Christos is a 2nd year Greek and Roman Studies major with a minor in Archaeology.
Christos Zigoumis – Cunning Greeks: the Christian reinterpretation of Greek and Roman spolia in Greek churches and geographical trends of spoliation in Greece
Spolia is any material that has been deliberately taken from an older building and incorporated into a newer building. Within the context of the Graeco-Roman world, spolia is most typically prevalent in the form of classical Greek or Roman art and architecture incorporated in some way into churches. In my research, I will focus on spolia in Greece and the many hundreds of churches that contain them. I will attempt to map every example of spoliated churches in Greece, and discuss the geographical distributions of these churches, and why this may be the case, as well as any discrepancies. The three main reasons for using ancient artifacts and building materials in Greek churches are: practicality, aesthetic value, and ideological. I am particularly excited to explore the ideological role spolia played in Byzantine churches, and whether including spolia was more a form of damnatio memoriae (damnation of memory) or interpretatio Christiana (Christian interpretation). For example, early Christians seemed to have likened figures such as Heracles to that of Jesus, and Theseus to that of St. George, especially in art depicting them. However, some early Christians did deliberately destroy many classical monuments and statues, the fates of Delphi and other sanctuaries are popular examples. Where does spolia depicting classical art fit into this? Ancient Greek or Latin inscriptions are also relatively common spolia in Byzantine churches, I don’t believe that these were placed in churches for the sole purpose of building material. What do they say in the context of the churches they are in? How did Christians view and read these inscriptions? To answer these questions, I will deeply analyze three churches with a lot of significant spolia. I will also travel to Greece this summer to visit and photograph the churches I am to discuss. Spolia in Byzantine Greece shows the slow and eventual transformation of Greeks from the Ancient Greek religion to Christianity, at an interesting time when pagans and Christians lived alongside one another.
- Supervisor: Professor Laura Banducci
- Abstract