V 174. Theodoro.Building inscription of an unknown, 1224–1225 C.E.
Monument
Type
Wall.
Material
Limestone.
Dimensions (cm)
H.26.0, W.60.0.
Additional description
Covered with soot.
Place of Origin
Theodoro.
Find place
Mangup.
Find context
Tabana-Dere, monastery, church, southern wall, over arcosolium, in the centre.
Find circumstances
1913, survey of R.Ch. Loeper and M.I. Skubetov.
Modern location
In situ.
Institution and inventory
In situ, no inventory number.
Autopsy
September 2004.
Epigraphic field
Position
Within a frame.
Lettering
Lapidary style. Alpha with slanting crossbar; upsilon Y-shaped.
Letterheights (cm)
1.0.
Text
Category
Building inscription.
Date
1224–1225 C.E.
Dating criteria
Explicit date.
Editions
L1. Vinogradov2011, 240–242, № 13.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/><date>Ἔτους <num value="6733">ςψλγ</num> </date>.
<lb n="2"/><g ref="#stauros"/> Γύνεται νῦν <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/>
<lb n="3" break="no"/><w part="F">κου</w> πα<supplied reason="lost">ρὰ</supplied> <unclear>κ</unclear>υροῦ
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/><orig>Ε</orig><gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/><orig>Υ</orig>
<lb n="4"/><orig>ΟΥΟ</orig> πα<supplied reason="lost">ν</supplied><gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/><supplied reason="lost">τά</supplied>
του ἱερο<supplied reason="lost">μ</supplied>ο<unclear>νά</unclear>χου
<unclear>κ</unclear>αὶ <orig>ΠΕ</orig>
<lb n="5"/><orig>ΟΣ</orig> τοῦ <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/>
</ab>
</div>Translation
In the year 6733. ... is being built [by...] the most [...] hieromonk and...
Commentary
Latyshev did not offer a reading (Latyshev 1897, 154, no. 49a; Latyshev 1918a, 21, no. 6). At present, the inscription is covered with soot and difficult to read - one must rely on the facsimile drawing of Yu.N. Voronin (Mogarichev 1997, 313, рис. 265.).
Because the building inscription is placed over an arcosolium containing a tomb, it is possible that the church was intended to serve as a funerary chapel. The cave complex surrounding the church does, however, look very much like a monastery. Since the builder was a hieromonk, it is likely that he would have also been the founder of this monastery.
1. The date of the inscription fits well with another one from the same complex: V 196 (1220-1221 C.E.). A comparison with the latter brings up an interesting question: why the cutter made an unusual choice to put the year date at the beginning (similarly to the other inscription) and then to inscribe the rest of the lengthy text.
2. I am not aware of other inscriptions where the verb γίνεσθαι is used in the Present tense; on the formulae γέγονε and ἐγένετο, see commentary to V 1.3 and V 11.
3. The beginning of the line contains either a saint's name ending in -κος or that of the Mother of God (Θεοτόκου), to whom the church might have been sacred.
Judging by its architectural and liturgical design, the church of the monastery complex at Taban-dere dates to the XIIIth century (see Vinogradov, Gaydukov, Zheltov 2005, 75).
Images
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (This file should validate to theEpiDoc schema.)