The textile and embroidered artefacts included in the database of the Athos Digital Heritage comprise a significant number of items. The collection covers a long period, from the late Byzantine period (14th century) extending to the modern era. ????
The textile and embroidered artefacts included in the database of the Athos Digital Heritage comprise a significant number of items. The collection covers a long period, from the late Byzantine period (14th century) extending to the modern era.
The majority of these items are litourgical vestments and ornamental veils, mainly with functional use. The vestments, with embroidered decoration where appropriate, are worn by Christian clergy in the performance of both the divine services and other functions (deacons' sticharia, oraria, phelonia, belts and epimanikia; bishopric vestments, such as sakkoi, omophoria, mitrae etc.).
Of particular significance are the ornamental veils designated for the performance of the Divine Services, which consist the majority of the collection. In the same collection, however in a separate section are included the antimensia, mainly rectangular pieces of cloth of either linen or silk, typically decorated with representations of the entombment of Christ or the four Evangelists, with a small relic of a martyr sewn into them.
It is important to note that the vast majority of these artefacts were made in workshops outside of Mount Athos and found their way in the Monasteries through donations, dedications, bequests, as well as purchases. Hence, the records of the Athos Digital Heritage database illuminate our knowledge on a relatively unknown filed of ecclesiastical and secular art.
For the first time, the textile and embroidered artefacts included in the Athos Digital Heritage database stand out for their historical, artistic and spiritual significance, highlighting the monks' timeless aesthetic interest in collecting and preserving such items.
