From the painted programme of Saint John (Ayvali Kilise), Cssappadocia

Abstract

In the Church of St. John in Cappadocia, also known as Ayvali Kilise or Gulu dere 4, on the frescoes which were painted between 913 and 920, particular devotion was shown for the cult of the archangels. The two archangels Michael and Gabriel, were painted in very large dimensions, with inscriptions describing them as 'great', besides giving their names. In addition to that a unique group of two figures was presented. It depicted the monk Archippos turned toward a colossal figure of the archangel Michael, painted strictly frontally. The iconographical relationship of these two figures, unrecorded in scholarly literature, indicates that this was definitely Archippos, the custodian of the important shrine of the Archangel Michael at Chonai, which still existed in those times. This would not only be a very early, but the only preserved presentation of Archippos, other than his appearance in the well-known composition of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonai.