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Germanos III Markoutzas, patriarch of Constantinople (1265–66)

 
 

Obverse

The Mother of God, seated on a high-back throne. Details of scene indistinct. No epigraphy or border visible.

Reverse

Inscription of eight lines. No border visible.

.ΓΕΡΑΝΟΣ
ΕΛΕΩΘΥΑΡΧΙ
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΣΚΩΝ
ΑΝΤΝΙΠΟΛ.ΩΣ
ΝΕΑΣΡΩΜΗΣΚΑΙ.
ΜΕΝΗΚΟΣ
ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧ
ΗΣ

Γερμανὸς ἐλέῳ Θ(εο)ῦ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντνιουπόλ[ε]ως Νέας Ῥώμης καὶ [οἰ]κουμενηκὸς πατριάρχης.

Obverse

The Mother of God, seated on a high-back throne. Details of scene indistinct. No epigraphy or border visible.

Reverse

Inscription of eight lines. No border visible.

.ΓΕΡΑΝΟΣ
ΕΛΕΩΘΥΑΡΧΙ
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΣΚΩΝ
ΑΝΤΝΙΠΟΛ.ΩΣ
ΝΕΑΣΡΩΜΗΣΚΑΙ.
ΜΕΝΗΚΟΣ
ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧ
ΗΣ

Γερμανὸς ἐλέῳ Θ(εο)ῦ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντνιουπόλ[ε]ως Νέας Ῥώμης καὶ [οἰ]κουμενηκὸς πατριάρχης.

Accession number BZS.1958.106.311 (formerly DO 58.106.311)
Diameter 40.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 6, no. 125.1; Zacos, Seals 2: no. 38b (Germanos III); Laurent, Corpus 5.3: no. 1633 (Germanos II). Cf. Seibt’s review of Laurent’s Corpus 5 in ByzSl 35 (1974): no. 1633 and Galavaris, “Thokos,” no. 52 (p. 179).

Translation

Γερμανὸς ἐλέῳ Θεοῦ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντνιουπόλεως Νέας Ῥώμης καὶ οἰκουμενηκὸς πατριάρχης.

Germanos, by the grace of God, archbishop of Constantinople, the New Rome, and ecumenical patriarch.

Commentary

Note the interesting spelling mistakes: Κωνσταντνιουπόλ[ε]ως and [οἰ]κουμενηκός. We have preferred to assign this seal to Germanos III because the decoration of the Virgin’s throne is quite different than on seals attributed to Germanos II (see Zacos, Seals 2: no. 35).

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • The Representation of the Virgin and Child on a ‘Thokos’ on Seals of the Constantinopolitan Patriarchs (Open in Zotero)