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Christ Pantocrator of Saint Catherine's Monastery is one of the oldest Byzantine religious icons, dating from the 6th century AD. [1] The earliest known surviving depiction of Jesus Christ as Pantocrator (literally ruler of all ), it is regarded by historians and scholars among the most important and recognizable works in the study of Byzantine ...
The earliest known version of the standard depiction is in an apse mosaic at Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt, dating to the period of (and probably commissioned by) Justinian the Great, where the subject had a special association with the site, because of the meeting of Christ and [3] Moses, "the 'cult hero' of Mount Sinai".
The Church of Sinai owes its existence to the Monastery of the Transfiguration (better known as St. Catherine's Monastery). The monastery's origins are traced back to the Chapel of the Burning Bush that Constantine the Great's mother, Helena, had built over the site where Moses is supposed to have seen the burning bush.
Icon of the Deesis – St. Catherine's Monastery Sinai, 12th century Great Deesis with Prophets; 16th century; Walters Art Museum In Byzantine art, and in later Eastern Orthodox iconography generally, the Deësis or Deisis (/ d eɪ ˈ iː s ɪ s /, day-EE-siss; Greek: δέησις, "prayer" or "supplication") is a traditional iconic representation of Christ in Majesty or Christ Pantocrator ...
Christ Pantocrator mosaic in Byzantine style from the Cefalù Cathedral, Sicily. The most common translation of Pantocrator is "Almighty" or "All-powerful". In this understanding, Pantokrator is a compound word formed from the Greek words πᾶς, pas (GEN παντός pantos), i.e. "all" [4] and κράτος, kratos, i.e. "strength", "might", "power". [5]
The word Pantocrator defines Christ as the ruler and judge of heaven and earth. [6] The earliest known depiction of Christ as Christ Pantocrator (Sinai) was painted during the 6th century. The work of art is part of the collection of Saint Catherine's Monastery. Church domes became a common site of Pantocrator images in the Greek and Italian world.
The infant Christ is barely visible, traced by a gold mandorla or nimbus, upon the Virgin's upper body. Mary touches the baby in utero, with the same hand holding the red material, linking the Veil of the Temple to Christ. These iconographic details emphasize the theological rhetoric of the icon.
Byzantine art produced in the Imperial workshops of the Eastern Orthodox Church had a great influence over western depictions of religious figures, surpassing the traditional Graeco-Roman style. [19] Egypt, Sinai, Saint Catherine's Monastery. Portraits were mostly seen in icons, some using tesserae mosaic tiles, and in paintings a gold ground. [20]