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The Byzantine icon
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3.2.1 First zone

The highest zone hosts representations of the holiest persons, such as Christ Pantokrator (the ‘all ruler’) (Figure 6), the Virgin and angels, and scenes associated with heaven, e.g., the Ascension and the Pentecost.

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Figure 6 Byzantine, dome with Christ Pantokrator, 11th century, mosaic, Monastery of Daphni, Athens, Greece.
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This is a photograph of the dome in the Monastery of Daphni, which contains a large mosaic with a gold-coloured background. Christ is the central figure in the crown of the dome, with his head and upper body depicted. Around the base of the dome sixteen prophets are depicted (not visible in any great detail from this image), spaced around the full 360 degrees, between windows that illuminate Christ as the dominant figure in the church. Patches of the gold background, and parts of some figures are missing. At the edges of the photograph, four scenes from the life of Christ are depicted on the pendentives.

Figure 6 Byzantine, dome with Christ Pantokrator, 11th century, mosaic, Monastery of Daphni, Athens, Greece.