The panel of apostle Andrew, sole survivor of the mosaics of the Serres cathedral
The cathedral of the Saints Theodores in Serres.
The Church of Saints Theodores was the metropolitan church – i.d. the cathedral – of the important Byzantine city of Serres, located in present-day northeastern Greece. This church likely dates back to the early Byzantine period, but the current structure was probably built in the 11th century, when Emperor Basil II ordered the expansion of the former traverse-aisle basilica into a three-aisle basilica and had a dome constructed after his victory over the Bulgarians near Serres in 1014. An inscription confirms that, in the 11th and 12th centuries, the church was dedicated solely to Saint Theodore the Great. Additions were also made in the 12th and 13th centuries, but the wooden-roofed basilica retained many archaic features.
After this time, small-scale work and renovations occurred several times: in 1430 by the metropolitan Philip, in 1602, and several times during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Unfortunately, the church suffered from two major disasters. First, it was badly damaged by a major fire in 1849. Then, during the Balkan Wars, Serres was taken by the Bulgarians, who burned the city on June 29, 1913. On this occasion, the church was completely destroyed, and almost all of its decoration was lost.
The reconstruction of the church started in 1938 and was completed in 1959.
The Byzantine mosaics of the metropolite church of Serres.
Starting in the last quarter of the 11th century, the church began to be adorned with lavish mosaics. In 1205, following the crisis of the Byzantine Empire after the Sack of Constantinople, the Bulgarians under Ioannitsis took Serres and destroyed the city, including the church.
In 1221, the Despot of Epirus, Angelos Komnenos, reclaimed the city and had the church repaired to thank the saint for his victory over the Franks, which paved the way for his entry into Thessaloniki. On this occasion, he also ordered a new, sumptuous mosaic decoration for the church.
Before the destruction of the church, the mosaic of the apse was still visible and was partly documented. Early photographs show that the full composition of the mosaic depicted two images of Christ behind the altar, distributing the bread and wine of the Eucharist to processions of apostles approaching from either side of the apse. The subject was the liturgical equivalent of the Last Supper.
The scholars consider that it had been created in the late 11th or early 12th century.
The panel of saint Andrew in the Serres museum.
This panel is the sole survivor of the mosaics in the apse, and is a fragment of the procession of the apostles approaching the Christ.
Measuring 176 x 101 cm, it depicts in a dynamic manner the apostle Andrew, identifiable by his beard and unkempt hair. Andrew was the nearest figure to the Christ on the left side of the mosaic, and is raising his hands to receive the Eucharist.
However, the mosaic was restored, and much of the original golden, green, and black tesserae have been replaced without documenting the changes, hindering further scientific study of the panel.
Today, it is preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Serres.
