CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Dumitrescu, Andrei |
|---|---|
| Title | The Visionary Emperor: Constantine The Great And The Archangel Michael In Late Fifteenth-Century Moldavian Representations |
| Summary | This thesis analyzes the depictions of St. Michael as protector of Emperor Constantine the Great in mural cycles of angelic miracles from late fifteenth-century Moldavia. In the narthex programs of the churches in Rădăuți (ca. 1480–1495) and Bălinești (before 1499), the involvement of the Archangel in the legend of the holy emperor is depicted in two individual scenes: 1) Constantine’s Baptism by Pope Silvester and 2) the Apparition of the Holy Cross. The iconographic schemata of these images lack any direct parallel in both visual and textual cultures of the late and post-Byzantine world. This study offers an integrated examination of the literary, pictorial, and devotional background that facilitated the emergence of these highly unusual representations in late medieval Moldavia. Moreover, it provides a detailed investigation of the iconographic programs in which the two episodes were assimilated. I argue that the mural cycles of angelic miracles were designed as a narrative framework for an ideal representation of Christian rulership. The scenes of Constantine’s life contributed to a broader discourse on the synergy between the secular and spiritual authorities. In addition, they participated in a symbolic genealogy of power that connected figures of exemplary rulers from the Old Testament with images of Christian monarchs. |
| Supervisor | Baukje van den Berg, Béla Zsolt Szakácz |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/dumitrescu_andrei.pdf |
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