International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Nebojša Stanković
Princeton University, Princeton NJ, United States; 
[e-mail]
Phialai on Mount Athos in the Middle Byzantine Period: 
Some Observations on Their Location, Setting, and Use
Phialē
or, occasionally, 
hagiasma
is a water receptacle most commonly fashioned as stone bowel 
and used for the Blessing of Waters. On Mount Athos, it is customarily set within a baldachin-like 
kiosk, also called 
phialē
, in the monastery’s yard. The oldest such
 phialē
, that of Vatopedi, dates 
to the mid-14
th
century. The one at the Great Lavra, although constructed in 1635, most probably 
replaces and reproduces the original one from 1060. Therefore, an outdoor 
phialē
seems to have 
been a standard feature of an Athonite monastery complex from the very beginning. However, it is 
very likely that another water font was housed within the narthex or 
exonarthex
. That is suggested 
by archaeological and artistic evidence. Many other similar examples outside Mount Athos, set in 
the narthex area, were sole installations for the Blessing of Waters. They date from the 12
th
to 14
th
century, which suggests a somewhat later development. 
The Athonite outdoor 
phialē
is located in the area between the church’s entrance and the 
refectory, conveniently positioned for certain ritual actions and processions. On the other hand, the 
phialē
at the Great Lavra features an 11
th
-century bronze water spout and this opens the question: 
did 
phialai
always include the supply of running water and was that another reason to have them 
installed outside the church? There are several Athonite examples that are directly associated with 
a well or water cistern. This certainly secured constant inflow of water. Moreover, the placing of a 
cistern under an open, paved yard would enable and facilitate its maintenance and repairs. 
Beyond these technical reasons, there were some functional, symbolical, and historical aspects 
involved too. A fountain was a common asset of the atrium of an Early Byzantine church, supplying 
water for preparatory ablutions. Important early churches that continue to use 
phialai
in their atria 

---

415
in the Middle Byzantine period, now solely for the Blessing of Waters, and may have set an example 
for church planning of the time are the Hagia Sophia and, even more relevant for the monastic 
usage, the Stoudion. Moreover, the use of a fountain with running water located in the yard did 
not result from a mere convenience of the preexisting facility’s presence, since there is an incentive 
imminent to the ritual to go outside and to evoke benediction upon the entire nature through the 
blessing of waters. In that sense, even the setting of a 
phialē
in the narthex and staging the ritual 
there was viewed as if it had been performed outside the church. Practical concerns, such as limited 
space in the yard, inconvenient local climate, and lack of resources, may have accounted towards 
this solution. However, the migration of the holy water to the narthex area was acceptable only due 
to the symbolical dimension ascribed to this part of the church, that of the earthly realm. 
On Mount Athos, only a few narthex fonts have been preserved and seem to be only secondary 
to those of the outdoor 
phialai
. Therefore, I argue that the Athonite standard comprised a major 
facility for the Great Blessing of Waters on Epiphany located in the yard and a container of the 
holy water kept in the narthex. The latter may also have been used for the Lesser Blessing and, 
only incidentally (e.g. in case of inclement weather), for the Great Blessing. However, its primary 
function was the storing of the holy water after it had been blessed at the 
phialē
in the courtyard and 
making it available for consumption after the communion.