Art of Healing and Healing Saints in the Art of Byzantine Cappadocia

Abstract

Cappadocia, together with its immediate vicinity has a long-established tradition of healing throughout its history. Yet, the textual and archeological evidences fail to explain what kind of healing traditions existed in Cappadocia during Byzantium. In this short study, it is aimed to view the general aspect of healing in Byzantium and its reflection via the holy healers on Cappadocian wall paintings. The murals in rock-cut churches in Cappadocia contain a great number of male and female healing saints, some of whom are not renowned for their gift of healing and are rendered without any symbols revealing their power, though. In this paper, we shall focus on a group of such monuments in which these holy figures constitute an important element in the act of intercession and protection as healers. We will try to find possible answers questioning the main motivations behind their frequent images: to what extend we can find an explanation by the factor of donors; whether the insufficient basic amenities pertaining to rural areas or a popular piety related to healers in Cappadocia is influential for their prevalent presence.