While studying the icons produced in Anatolia, I found the term “Byzantinising” both useful and accurate. This term helps describe artworks that continue the Byzantine tradition without fully copying it. Instead, they adapt and reinterpret older Byzantine styles in new historical and cultural contexts. Understanding Greek Orthodox painting after the fall of Byzantium is not easy, because it developed in many regions and under different influences. However, the concepts of “Byzantinism” and “Byzantinising” provide a helpful framework for analyzing these artistic developments Ephesus Daily Tour.
These terms allow scholars to discuss how artists and communities preserved their religious and cultural identity through visual art. Even when new techniques or influences appeared, many painters remained connected to Byzantine models. Therefore, the use of the term “Byzantinising” does not mean simple imitation. Rather, it suggests a conscious continuation of tradition with selective adaptation.
Scholarly Approaches to Byzantinism
Two important academic studies discuss these concepts from different perspectives. One of the most influential works was written in 1965 by the historian Cyril Mango, titled Byzantinism and Romantic Hellenism. In this study, Mango examines the idea of “Byzantinism” from sociological and historical viewpoints. He does not treat it only as an artistic term but as a broader cultural and intellectual phenomenon.
Mango explains that “Byzantinism” can also refer to a way of thinking and a form of self-perception among Greeks, especially in the nineteenth century. According to him, the concept is connected to how Greeks understood their historical past and cultural heritage after the fall of Byzantium. In this sense, Byzantinism was not limited to art or religion but extended to identity, ideology, and historical memory Painters on the Ionian Islands in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.
Byzantinism as a Belief System
In a wider historical overview, Mango introduces the idea that Byzantinism reflects the worldview of the Byzantines, who were essentially Eastern Romans. He describes Byzantinism as a general and comprehensive belief system that shaped Orthodox Byzantine society. This system was strongly influenced by religious ideas, especially messianic and eschatological beliefs, and it remained relatively stable over long periods of time.
According to Mango, this belief system influenced not only theology but also art, politics, and social life. Religious continuity and respect for tradition played a central role in Byzantine culture. As a result, artistic production, including icon painting, followed established models that were considered spiritually authoritative rather than purely aesthetic choices.
Byzantinism and Modern Greek Identity
Mango also raises an important historical question: what similarities existed between the Byzantines and the ideology of modern Greece after its independence in 1821? He examines whether the self-perception of Greeks in the nineteenth century was influenced by their Byzantine heritage. In other words, he asks whether modern Greek identity adopted elements of Byzantine ideology and worldview.
He suggests that Byzantinism functioned as a continuation of an accepted system of beliefs and values that had already existed in the Byzantine Empire. This system shaped how people understood authority, religion, and cultural continuity. Therefore, Byzantinism was not simply a nostalgic reference to the past but an active element in shaping modern cultural consciousness.
Relevance for the Study of Post-Byzantine Art
For the study of post-Byzantine icons, especially those from Anatolia, these ideas are very significant. The persistence of Byzantine artistic forms cannot be explained only by artistic conservatism. Instead, it reflects a deeper attachment to religious tradition and cultural identity. Patrons, painters, and viewers all shared an understanding of icons as sacred objects, not merely decorative works of art.
Thus, the concept of “Byzantinising” becomes especially helpful. It highlights how artists preserved traditional iconography while also responding to new social, political, and artistic environments. In conclusion, Mango’s interpretation of Byzantinism shows that the continuation of Byzantine artistic traditions was closely linked to identity, belief, and historical consciousness rather than simple stylistic repetition.
