Methodios monk and servant of St Prokopios (eleventh century)
Obverse
St Prokopios standing frontally and holding a spear in his right hand, his left hand resting on a shield set on the ground. Inscription in tow columns: .|.|.|ο-κ|ο|π, : [ὁ ἅ(γιος) Πρ]οκόπ(ιος). Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
+μεθο
διΑSδ
λταγι
προκπ
Μεθοδίῳ (μον)αχ(ῷ) (καὶ) δούλ(ῳ) τοῦ ἁγίου Προκ(ο)π(ί)ου
Obverse
St Prokopios standing frontally and holding a spear in his right hand, his left hand resting on a shield set on the ground. Inscription in tow columns: .|.|.|ο-κ|ο|π, : [ὁ ἅ(γιος) Πρ]οκόπ(ιος). Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
+μεθο
διΑSδ
λταγι
προκπ
Μεθοδίῳ (μον)αχ(ῷ) (καὶ) δούλ(ῳ) τοῦ ἁγίου Προκ(ο)π(ί)ου
| Accession number | BZS.1947.2.330 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 15.0 mm; field: 12.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 4, no. 84.1. Laurent, Corpus V/2, no. 1282 (tenth/eleventh century). |
Translation
Μεθοδίῳ μοναχῷ καὶ δούλῳ τοῦ ἁγίου Προκοπίου.
Methodios, monk and servant of St Prokopios.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 4: The East (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Kappadokien (Kappadokia, Charsianon, Sebasteia und Lykandos) (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The monk Methodios of the present seal declares having a special devotion to St Prokopios, although this does not necessarily mean that he was attached to (or at the head of) a monastery dedicated to this saint. But this personal devotion makes us think that it is more likely that Methodios was a monk in the region of the cave churches and monasteries of St Prokopios (Ürgüp) to the west of Caesarea (Kappadokien, 263) rather than in the city of Niš in the Balkans, where St Prokopios's relics were kept (Laurent, Corpus V/1, 340-41).