ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΙΑ

The scene of the first bath of a newborn baby is a familiar theme to artists of the Hellenistic period, as shown by the mosaic floors with the birth of Alexander the Great in Baalbek, Lebanon (4th century, fig. 1) and of Achilles in Paphos (mid-4th century, fig. 2). The oldest representations of the Nativity of Christ do not include it. The bath first appears in Christian art in the works that have survived to this day from the 7th century onwards, as we see in the two icons of the Sinai Monastery (fig. 3, 4). It is quite normal. As the Christian religion expanded, more and more artists became Christians and brought with them representations from their teachers. What they knew, they painted. Just as Olympias lies on a precious mattress on earth, so does the Theotokos. Just as the Maidens and nymphs washed Alexander, Achilles and Dionysus, so did the midwives wash Jesus. At the end of the 18th century, the Athonite writer monk Nikodemus fought hard against the depiction of the bath,...

  In a fresco from the Church of Saint Alypius (1360-1380) in Kastoria, Greece the Theotokos Platytera is depicted with the infant Christ and is inscribed “ACHEIROPOIITOS (THE ONE NOT MADE BY HANDS)”. Professor Mrs. Melina Paisidou has linked this representation to the Church of the Virgin Mary Acheiropoiitos in Thessaloniki and the -now lost- miraculous icon of this Great Church of the city. The interesting thing is that Christ, while a small child, is depicted wearing the multi-crossed Sakkos of the Bishops. It also seems to emerge from a calyx, like a flower or a shell, recalling the hymns that mention that the Virgin Mary, like another shell, brought forth the divine pearl, Christ, and the other hymn that mentions the Virgin Mary as a plant, which sprouted the divine flower (Hymns of Akathistos). Merry and blessed Christmas. Happy New Year! +E. G. ------------------------------------------------------------ Σε μια ιδιαίτερη τοιχογραφία από το Ιερό Βήμα του Ναού το...