Dionysius of Fourna
Encyclopedia
Dionysius of Fourna was an Eastern Orthodox
author of a manual of iconography
and painting in the 18th century. He was born in Fourna
, the Ottoman Empire
, and went to study in Constantinople
around the age of twelve before returning, as a monk
, to Mt. Athos. He painted several icon
s in Mt. Athos, although the dates are indistinct (either 1701 or 1711) and at Karyes
. In 1721, he painted the chapel of St. Demetrios in Vatopedi
. He then returned to live in Fourna. His last official entry into public record is in 1741, when he gained permission to start a school at Agrafa
.
Dionysius's Hermeneia (1730 - 1734) attempts to provide a synthetic (or "harmonized") Gospel
account of the life of Jesus Christ. His time line and events are mainly from the Book of Matthew, but he weaves in major incidents from the other synoptic Gospels
. The manual is also called Mount Athos Painter's Guide and is in three parts. In general, it is a chronological listing of scenes appropriate for painting, along with a proper inscription for the painter to include to make the icon, as well as the proper position in the church for each scene. The first part of the work gives recipes for colors, gesso
, and instructions on body proportions
for human figure painting. The second part is a manual for the life of Christ, descriptions and inscriptions for various Biblical and hagiographic
subjects, and suggested images. The third part describes the locations in a church for each depiction. The manuscript survives in more than twenty-five instances.
It is likely that Dionysius surveyed existing churches from the medieval period, where the life of Christ would be told in emblem
s around the church. Although the work is not original, nor designed to be original, the description of each scene is probably from Dionysius's own imagination and imagery.
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
author of a manual of iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
and painting in the 18th century. He was born in Fourna
Fourna
Fourna is a village and a former municipality in Evrytania in central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Karpenisi, of which it is a municipal unit. The population of the municipal unit is 1,542 . The municipal unit consists of the villages Fourna, Vracha...
, the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and went to study in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
around the age of twelve before returning, as a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, to Mt. Athos. He painted several icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s in Mt. Athos, although the dates are indistinct (either 1701 or 1711) and at Karyes
Karyes
Karyes is a village and a former community in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sparti, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located roughly midway between Tripoli and Sparti. Population 926 ....
. In 1721, he painted the chapel of St. Demetrios in Vatopedi
Vatopedi
The Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, Greece, was built during the second half of the 10th century by three monks, Athanasius, Nicholas, and Antonius, from Adrianople, who were disciples of Athanasius the Athonite...
. He then returned to live in Fourna. His last official entry into public record is in 1741, when he gained permission to start a school at Agrafa
Agrafa (Municipality)
Agrafa is a village and a municipality in Evrytania, Central Greece. Its administrative center is the village Kerasochori. It is named after the wide mountainous region of Agrafa, of which it occupies only the SW part....
.
Dionysius's Hermeneia (1730 - 1734) attempts to provide a synthetic (or "harmonized") Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
account of the life of Jesus Christ. His time line and events are mainly from the Book of Matthew, but he weaves in major incidents from the other synoptic Gospels
Synoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording. This degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be...
. The manual is also called Mount Athos Painter's Guide and is in three parts. In general, it is a chronological listing of scenes appropriate for painting, along with a proper inscription for the painter to include to make the icon, as well as the proper position in the church for each scene. The first part of the work gives recipes for colors, gesso
Gesso
Gesso is a white paint mixture consisting of a binder mixed with chalk, gypsum, pigment, or any combination of these...
, and instructions on body proportions
Body proportions
While there is significant variation in anatomical proportions between people, there are many references to body proportions that are intended to be canonical, either in art, measurement, or medicine....
for human figure painting. The second part is a manual for the life of Christ, descriptions and inscriptions for various Biblical and hagiographic
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
subjects, and suggested images. The third part describes the locations in a church for each depiction. The manuscript survives in more than twenty-five instances.
It is likely that Dionysius surveyed existing churches from the medieval period, where the life of Christ would be told in emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
s around the church. Although the work is not original, nor designed to be original, the description of each scene is probably from Dionysius's own imagination and imagery.