International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Elizabeta Dimitrova
University Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia; 
[e-mail]
Ars Viva of Macedonia Paleocristiana. 
Byzantine Frescoes in the Episcopal Basilica at Stobi
As a representative Episcopal see, the Late Antique metropolis of Stobi grew into a religious 
center of the Roman province of Macedonia Secunda right after the promulgation of the Edict 
of Milan in 313. The intensive development of the Christian community which followed the date 
when the town obtained its Episcopal status is reflected in the rich architectural production of sacral 
edifices, out of which the Episcopal basilica stands out with its monumental dimensions, as well as 
with the multi-layered fresco decoration tragically devastated and at present-day preserved only in 
fragments. However, the ornamental elements, as well as the partially preserved scenes, comprise 
the inventive and highly exciting visual panorama that once embellished the walls of the Episcopal 
temple and the interior of the quatrefoil Baptistery With the striking iconographic constellation of 
the themes, the inventive symbolic explication of the visual concept and the remarkable stylistic 
qualities of their execution, these frescoes are creative witnesses to the continuous process of creation 
of the artistic décor within the Episcopal complex throughout the 4
th
century. In that regard, we have 
determined the four consecutive phases of painterly decoration of the edifice applied in the course 
of the 4
th
century and examined their iconographic features, which range from traditional Early 
Christian motifs to highly exclusive artistic vistas, never before depicted in the fresco ensembles 
of Early Christianity. In that context, the iconographic analysis encompasses the following layers: 
1. the graphic design of the lowest register of the walls created in the first quarter of the 4
th
century, 
2. the newly identified Old Testament subjects illustrated in the second register of the decorative 
arrangement in the mid-4
th
century, 3. the baptismally configured scenes depicted a couple of decades 

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later, and 4. the unparalleled genre sights represented towards the close of the 4
th
century, as well as 
the Christological compositions glamorously arranged in the accompanying Baptistery. In regard to 
the style, their soft drawing, the well-balanced configuration of the masses, the tonal modellation 
of the forms, as well as the harmonious accords of the warm palette of colors reflect the delicate 
painterly qualities of the representative artistic creation of the 4
th
century Macedonia Paleocristiana. 
The coherent dualism of the contour and its plastic “substance” in the treatment of the depicted 
forms, the individualization of the represented images, as well as the proportional distribution of 
the chromatic nuances in the modellation of the facial volumes make these frescoes similar to the 
recognizable visual qualities of the artistic production of the metropolitan painterly ateliers.