Nea Moni

The monastery was founded by the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX , his wife Zoe and her sister Theodora . ^[1] Its construction is connected with the legend that at this place three monks - Nikita, John and Joseph found an icon of the Virgin on a branch of a burning myrtle . At the place of the icon, they built a small chapel . This event is dated by the reign of Emperor Michael IV (1034-1041). ^[1] After this, they visited Constantine, who was in exile on Lesbos, and told him about the vision they had from the icon, predicting that Constantine would become emperor . In response, he promised, if the prophecy was fulfilled, to build a church in honor of the Virgin. Having become emperor in 1042 , Constantine fulfilled the vow and began the construction of the monastery. ^[2] Both local material and marble brought from Constantinople were used for construction. ^[3] In July 1049, the catholicon dedicated to the Virgin was consecrated , and the entire monastery complex was completed in 1055 after the death of Constantine. ^[4] Given these dates, the time of the creation of Nea Moni mosaics dates back to 1042-1056 years. ^[5] However, the Russian traveler Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky , who visited the monastery five times in 1725-1743, reports a relief inscription seen in it that dates to the beginning of the construction of the catholicon on January 11, 6553 from the creation of the world, that is, 1045 (the inscription has not been preserved). ^[6]

By the imperial chrisovry of 1049, Nea Moni began to receive the entire poll tax from the Jews living on Chios, and the monastery itself was removed from the power of the local administration (both secular and spiritual). ^[7] Tax exemptions , land donations led to the growth of the monastery and its prosperity. By 1300, Nea Moni was one of the richest monasteries of the islands of the Aegean Sea - it owned a third of the land of the island of Chios, and about 800 monks lived in it. ^[2] During the period of Genoese rule on the island, the land holdings and wealth of the monastery declined. During the Ottoman rule, the monastery continued to be operational. ^[8] The status of the stavropegy of the Patriarch of Constantinople provided him with relative prosperity in comparison with other Orthodox monasteries in the Ottoman Empire . Travelers of the 16th century report that about 200 monks lived in the monastery. In the 17th century, the Patriarch Chrysanthos of Jerusalem visiting Nea Moni noted his prosperous condition, the many relics stored in it and the beauty of the catholicon's decoration.

The monastery was badly damaged in 1822 during the " Chios Massacre ", when the Turks killed most of the inhabitants of the island. A fire broke out in the monastery, during which the iconostasis burned down and mosaics in the eastern part of the catholicon were damaged. ^[9] Also, the fire destroyed the monastery library and archive . ^[10] The 1881 earthquake severely damaged the catholicon and completely destroyed its dome, and also ruined a number of other buildings, including the bell tower , built in 1512 . ^[4] By 1952, the monastic life in Nea Moni had practically died out and the monastery was transformed into a female one. As of 2001, only three nuns lived in it.

The monastery ensemble consists of a catholicon, two small churches (the Holy Cross and the great martyr Panteleimon ) and monastic cells . Its total area is about 1.7 hectares . The monastery is surrounded by a wall of the 19th century, built instead of the Byzantine wall that was destroyed in 1822 . ^[2] Near the monastery there is a cemetery for the burial of monks, on it is the church of St. Luke . ^[four]

Katholikon

Kafolikon - the cathedral temple of the monastery is the earliest ^[11] of the surviving examples of temples on the clumps of a simple type without a detour, which the side naves usually form. By its design, despite the absence of columns, the catholicon is close to the temples on four columns. The architecture of the cathedral is close to the church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople , but the construction of Nea Moni is distinguished by a closer inscription of the octahedron of the dome into the square plan of the external walls.

The catholicon of the monastery is one-headed, has a small size and for this reason there are no classical naves (niches replace them), corner compartments , and the spatial cross is weakly accented. ^[11] The altar of the temple consists of three parts - the altar itself with the throne , the deacon and the altar . Another feature of its architecture is that the dome does not rely on four pillars ( cross-domed type of temple ), but on eight semicircular concave corner niches (construction of a centric domed temple), which creates the illusion of a canopy growing from a multifaceted base. The original dome has not been preserved (destroyed by the 1881 earthquake ). The walls of the naos are divided into three tiers ^[12] :

• the bottom is a continuous arcade ;
• middle - intermediate tier;
• upper - blood clots of various configurations and conhi , which serve as the basis for the dome.

In the naos, the domed niches are decorated with mosaics, and the walls below them are faced with marble . Marble floors are also made of marble. The temple has three apses ( altar , altar and deacon ). In the west, the square volume of the temple is supplemented by two narthexes . ^[13]

The catholicon of the monastery is an original building, its architecture was later repeatedly copied. Austrian art critic Otto Demus writes: ^[14]

General characteristics

It is believed that Nea Moni mosaics were created by the masters of the local school. ^[15] However , corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences V.N. Lazarev noted that the general decorative system of the mosaic decoration of the catholicon belongs to the Constantinople tradition and suggests that the management of the work, as was often practiced during that period, was carried out by the capital’s craftsmen, while attracting local mosaicists. ^[5] At the same time, he writes that the evolution of the Byzantine style is already visible in Nea Moni:

Despite this, the mosaic cycle of Nea Moni is a holistic work of art aimed at showing the dogma of redemption through the coming into the world of the Son of God and his suffering. The mosaic cycle of Nea Moni is not burdened with secondary details - the main episodes of the gospel story are chosen by the masters. Art critic G. S. Kolpakova notes that the composition:

difficult to build, in their organization cross-linking is of great importance. And the elements of architecture and landscape, and figures are increasingly beginning to be located at an angle to the background surface. The views of the depicted characters do not turn inward or to the prayer, but are built on interaction, they freely pass the composition in different directions. ^[sixteen]

Mosaic artists were able to link the mosaic decoration with the interior architecture of the cathedral, in which concave planes were mainly used to place the compositions. According to V. N. Lazarev, while " they skillfully used smalt to identify the specific nature ." ^[five]

Compared with Osios Lucas mosaics, the general frontal stillness in Nea Moni mosaics is sometimes replaced by sharp movements of characters, with the aim of conveying their emotional state. The craftsmen worked out the folds of clothes - they break sharply, creating sharp corners. At the same time, draperies of fabrics are depicted as free and light, and their texture has a geometric elaboration. To achieve the expressiveness of the faces around the eyes, shadows are laid, which gives the eyes depth. ^[17] It is noted that in the Nea Moni mosaics, the shadow frame begins to play a leading role in the construction of figures. Galina Kolpakova notes that “ light and shadows lose their former stillness and stiffness and glide over the rounded surface of their faces .” ^[18] Also, the figures in the compositions are placed not only side by side, but also behind each other. Otto Demus indicates that the masters used a complex deformation system to create the figures, which was aimed at preventing optical distortion of the image when viewed from below (for example, this can be seen in the figures of John the Baptist in the scene “ Baptism ”, the figures of King Solomon and John the Baptist in the “ Descent ” to hell ”or the centurion Longinus in“ The Crucifixion of Christ ”). This suggests that the mosaicists were aware of ways to counteract promising reductions. ^[14]

In total, the catholicon was decorated with 97 mosaic compositions (49 in naos and 48 in the inner narthex), of which only 59 were preserved (16 in naos and 43 in the inner narthex). ^[19] The outdoor narthex is devoid of any decoration.

Mosaics of Naos

The apse of the altar, following the example of the 11th-century churches of Constantinople , is decorated with mosaics depicting Oranta . The virgin, whose face was lost, is depicted with hands raised in prayer to the sky, her open palms turned towards the viewer. ^[17] In the apse of the altar and deacon placed images of the half-figures of the archangels Michael and Gabriel. ^{[5] A} mosaic with Pantocrator surrounded by angels adorned the unreserved dome. In the drum of the dome above the tromps and niches there were medallions with eight half-figures of the apostles . In the sails of the niches are partially damaged images of four evangelists and four seraphim , whose wings completely cover the space of the sail.

14 scenes from the life of Jesus Christ are placed in the niches of Naos and in the inner narthex . ^[17] In these mosaics, an extension of the traditional holiday cycle, emphasis on episodes of the Passion of Christ, is noticeable. In the naos, the mosaics are also placed in deep and narrow corner niches, which were very difficult for mosaicists to work in. ^[14] The mosaics depict a fairly large number of characters, and their presence in a number of scenes (for example, in the scene of the Baptism) is not mandatory in accordance with the iconographic canon . Also on the mosaics, attention is paid to the elements of the landscape, which play an active role in them.

The mosaic cycle of the naos includes ^[20] :

in corner clots

• Annunciation (mosaic badly damaged). Only part of the figure of the archangel Gabriel has survived;
• The Presentation of the Lord (the mosaic is badly damaged). Only the right side of the composition has been partially preserved - Simeon the God-Receiver , Anna the Prophet, and the altar;
• Transfiguration of the Lord (mosaic noticeably damaged). The destruction affected the figures of Jesus Christ, the prophet Moses and, to a lesser extent, Elijah and the apostle Peter . The whole composition is made on a gold background, in the center of it is the figure of Christ in the azure mandorle . The figures of the apostles are depicted on the ground, decorated with shoots of flowers. A feature of the composition is the cross in the hand of the apostle Peter;
• Descent from the cross (the mosaic is in poor condition). The figures of Jesus Christ and Joseph of Arimathea , as well as the head of Nicodemus, were severely damaged. The figures of the Virgin Mary are well preserved, which presses the hand of Jesus and the crying John the Theologian to her face;

along the axes of the main space

• Nativity of Christ (mosaic completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1881 ^[9] );
• Baptism of the Lord (the mosaic is in very good preservation, only the upper fragment with the image of the right hand of the Lord is damaged). The composition includes Jesus Christ in a baptized halo , John the Baptist , two angels and images of several people from which the figure of a young man stands out in the lower left corner, preparing to jump into the water;
• Crucifixion of Christ (mosaic is in satisfactory condition). The figure of the crucified Jesus Christ and the angels soaring next to him is almost completely destroyed. Two groups of people are placed next to the Cross : the Mother of God and the grieving wives on the left, John the Theologian and the centurion Longin on the right;
• Descent into hell (the mosaic is in good condition). In the center of the composition is depicted Jesus Christ with a cross in his hands. Under his feet the gates of hell are shattered. He is facing a group of people on the left, among whom stand out Adam and Eve , rising from the tomb, while Jesus helps Adam to rise with his hand. Also in this group are John the Baptist and seven unknown figures. To the left in the royal robes are Solomon and David , also rising from the tomb, and five other unknown figures.

This mosaic cycle, which continues in the inner narthex, is a reception in the Byzantine art of the Macedonian dynasty of the interpretation of the liturgy , in which each of its actions is symbolically connected with the earthly life of Jesus Christ. ^[21]

Mosaics of the Inner Narthex

In the inner narthex, medallions with images of saints are placed on pillars (these are mainly reverends , that is, holy monks, but there are also images of soldiers and prophets ). Medallions are connected in chains and are the oldest surviving examples of such compositions among monumental mosaics. ^[14] Also, for the first time in Byzantine art, a scroll with the text was placed in the hands of a saint from the face of the saints - they became the Monk Ephraim the Syrian . ^[22]

The inner narthex has a separate dome, which is a simplified copy of the main dome of the catholicon. By analogy with the Naos dome in the inner narthex, the dome consists of eight niches, which became its parts, forming a figure made up of eight segments of small circles. These niches are accented by an eight-columned arcade decorated with mosaic figures of saints. In the center of the dome is an image of the Virgin. The niches contain mosaic compositions that complement the cycle of gospel stories of the naos, and correspond to the worship of the Color Triodi ^[23] , which at the time of the creation of the mosaic complex began with Lazareva Saturday :

• Resurrection of Lazarus (the mosaic is significantly damaged). It is executed in the iconography traditional for this plot, based on the Gospel of John . image damage makes it difficult to study the features of its iconography ^[24] ;
• Entrance to Jerusalem (mosaic is in poor condition). Damage makes it difficult to study the features of its iconography, which generally corresponds to the tradition of depicting a similar scene in Middle Byzantine art ^[25] ;
• Washing the feet (the mosaic is in good condition). It is a typical example of a provincial mosaic school ^[15] - strict ascetic oriental faces, elongated proportions of figures, faces conveyed by combinations of green, red, yellow, pink, white and black colors. The overall composition is filled with severity and tension, while spiritual expression is separated from the characters of individual characters;
• Praying for the cup (the mosaic is in satisfactory condition). The composition is a rare example of the iconography of this gospel story. In addition, the image of the Gethsemane prayer of Christ is rarely found in monumental art until the XII century ^[26] . It includes both the actual image of the prayer of Jesus Christ, and the image of the scene as Christ awakens his disciples. The image of Jesus praying is accompanied by an inscription with the text of his prayer from Matthew. 26:39 . A quote from the Gospel of Matthew also accompanies the image of the sleeping apostles and Jesus;
• Kissing Judas and the arrest of Jesus (mosaic partially damaged). The composition is divided into two parts: in the left, Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, and in the right, armed soldiers who came to arrest him. In the crowd of soldiers in the foreground is the slave Malchus , to whom the apostle Peter cuts off his ear. The composition is accompanied by the inscription “ Judas betrays the Son of Man with a kiss ” ^[27] ;
• Ascension of the Lord (the central part of the composition is lost). The peculiarity of the image of the Ascension scene is the presence of eleven apostles, which corresponds to the gospel narrative, although it is customary to portray the twelve apostles present at the Ascension of Christ ^[28] ;
• Descent of the Holy Spirit . Performed in the iconography traditional for this plot, except for the lack of an architectural background ^[29] .

On October 13, 1989, three monasteries were nominated by Greece for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Osios Lucas , Nea Moni and Daphne . In April 1990, the International Council for the Preservation of Monuments and Landmarks presented its opinion substantiating the possibility of their inclusion in the register. ^{[30] The} Council determined the following criteria for inclusion of these objects in the list of UNESCO monuments:

• “ The object is a masterpiece of human creative genius ” (Byzantine mosaics of the Macedonian dynasty);
• “ The object is an outstanding example of a structure, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape that illustrate a significant period in human history ” (Nea Moni is one of the largest architectural monuments of the Middle Byzantine period).

At the 14th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Canada on December 7-12, 1990 , these monasteries were included in the List of World Heritage Sites under number 537. ^[31]

• Lazarev V.N. Mosaics of Nea Moni on Chios and Hosios Lucas in Phocis // History of Byzantine painting . - M .: Art, 1986.
• Kolpakova G.S. The art of Byzantium. Early and middle periods. - M .: ABC, 2010 .-- 528 p. - ( New Art History ). - ISBN 978-5-9985-0447-1 .
• Doula Mouriki. The mosaics of Nea Moni on Chios. - Athens: Commercial bank of Greece, 1985 .-- 275 p.
• Pinaeva L. Nea Moni Monastery on the island of Chios // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. - 1987. - No. 9 . - S. 59-60 .
• Otto Demus . History of the Middle Byzantine system // Mosaics of Byzantine temples. The principles of the monumental art of Byzantium / Per. from English E. S. Smirnova. ed. and comp. A. S. Preobrazhensky. - M .: Indrik, 2001 .-- 160 p.