ROUTES OF RUSSIAN ICONS IN GREECE AND IN THE BALKANS

Institute for Mediterranean Studies, Foundation of Research and Technology - Hellas

Melissinou & Nikiforou Foka 130, P.O. Box. 119 Rethymno 74100, Crete, Greece Tel.: (+30) 28310 25146, 56627, Fax: (+30) 28310 25810

International COLLOQUIUM

(16TH - early 20th centuries), 15-18 January 2014

Dear Colleague, The research program “Russian icons in Greece (15th- early 20th centuries)” of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies – Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, (Rethymno, Crete) organizes International Colloquium entitled: “ROUTES OF RUSSIAN ICONS IN GREECE AND IN THE BALKANS (16th - early 20th c.)”. The Colloquium will take place in Rethymno, Crete, at the Institute of Mediterranean Studies, 15-18 January 2014.

Considering your research interests and significant contribution in fields related to the workshop’s topic, we have the pleasure to invite you to participate in it.

The main subject of the Colloquium is the transfer of Russian icons to Greece and the wider Balkan region from the 16th to the early 20th century. Alongside the written sources, icons (as well as liturgical vessels, vestments and books) transferred from Russia all over the Orthodox East, form a particular kind of historical evidence for the evolution of political relations and cultural influences between Imperial Russia and the Balkan states and peoples. The workshop aims to contribute to the study of the various aspects of this significant case of cultural transfer, offering fresh evidence and new theoretical and methodological approaches to it.

The Colloquium welcomes papers:

1/ Investigating the historical context of the spread of Russian icons in the Balkans and the significance of this transfer for the development of cultural ties and political relations between Russia and the Balkan peoples.

2/ Reconstructing the "paths" and "channels" of dissemination of Russian icons in Greece and the wider Balkan region during the long period from the 16th to the early 20th century.

3/ Studying the iconographic repertoire of Russian icons arriving in the Balkans and identifying the predominant iconographic types and themes preferred by donors, patrons and recipients.

4/ Analyzing the various forms and the social aspects of the reception of Russian icons by the various local communities, and examining the symbolic and ideological dimensions of the use of Russian icons in changing historical contexts.

The Colloquium will take place at the premises of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies-FORTH, Rethymno, Crete. Working languages of the Colloquium will be English and Greek, the proceedings will be published in a collective volume. Finally, travel and accommodation expenses of the participants will be covered by the organizers.

All topics and paper abstracts, accompanied by a cover letter stating the name, institutional affiliation, and the preferred contact information (email) of the participant, should be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format, not later than the 30th November 2013 to the following email address: julyb1205@gmail.com

We are looking forward to your positive and prompt reply, Sincerely yours, The scientific and organizing Committee:

Prof. Christos Hadziiossif, Professor in Contemporary History, Department of History & Archaeology, University of Crete / Director IMS-FORTH

Prof. Olga Gratziou, Professor of Byzantine Archaeology, Department of History and Archaeology, University of Crete/ Scientific Council IMS-FORTH

Prof. Olga Alexandropoulou, Department of Slavic Studies, University of Athens Dr. Anastasia Lazaridou, Director Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens

Yuliana Boycheva, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher at IMS-FORTH.