The church of St.
Panteleimon near Skopje was built in 12th century. It was Yugoslavia
not so long ago, now the country is called Macedonia and its people
speak a Slav language called Macedonian. In the12th
century this was Byzantium and the people spoke a Greek dialect also
called Macedonian.
The murals in the
church of St. Panteleimon are clearly mediaeval but I haven't found
any proper book on the subject (not in a language I would understand,
anyway). The paintings are clearly in two very different styles.
There are even the same Biblical scenes painted in two different
styles. Today they are uncovered and can be seen next to each other
but it is quite likely that they were not created at the same time.
The paintings with a lot of blue and green colours are supposed to
have been painted just after the church was built, in the 12th
century and considered to be in what is called 'the linear style'. I
haven't found any info about the paintings in yellow-purple colours.
They seem to me to be in the so called 'Paleologue style', which was
used later (14th century). This style is much more
dynamic and expressive. This is just a guess, I am not a specialist
in the subject of Greek icon painting.
The church of St Panteleimon near Skopje |
The church of St Panteleimon near Skopje - interior |
Murals inside the church of St Panteleimon near Skopje |
Transfiguration in linear style |
Raising of Lasarus in linear style |
Transfiguration in Paleologue style |
Raising of Lasarus in Paleologue stule |
Agony at Gethsemane in Paleologue style |
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