Le monastère du Pantocrator à Constantinople : le typikon et le monument

Abstract

The typikon of Constantinople's Pantocrator monastery provides information about the church's topography, architecture, mosaics, and paintings, as well as about some of its icons. The Eleousa church, in contrast, cannot be seen just as a monastic church: it has a secular clergy, and its entrance doors seem to be outside the monastic precinct. Very little information is available about the decoration of both churches and about the mausoleum dedicated to saint Michael that lies between them. A few scenes are mentioned, but only in relation to their lighting. Possible locations for these scenes are suggested, but in an unexpected way — and not without some points of comparison: the Last Supper and the Washing of the Feet were situated in the sanctuary. More individual images are quoted, but even if they are generally called eikones, only some of them are what today would be called icons, i.e., representations of holy figures and scenes on wood panels. Most of these eikones are painted on walls or on pillars, principally on the pillars framing the sanctuary where, in fact, are proskyneseis.