into Hell. The Great Feasts cycle according to the large number of incorporated prophets represents a rare example in the Post Byzantine art on the territory of Macedonia.
For the research of the Great Feasts cycle the parallels above all were the corresponding examples found in the works of the Ohrid and Kastoria school/workshop, thus righteously pointing to the core of the Archbishopric as an unquestioning educational center. In the science an opinion has been stated that the painter Jovan received his artistic education in Kastoria, which is confirmed by works of earlier date. With great caution and due to the small references in literature and insufficient photo documentation we can attribute to the painter of Toplica the second phase of the painting in the sanctuary of the church of the Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria dated after the year of 1532. From the accessible literature and illustrations it is evident that very few scenes and depictions are found in the sanctuary. On this occasion we will review only two scenes from the Great Feasts cycle, the Myrophores at Christ’s Tomb and the Descent into Hell, which have identical iconographic structure and coloristic values with the matching scenes in the nave of the Monastery of Toplica. With this argument we assert the assumption that the zograph Jovan Theodor of Gramosta began his painting activity in Kastoria. We believe that in future times a more in depth analysis must be carried out of the painting of this particular church in Kastoria so a more convincing attribution can be given for this same zograph."
In The Betrayal of Judas we single out the figure of Christ who turns his head from the betrayer, a motive which in the Byzantine iconography is considered to be influenced by the Western art. The Denial of Peter has two iconographic features: the semicircular bench where the presented figures are sitting and Peter warming his legs by the fire, which represent characteristic features of the monuments of the Ohrid and Kastoria school/workshop in 15th century. The including of Annas and Caiaphas in The Washing of the Hands i.e. the joining of the two judgments in one scene is also characteristic because of the written scroll in front of the Pilate's feet, with which he frees himself from the guilt. The Dividing of Christ's Garment, which is usually presented as an episode included in/within the Crucifixion, is distinguished as a separate scene in the Post-Byzantine period and it becomes a part of the cycle of Christ's Passion as it is presented in the Monastery of Toplica. In the Road to Golgotha, Pilate is presented among the group of horsemen and his presence in Golgotha is seen in the monuments of the 15th century, represented by the painters of the Ohrid school. As a feature in the scene Christ Ascending the Cross, we distinguish the two Jews, preparing the liquid, and also the busts of Hosea and Obadiah with written scrolls on their arms. The Lamentation of Christ is expanded with the episode with Nicodemus who prepares the grave that is more frequently depicted in the Post-Byzantine period. In this particular scene Virgin Mary is sitting on a throne which attracts attention, an illustration that we trace from the 15th century. The Lamentation of Christ in this variant is characteristic for the repertoire of the Ohrid school and Kastoria workshop at the end of the 15th century.
It is stated that Toplica's painter Jovan Theodore of Gramosta based his artistic creation on the older tradition of Kastoria painting and on the best traditions of the Palaeologan art. Besides the iconographic features from this era, the patterns used by this author are mostly based on the Ohrid school and Kastoria workshop of the 15th century. According to numerous scholarly studies the painter Jovan received his artistic education in Kastoria, where he worked before he started his creative work in Pelagonian region, and with the recent researches we attribute to him the second phase of painting in the sanctuary of the church of the Panagia Mouzeviki in Kastoria, dated after the year of 1532. In addition to our assumption are the iconographically and stylistically identical depictions of the scene Lamentation of Christ from the churches of Toplica and Kastoria."