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Michael bishop of Glavinitza (tenth/eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin orans with medallion of Christ on her breast. Sigla: ̅..: Μήτηρ Θεο. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines, the final two letters between bars. Border of dots.

ΚΕ̅,Θ,
..ΧΑΗΛΕ
ΠΙΣΚΟΠΟ
Τ⸣ΓΛΑΙ
ΝΙ,

Κύριε βοήθει Μιχαὴλ ἐπισκόπο τῆς Γλαβινίτζης

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin orans with medallion of Christ on her breast. Sigla: ̅..: Μήτηρ Θεο. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines, the final two letters between bars. Border of dots.

ΚΕ̅,Θ,
..ΧΑΗΛΕ
ΠΙΣΚΟΠΟ
Τ⸣ΓΛΑΙ
ΝΙ,

Κύριε βοήθει Μιχαὴλ ἐπισκόπο τῆς Γλαβινίτζης

Accession number BZS.1955.1.4660
Diameter 18.0 mm; field: 14.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 1, no. 17.1.

Translation

Κύριε βοήθει Μιχαὴλ ἐπισκόπο τῆς Γλαβινίτζης.

Lord, help Michael bishop of Glavinitza.

Commentary

At the beginning of line 4 (rev.), the engraver joined in ligature Τ and Γ (with the result that the grouping looks like ΠΤ).

Glavinitza, situated between Durazzo and Valona (cf. Zakythinos, Mélétai 21 [1951] 200-201), is mentioned as a suffragan bishopric of Ohrid in Basil II's sigillion of 1020, but later was attached to Dyrrachion, as indicated by the notitiae episcopatuum (Darrouzès, Notitiae, 330, line 616). Apart from the Michael of Glavinitza attested here, the name of no other occupant of the episcopal throne is known before the fifteenth century. However the see was properly organized, and one of its officials, a μέγας σακελλάριος, copied cod. Panteleïmon 13 [5519] in the year 1288/9 (Fl. Evangelatou-Notara, Συλλογὴ χρονολογημένων σημειωμάτων Ἑλληνικῶν κωδίκων [Athens, 1984] 138).

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)
  • Μελέται περὶ τῆς διοικητικῆς διαιρέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπαρχιακῆς διοικήσεως ἐν τῷ βυζαντινῷ κράτει (Open in Zotero)
  • Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Open in Zotero)
  • Συλλογὴ χρονολογημένων “σημειωμάτων” ἑλληνικῶν κωδίκων 13ος αι (Open in Zotero)