COMNENIAN MONASTIC FOUNDATIONS IN CONSTANTINOPLE: QUESTIONS OF METHOD AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT
COMNENIAN MONASTIC FOUNDATIONS IN CONSTANTINOPLE: QUESTIONS OF METHOD AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Summary/Abstract: Many members of the imperial family of the Komnenoi were prolific builders and founders of monasteries and charitable establishments, especially in Byzantine capital, Constantinople. Their buildings were always, nevertheless, marked by the strong personal mark of the founder, designed to convey political and ideological message, as well. The paper examines the approaches modern scholarship had adopted when studying Comnenian foundations, underscores some of the most distinctive features of the erected complexes, and argues for a more appropriate methodology that should be applied, in order to understand better the general historical context in which these important structures should be placed.

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