Темата „Христос Лоза“ в декоративната програма на един кивот за мощи
Christ the True Vine in the Decoration of One Reliquary

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses once again the reliquary, which belongs to the Intercession of the Theotokos Monastery in Samokov. This is among the well-known artifacts of goldsmiths in Bulgaria during the 19th century, and information about it has been published several times in the Bulgarian literature, but still numerous problems in its history, the donator and the contained relics are unsolved. However, the study deals with the reliquary’s decoration and its function. The first chapter of the text presents the stylistic and iconographic characteristics of the object, focusing on the composition Christ the True Vine placed on the lid of the reliquary, which is very rare in Bulgarian lands in this period. The examples of iconographic variations of the composition show that the unknown goldsmith from Vidin was influenced by the models used by the contemporary woodcarving craftsmen in the workshops of the Mount Athos, who followed the iconographic tradition of the 16th and the 17th centuries. At the end, the study presents briefly the liturgical relation between the image of Christ and the relics of the saints, according to The service for the consecration of the churches, in Vidin in 1881. The analysis shows that the decoration has liturgical function related to the specifics of the reliquary and its usage as a so-called “taxidiote” box.

• Details
• Contents