PhD of Art Studies
Chief Research Fellow
T. Beradze Institute of Georgian Studies, the University of Georgia
Tbilisi, Georgia
ORCID: 0009-0002-3689-1397
Nanaburchuladze23@gmail.com

Icons from the Era of David the Builder in Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai (New Data)

King David IV the Builder of Georgia left a profound mark on the development of Georgian culture and Christian art not only within his own kingdom but also in major religious centers abroad. According to his chronicler, the king bestowed generous gifts upon holy sites in Greece (Mount Athos), Bulgaria, Assyria, Cyprus, the Black Mountain, and Palestine. Among these, he paid special attention to the Georgian monks residing on Mount Sinai—the place of the Lord’s Revelation—where he founded a monastery and sent gold, precious fabrics, liturgical books, and numerous ecclesiastical objects.

This list, however, does not include icons, since the Georgian monks themselves created remarkable examples of icon painting on Mount Sinai. These icons are of equal significance to both Georgian and Byzantine cultural heritage.

Among them is the world-renowned hexaptych, a double-sided painted icon consisting of six wings. Four of these panels depict a Menologion (liturgical calendar), the fifth portrays the Last Judgment, and the sixth illustrates scenes representing five miraculous icons of the Virgin venerated in Constantinople, together with cycles of the miracles and Passion of Christ. According to the Greek-Georgian inscriptions preserved on the hexaptych, both the painter and the donor of the work were the Georgian monk Ioane Tokhabi, who not only identified himself in the inscriptions but also painted his own portrait on the icon.

On stylistic and iconographic grounds, the hexaptych is dated to the turn of the 11th–12th centuries—that is, the period of King David the Builder’s reign. The calendar, the Last Judgment, and the cycles of Christ’s miracles and Passion depicted by Ioane are considered among the earliest known examples in the history of Byzantine icon painting. Moreover, Tokhabi’s self-portraits are regarded as the earliest depictions of artists within the art of the Byzantine cultural sphere.

A second icon from the Sinai collection, dated to the early 12th century and bearing Georgian-Greek inscriptions, portrays King David the Builder standing beside Saint George, who intercedes on his behalf as Christ blesses him from heaven. In terms of its technique and artistic features, this icon was undoubtedly painted on Mount Sinai. Within the vast Sinai collection of thousands of icons, it holds particular importance as the only one depicting a king.

According to recent research dedicated to the Sinai icons, the icon featuring King David’s portrait is not to be viewed as a votive image but rather as part of a royal pano (ensemble), representing the glorious sovereign in full majesty (D. Mourelatos).

Agreeing with this new interpretation, I propose that the Sinai collection contains the second part of this pano. I refer to another icon of identical dimensions that is compositionally, chromatically, and thematically similar—even in detail—depicting two standing warrior saints, Theodore and Demetrius. When viewed together, these two icons form a kind of royal diptych, with King David IV flanked by the most venerated warrior saints in Georgia. On one “wing” of the diptych, Saint George appears as the king’s direct protector and intercessor before Christ; on the other, Saints Theodore and Demetrius accompany him as celestial warriors aiding the monarch alongside Saint George.

This Sinai “diptych,” distinguished by its artistic quality and iconographic program, represents a unique example of Orthodox icon painting, directly connected with the era—and indeed the person—of King David the Builder.

Keywords: King David the Builder, Mount Sinai, Georgian icon painting, Hexaptych / Diptych, Byzantine cultural heritage.