Nikephoros bishop of Belebouzdion (eleventh century)
Obverse
A bust (of St. Nikephoros) holding a small martyr's cross. No inscription visible. Border of dots.
Obverse
A bust (of St. Nikephoros) holding a small martyr's cross. No inscription visible. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines, final two letters between bars. Border of dots.
ΘΚΕ,.
ΝΙΚΗΦΟ.
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠ
ΕΛΕ
ΣΔ,
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Νικηφόρῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Βελεβουσδίου
Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4663 |
---|---|
Diameter | 17.0 mm |
Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 31.2a. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Νικηφόρῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Βελεβουσδίου.
Theotokos, help Nikephoros bishop of Belebouzdion.
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 fonds Coislin (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
This specimen is very similar but comes from a different boulloterion than BZS.1958.106.153.
As Laurent suggested, it is not impossible that the owner of this seal is Nikephoros of Belebouzdion who signed codex Coislin 72 in 1071-72: R. Devreesse, Le fonds Coislin, 64.
Belebouzdion, the Slavic name of modern Köstendil, was a suffragan bishopric of Ohrid. Cf. Laurent, Corpus V/2, 329.