The Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria, from the Church of St. Archangels in Prilep. Iconographical research

This text is dealing with a rare thematic innovation that appeared in Byzantine wall painting of the thirteenth century. In particular, the author explores the iconography of the Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria as found in the Church of St. Archangels in Prilep around 1270. He argues that this work manifests a key moment in the development of this composition over the course of the thirteenth century. This links the same motif found in Melnik from the beginning of the thirteenth century, and a composition from the Church of the Virgin Peribleptos in Ohrid from 1294/1295. In the end, place of the Vision in the painted program of the western part of the Church of St. Archangels in Prilep is analyzed.

* cvetkovskisaso@gmail.com 1 The earliest presentations of this theme in Byzantine art appeared by the end of the tenth century in miniatures and illuminated manuscripts, i.e. menology of Basil II (Vat. gr. 1613) and Paris. gr. 580.The characteristics of these fi rst versions of the Vision of St. Peter of Alexandria were studied by G. Millet in the study which is still the basic text for this subject (cf. G. Millet, La vision de Pierre d`Alexandrie, in: Mèlanges Charl Diehl II, Paris 1930, 103-107). Later presentations of the Vision from the end of the eleventh and the beginning of the twelfth century, also have their origins in miniature painting, the example with the Constantinople's liturgical scroll from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem (Staurou 109), cf. A. Grabar, Un rouleau liturgique Constantinopoliten et ses peintures, DOP 8 (1958) 176, 188, fi g. 18. About the introduction of this composition into the altar area of the Byzantine church dating from the end of the thirteenth century, and its place in the painting programs from the time of the Palaiologoi, cf. C. Grozdanov, Vizijata na Sv. Petar Alexandriski vo živopisot na Sv. Bogorodica Perivlepta (St. Kliment) vo Ohrid, Godišniot zbornik na Filozofskiot fakultet 34 (Skopje 1982) 115-122 (= idem, Studii za Ohridskiot živopis, Skopje 1990, 102-107). For the depictions of this composition in the fi fteenth century, cf. G. Subotić, Ohridska slikarska škola od XV vek, Ohrid 1980, passim; for the painting of the Vision in the post-Byzantine art, cf. M. Garidis, La peinture murale dans le mond orthodox après la chute de Byzance (1450Byzance ( -1600, Athènes 1989, 228;S. Petković, Zidno slikarstvo na području Pećke patrijaršije 1557-1614, Beograd 1965A. Serafimova, Kučeviški manastir Sveti Arhangeli, Skopje 2005, 47 1975, 24-26, il.19-20. 3 Grozdanov, Vizijata, 115-122 (= idem, Studii, 102-107). 4 This depiction of the Vision of Peter of Alexandria is only mentioned in: Prilep i prilepsko niz istorijata, Prilep 1971, 101 (P. Miljković-Pepek); S. Korunovski, E. Dimitrova, Vizantiska Makedonija, Skopje 2006, 145. 5 In his article on the Vision of St. Peter of Alexandria in the Byzantine monumental art of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries S. Koukiaris notes the Church of St. John Kalybites at the island of Eubea dated at the year of 1245, or little later. But the author himself notes that the composition is destroyed to such a degree that important iconographical features can not be observed. Cf. Koukiaris,op. cit.,[64][65] The bibliography on the church is not extensive because it has not yet been thoroughly researched. To date, scholarly interest has focused on specifi c scenes or cycles in the church. Most of the attention has been spent on the cycle of the Archangels depicted in the highest zones in the western part of the church. Cf that one may discern the general structure of the scene. In the middle part of the composition the holy throne is depicted covered with a purple cloth that is decorated with golden crosses. A young Christ once stood on the throne of which only the right foot and small part of the left remain. Saint Peter of Alexandria is shown standing on the left of the holy throne. Little of this fi gure survives but is identifi able by parts of his green phelonion, his light rose omophorion and the epitrachelion under the phelonion, as well as small parts of his head -his white hair and the ocher nimbus that are visible in the upper part of the composition (fi g. 2). Saint Peter faces the holy throne on which the young Christ stands and the wrinkles of his phelonion indicate that his hands were raised chest-height and gestured toward Christ. In the lower right part of the composition we can see a bended fi gure of the heretic Arius. The remaining part of the decoration of the fi rst zone in the eastern portion of the northern wall consists of a prophet or apostle holding an open scroll in his hand (fi gs. 1 and 2). The western portion of the same wall shows the holy monks (fi g. 5).
If one carefully compares the iconographic program of the Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria from Prilep to the versions of this theme in Melnik and Ohrid, the importance of the former within the art of the thirteenth century, becomes evident.
As previously noted, the composition in St. Archangels in Prilep, is depicted in the fi rst zone of the north wall. In the middle part of the scene there is a representation of Christ standing on the holy throne with Saint Peter of Alexandria to one side, and the heretic Arius below. The significant damage to the central part of the mural prevents us from knowing if the space was defi ned, i.e. have the master zografs who painted it strictly followed the hagiographic text from the saint's Vita, which described where this event took place, i.e. the prison of Alexandria. Due to its being located in the fi rst section of the north wall, the composition from Prilep, links to the earliest known presentation of the Vision in Byzantine wall paintings: the Church of St. Nicholas in Melnik (beginning of the thirteenth century), where the Vision is depicted on the lowest section of the north-east pillar of the altar space (fi g. 3). 7 Considering the Vision from Prilep while keeping the rest of the decorative program of the north wall in mind, one cannot claim for sure that the Vision was painted next to the altar; however, given the fact that St. Nicholas, who was al-1-4; S. Gabelić, Ciklus Arhandjela u vizantijskoj umetnosti, Beograd 1995, 42, 74, 83, 88, 103 ways painted in the altar area, is found here on the southern wall implies that he likely functioned as a counterpart to the Vision. 8 If the space in which the Vision occurs is still not defi ned at Melnik (fi g. 3), and the fi gure of Christ fl oats and projects Himself into the area in front of the holy throne, in the representation from St. Archangels in Prilep, the further development of the position of Christ is notable. He no longer hovers over the holy table, but is depicted standing on throne, which in fact is a signifi cant iconographic development (fi gs. 1 and 2) that brings the composition closer to a Eucharistic context.
Another important aspect of the depiction of the Vision from St. Archangels in Prilep is the presentation of the heretic Arius. Beginning with the earliest example of the motif at Melnik, Arius was regularly depicted and defi nitely enters into the iconographic scheme of this composition. At times, he would be presented in novel iconographic settings, especially in post-Byzantine art.
The development of the Vision from Prilep is comparable to the older presentation from Melnik, with one crucial distinction: Christ now stands on the holy table, which happens here for the fi rst time in the evolution of this subject. This announces the next, fi nal stage in this motif's formation, that occurs at the end of the thirteenth century with the presentation of the Vision from St. Virgin Peribleptos (1294/1295) in Ohrid. 9 At Ohrid, the scene is shown inside the altar for the fi rst time, i.e. the second section of the prothesis on the southern wall. 10 The fresco is completely preserved, and depicts Christ as a youngster who stands on one pillar next to the holy table on which a closed Gospel has been placed. Saint Peter of Alexandria is represented standing in front of the throne with his hands raised pointing at Christ, and in the lower part, under the holy throne, one fi nds the bended fi gure of the heretic Arius. The pictorial space has been clearly defi ned with architectural buildings, a portico and columns (fi g. 4). The placement of the Vision in the altar area was an important innovation which fi xed its location for the art of the fourteenth century and throughout the whole post-Byzantine period. However, given that Christ is shown standing on a little pillar at Ohrid reveals that the iconography of the Vision had not yet achieved it fi nal form where Christ stands on the holy throne as we already saw happening at St. Archangels in Prilep, circa 1270.
Another important feature of the Vision from Ohrid is the unique defi ning of the space where the Vision of the Alexandrian Episcope occurs. Michael Astrapas and Eutychios made a composition which has no analogies in the older presentations from Melnik and Prilep, nor in the later presentations of the Vision in the art of the Palaiologan dynasty. They defi ned the space strictly following the text of Saint Peter's Vita, and located the event inside the prison of Alexandria. It was here that Saint Peter had a vision when, during a service, Christ addressed him with his chiton torn apart, giving Saint Peter a symbolic premonition of the future danger from Arius and his teaching. 11 At the end of the chronological line of development traced above, we would add the Vision of Peter of Alexan-8 Examples of medieval art survive in which St. Nicholas is depicted in the western parts of the church, further from the altar, between representations of the holy monks and other saint. However, in these cases he is not depicted as hierarch, but as monk wearing monks robes, as for example in the Church of the Transfi guration in the monastery Zrze [painted in 1368/1369; cf. Z. Ivković, Živopis iz XIV veka u manastiru Zrze, Zograf 11, (1980) 77; V. J. Djurić, Les docteurs de l'eglise, in: Ευφρόσυνον, Αφιέρωμα στον Μανόλη Χατζηδάκη I, Athens 1991, 130-133, 135], or in the painted program of monastic refectories (cf. Djurić,op. cit.,131,135). 9 Before I proceed to the composition from the Church of the Virgin Peribleptos in Ohrid, which actually marks the fi nal phase of the defi nition of this theme and its iconography, it is appropriate to note the Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria from the cave church "Pismata" in Ivanovo (cf. A. Vasiliev, Ivanovskite stenopisi, Sofi i ͡ a 1953, 19, tabl. 14-15). According to the published photographs and the descriptions of Asen Vasiliev, one is led to believe that the longed fi gure of young Christ stands on the holy throne under the high baldachin. Asen Vasiliev does not date this composition, but later L. Mavrodinova who sites iconographical proximity as well with the same presentation from Melnik and the presentation from Ivanovo dates it at the fi rst decades of the thirteenth century (Mavrodinova,op. cit.,26). Unfortunately the condition of the Vision at Ivanovo is very poor due to its long exposure to the weather and the loss of pigmentation and therefore the painted layer does not permit stylistic analysis that could lead to a chronology and dating of the work. For that we only marked the composition in Ivanovo, which by its formal characteristics, would belong to the group of older depictions of the Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria. 10 Grozdanov,Vizijata,[115][116][117][118][119][120]sl. 40,crt. 19. If the dating of the Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria from the church St. John Kalybites in Eubea is reliable, than it turns out that by the middle of the thirteenth century the Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria enters the altar area (cf. Koukiaris,op. cit.,64). 11 Millet, op. cit., 103-108. dria from the church in Arilje (1296). This scene is part of the larger composition showing the Ecumenical Councils in the narthex. This denies it Eucharistic signifi cance and therefore to some degree differentiates it from the development which we have traced. Nevertheless, its archaic iconography is of great importance when considered in relation to other contemporary or earlier thirteenth-century compositions of the Vision. 12 The holy throne is not depicted on the composition in Arilje, Christ therefore hovers in the air and the heretic Arius is depicted directly under Christ`s mandorla. Whether the painters from Arilje, who were likely from the circles of the Thessalonica workshops, had some older composition for a model, or whether they just followed the two iconographic versions of the Vision, which developed in Byzantine art of the thirteenth century, must remain an open question.
Returning to the Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria in the Church of the St. Archangels in Prilep, I would like to point out a few specifi cs concerning its location as well as the program concept in which it is placed. The Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria is actually the only narrative composition depicted in the fi rst zone of the western side of the church.
For now, I will continue with listing of the saints' fi gures, which alongside the Vision, complete the painted program of the fi rst zone of the western part of the church. On the left-hand side of the Vision a section of the wall has been severely damaged including the depiction of a saint. The only visible remnants of the fi gure is the Greek letter "Θ" , as a part of his inscription. Saint Joseph the Hymnographer stands to the right of the saint. He is shown as an old man with a white beard wearing monastic dress and bearing an analavos on his chest. He holds an open scroll in his left hand and a cross in his right. After Saint Joseph the Hymnographer one fi nds the fi gure of Saint Theodore Graptos depicted in a similar fashion as Joseph, even in the nearidentical typology of their faces. He also holds an open scroll in his left hand and a cross in his right (fi g. 5). 13 After Theodore Graptos one fi nds a representation of Saint Theodore of Sykeon, depicted identically as the previous two of the hymnographers. The last of the holy monks on the northern wall unfortunately cannot be identifi ed because of damage to his inscription; however, he was undoubtedly also was a holy hymnographer, because like the rest of them, he carries a scroll with a text on it and a cross in his hands. 14 On the northern side of the western wall, there is representation of the donor, John the megas chartoularios of the west, with a model of the church in his hand (fi g. 7). 15 Then on the southern side of the western wall next to the entrance door, the row of holy monks continues with depictions of Arsenius the Young, Stephen Sabaites, John the Kolovos, Sisoes, Maximos the Confessor, Onuphrius, 16 one unidentifi ed monk, Stephen the Younger, and St. Nicholas, who we already saw to be depicted across from the Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria (fi g. 6).
One must now ask oneself if the decision to place the Vision within such an iconographical program was informed by other concepts. Examples of the  17 In addition to the Vita of St. Peter of Alexandria and the Menaion for November, the night before the celebration of the saint's feast, his Vision is mentioned in the third hymn of the seventh ode of Theophanes Graptos (the ninth century). Other hymns for this day celebrate the struggle of St. Peter with Arius as well as his later exclusion from the body of the church. In addition, the hymn of St. Theodore Studites is sung on the Orthodox Sunday during the litany of the icons. 18 The Vision of St. Peter of Alexandria is mentioned in the third hymn of the fi rst ode and the seventh of the sixth ode. Furthermore, on the sixth Sunday after Easter, the feast of the 318 Fathers Confessors of the Faith who constituted the First ecumenical Council, there is a reference to Peter's Vision in the second hymn of the Great Vespers. 19 Finally, one may conclude that the iconographic program of the fi rst zone of the western part of the Church of the St. Archangels in Prilep is amongst the most unusual found in fresco paintings in churches belonging to the Ohrid archbishopric dating from the third quarter of the thirteenth century.