The church of St. Panteleimon at Nerezi: Architecture, painting, and sculpture. (Volumes I and II)

The church of St. Panteleimon is located in northwestern Macedonia, in the village of Gorno Nerezi, about 6.5 kilometers south-west of the town of Skopje. Decorated in 1164 under the auspices of a member of the imperial family, Alexios Angelos Komnenos, the church is distinguished as one of the major surviving monuments of the Middle Byzantine period. Despite its provincial location, the church assimilates a number of Constantinopolitan features evident in its architecture, sculpture, and painted decoration.;With regard to architecture, Nerezi is a small, five-domed, inscribed cross church. The constellation of its domes reflects building practices of the capital, and places Nerezi within a small, distinctive group of preserved Byzantine five-domed churches. Concerning painted decoration, the church exhibits an iconographically innovative cycle and is executed in a highly refined style, likely by the hand of a Constantinopolitan master. High quality and refinement also characterize the sculptural decoration of the church; it also reflects Constantinopolitan sources. A clear intent to emulate the art and architecture of the capital evident at Nerezi finds its origin in the high social rank of its patron and in the extensive political and cultural influence of Byzantium in Macedonia in the twelfth century. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the church which approaches Nerezi in a multifaceted manner, addresses all aspects of its art and architecture, and relates them to each other in order to establish the importance of Nerezi within Middle Byzantine art and architecture.