All posts by : sofia

The fresco of The Last Supper at the top of the niche clearly alludes to the common table of the monastic fraternity, with an equally clear reference to the Eucharist: Seated around the Abbot, the monastic community share the table as the disciples of Christ used to do with their teacher. Below The Last Supper, a number of important figures are depicted standing, from the left to right: the Saints John the Baptist, Nifon, Ioannis Chrysostom, Basilieos the Great, Grigorios the Theologian, Athanasios the Great and St Nikolaos. The latter five bishops are depicted wearing monks' habits. Frescoes depicting The Hospitality of Abraham, the Three Holy Children, and other allegories of the Holy Trinity decorate the smaller niches on both sides.

In the miraculous icon that is found in the cathedral, John the Baptist is depicted full length, and as having wings.

In one of the five icons that make up the great Deisis (Supplication) group painted by Eurosynus in 1542, Saint John is depicted as interceding to Christ for the salvation of the people.

The painter Tzortzis, whose frescoes decorated the walls of the cathedral in 1547, attributed a special spiritual depth to the image of John the Baptist.

In the famous 14th-century icon which he donated, the Emperor Alexios III Komnenos is portrayed as offering the cathedral to St John the Baptist, who receives it his right hand, with the blessing of Christ. To share space with such a great saint was certainly a pious desire of many, but this privilege was generally reserved for an aristocrat or, even more importantly, for an emperor, as a reward for the act of funding. This commemorative honour was, in fact, the main motivation of Alexios and other rulers in a similar position.

John the Baptist is depicted in the monastery in many works, both historical and contemporary, sometimes along with the founders. He is considered to be the most important personage, and thus the recipient of the tributes and offerings.