DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43337#0441
438 I THE WALL PAINTINGS OF AKHTALA MONASTERY
«Forty martyrs» are shown opposite the Baptist cycle193. It is notewor-
thy that the donor’s composition, «The Investiture of Dusan», is next
to them and that the image of the crowning Christ appears above the
king’s portrait. As in the Akhtala murals, the theme of the founder’s
divinely chosen royalty is combined with the theme of the «Forty mar-
tyrs» and of St John the Baptist. The similarity of iconographic treat-
ment in the murals of Akhtala and Lesnovo, monuments separated
widely in time and space, is probably explained by a common source
in one of the iconographic programmes of the Byzantine capital.
In the Akhtala murals the «Forty martyrs» are not only organically
included in the system of depictions in the south-west compartment but
also link it to the «Last Judgement» on the adjoining west wall of the
church. The miracle of Christ’s appearance to the saints of Sebaste was
interpreted as a prototype of the Second Coming which brought sal-
vation to the righteous. A reflection of that idea can be found in early
iconographic programmes which also include indications that the mar-
tyrs attained Paradise without facing the «Last Judgement» at which they
would be intercessors for mankind194. In the Cappadocian mural of Ilan -
li Kilise (9th century) the Sebaste martyrs make up one of the scenes
of paradise195. In the Georgian murals of Vardzia (1184-86) the «Forty
martyrs» are depicted immediately below the procession of the righteous
which is a part of the «Last Judgement» in the church’s porch.
The surviving monuments encourage us think that the symbolic
closeness of the «Forty martyrs» and the «Last Judgement» which is
stressed in their iconographic programmes represents a pre-Iconoclast
tradition that was developed in Cappadocia and Georgia196. The idea
of salvation formed the common semantic core of both themes. In the
Akhtala murals this idea is emphasised by the continuous series of mar-
tyrs that reaches from the farthest Sebaste soldier to St Anempodistos
in the «Last Judgement» and occupies every surface between the south-
west compartment and the west cross arm.
193 See Velmans, Une icone, p. 42.
194 See Thierry N., NouvelLes eglises,
pp. 98-100,45-47.
195 As some scholars hold, the martyri-
um of the Forty Martyrs in Sarin, half-
way between Cappadocia and Georgia,
was prominent in the preservation of
this tradition in the regions. See Thier-
ry N., LeJugement dernier, pp. 165-166.
For all their variety of subject, iconographic
study shows that the murals of the south-west
compartment are united by a few themes. The
most important is that of theophany which is
found in all the compositions and links the sys-
tem of depictions in the compartment not only
with the great church feasts through the theoph-
«Forty martyrs» are shown opposite the Baptist cycle193. It is notewor-
thy that the donor’s composition, «The Investiture of Dusan», is next
to them and that the image of the crowning Christ appears above the
king’s portrait. As in the Akhtala murals, the theme of the founder’s
divinely chosen royalty is combined with the theme of the «Forty mar-
tyrs» and of St John the Baptist. The similarity of iconographic treat-
ment in the murals of Akhtala and Lesnovo, monuments separated
widely in time and space, is probably explained by a common source
in one of the iconographic programmes of the Byzantine capital.
In the Akhtala murals the «Forty martyrs» are not only organically
included in the system of depictions in the south-west compartment but
also link it to the «Last Judgement» on the adjoining west wall of the
church. The miracle of Christ’s appearance to the saints of Sebaste was
interpreted as a prototype of the Second Coming which brought sal-
vation to the righteous. A reflection of that idea can be found in early
iconographic programmes which also include indications that the mar-
tyrs attained Paradise without facing the «Last Judgement» at which they
would be intercessors for mankind194. In the Cappadocian mural of Ilan -
li Kilise (9th century) the Sebaste martyrs make up one of the scenes
of paradise195. In the Georgian murals of Vardzia (1184-86) the «Forty
martyrs» are depicted immediately below the procession of the righteous
which is a part of the «Last Judgement» in the church’s porch.
The surviving monuments encourage us think that the symbolic
closeness of the «Forty martyrs» and the «Last Judgement» which is
stressed in their iconographic programmes represents a pre-Iconoclast
tradition that was developed in Cappadocia and Georgia196. The idea
of salvation formed the common semantic core of both themes. In the
Akhtala murals this idea is emphasised by the continuous series of mar-
tyrs that reaches from the farthest Sebaste soldier to St Anempodistos
in the «Last Judgement» and occupies every surface between the south-
west compartment and the west cross arm.
193 See Velmans, Une icone, p. 42.
194 See Thierry N., NouvelLes eglises,
pp. 98-100,45-47.
195 As some scholars hold, the martyri-
um of the Forty Martyrs in Sarin, half-
way between Cappadocia and Georgia,
was prominent in the preservation of
this tradition in the regions. See Thier-
ry N., LeJugement dernier, pp. 165-166.
For all their variety of subject, iconographic
study shows that the murals of the south-west
compartment are united by a few themes. The
most important is that of theophany which is
found in all the compositions and links the sys-
tem of depictions in the compartment not only
with the great church feasts through the theoph-