International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Elena-Dana Prioteasa
Institute of Archaeology and History of Art, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 
[e-mail]
Greek-Rite Churches in Medieval Hungary: 
Observations on the Iconography of Two Sanctuaries
This communication analyzes the iconography of the sanctuaries of the Orthodox church of 
St. Nicholas at Ribița (Hunedoara County) and the Orthodox church of the Dormition of the Virgin 
at Hălmagiu (Arad County). In the Middle Ages, they were situated in the Hungarian kingdom, in 
the Zaránd County, close to the border with the Transylvanian voivodate. The paintings may be 
dated to the early fifteenth century in the case of Ribița and to around 1400 or the first decades of 
the fifteenth century in the case of Hălmagiu. The style of the paintings is of Byzantine tradition at 
Ribița and International Gothic at Hălmagiu. Both churches were of the Greek rite and their patrons 
were local knezes or voivodes, who had relatively limited economic resources. The paintings have 
been partially preserved or uncovered, but the iconographic programs of the sanctuaries can largely 
be reconstructed and are similar in the two churches. The iconography shows some deviations from 
the late Byzantine “canons.” Some of them are due to the rectangular plan of the sanctuary, the 
absence of a dome in the naos, and the influence of Western art. Particular iconographic details 
may be interpreted against the local religious and political background. For example, a special scene 
showing St. Nicholas officiating and defeating a heretic (Arius) was painted in both churches on 
the south wall of the sanctuary. The depiction, which is similar to that of the Vision of St. Peter of 
Alexandria, is a statement of orthodoxy and could be related to a real heretical threat. However, the 
regional social, political, and ecclesiastical context hardly supports the interpretation of this scene 
and other details of the program at Hălmagiu as carrying an anti-Latin message, as it has been 
proposed in the past. Also, the image of a saint depicted using the Western iconography of the Apostle 
Bartholomew, flayed and carrying his skin, next to the prothesis niche at Hălmagiu may suggest that 
some Christians of the Greek-rite had knowledge about certain aspects of Bartholomew’s Latin cult. 
At the same time, the iconography of the lower registers of the two sanctuaries asserts adherence to 
the Greek-rite liturgy and the orthodox faith. The period when the churches were painted was one 
of tolerance towards the Greek-rite Christians in Hungary and interest in the union of Churches, 
mainly due to the increasing Ottoman threat. The donors of the paintings were landowners with 
limited privileges, aspired to full nobility, had military duties, and lived close to the southeastern 
borders of Hungary. To sum it up, the special iconographic features of the two sanctuaries fit well 
into the historical picture of this, from many points of view, peripheral society, characterized by 
increased religious tolerance, focus on common enemy, and matching interests.

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