O martyr, you wellspring of myrrh, may you protect the eparch and kaisar Nikephoros Komnenos.
The faith of Sergios presents this sacred vessel of Demetrios’s blood with holy oil (myrrh); he asks you, along with the two martyrs and champions, for deliverance in life and in death.
The shrine of St. Demetrios in Thessalonike was renowned throughout the Byzantine world for the oil (myrrh) that exuded from the saint’s relics held there. Using images and inscriptions, the seal of Nikephoros Komnenos and the reliquary commissioned by Sergios both link their owners to St. Demetrios and to the protective and curative powers of this precious oil.
Image Sources
- Seal of Nikephoros Komnenos governor of Constantinople (eparch) and kaisar (twelfth century). BZS.1955.1.4042
- St. Demetrios reliquary (thirteenth century, early). Enamel on gold. BZ.1953.20
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