Day Three

Saturday, September 12^th 2020

The third day of the 2020 Annual School of Byzantine Studies began with a lecture by Professor Athanasios Semoglou (“Aristotle” University of Thessaloniki), discussing the Iconographic Program of the Apse of Bălinești and the Impact of the Constantinopolitan Art in Moldavia. The architecture of the St Nicholas Church in Bălinești (Suceava County), built in the 15^th–16^th century, is unique in the period, and the monument is home to some of the richest and best-preserved fresco ensembles in the region. The exhaustive and well-researched analysis of the iconographic programme of the polygonal apse – featuring medallions of the 12 Apostles, the 16 Prophets and other scenes on its Western flank – bears a striking resemblance to the iconographic programmes of other churches found far to the south, in Constantinople and in Greece.

Due to technical difficulties, Lecturer Gina Scarlat’s lecture (“Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați) on The Activity of Sevastos Kiminitis in the Romanian Provinces („L’activité de Sevastos Kiminitis dans les Pays Roumains”) had to be rescheduled for 1pm Monday, September 14^th.

Professor Athanassios Semoglou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), The Iconographic Program of the Apse of Bălinești and the Impact of the Constantinopolitan Art in Moldavia (in English)