International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Stavroula Dadaki
Ephorate of Antiquities of Kavala-Thaos, Kavala, Greece; 
[e-mail]
Sofia Kapeti
International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece; 
[e-mail]
The Family Portrait of the Kralj of Serbia Stefan Dušan 
at the Monastery of St John the Forerunner in Serres
The monastery of St John the Forerunner was founded in the second half of the 13
th
century 
by Ioannikios, a monk on Mount Athos who was from Serres. It is located outside the city of Serres, 
on Mountain Menoikion.
The Serbian ruler Stefan Uroš IV Dušan conquered the city of Serres on the 25
th
of September 
of the year 1345, after a long siege. He conquered a large and wondrous city’ as written by Ioannes 
Kantakouzenos
The Serbian king Stefan Dušan after the capture of Serres established himself as the most 
powerful ruler in the Balkan Peninsula. He also reasonably expected to rise in the hierarchy of the 
orthodox kings and eventually replace the Byzantine Emperor. Within this ideological framework, 
he declared himself emperor initially in the city of Serres and a few months later he received the title 
of emperor of Serbia and Romania at a formal ceremony. This was the title he used from then on in 
all documents he issued in Greek.
Under this light, he exercised his authority at the Monastery of St John in Serres as well. 
Originally he confiscated much of the land property owned by the monastery, but afterwards he 
returned it with the addition of new donations and privileges. The latter were confirmed with an 
official decree (chrysoboullon) in November of the year 1345.
In November 1371, the later Emperor Manouel II Palaeologus recaptured Serres ending the 
power of the Serbs in the region after 26 years. The city was occupied by the Ottomans in 1383.
The Greek Ephorate of Antiquities of Kavala and Thasos with funding from the European Union 
funds (NSRF program 2007-2013) has recently completed a conservation project of the wall paintings 
of the main church (katholikon). As part of this project, the early 19
th
century overpainting covering 
the second narthex from the west (otherwise known as mesonyktikon) and the nave was removed.
The removal of the newer overpainting, revealed a single mural layer, which can be dated, 
based on an inscription, to 1616 in the case of the mesonyktikon and 1615 in the case of the nave.
It was also established that the newest pictorial layer was absolutely identical with the older 
one, except in the case of the south wall of the mesonyktikon, just where the historical evidence 
placed the panel of Stefan Dušan.
The 1805 layer depicted a winged St John the Baptist in frontal view in the middle, the founder 
Ioannes on his right and Saint Spyridon on his left. After the removal of the overpainting, underneath 
the image of St John the Baptist and Saint Spyridon, the inscribed imperial family portrait of the 
Serbian ruler was revealed.

---

640
The iconographic type of the composition and also the title of the Serbian ruler as King 
Emperor Faithful in Christ the God express the Byzantine state ideology of God given kingship.
The composition is completed with the image of the founder Ioannes-Ioakeim at the eastern 
end of the wall, which, however, belongs to an older layer. It was found just below the image of 
the founder of the 1805 layer, but in a slightly different position. The figure of the older layer is 
facing right and holds a church model in his hands. Below the images of the Serbian Kings we can 
distinguish part of the horizontal element of a right wing, the tip a left wing and the inscription ‘IN 
THESSALONIKI’ at the west end of the wall.
The panel can therefore be identified with the founder of the monastery, Ioannis-Ioakeim, 
offering the model of the main church (katholikon) to the honoured Saint John the Forerunner, who 
occupies the middle of the composition. Based on the inscription, ‘IN THESSALONIKI’ we assume 
the figure of Saint David in Thessaloniki on the right.
The similarity of the two-color background with the rest of the revealed wall-paintings of the 
mesonyktikon dates the composition of the Founder with Saint John and David to the painting layer 
of 1616.
Based on the succession of the painting layers, the family portrait of Dušan is dated between 
1616 and 1815, when first mentioned by the French Consul Cousinery. The relatively few stylistic 
observations that can be drawn lead to the conclusion that the composition departs from the Byzantine 
tradition and is related more with the artistic tendencies of the second half of the 18
th
century.
The dating of the composition to the second half of the 18
th
century raises new questions 
regarding the choice of the subject matter in this particular period and the relationship of the 
monastery with the Serbian ruler as preserved in the oral tradition.