Chora

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Mosaic Icon with the Dormition of the Virgin

Monastery of Chora (Kariye Camii), Constantinople, 1313–20
Photo: Dumbarton Oaks

As a metaphor of human salvation, the Dormition is frequently represented above the door on the western wall of Byzantine churches, as seen here. The distinguishing feature of this scene is that Mary’s soul is sitting on Christ’s arm, turning toward a bishop. The latter (left) reads Psalm 118, which was traditionally recited in the office of the dead. This iconographic feature, which appeared sometime in the early Palaiologan period, further emphasized the funerary aspect of the scene.

DEATH OF THE VIRGIN

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