Nicholas III Grammatikos, patriarch of Constantinople (1084–1111)
Obverse
The Mother of God, seated on a backless throne, holding Christ on her knees. At left and right, sigla MP-ΘV: Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of eight lines. Border of dots.
ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ
ΕΛΕΘΥΑΡΧ,
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΣ
ΚΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝ
ΠΟΛΕΣΝΕΑΣ
ΡΜΗΣΚΑΙΟΙ
ΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚ,
ΠΡΙΑΡΧ
Νικόλαος ἐλέῳ Θ(εο)ῦ ἀρχ(ι)επίσκοπος Κωνσταντ(ι)νουπόλεως Νέας Ῥώμης καὶ οἰκουμενικ(ὸς) π(ατ)ριάρχ(ης).
Obverse
The Mother of God, seated on a backless throne, holding Christ on her knees. At left and right, sigla MP-ΘV: Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of eight lines. Border of dots.
ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ
ΕΛΕΘΥΑΡΧ,
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΣ
ΚΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝ
ΠΟΛΕΣΝΕΑΣ
ΡΜΗΣΚΑΙΟΙ
ΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚ,
ΠΡΙΑΡΧ
Νικόλαος ἐλέῳ Θ(εο)ῦ ἀρχ(ι)επίσκοπος Κωνσταντ(ι)νουπόλεως Νέας Ῥώμης καὶ οἰκουμενικ(ὸς) π(ατ)ριάρχ(ης).
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.314 (formerly DO 58.106.314) |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 35.0 mm; field: 30.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 6, no. 121.1; for similar specimens, see Laurent, Corpus 5.1: no. 21 and N. Zekos, “Βυζαντινά μολυβδόβουλλα του μουσείου Κομοτηνής,” SBS 2 (1990): 175–76, no. 7 (found at Maroneia). Cf. Galavaris, “Thokos,” no. 24. |
Translation
Νικόλαος ἐλέῳ Θεοῦ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Νέας Ῥώμης καὶ οἰκουμενικὸς πατριάρχης.
Nicholas, by the mercy of God, archbishop of Constantinople, the New Rome, and ecumenical patriarch.
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)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
- The Representation of the Virgin and Child on a ‘Thokos’ on Seals of the Constantinopolitan Patriarchs (Open in Zotero)
- Les personnages byzantins de l’Alexiade: Analyse prosopographique et synthèse (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Eustratios’s successor, Nicholas Kyrdiniates, nicknamed Grammatikos, was originally from Antioch of Pisidia. He studied in the capital at the patriarchal school of St. Peter and afterward was ordained a deacon. Prior to his elevation to the patriarchal throne he was a member of the monastic community of St. John Prodromos of Lophadion, where his remains eventually came to be interred. Among other noteworthy actions, he consecrated Ephraim as metropolitan of Kiev and served as judge at the synod of 1094, which condemned Leo of Chalcedon. See Skoulatos, Personnages, 253–56.