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The bishop of Kitros (eleventh/twelfth century)

 
 

Obverse

The Virgin turned toward right, hands extended upward. Sigla: ΜΡ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

ΤΟΝΤ
ΚΙΤΡΠΑ
ΝΑΓΝΕΠΟΙ
ΜΕΝΑΣΚΕ
ΠΟΙΣ

Τὸν τοῦ Κίτρου, Πάναγνε, ποιμένα σκέποις.

Obverse

The Virgin turned toward right, hands extended upward. Sigla: ΜΡ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

ΤΟΝΤ
ΚΙΤΡΠΑ
ΝΑΓΝΕΠΟΙ
ΜΕΝΑΣΚΕ
ΠΟΙΣ

Τὸν τοῦ Κίτρου, Πάναγνε, ποιμένα σκέποις.

Accession number BZS.1955.1.5043
Diameter 23.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 1, no. 24.2.
Illustrated in Laurent, Corpus V/1, no. 467.

Translation

Τὸν τοῦ Κίτρου, Πάναγνε, ποιμένα σκέποις.

All-holy One, may you protect the bishop of Kitros.

Commentary

Dodecasyllable. Both this seal and the two specimens published in DO Seals 1, no. 24.1 are seals of the bishops of Kitros that are essentially anonymous. They are identical except for the image of the Virgin that turns toward the right on this seal and toward the left on DO Seals 1, no. 24.1.

Modern Kitros is southwest of Thessalonica. The see was in existence at least by the late ninth century; a bishop Germanos is known to have attended the council of 879 (DHGE 12 [1953] col. 998). It is regularly mentioned in episcopal lists up to the Fourth Crusade (cf. Laurent, Corpus V/1, 341).

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)