Holy Stavronikita Monastery Illustrated Manuscripts
The publication of the whole of the surviving illustrated manuscripts of a monastery, and moreover with colour depictions, is a rare undertaking. In this case, it was undertaken and planned by the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Stavroniketa, Archimandrite Tychon, and Stelios Papadopoulos and George Galavaris, both now of blessed memory, with a view to giving to the world of learning and to the public at large a publication which would give an account to the Monastery’s illustrated manuscripts from the 10th to the 17th century in the fullest possible form.
Very little selection has been made and has involved only certain decorative motifs whose repetition would have added nothing further to the overall picture of the manuscripts. It was also decided that the presentation should follow, as far as possible, the chronological development, in order to make the gradual progression of the painting of the manuscripts apparent.
Each depiction is provided with the number and content of the manuscript, the nature of the representation, the folio in which it is to be found, and the dating. Where there is later decoration in a manuscript, this is noted. The illustrations as a rule follow the order of the folios of the manuscript. The order has been changed in a very few instances, when certain initial letters have been placed, for publishing reasons, in groups of three or four to a page.
Together with a tribute to the work which was started by the colleagues whom we have lost, it should be pointed out that the composition of this volume on the basis of the chronological ordering of the manuscript which I proposed, is a task which was completed by Dr Stelios Papadopoulos in collaboration with Ms Chryssoula Kapioldasi-Sotiropoulou, who has undertaken to continue the publication. (Chrysanthi Mavropoulou-Tsioumi). (From the prologue of the book).
Pages: 532
Size: 24 x 31 cm.
