The Discovery in Olympus (Lycia) of One of the Oldest Known Paintings of Christ Pantocrator with a Discussion of its

Abstract

The semicircular exedra in the north of Olympus's Church No. 3, with its cenotaphs and paintings, must have enabled the church to serve as a place of memorial for bishops. Some of the fresco fragments belong to a haloed figure in the lower part. It was understood from the fragmentary dipinto that this person was Aristocritus, the first bishop mentioned in church records two centuries after Hieromartyr Methodius of Olympus. But the main figure found here is Christ. It is thought that the depiction of Christ, which can be reassembled through the fallen pieces, was once located on the lunette of the niche. Christ is depicted in bust-length form with long hair and a beard, holding a Bible, and of the Christ Pantocrator type. This artwork, which we dated to the middle of the sixth century with the support of both its features and other finds, is one of the earliest examples of this type. It is therefore an extremely important piece for the history of Byzantine painting. In addition, it is the first Pantocrator example identified so far among the few surviving examples from the pre -Iconoclastic period in Asia Minor.