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Seal of the imperial monastery of (St. John) Prodromos τῆς Ἠρημίας (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of St. John Prodromos holding a long staff cross in his left hand. Inscription in two columns: |ι|Ν||Σο|πρ| : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ἰωάννης ὁ Πρ(ό)δ(ρομος). Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of six lines. Border of dots.

σφρ
γ/τησ/
μον/του
προρο
Μ/της..
ημι

Σφραγ(ὶς) τῆς β(ασιλικῆς) μον(ῆς) τοῦ Προδρόμ(ου) τῆς [Ἠρ]ημία(ς)

Obverse

Bust of St. John Prodromos holding a long staff cross in his left hand. Inscription in two columns: |ι|Ν||Σο|πρ| : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ἰωάννης ὁ Πρ(ό)δ(ρομος). Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of six lines. Border of dots.

σφρ
γ/τησ/
μον/του
προρο
Μ/της..
ημι

Σφραγ(ὶς) τῆς β(ασιλικῆς) μον(ῆς) τοῦ Προδρόμ(ου) τῆς [Ἠρ]ημία(ς)

Accession number BZS.1955.1.5070
Diameter 26.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 5 no. 43.1; Laurent, Corpus 5.3: no. 1944.

Translation

Σφραγὶς τῆς βασιλικῆς μονῆς τοῦ Προδρόμου τῆς Ἠρημίας.

Seal of the imperial monastery of (St. John) Prodromos τῆς Ἠρημίας.

Commentary

We have proposed the reading τῆς Ἠρημίας on the basis that the first letter after THC is an upright bar. Ἠρημία is most likely a toponym and is simply a variant spelling of Ἐρημία, "the wasteland," a quarter that Janin places within the walls of Constantinople and north of the Forum of Arcadius (CPbyz, 348; Églises, 113). This spelling variant is among those listed by Janin, and appears as well in a passage of the Syn. Eccl. CP. (col. 448): the text locates the synaxis of Patriarch Photios and its celebration of February 6 in the church of the holy prophet St. John the Baptist τὄντι ἐν τοῖς Ἠρημίας.

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)
  • Constantinople byzantin: dévelopment urbain et répertoire topographique (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)
  • Synaxarium ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae e codice Sirmondiano nunc Berolinensi (Open in Zotero)