This essay studies the historical phenomenon of dog-headed men (cynocephaly) andSaint Christopher who is in eastern-orthodox iconography depicted as a dog headedman. The study argues that a symbolic and phenomenological perspective is preferredto understand mythical figures with “unnatural” depictions. In order to reach aconclusion about the symbolic meaning behind dog-headed men and SaintChristopher, the human experience of dogs and their role in our world is examined indetail to construct a theory concerning their symbolism. The theory is then applied todepictions of dogs and dog-headed men in religious stories and images as well ashistorical accounts to see if the theory fits the facts.The study concludes that dog-headed men and Saint Christopher symbolize a kind of“guardian of the border”. What it means to guard the border has different implicationsdepending on if the dog-headed man is depicted in a Christian or non-Christiancontext. When reading the story of Saint Christopher with this pattern in mind, thereason for his legendary depiction is revealed. The conclusion is supported bycomparing Saint Christopher to stories from the bible which symbolize “the rolewhich the border can play as a part of the whole”. The dog-headed men of history, thesaint and the biblical stories all reinforce the symbolism of each other, revealing thedeeper meaning behind the wild, peripheral side of Christianity.

En 1993, l’église du monastère Humor et six autres églises du nord de la Moldavie (Roumanie) ont été classifiés comme patrimoine de l'UNESCO, en particulier en raison de leurs caractéristiques iconographiques et architecturales uniques. Construit au seizième siècle, le monastère Humor est devenu un riche centre religieux et culturel sous le patronage du prince Petru Rares de Moldavie. Ce centre a encouragé les innovations architecturales ecclésiales, ainsi qu’un programme très prolifique de fresques, extérieures et intérieures, exprimant une créativité au-delà du canon de la peinture de l'époque. La présente thèse est concentrée sur ces innovations architecturales et iconographiques, comprises à la lumière du contexte historique de ce moment unique dans l'histoire de la Moldavie, dans le siècle qui suivit la chute de Constantinople (1453). Tandis que la première partie de la thèse est concentrée sur ces circonstances historiques, et plus précisément sur l'impact du patronage du Prince Rares, la deuxième partie de la recherche est concentrée sur l'analyse des sources littéraires et de la théologie d’une série unique de fresques, placé dans la gropnita (chambre funéraire) de l’église monastique d’Humor, évoquant la vie de la Mère de Dieu. La série est un exemple extraordinaire d’interaction des textes, le Protévangile de Jacques et le Synaxarion, avec l'iconographie. Une attention particulière à l'iconographie du monastère Humor démontre le besoin de la corrélation entre texte et icône d'une part, ainsi que la nécessité d’une corrélation entre les études théologiques, l'art et l’histoire d’autre part. Un autre avantage de la recherche est de contribuer à une appréciation plus riche des trésors culturels et religieux des communautés chrétiennes de l'Europe de l'Est aux points de vue religieux et culturel, en réponse à leur reconnaissance comme patrimoine de l’UNESCO. / In 1993, the church of Humor Monastery and six other churches from northern Moldavia (Romania) were classified as UNESCO Patrimony, due to their unique iconographical and architectural features. Built in the sixteenth-century, Humor Monastery became a rich and vital cultural religious center under the patronage of Prince Petru Rares of Moldavia. This center encouraged ecclesial architectural innovations, as well as an extraordinarily prolific program of frescoes, both internally and externally, expressing creativity beyond the canon of painting of the time. This dissertation focuses on understanding these architectural and iconographical innovations, in the light of the historical context that gave rise to this unique moment in Moldavian history, in the century following the Fall of Constantinople (1453). While the first part of the dissertation focuses on these historical circumstances, and more precisely on the impact of the patronage of Prince Rares, the second part of the research concentrates on the literary sources and the theology of a unique fresco series depicting the “Life of the Mother of God,” which has been painted on the walls of the gropnita (burial chamber) of Humor monastic church. The fresco series is an extraordinary example of the interaction between texts, the apocryphon Protogospel of James and the Synaxarion, and the iconographic narration of the “Life of the Mother of God.” Careful attention to the iconography of the Humor monastic church demonstrates the need for the correlation between text and icon, as well as the need for a correlation between theological studies, art and history. This methodological perspective will foster a richer appreciation of the abundant cultural and religious treasures of the Christian communities of Eastern Europe, both from a cultural as well as a specifically theological perspective as a further response to their prestigious recognition of being included in the UNESCO’s Patrimony in the closing decade of the twentieth - century.

No description available.