International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Maja D. Stojković
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philology, Belgrade, Serbia; 
[e-mail]
Serbian-Byzantine Cultural Heritage and Modern Drama 
(
Kraljeva jesen
by Milutin Bojić or the Triumph of a Victim)
The main objective of this paper is an overview of the basic aspects of the appearance of 
the Serbian-Byzantine heritage in our modern drama through all the creative transitions and 
transformations. On the example of 
Kraljeva jesen
by Milutin Bojić, using literary-historical, literary-
theoretical and cultural method, we will prove that our modern writers searched for the essence and 
meaning in past epochs, out of which the most inspiring for the writers of the 20
th
century was the 
epoch of Serbian Middle Ages, whose presence is felt in the topics, motives, genres and other literary 
procedures. Relationship towards this epoch and its spiritual-cultural heritage represents an important 
segment in our pursuit of establishing integrity in the construction of national identity and also speaks 
about the transformation of traditional into modern, which implies a certain continuity of national 
being constituted on the Serbian-Byzantine heritage as “the fact of our own literary history”. Thus, this 
paper will indicate how modern ideas are formed on the base of history and myth represented in the 
European literary and cultural scene in the first decades of the 20
th
century.

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658
Hakan Yalap
Nevşehir Üniversitesi Yerleşkesi Eğitim Fakültesi, Nevsehir, Turkey; 
[e-mail]
Early Christian Church Art, Byzantine Frescos and Cappadocia
Cappadocia is in central Turkey. After the eruption of Mount Erciyes about 2,000 years ago, 
ash and lava formed soft rocks in the Cappadocia Region, covering a region of about 20,000 km2. 
The softer rock was eroded by wind and water, leaving the hard cap rock on top of pillars, forming 
the present day fairy chimneys.
Cappadocia means the Land of Beautiful Horses in Persian language. This area’s history start 
from Paleolithic period to modern Turkey. Also this history incluiding in Hittities, Phrygian, Persian, 
Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman period. By this way Cappadocia had been important trade, 
culture and art bridges from east to west with Silk Road where was ameeting area for different 
philosophies and religions. So first Christians had left Jerusalem in the 2
nd
century AD passed from 
Antakya to Central Anatolia, Cappadocia.
Early Christians facing the oppression of the Roman Emperors, found refuge against raids 
in the subterannean cities of the Cappadocia. Cappadocia had rich with soft rock that allowed the 
excavation of elaborate dwellings, food stores and churches. It has been claimed that there were 
more than one thousand churches in Cappadocia.
This essay will be focused on early christianity and Byzantine frescos that on the wall of the 
rock churches in the Cappadocia. These churches contain many examples of Byzantine art from the 
post-iconoclastic period.
It can be seen very colourfully and realistic frescoes to understand early christianity life, 
religion rules and classical Byzantine art philosophy from Elmalı Church, Barbara Church, Yılanlı 
Church, Karanlık Church etc.