International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Tatjana Starodubcev
 
University of Novi Sad, Academy of Arts, Novi Sad, Serbia; 
[e-mail]
From Martyrs to Anargyroi. 
Saints Photios and Aniketos in the Eastern Orthodox Medieval Painting
Hermeneia of Dionysius of Fourna, composed around 1730 on Mount Athos, gives advice on 
how to paint saint anargyroi and includes Photios and Aniketos. The researches on the representations 
of holy healers pointed out that these two saints were seldom depicted. The Synaxarion of the Church 
of Constantinople notes that the commemoration on the martyrdom of the holy martyrs Photios 
and Aniketos was held on 12
th
August and describes their sufferings and death in Nikomedia during 
the reign of Diocletian.
They were usually represented as martyrs and placed among them. They rarely appeared 
together with holy doctors, represented as anargiroi at the time. Preserved examples can be found 
on Mount Athos – in the catholicon of the Pantocrator Monastery (between 1363 and 1380) and 
in the chapel of Holy Anargyroi in Vatopedi (before 1371). The frescoes in both monuments were 
repainted in the 19
th
century. However, cleaned fresco parts show that younger painters followed the 
patterns of original paintings. 
In order to attempt to answer the questions as to why the two saints were commonly depicted 
as martyrs and why they were sometimes painted as anargyroi although there was no mention of 
miraculous healings in the Synaxarion of the Church of Constantinople, the scriptures dedicated to 
them are analysed. These writings do not contain any data on their lives. On the other hand, tortures 
that they suffered were described in detail. Therefore, there is no indication that they healed people 
or were doctors during their lifetime.
Nevertheless, it can be concluded that their miraculous relics with healing powers were the 
reason why they appeared together with saint anargyroi later on and received all their characteristics, 
as preserved paintings from the second half of the 14
th
century on Mount Athos suggest. It can be 
assumed that the two Nicomedian saints were gradually introduced amongst holy healers by that 
time, and, as the advice of Hermeneia of Dionysius of Fourna testifies, that this custom became a 
common practice in fresco painting.

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