An icon made not by ordinary human hands, but rather by divine intervention (e.g., the icon depicting the Virgin and Child painted by Saint Luke).

The Resurrection of Christ, which in Byzantine art depicts Christ descending into the Underworld and triumphing over death.

A vaulted semi-circular termination of a church.

A curved spanning of an opening.

A continuous semi-circular roof.

The most respected ancient Christian writers, considered guardians of the Christian tradition.

A semi-circular niche, surmounted by a half dome.

The most widely spread Byzantine church plan. Cross-inscribed, with nine bays, with the centre bay a large, domed square.

A high vault.

From the Greek for the number twelve (dodeka) and feasts (eortes); the main twelve feasts in the Christian liturgical calendar.

Vault on a circular base.

A word used to describe style resembling to and/or imitating works produced by Giotto.

A monk or nun living a solitary life.

The archetypal type of the Virgin and Child.

Singular form, homily. An ecclesial discourse, commonly part of a liturgical service.

From the Greek word eikonographía, lit. ‘writing in images’. The subject matter of Byzantine works of art.

The wooden screen that separates the sanctuary from the nave (see also templon).

Statues of ancient Greek and Roman gods; Christians refused to worship them since they believed they represented false gods.

The Dormition of the Virgin celebrated on 15th August. According to the Christian Church the Virgin went to sleep, she did not die.

The first Sunday in Lent is forty days before Good Friday; as it is depending on Easter, this Sunday does not have a fixed day in the liturgical calendar.

Iconographic type of the Virgin and Child.

A piece of clothing covering the head and shoulders of women.

Small-scale mosaic.

In Byzantine churches, this is the space preceding the nave.

The main part of a church.

A vertical and usually arched recess in a wall.

The depiction of Christ as the ‘All Ruler’, usually placed at the dome, the highest point of a Byzantine church.

Triangular segment of a sphere, bordered by arches supporting the base of a circular dome.

Iconography depicting the Virgin with the dead Christ on her lap.

Singular form, proskynetarion. A stand where icons are placed for the faithful to worship.

A Christian rite.

The easternmost part in a Byzantine church, and where the altar is situated.

The city of Venice, known as the ‘Most Serene Republic’.

A niche formed below an arch that spans the corner of a square supporting a dome.

An ascetic monk who lived on a platform at the top of a column (from the Greek word stylos), connected to the ground by a ladder.

A stone screen that separates the sanctuary from the nave (see also iconostasis)

An arched ceiling or roof.