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The seal of the Chortaïtes monastery (tenth/eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin orans with medallion of Christ before her. No sigla visible. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

ΣΦΡΑ
ΓΙΣΠΑΝΑ
ΓΝΟΥΤΗΣ
ΜΟΝΧΟΡ
ΤΑΙΤ

Σφραγὶς Πανάγνου τῆς μονῆς Χορταΐτου

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin orans with medallion of Christ before her. No sigla visible. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

ΣΦΡΑ
ΓΙΣΠΑΝΑ
ΓΝΟΥΤΗΣ
ΜΟΝΧΟΡ
ΤΑΙΤ

Σφραγὶς Πανάγνου τῆς μονῆς Χορταΐτου

Accession number BZS.1955.1.5027
Diameter 19.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 1, no. 27.1b.

Translation

Σφραγὶς Πανάγνου τῆς μονῆς Χορταΐτου.

Seal of the All-holy Chortaïtes Monastery.

Commentary

This is a correct twelve-syllable verse.

Of the other specimens of this seal as published in DO 1, 27.1, the earlier group, (a) and this specimen, presents similarities in the distribution of the inscription. Similarities also exist between (c) and (d). It is remarkable that in each group we have one large and one small boulloterion, and that the blanks used for the two larger specimen, (a) and (d), seem to come from the same mold (cf. their weights) despite the time span separating them.

The monastery of the Virgin of Chortaïtes was located northeast of Thessalonica on the mountain of the same name. Laurent has shown that the monastery was in existence before the Fourth Crusade, and the seals show that it certainly existed before the eleventh century. Cf. Laurent, Corpus V/2, 164-65 and no. 1242.

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)