Leontios bishop of Chimara (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding Christ. Sigla: ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines preceded and followed by decoration. Border of dots.
ΘΚΕ,Θ,
ΛΕΟΝΤΙ
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠ
ΧΙΜΡΑΣ
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Λεοντίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Χιμάρας
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding Christ. Sigla: ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines preceded and followed by decoration. Border of dots.
ΘΚΕ,Θ,
ΛΕΟΝΤΙ
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠ
ΧΙΜΡΑΣ
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Λεοντίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Χιμάρας
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4657 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 23.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 15.1a. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Λεοντίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Χιμάρας.
Theotokos, help Leontios bishop of Chimara.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Sceaux byzantins du musée de Constantinople (Open in Zotero)
- Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Chimara, a seacoast town located in present-day Albania to the northwest of Argyrokastron, may have been established as an episcopal see as early as the tenth century, but the first dated reference is found in the sigillion of May 1020, reaffirming the privileges of the archbishopric of Achrida: see Gelzer, in BZ 2 (1893) 45,18. At some point after the reign of Basil II, Chimara became attached to the see of Naupaktos (see Darrouzès, Notitiae, no. 10, line 541).