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Glossary of terms used on the Neobyzantine Web Site

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Β Γ Δ Θ Η Λ Ξ Π Ρ Σ Φ Χ Ψ Ω

Б В Д Ђ Ж З И Ј Л Н Њ Љ П Р С Т Ћ У Ф Х Ц Ч Џ Ш

Й Щ Ы Я Ю Э

Augusteus (Αυγουστευς): A hall for the appointments and processions of the Old Palace of Constantine (the Δάφνη Palace)
Abbasid dynasty: The Arabic family, descended from 'Abbas (uncle of Muhammad), which ruled the Arab empire from 749 to 1258 and had its capital at Baghdad. Rival Muslim leaders helped to weaken the power of the 'Abbasid, who fled to Egypt after they were finally overthrown in 1258 by the Mongols.
Anastasis: (Greek, "resurrection") This is the representation of Christ bursting the gates of hell and releasing Old Testament figures said to have believed in him. One of the festival icons, it is also the Easter image of the Orthodox Church.
Apocrypha: (Greek, "hidden things") These are works that in their title, form, and contents resemble books of the Old and New Testaments, but that are not accepted as true biblical books.
Apse: A part of a building projecting outward, usually semicircular in shape. When it is part of a church, it is located at the eastern end.
Ascension: Part of the Festival icons, this is the image of Christ going up to heaven with the apostles as witnesses. It follows the account of the Ascension in Acts 1:11.
Augustus (Augusta): Title of the Roman emperor (empress), used first by Julius Caesar (27 b.c.-a.d. 14)

Baldachin: Architectural canopy supported by slender columns marking and enclosing a specific spot in the church, usually the altar.
Battle of the Milvian Bridge: Constantine's crucial victory over his rival for the Roman Empire, Maxentius, in 312, won under the sign of the Christian cross, which paved the way for the Roman Empire to become Christianized.
Cappadocia: The region in the Asia Minor peninsula an important area for the history of Byzantine Empire.
Canon tables: This is an introductory index system of the Gospels that had been invented by Eusebios (ca. 260-339/40) of Caesarea in Palestine; canon tables were frequently decorated in medieval Gospel books. Eusebios was a historian of the church and he became bishop of Caesarea between 313 and 315.
Chasuble: A long sleeveless outer garment, worn by the celebrant at the Mass. Its colour varies with the season or occasion.
Chi Rho: (Greek,"ΧΡ") First two Greek letters in the name Christ, used as a monogram.
Cloison: (French, "cell") The compartment made by wire or strips of gold soldered onto a metal plaque, to be filled with glass paste. See cloisonné enamel in part 3 for its use.
Copts: Term used to refer to Christianised Egyptians; it stems from the Arabic word Qibt, itself derived from the Greek Aigyptioi.
Crusade: The nine Crusades were wars undertaken by European Christians between the eleventh and the thirteenth century to recover the Holy Land, particularly the city of Jerusalem, from Islam. The first four were the most significant. The First Crusade occurred between 1095 and 1099 and ended with the Christians capturing Jerusalem and establishing a Latin kingdom. The Second Crusade lasted from 1147 to 1149 and attempted to stop Islamic conquests in the Latin kingdom, but failed. The Third Crusade (1189-92) failed to recapture Jerusalem, which had been lost to Islamic forces in 1187, but a truce was arranged so that Christian pilgrims could visit Christ's tomb in Jerusalem.
The Fourth Crusade (1202-4) pillaged Constantinople in 1204, and was not aimed against any non-Christian community, but against Orthodox Christians of Byzantium. It has de facto destroyed Byzantium as the World power.
Deesis: (Greek, "entreaty") The representation of Christ flanked by the intercessory figures of the Virgin and Saint John the Baptist.



Ecumenical Councils: The Ecumenical Councils were official meetings of high church officials in various cities to settle matters of doctrine and heresy. Only the first seven were recognized as valid by the medieval Byzantine church. These were the councils of Nicaea (325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), Chalcedon (451), Constantinople (553), Constantinople again (680), and Nicaea (787).




Festival icons: Based on the Twelve Great Feasts or other holy days of the liturgical year of the Orthodox church, these images recorded episodes from the lives of Christ and the Virgin. From the eleventh century onward the Great Feasts included six feasts with a fixed date in the calendar: the Annunciation (whose icon showed Gabriel approaching Mary to announce that she would bear a child), the Nativity (whose icon showed Mary, Joseph, and Christ in a manger, while below Christ is bathed by midwives), Epiphany (whose icon showed the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist), Hypapante (whose icon showed Mary and Joseph presenting Christ in the Temple, with Simeon nearby), the Transfiguration (whose icon showed Christ in a halo of glory between Elijah and Moses, with the apostles Peter, James, and John crouching below), and the Dormition of the Virgin (whose icon showed the Koimesis, that is, Mary on a bed surrounded by mourning apostles with Christ holding her soul). There were also six feasts that moved in date from year to year: Lazarus Saturday (whose icon showed the raising of Lazarus), Palm Sunday (whose icon showed Christ on a donkey entering Jerusalem), Good Friday (whose icon showed the crucifixion of Christ), Easter (whose icon showed the Anastasis, or Christ bursting into hell), Ascension Sunday (whose icon showed Christ surrounded by angels and apostles), and Pentecost (whose icon showed Mary and the Apostles gathered for the coming of the Holy Spirit).




Great Schism: Formal rupture in 1054 between the differing Latin and Greek branches of Christianity.
Grisaille: Monochromatic painting in shades of gray.



Haemus: the peninsula located in the southeast Europe, below the river Istar (Danube) and surrounded with sea of Adriatic, Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Hellespont and Black Sea. Also referred as Haemus (Balkan) (which means 'the hill region' on turkish) Peninsula. (see the map>>)
Holy Spirit: According to the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit, sent by God, is the divine principle of activity in the world. For Christians the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, which is three aspects of God, consisting of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Able to bestow gifts on individuals, especially the gift of prophecy, the Holy Spirit aided in the conception of Jesus (Matt. 1:18-20); descended to Jesus at his baptism (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; John 1:32); and came down to Mary and the apostles at Pentecost and enabled them to speak in foreign languages (Acts 2).



Istar, Istrus: A name of the river located in the Central and South-Eastern Europe, stretching from Shwartzwald o the Black Sea. Also the longest and largest river in the central Europe. Referred as Danube for the first time probably by the Gothic tribe of Gepids.(see the map>>)
Icon: (Greek, "image") This is any image of a sacred personage or sacred scene; the term now is usually used to refer to a representation on a portable panel.
Iconoclastic controversy: A movement in the Eastern Empire, headed by the emperor, that denied the holiness of religious images. During the eighth and early ninth centuries the use of such images was prohibited, but icons were restored to worship by 843.
Iconography: Subject matter in works of art, including its symbolism.
Iconostasis: (Greek, "stand for image") A partition with doors and tiers of icons that now separates the sanctuary from the nave in Eastern churches.




Khan: (Turkic, "supreme leader") Title used conventionally to denote a pre-Christian ruler of Bulgaria.
Koimesis: (Greek, "falling asleep") A scene not found in the Bible that shows Mary asleep in death on a bed, surrounded by the Apostles, her soul in the form of a baby being held by Christ. It became one of the festival icons in the eleventh century.



Local Branch, Local Chapter: Local Branch or the Local Chapter of the Neobyzantine Movement is the local organisation of the Neobyzantine Movement in the particular area , city, or municipality that does comply with the Statute of the Movement and includes all the basic functions for the operation in that area. (see the Statute of the Movement>>)
Liturgy: In Byzantium this term referred specifically to the Eucharistic rite, often called the Divine Liturgy, of which there were two Constantinopolitan formulasÑone ascribed to John Chrysostom, the other to Basil the Great.
Loros: (pl. loroi) A long scarf, especially the jeweled one worn on festive occasions by the emperor or empress and, rarely, by certain dignitaries; archangels attending Christ are often shown wearing loroi.


Mandorla: (Italian, "almond") The almond-shaped field of radiance and splendor that entirely surrounds a holy personage, such as the Virgin Mary, or Christ in a Last Judgement scene.
Matins: -The order of a Matin: the Priest starts, "Blessed be our God always. . .", Trisagion, Six Psalms. (3,37,62,87,102,142). Aktenia -Alleluia four times - Troparion - Sessional Verses - Readings from the Gospel - 50th Psalm - Triodion (3 Odes) - Canticle - Praises - Doxology - Supplications - Recitatives - Trisagion - Dismissal Prayer.
Metochia, Метохија: Region West of the river Sitnica, part of Kosovo and Metochia (or commonly called just Kosovo), province of Serbia.
Main towns: Пећ (Pech), Призрен (Prizren), Ђаковица (Tjakovitca). It was the cradle of ancient Serbian state.
Metochia has got its name from the endless number of monastery properties (or Metochos in Greek) that were located there, and were intensively cultivated with agricultures. The most important Serbian and Christian monument in present-day Kosovo and Metochia, the Pech Patriarchate (Пећка Патријаршија) is located there. It is still the official Patriarchal Throne of the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate.
Today, many Serbian monuments and towns are destroyed or are surrounded in a ghetto-style. Many Serbs were killed in this region during the Kosovo aggression and terrorist clashes in the late 1990-ties. Some of the monuments of the World Heritage list (many of them dating back to the 11th century) have been destroyed, and are still in ruins. Albanian terrorist have had their eyes upon Metochia for centuries since it has the most important Serbian monuments and Churches, and is on the way to Kosovo region from the point of Albania, which is located West of Metochia. Today, the albanian propaganda is neglecting even the name of Metochia, since it is Christian in origin, and is the symbol for endless monasteries built by Byzanties and Serbs during the centuries there. The idea is to wash the history, the facts, and the Serbian name in this region, and to claim Kosovo (or Kosova, as declared by the albanian propaganda), as an albanian land.






Orans: (Latin, "praying") Early Christian posture of prayer, which consists of a figure standing with arms outstretched. It was rarely used in the Middle Byzantine period except for certain images of the Virgin.




Pantokrator: (Greek, "all-sovereign") The best-known image of this is that of Christ, bearded and represented frontally, blessing with his right hand while he holds the Gospels in his left; a bust of Christ Pantokrator often formed the centre of Byzantine dome decoration.
Patriarchates: Communities of Christians headed by a patriarch, a title derived from the revered male head of clans of the Jews. In the early Christian church three patriarchies existed: Alexandria, Antioch, and Rome; later, Constantinople and Jerusalem were added.
Pendulia: Jeweled ornaments hanging from the sides of a crown.
Pentecost: (Greek, "fifty") A Jewish annual harvest festival that came forty-nine days after Passover. During the first observance of Pentecost after the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy Spirit came upon all believers in an upper room of a house in which they were staying and enabled them to speak in foreign languages (Acts 2). The image became part of the festival icons.
Pentecostarion: the book which includes the services of the other movable feasts from the Sunday of Holy Easter to the feast of Pentecost. A list of the Sundays following Easter Sunday; 1st-Easter Sunday; 2nd Sunday of St. Thomas the Apostle; 3rd-Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearers; 4th-Sunday of the Paralytic; 5th-Sunday of the Samaritan Woman; 6th-Sunday of the Blind Man; Ascension Day (Thursday); 7th-Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers, 8th-Sunday of the Pentecost; (9th-Sunday of All Saints).
Proedros: (Greek) "the First," used in titles of officials of the empire.; In modern Greek it has the same meaning as "the President"
Pyxis: (Greek, "box") In medieval Greek this is the general term for a small box; it often refers to a cylindrical ivory box made from elephant tusk.






Relic: A part of the body or an object associated with a holy person; relics were kept in special containers, called reliquaries, which were used for the veneration of the saints.
Repoussé: A process of raising decoration in relief on a metal surface by hammering from within.
Rinceau: Continuous decorative scroll of vines, leaves, plants.


Sassanian Empire of Persia: Last dynasty of native rulers to reign in Persia (ca. 226-ca. 640); its capital was Ctesiphon (Iraq). The name derives from Sassan, an ancestor of the dynasty. Frequently at war with ancient Rome and later with Byantium, the Sassanids were finally overthrown by the Arabs.
See: The position or district of a bishop or archbishop.
Senmurv: Persian mythological beast, often represented as a combination of a bird and either a dog or a lion.
Solidus: Standard unit of gold coinage, weighing about 4.54 grams.

Tsikanistirion: A game that was common at the Royal Court, very similar to today polo. It was the basis of the modern game, and was spread into Western Europe after the 4th Crusade of 1204, and the sacking of Constantinople, made by the Catholic Army. The origin of the game is Persia and the Middle East, most probably played by the nomad tribes of Central Asia and the Middle East.
Tablion: Badge of office in the form of a richly woven or embroidered patch of cloth applied to garments.
Templon: The screen separating the santuary from the nave in a Byzantine church.
Templon epistyle: The top beam of the Byzantine templon, or sanctuary screen.
Tessera: (pl. tesserae) Cut and smoothed cube of marble, glass, or other material used in making mosaics.
Triodion: a book consisting of services for the movable feasts from the Sunday of "the Pharisee and the Publican" (the tenth Sunday preceding Easter) through the "Great Saturday of Holy Week."
Umayyad dynasty: This dynasty headed the Arab empire from 661 to 750; its capital was at Damascus. The 'Abbasid dynasty then took power.




Virgin Hodegetria: This image shows the Virgin holding the Christ child, usually in her left arm, while she points to him with her right hand. Christ makes a blessing gesture. By legend this image was supposed to have come from Palestine, where it came to be the image of choice in Byzantium's most elite circles. It also came to stand for the divine protection of the emperor and his capital city, and had much the same meaning to the Tuscan city-states in Italy. A famous icon of the Virgin Hodegetria was kept in the Hodegon Monastery in Constantinople and was paraded out in times of danger to protect the city.
















Zeno: Byzantine Emperor.




Βασηληκή (Vasiliki): The Byzantine codification of the Law. It started with Basil I (Βασήλιος Α') (867-886), and was finished by Leo VI (Λεονίδας) (886-912).

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