Veljusa Icons on Wooden Panels with Their Gold and Silver Revetments Lost Over the Centuries

Among the richly decorated icons made from expensive materials the first to be mentioned in the inventory is a copper icon dedicated to the Mother of God with the infant Christ. The Mother of God, as the monks record, was depicted in a seated position. On the narrow frame there was a revetment of gold-plated silver. The second icon portraying three warrior saints in full figure, was completely worked in gold-plated silver. It is particularly interesting that medallions containing pictures were appliqued on the frame of this icon. The closest analogy to these icons can be found in the treasury of St. Mark’s, Venice – the famous enamel diptych that is considered to be the work of Constantopolitan gold workshops of the 10^th century. In this diptych, around the centrally placed figures of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, there are 12 medallions each (a total of 24) where saints are depicted in halfportrait.

Another icon in St. Mark’s, Venice, is also similar to the icon in the monastery of the Mother of God Eleousa in Veljusa. It too is considered to be the work of Constantinopolitan gold workshops. This is an icon depicting Archangel Michael and other saints, worked in gold and enamel, and dating from the first half of the 11^th century. On the richly decorated frame of this well-known icon there are 10 medallions, 6 round and 4 oval. In the latter, two to a medallion, in full length, dressed in gilded coats of mail and short tunics and bearing lances and shields, the following saints are portrayed: Theodore of Tyro, Theodore Stratilate, Demetrius and Nestor, Procopius, George, Eustachius, and Mercurius. We should look to these saints for the names of those in the Veljusa icon. The third icon mentioned in the inventory was dedicated to the Mother of God. In our opinion, it was made in wood relief. In the inventory it is said to have a thin halo and a narrow frame without decorations, but it is gold plated with polyment. The fourth icon was also dedicated to the Mother of God and in contrast to the previous one was worked on stone. The narrow frame was silver, without decorations. It could be assumed that it was a silver box into which was inserted a marble tablet with the figure of the Mother of God in relief. The icon, according to the monks, was of large dimensions. It also showed the Mother of God, with the medallion depicting the infant Christ on her breast. The Mother of God was shown in full length, with a gold-plated silver halo round her head. The infant Christ had a similar halo. The sixth icon was again dedicated to the Mother of God and was of large format. The Mother of God with the infant Christ in her arms had a halo, but of non-glided silver. The second last icon in this collection was likewise dedicated to the Mother of God and the infant Christ. She was depicted in full length and they both had silver halos. It remains unknown to whom the last icon was dedicated, however. In drawing up the inventory the monks say that they omitted to include it in the group of precious decorated icons and the place where its title is given in the inventory has been damaged.

The other icons, classified by the monks as not decorated, should also be mentioned: 1. the Mother of God, full-length; 2. The Presentation of the Mother of God at the Temple; 3. the Dormition of the Mother of God; 4. The Mother of God Enthroned, with a portrait of Manuel, the founder of the Veljusa church; 5. The Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sevel and Ismail; 6. St. Nicholas, with a portrait of Manuel the founder; 7. Christ with St. Peter and Paul, a large icon with depiction of other saints in the medallions. In discussing these icons, attention should be directed to the two icons mentioned above with portraits of Manuel the founder, who built the monastery and its church in 1080. Accordingly, some of these icons, at least these last with portraits of Manuel the founder, would have belonged to the late 11^th century.

While drawing up the inventory of the icons, the monks of Veljusa indicated where in church the icons were placed. Thus the full-length icons were placed above the altar-screen. These were icons in the frames of which saints were depicted in medallions. It should be emphasized that such decorated icon-frames were a more modest version of the decoration with revetments of gold-plated silver and medallions worked in enamel or silver and gold. Such modestly-decorated icons were to be found in other monastery churches in this period. Firstly, we would point out a small icon of the Desis from the Monastery of St. Catherine, Mt. Sinai, dating from the late 11^th century. On its very narrow frame are 6 medallions portraying the Archangels Michael and Gabriel and the Preparation of the Throne, and three other saints in the medallions at the bottom of the frame. From the same monastery there is a small icon of Ss. Procopius, Demetrius and Nastor, also dating from the second half of the 11^th century. On the upper and lower parts of its frame there are medallions depicting Jesus Christ and St. Nicholas.

At the time of the inventory the following icons were placed above the architrave of the Veljusa church: the Saviour, an ell in length: St. John the Forerunner, the same size; St. Peter, slightly smaller that the previous ones; St. John Chrysostom, full length, also an ell in height; Ss. Stephen the New and Accentius, the same size as the previous icon; a triptych, while on which the Crucifixion of Christ was depicted, while on its wings there were two compositions, the Dormition (Koimisis) of the Mother of God and the Resurrection of Christ on one, and the Ascension of Christ and the Nativity on the other. Thereafter follow icons of which we cannot say for certain that they were placed above the architrave. These are the Forty Martyrs and the Descent (Anastasis) into hell. The monks state that the latter icon was large and that it had a door. Perhaps this icon had a special function, that of closing off the entrance from the nave to the alterspace or the chapel on the south side. There are numerous examples of such iconostases from later periods, especially from the 8^th and 9^th centuries, but none with a icon of the Forty Martyrs of Sebate. Continuing to record the icons in the church, the monks list the following: Ss. Cosmas and Damian, with painted medallions; two icons of St. Demetrius, one larger, with painted medallions, and a smaller one without medallions; St. John Chrysostom, with medallions, a diptych with the figure of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God; St. Mina, gold-plated copper; St. Eleutheria; St. John Chrysostom, and Basil. Finally, they mention a copper icon of the figure of the Saviour with medallions depicting figures with lances – probably the much-favoured Warrior Saints.

The inventory found in the Veljusa church, in which we find partial descriptions of icons of the 11^th and 12^th centuries, gives us reason to assume that such or similar icons from this period were to be found in many other churches throughout Macedonia. We can thus conclude that a variety of types of icons, in terms of technique and material, was to be found in these churches. There were icons in fresco and tempera on a wood base icons in relief in wood, stone copper, silver and gold.

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Icons of Macedonia

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