History of archaeological excavations Archaeological analysis of architecture History of architecture a b s t r a c tThe team has considered the special status of the Basilica of Bethlehem, which is not just a monument of outstanding historic and artistic importance, but also and fundamentally a holy place, that has long been and is still perceived as a memorial site, marking the place of Christ's birth and transcribing into a sacred topography the main events of the Gospel narratives. Because of such a peculiarity, the team considered that it was indispensable to analyze the Basilica of Bethlehem from different viewpoints, namely those of archaeological and historical research. The historical approach aims at understanding the centuries-old development of the holy site as a ritual space and the materialized expression of holiness, the ways in which it has been perceived and used, and the messages that it was meant to convey to its beholders. It combines the findings of previous archaeological research with the data provided by the analysis of written evidence, including old textual sources about the Basilica (especially chronicles and pilgrims'accounts). For the archaeological study of the Basilica of the Nativity, we used the methodology of its investigation of the Archeology of Architecture. Stratigraphical analysis was carried out in relation to various portions of the church walls, as well as in relation to the buildings that make up the whole complex, in order to understand the dynamics of major changes in the structure in its entirety. Direct analysis of evidence from the walls was supported by the reading of existing literature and historical maps with particular reference to the plans of the church.These tools of investigation have been applied to the analysis of the church in its entirety, including its underground cavities.

The present paper offers some thoughts on the complex issue of Italianate elements in Cretan icon painting by emphasizing the extent to which they can be considered to stem from motifs worked out in the mid-to-late fourteenth century in the wider, fluid space between Venice and the Eastern Mediterranean. It focuses on a cluster of Marian panels that, on account of their mixed Byzantine and Western character, have been hitherto confined to the margins of art-historical research and improperly labeled as works of a so-called “Adriatic” school. The critical reassessment of these works illuminates the ways in which innovative compositional, iconographic, and stylistic solutions were developed by masters well acquainted with both Palaiologan and Venetian art, and reproduced in a chain of replicas, some of which can be reasonably attributed to Cretan workshops.

<!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> <p>Το άρθρο εξετάζει τις τοιχογραφίες του ναού του Αγίου Γεωργίου του Εξορινού στην Αμμόχωστο της Κύπρου, που χρονολογείται στον 14ο αιώνα και θεωρείτο κατά παράδοση ναός Νεστοριανών. Οι σωζόμενες τοιχογραφίες φέρουν συριακές επιγραφές και χαρακτηρίζονται από σαφή αντιπαράθεση στοιχείων αραβο-χριστιανικών, βυζαντινών παλαιολόγειων και ιταλο-γοτθικών. Μπορούν να θεωρηθούν έργο διαφόρων καλλιτεχνών που εργάστηκαν ανάμεσα στο 1300 περίπου και στις τελευταίες δεκαετίες του αιώνα για μια κοινότητα Μαρονιτών ή Μελκιτών Σύριων που συνδέονταν με τη Φραγκική οικογένεια των <span lang="en-US">Gibelet</span>, παλαιών ηγεμόνων του <span lang="en-US">Jbail</span> (Λίβανος).</p>

No abstract

Il presente articolo riprende la questione, già ampiamente dibattuta, della diffusione pressoché contemporanea in diverse aree del Mediterraneo verso la fine del secolo XIII del tema iconografico della Madonna che stende un lembo del suo velo sopra una o più figure di supplicanti. Si propone di leggerlo come una versione in chiave individuale del tema noto come "Madonna della Misericordia" e di ricercarne le origini non tanto in une deviazione iconografica dalla tradizione armena, bizantina o italiana, bensì in una sensibilità religiosa condivisa che vede nell'immagine sacra uno strumento di espressione dell'ansia individuale per la propria sorte nel mondo a venire. Viene illustrata la dinamica dei gesti che trova espressione nelle testimonianze figurative attraverso la testimonianza offerta da un testo poco noto, la Vita della beata Gherardesca da Pisa (c. 1212-1269), che descrive numerose visioni in cui avevano luogo contatti ravvicinati e forme di interazione diretta tra un singolo e i suoi interlocutori celesti.