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Angelo Piner

Jeffrey Yeakel

ARH2050
13 Nov. 2013
Sleuth Essay: Anastasi Fresco
As the Byzantine Empire grew and expanded, so did the understanding,
symbolism, and demonstration of Christianity. Grand cathedrals popped up all across the
empire along with several important churches located in the holy city of Constantinople.
After the fall of Constantinople, many Byzantine cathedrals were converted into
mosques: the prime example being the Agia Sophia. However, to this day, one church
remains the most beautiful surviving example of an early Byzantine church and is
considered to be the second most important Orthodox church in Constantinople (after the
Church of St. George: the home of the Ecumenical Patriarchate). The Church of the Holy
Savior in Chora (colloquially, the Chora Church) is located in Istanbul (modern day
Constantinople), Turkey, this church stands as a guardian of time. Inside the church are
well preserved, unaltered frescoes depicting many different religious scenes. The most
awe-inspiring work is the fresco of the Anastasi located in the Parecclesion. This work
signifies the most important moment (in the Orthodox perspective) of Christianity: the
resurrection (the Greek word for resurrection is Anastasi) of Christ from the dead. The
use of the symbolic depictions answers the question, How does the Anastasi fresco
illustrate the emphasis of the Resurrection in Christianity?
The Chora Church was first established as a monastery in the years 413-414 AD
when Theodosius II built the grand land walls. The church was eventually incorporated
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into those walls (that surrounded Constantinople). Maria Dukaina, the mother-in-law of
Alexius I, ordered the church be rebuilt as an inscribed cross in 1077. The wealthy
Byzantine statesman Theodore Metochites endowed the church (in 1315) with the funds
to produce such beautiful frescos and mosaics. He commissioned the artful decorations of
the church in order to exemplify the wealth and beauty of Christianity and to simply
beautify the church with important Christian events that also helped to emotionally move
the congregation). The artists under Metochites commission worked tirelessly to create
the art to decorate the church; however, their identities remain unknown.
The Anastasi fresco was made during the years 1315 and 1321. The fresco was
completed after several processes: the first was to grind the dry-powder pigments into
pure water. Next, the plaster put onto the wall where the fresco would be. While the
fresco was wet, the colors would be used on the wet plaster, and the image would be
produced. The finished product was now, essentially, a part of the wall.
The fresco depicts the Resurrection of Christ after His harrowing of Hades. It
shows Jesus as the most central, important figure clothed in a white gown with auroras of
white stars around him. He is seen grabbing Adam and Eve by their wrists as though to
help support them. In the background, King David and other important Christian figures
and monarchs are present. Below Christs feet are bits and shards of what appear to be
metal; these metal pieces are assumed to be the broken bonds and Gates of Hell. The
subject of the fresco is that mere man (depicted as Adam and Eve) cannot escape from
the bowels of Hades without Christ.
This fresco was never necessarily found by anyone. It always existed, but it was
never given much attention the church was first given international attention by Thomas
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Whittemore. He saw these works and, with the effort of the Byzantine Institute of
America and the Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, created a restoration
program for the church. In 1958, the church was decommissioned as a mosque and was
opened to the public as a museum. Because of the influx of visitors, the Anastasi fresco
made an impact on the local and international community. The fresco highlighted the
beauty and precision of Byzantine painting along with its rich Christian tradition;
consequently, more and more institutes across the world began to give more focus to
Byzantine art. Even before the added fame, the fresco awed the Muslim worshippers
during the Ottoman Occupation. The Anastasi fresco even impacted the Byzantine culture
through music. New Byzantine hymns were created for the special occasion, such as the
Paschal Troparion ( ) and the Paschal canon, that are chanted in the more
lively and celebrative tones (the plagal first and first, respectively). Lastly, the names
Anastasia and Anastasis (and their drivatives) come from the Greek word Anastasis
(again, meaning resurrection).
The fresco serves one final purpose: it highlights the emphasis Orthodox
Christians give to the Resurrection of Christ through its symbolic depictions. The
symbolic depiction is Christs grabbing Adam and Eve by the wrists. By grabbing them
by their wrists, it is suggested that Adam and Eve are unable to help themselves up;
specifically, liberate themselves from Hades. The second symbolic depiction is the pieces
of broken metal below Christs feet. These represent the broken bars of the Gates of
Hades. Essentially, these gates represent death (with their blackish-grey coloring) and
Christs trampling over death*. The religious figures, namely the previous Jewish
monarchs, represent the freeing of Israel from its evils and the forgiveness of their sins
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(the kings are, in this case, the representatives of the Hebrew race from all generations).
The fresco also suggests that Chirst is ushering in a new era: through Him, man can reach
Heaven. Essentially, Christ has become the second Adam: the first born of the Dead. The
last symbolic description is the pure white robes Christ is wearing. The white robes
symbolize purity. Also, in many church texts, Christ as said to be leaving from the tomb
as though he is leaving from a bridal chamber. The symbolism here is that Christ, though
His mortal Body was dead, has shown to be a stranger to decay. This is in sharp contrast
to Adam and eve, which appear in old, pale robes: they were definitely introduced to the
decaying effects of Death. The creation of Adam is seen to be one of the most important
moment in Christianity; however, he is flawed, and eventually, he causes the fall of
humanity. The Resurrection, on the other hand, shows Christ as the first born from the
dead: the second Adam. Because the Resurrection leads to the salvation of all the souls
doomed by Adam, the Anastasi is considered the most important Christian event in
Orthodoxy. Through the use of symbolic depictions, the Resurrection painting answers
the question, How does the Anastasi fresco illustrate the emphasis of the Resurrection in
Christianity?







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Image of the Anastasi Fresco











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Works Cited

Istanbul- Eye of the Worlds Desire 1. WorldisRound.com:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/177809/photo12.html
Van Millingen, Alexander (1912). Byzantine Churches of Constantinople. London:
MacMillan & Co.
Ousterhout, Robert (2002). The Art of the Kariye Camii. London-Istanbul: Scala.
ISBN 975-6899-X
Paul A. Underwood. Third Preliminary Report on the Restoration of the Frescoes in the
Kariye Camii at Istanbul. Harvard University Press (1958). ASIN B000IBCE

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