Eustratios monk and presbyteros of the Kosmidion (twelfth/thirteenth century)
Obverse
Inscription of three lines followed by decoration. Circle of pellets within a double border of dots.
Κ̅Ε̅Βο
ηθειτ͂
σ͂ο Ύ
Κ(ύρι)ε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλ(ῳ)
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.
ευστρα
ΤΙΑΚΕ
ΒΥ.ΚΜ
Ίου
Εὐστρατίου (μον)αχ(οῦ) κ(αὶ) πρε(σ)βυτ(έρου) [τ]οῦ Κ(οσ)μιδίου
Obverse
Inscription of three lines followed by decoration. Circle of pellets within a double border of dots.
Κ̅Ε̅Βο
ηθειτ͂
σ͂ο Ύ
Κ(ύρι)ε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλ(ῳ)
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.
ευστρα
ΤΙΑΚΕ
ΒΥ.ΚΜ
Ίου
Εὐστρατίου (μον)αχ(οῦ) κ(αὶ) πρε(σ)βυτ(έρου) [τ]οῦ Κ(οσ)μιδίου
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.2095 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 21.0 mm; field: 18.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 5 no. 39.2; Laurent, Corpus 5.2: no. 1146. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Εὐστρατίου μοναχοῦ καὶ πρεσβυτέρου τοῦ Κοσμιδίου.
Lord, help your servant Eustratios monk and presbyteros of the Kosmidion.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 5: The East (continued), Constantinople and Environs, Unknown Locations, Addenda, Uncertain Readings (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- La géographie ecclésiastique de l’empire byzantin, Vol. 1, Le siège de Constantinople et le patriarcat oecuménique, Pt. 3, Les églises et les monastères (Open in Zotero)
- On the Cult of Saints Cosmas and Damian at Constantinople (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
According to Janin (Églises, 286) the extramural church of the Kosmidion was built by a certain Paulinus, an intimate of Thedosios II. He places the Kosmidion on the western side of Eyüp, on the hillside bordering the sea. Mango, however, is dubious (see his "on the Cult of the Saints Cosmas and Damian at Constantinople," 189–192). In line with the sources (see the Chronicon pashale, Bonn ed., 713.9–10), he places it ἐν Βλαχέρναις. Since the Blachernae and the Kosmidion shared a healing bath (lousma), he favors locating the church of the Kosmidion on a hill just outside the Blachernae walls. He is inclined to attribute the construction of the church to about 480 and to Paulina, the mother of the usurper Leontios (484–488). The Avars destroyed the church in the siege of 626.
When the monastery was erected is not known. Janin places it in the sixth century. This seal shows that a monastery at Kosmidion was functioning in the eleventh century. It may belong to the period when Michael IV (1034–1041) added a bath and had the grounds renewed with a garden. He refurbished the church and had it adorned with marbles and mosaics (Janin, Églises, 287).
Laurent misread the seal and dated it much too early. It is evident from the presence of accent marks (circumflex and acute) and the use of a double loop beta that the seal dates from at least the twelfth century.