The cult of Saint Zotikos Orphanotrophos and his images in Byzantium and beyond

Abstract

St. Zotikos Orphanotrophos acquired great renown in Constantinople owing to his efforts in the establishment of two singularly important philanthropic institutions in the Byzantine Empire - Orphanotropheion (Ὀρφανοτροφεῖον) on the Acropolis of Constantinople and the Leprosarium in Pera (Golden Horn at Elaiones). The paper discusses an underexplored aspect of the veneration of St. Zotikos - his representations in art. It uses available liturgical sources, hagiographical testimonies and the scarce visual evidence to investigate and determine the reach of the cult of St. Zotikos Orphanotrophos, first in the wider framework of Eastern Christian art and then in Serbian medieval art.

Keywords

• st. zotikos orphanotrophos
• iconography
• byzantineart
• serbian medieval art
• orphanotropheion
• leprosarium
• constantinople