The Festive Image of Hagia Sophia
of the Holy Church of Hagia Sophia in Mantzavinata
(Part of an old publication in the newspaper of the
Cultural Association of Katogi “Kounopetra”)
Gerassimos Sot. Galanos
The holy church of Hagia Sophia in Mantzavinata was and is a brotherly place for various families in the village. The date 1693 has been identified in a notarial act concerning the church, which was drafted by the notary Konstantinos Miniatis. The church has been destroyed at various times by earthquakes, especially by the earthquake of ’53, and was rebuilt in the same location with earthquake-resistant construction.
The images that adorn today’s iconostasis are interesting, as well as other portable icons preserved in the sanctuary, which seem to have been placed in the older icon shrine.
In this article, I will descriptively present the festive image of the church of Hagia Sophia, which is located in today’s iconostasis. Due to brevity, I will not refer to the synaxarion of Hagia Sophia and her three daughters concerning their depicted martyrdoms, as this was mentioned in a previous article, in Part 1.
This is a magnificent and unique icon, large in size, unsigned, depicting Hagia Sophia in a full upright posture with the cross in her left hand, and on either side of her are three miniatures of the martyrdom of her three daughters and her own. They were martyred during the reign of Hadrian (117-138). This different iconography of Hagia Sophia and her three daughters from the usual one, which predominates almost nationwide, as well as differing even from the Western Catholic iconographic style, is what makes this particular icon unique and noteworthy.
Additionally, the plastic movement and the exquisite detail of the forms and the martyrdom scenes of each daughter of the Saint, the fidelity inspired by what is depicted in each miniature, indicate that the work belongs to a noteworthy iconographer of the 18th century.
Commenting in detail on each miniature from the left side of the figure of Hagia Sophia, the upper part depicts: “The beheading of Saint Hope.” Directly below, in vertical alignment is the miniature depicting the theme: “The beheading of Saint Faith,” and the next one below is the miniature depicting the theme: “The beheading of Saint Love.”
To the right of the figure of Hagia Sophia, in vertical alignment, there are three more miniatures of the same dimensions as those on her left, depicting scenes of martyrdom. Specifically: In the top right corner above the body of the Saint is depicted: “The flogging of Saint Hope with leather whips,” followed by in vertical alignment the iconography with the theme, “The amputation of the breasts of Saint Faith,” and the third miniature depicts the theme, “The dormition of Hagia Sophia, while praying in front of the ark containing the sacred relics of her daughters.” According to the synaxarion of the Saint, after the martyrdom of her three daughters was completed, she buried them, and three days later, their mother Sophia came to their tomb. She closed her eyes and surrendered her soul into the hands of God with the following words: “My beloved children, accept your mother there, where you find rest.”
Judging the details of the work, we conclude that the iconographer was not only remarkable and a deep connoisseur of his art, but also a person who knew well the ecclesiastical themes he depicted.
The iconographer was knowledgeable about the synaxarion of the three girls and their mother and successfully managed to depict them faithfully within the time of Hadrian, without deviating from the relevant background of the themes he illustrated. In other words, he depicted the martyrdoms in a “realistic” manner consistent with the era in which they occurred.
Finally, this famous icon of the homonymous church of Hagia Sophia in Mantzavinata becomes a point of reflection in our thoughts regarding the responsibility we all have, to utilize in various ways, with respect for tradition, the great heritage of our land.
