Synthronon
Synthronon (ancient Greek σύνθρονον , plur. Σύνθρονα Synthrona , sometimes also σύνθρονος Synthronos ) has been the name of the semicircular priest's bench built into the apse of a church since the 5th century AD .
meaning
General
Only the Synthrona made of stone or brick have survived, but such constructions made of wood must also be accepted. The dimensions of these objects are different: from a single modest bench to multi-level systems with a central cathedra reserved for the bishop , in this case the benches for the rest of the clergy are called subsellia .
Synthrona are known from the late antique and early Byzantine churches of Eastern ecumenism , but as studies at the Zeyrek Mosque (formerly the southern church of the Pantokrator Monastery) in Istanbul show, such structures were still part of the church furnishings in the Middle Byzantine period .
Liturgical function
The Synthronon was the seat of the higher clergy ; H. the bishops and the presbyter, during the liturgy and reserved only for this, as it was built into the apse belonging to the Bema , i.e. the part of the church inaccessible to the laity . Deacons had to stand.
The Synthronon is the goal of the “First Entry”, which in the Eastern liturgy , such as the Divine Liturgy of John Chrysostom , precedes the liturgy of the words. During the word service, the higher clergy sat on the steps of Synthronon while the scriptures were read, beginning, thus given, with readings of the Old Testament , with pericopes from Acts and Epistles, and ending with the reading from the Gospel .
The sermon was either addressed to the faithful from the Synthronon or, less often, from the ambo .
Symbolic-religious meaning and interpretation
Various Byzantine writers associate the clergy sitting in the Synthronon with a symbolic-religious meaning.
For example, in a Syrian hymn from the 6th century AD, which refers to the Sophia church in Edessa (Mesopotamia) , the Synthronon with the central cathedra is explicitly compared with the nine hierarchies of angels . Another interpretation, attributed to the Patriarch Germanos I of Constantinople (8th century AD), compares the bishop placed in the cathedra with his concelebrants sitting next to him with Christ and his apostles .
literature
General
- Lemma 'Synthronon', in: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium , Vol. 3, ed.AP Kazhdan, Oxford University Press, New York 1991.
- AS Megaw: Notes on Recent Work of the Byzantine Institute in Istanbul. In: Dumbarton Oaks Papers 17, 1963, p. 340.
- Thomas F. Mathews: The Early Churches of Constantinople: Architecture and Liturgy. University Park 1971, p. 143; 146-148; 150-152.
- Michael Altripp: Reflections on the Synthronos of the Hagia Sophia in Iznik / Nikaia. In: Byzantinische Zeitschrift 92, 1999, pp. 448–454.
- Michael Altripp: Observations on Synthronoi and Cathedras in Byzantine Churches in Greece. In: Bulletin de correspondance hellenique 124, 2000, pp. 377-412.
- Georgios B. Anturakes: Archaioi thronoi & palaiochristianika synthrona. Athens 2003.
On religious meaning / interpretation
- Thomas F. Mathews: The Early Churches of Constantinople: Architecture and Liturgy. University Park 1971, p. 143; 146-148; 150-152.
- KE McVey: The Domed Church as Microcosm: Literary Roots of an Architectural Symbol. In: Dumbarton Oaks Papers 37, 1983, p. 93.
example Pictures
Synthronon in the apse of St. John's Church in Ephesus , Turkey (6th century AD)
Synthronon in the so-called 'Eastern Cathedral' of Apamea on the Orontes , Syria (6th century AD)
Synthronon in the so-called 'Eastern Church' of Al Athrun, Libya (6th century AD)
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Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Peter Grossmann: Christian architecture in Egypt . Brill, 2002, ISBN 978-900-412128-7 , p. 189, limited preview in Google Book Search