“Blachernitissa” or “Axion Estin”: On the name of the fresco of the Mother of God from Tomb E of the Chora monastery

Abstract

The present study is focused on clarifying the origin of the pictorial model of the subject “Theotokos Blachernitissa” and its dogmatic and Eucharistic significance as a visual expression of the idea of the Holy Mother of God as a “living altar” of God. This subject enjoys a great variety of names and iconographic variations, hence sometimes questions arise about the correct identification of some models. A typical example in this regard is the fresco of the Mother of God, decorating the tomb of Irene Raoulaina Palaeologina in the outer narthex of the Chora Monastery (Tomb E). This paper aims to prove that the fresco, designated as “Theotokos Blachernitissa” actually has a hymnographic content and should be identified rather as “Theotokos Axion Estin (It is Truly Meet)”.