Zbornik radova Vizantoloskog instituta 2013 Issue 50-1, Pages: 367-388
https://doi.org/10.2298/ZRVI1350367M
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On the threshold of certainty: The incredulity of Thomas in the narthex of the katholikon of the Hosios Loukas monastery
Milanović Ljubomir (Institute for Byzantine Studies of the SASA, Belgrade)
The katholikon of the Hosios Loukas monastery, built around the first quarter
of the eleventh century, has a narthex with a mosaic decoration on its west
side. The Incredulity of Thomas is included amongst the scenes of the
Passion. This paper examines the iconographic, liturgical, and dogmatic roles
of the Incredulity within the context of the overall program and the liminal
space of the narthex. This monumental representation evidences how depictions
of the Incredulity engaged with changing beliefs concerning the senses and
faith. In particular, I focus on the implications of the believer’s
bi-directional movement through the narthex on entering and exiting the
church. Iconographically, the representation of a door behind Christ and His
wound are understood as symbolic conformation of His divine nature and a
marker of the path believers should follow to attain salvation. As a
confirmation of Christ’s dual nature, the Incredulity of Thomas is read in
relation to funerary and Eucharistic contexts as relating to the narthex of
Hosios Loukas.
Keywords: The Incredulity of Thomas, Hosios Loukas, touch, narthex, dual nature, faith, liminality
Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177032:
Tradition, innovation and identity in the Byzantine world