Fall 2005

The exhibit took place within the framework of the Dimitria, on the occasion of 1,700 years since the martyrdom of the patron saint of the city, and was placed among the events of the city, municipality and the Holy Metropolis dedicated to the memory and expression of honor and gratitude to the saint, protector and liberator of our city. 

In the Stoa Cryptoporticus of the Roman Agora of Thessaloniki, copies of illustrations of Saint Dimitrios from frescoes and portable icons were displayed from the Holy Monasteries of the Holy Mountain.

In the exhibit, 45 items (21 icons and 24 frescoes) specifically, were presented from a whole of 150 items which were included in the volume “Saint Dimitrios in the Art of Mount Athos”.  The photographic copies made the illustrations of the Saint Dimitrios of Athos accessible in a different way to the public.

An intention of the Mount Athos Center along with its colleagues was for as many of the depictions of the Saint as possible to be gathered, regardless of the type of art and its state of preservation.  With the blessing of the Holy Community and the consent of the Monasteries of the Holy Mountain, the research yielded an especially large, beyond, at least, what was expected, number of depictions of the Saint.  The extent of honor of the Athonite Monks toward the Great Martyr Dimitrios underscored the tight bond between Thessaloniki and Athos.

The greatest volume of material came from portable icons (64) and frescoes (67), which also comprised the two largest parts of the exhibit that followed.  The approach to gathering the material was without criteria, often dictated by the existing aesthetic and ideological biases, seeing that they were displayed equally, together with the masterpieces of Byzantine and early post-Byzantine art, the least appreciated and, considered by many “decadent” works of the 18th and 19th century, which comprise an unexplored segment of more recent ecclesiastical art.

 

In the publication, short texts from eminent scientists introduce four chapters:
•    By Antonios Aligizakis about musical manuscripts that contain hymnography about Saint Dimitrios,
•    By Constantine Vafiadis about the sculptures, miniature of art and embroidery,
•    By Evangelos Kyriakoudis about the portable icons and
•    By Athanasios Semoglou about the frescoes

Additionally, three extensive scientific texts approach Saint Dimitrios from a different view.  Specifically:
•    Simeon Paschalidis: Saint Dimitrios, the victorious saint of Thessaloniki and the entire inhabited world (Ecumene).
•    Titos Papamastorakis: Saint Dimitrios as a model of bravery
•    Nikolas Pazaras: Iconographical portrayals of Saint Dimitrios