Narrative strategies at the crossroads of Byzantine and western visual traditions. The pictorial cycle of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Darlos, Transylvania

Abstract

Made by Byzantine painters for Catholic patrons, the fresco cycle of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Darlos stands apart from other late-medieval cycles. In terms of patronage, style, and iconography, this pictorial cycle raises questions of cultural exchange between Byzantium and the West, illustrating how female holiness was differently articulated in these areas. While Catherine’s Western cycles emphasize her wisdom and eloquence, the imagery in Darlos honors instead her constancy in suffering and ability to recover after multiple tortures. Retaining the most essential elements of background and figures, the Darlos cycle relies on the concise yet dynamic iconography of painted menologia.

Keywords

• st. catherine of alexandria
• pictorial narrative
• mural painting
• late-medieval transylvania
• cross-cultural exchange
• menologia (synaxaria)
• corporeality