Magdalena Laptas

A Sphere, an Orb or a Disc?

The Object Held by the Archangels
in the Faras Cathedral
Wall Paintings*

The permanent exhibition of wall paintings from the Faras Cathedral in the
National Museum in Warsaw contains five representations of archangels which
are holding in their hands either a sphere or a sphere-like object. There are
several similar paintings from the Faras cathedral which are currently located
in the National Museum in Khartoum, while several others have not survived
and are known only from the archaeological records. This article is an attempt
to define the function and give a name to the objects being held by these
archangels.
In the related art history literature similar objects have been simply called
spheres, a term which defines its physical appearance, or as globes, which
refers to its symbolic function. When it is painted flatly and has the form of
a circle, the object has been called a disc.
The Polish terms kula, glob and dysk correspond in this case to the names
in foreign languages. In the German art history literature the very same object
is defined as einen Globus, eine Kugel or eine Sphaira;2 in English the terms
used are globe, orb, sphere, disc (or discus),3 in French there is globe, etc.4 In
the related Polish literature on the Faras wall paintings, the object is usually

* This article developed as an upshot from the writing of the doctoral dissertation entitled
Archangels in Nubian Painting, which was written under the direction of professor Elzbieta
Jastrzçbowska of Warsaw University.
1 These paintings are in the Gallery of Painting from Faras.
2 Cfr. for example, D. I. Pallas, s. v. “Himmelsmächte, Erzengel und Engel” in: K. Wessel,
M. Restle (ed.), Reallexicon zur byzantinischen Kunst, vol. Ill, Stuttgart 1972, cols. 37-38;
P E. Schramm, Sphaira, Globus Reichsapfel. Wanderung und Wandlung eines Herrschaftszeichens
von Caesar bis Elisabeth II, Stuttgart 1958, p. 1-2.
3 Cfr. for example, C. Mango, “St Michael and Attis”, Deltion tes Christianikes Archaiologikes
Hetairetas, XII, 1984, pp. 43-44; S. der Nersessian, “Program and Iconography of the Frescoes of
the Parecclesion” in: P Underwood, ed., TheKariyeDjami, IY Princeton 1975, (305-349), p. 324.
4 Cfr. for example, C. Lamy-Lassalle, “Les archanges en costume impérial dans la peinture murale
italienne” in: A. Grabar, J. Hubert, ed., Synthronon, Paris 1968, (189-198) p. 189.

24
called patera/ which greatly departs from the above-mentioned terminology.
One can ask what the cause of this divergence in terminology is and whether
some other symbol of this object is hidden therein.
It should first be noted that two similar-sounding words, patera and patena,
have in all likelihood been confused. According to the Dictionary of Art Terms
(in Polish) patera is a “shallow, circular bowl with a short handle or stem; in
ancient Greece and Rome, it was richly decorated, made of clay or metal, and
served as a sacrificial dish; in modern times made principally of glass (since
the 16th century) and porcelain (since the 18lh century) and used as a decorative
dish or for serving fruit”.1 * * * * 6 * 8 On the other hand, patena is defined as “a shallow,
circular, liturgical dish used during mass as a container for the Host and for
covering the chalice, made normally of gold-plated silver”. If, correcting this
small mistake, we suppose that the archangels in the Faras paintings are
holding patena in their hands, this means that they fulfilled a liturgical
function in the iconographie program of the Cathedral. It seems however that
the problem will require more detailed analysis.
First of all, it must be remembered that entirely different opinions exist
among the researchers engaged in trying to clarify the function of the object
the archangels are holding. One of the basic studies of literature is the
work done by Percy Ernst Schramm on the subject of attributes such as the
sphere-globe.6 He writes the history of this attribute from ancient times up to
the beginning of the modern era. In ancient Greece, the shape of the sphere,
as an ideal body, corresponded to the heavens surrounding the surface of the
Earth. The sphere was associated as well with God, being the beginning and
the end/ As an attribute of power, the sphere-globe appeared on Roman coins,
held in the hand of the emperor.
In the fourth century A. D., after Christianity became the official religion
of the Roman Empire, the globe was enhanced by the addition of the cross.
Sometimes the figure of Winged Victory accompanied images of the emperor
holding a sphere. Emperors Gratian and Valentiman II were portrayed on the
reverse of Gratian coins holding a sphere, which symbolises the sharing of
power. Hovering in the background and somewhat higher is Victory, spreading
her wings above the heads of the two emperors [Fig. 1]. Over time Victory
was replaced with the image of an angel. The obverse of coins issued during
the reign of Justinian I portray a bust of the emperor, whose upraised right
hand is holding a sphere crowned with a cross [Fig. 2], The reverse of the same
com bears the standing figure of a winged angel holding the very same object

1 Cf for example, K. Michalowski, Faras, malowidta scienne w zbiorach Muzeum Narodowego

w Warszawie, Warszawa 1974, pp. 94, 97; the term patera has been translated into English as
“plate”, cf. idem, Faras. Wall Paintings in the National Museum in Warsaw, Warsaw 1974,
pp. 92, 95.
6 Slownik terminologiczny sztuk piçknych (Dictionary of Art Terms), Warszawa 1996, p. 305.
7 Ibid.
8 E E. Schramm, op. cit.
8 Ibid., p. 8.

25
 1. Gold solidus
of Gratian, reverse,
Gration and
Valentinian II,
Mint of Trier,
375-3/8 A. D„
Warsaw,
Muzeum Narodowe
(Phot. Kazimierz Balakier,
Hanna Kruszewska)

in its left hand10 [Fig. 3], An archangel holding a sphere often accompanies
images of emperors from later periods, as in the case of the sculpted figure on
the back of the ivory sceptre top of Leo VI. We see here the Virgin Mary placing
a crown on the head of the emperor. Accompanying her is the Archangel
Gabriel dressed, like the emperor, in a loros. Again like the emperor, Gabriel
is holding a sceptre in his right hand and a sphere in his left, somewhat larger
than the emperor’s and devoid of the image of the cross.11 * In his reflections
Schramm thus traces the origins of this object back to caesarian iconography.
In an article on the subject of the Archangel Michael in Coptic art, Ole
Skjerbaek Madsen proposes a different interpretation of this circular object.
As the title of the article suggests, the author links the function of the object

10 Cf. P D. Whitting, Monnaies byzantines, Fribourg 1973, pp. 75-76.

11 Ibid., p. 25; cf. also K. Corrigan, “The Ivory Scepter of Leo VI: A Statement of Post-Iconoclastic
Imperial Ideology”, The Art Bulletin, LX, 3, 1978, (408-416), p. 409.

26
with oblation.12 Several Coptic representations which were created between
the 7th and 12th centuries and, particularly an illumination from the Oriental
Manuscript (No. 7021, fob la) in the British Museum in London are the basis
for this connection. The illumination is accompanied by a text, in which
Michael appears as an intermediary between God and mankind, as the only
one who can present oblation in the name of mankind.1’1 In Skjerbaek’s
opinion, this attests to the archangel’s liturgical function. Another example is
a wall-painting from the Church of St. Bishoi in the Red Monastery at Sohag,
which depicts the image of an archangel with a spherical object, on which the

12 O. Skjerbaek Madsen, “Michael and the Oblation. Towards the Interpretation of the Circular
Object in Michael’s Hand, in Old Egyptian or Coptic Pictorial Representations”, Bulletin de la
Sociétéd’Archéologie Copte, 21, 1971-1973, (105-115).
13 Ibid., p. 112.

2. Gold solidus
of Justinian I;
obverse, mint
of Constantinople,
375-378,
Warsaw,
Muzeum Narodowe
(Phot. Kazimierz Balakier,
Hanna Kruszewska)

27
 symbol, ankh, is written. This sign symbolises eternal life, which in turn may
he interpreted to mean that the archangel is holding the bread of life - the
Eucharist Loaf.14 Since when taking part in the Eucharist one receives the gift
of eternal life, the relationship between the ankh sign and Eucharist Loaf is
obvious.
Summarising, Skjerbaek Madsen points to three stages in which the
understanding and meaning of the spherical object being held by the archangel
Michael in Coptic paintings has changed. In the first stage, it was seen as a sign
of royal status, a royal orb, a symbol of high rank belonging to the highest of
arch-angels. This stage lasted until the 7th century. The following period, in
which the object was believed to symbolise the bread of the Eucharist, in light
of the fact that Michael is the intermediary between God and humans, lasted
until the 13th century. In the centuries that followed, the object’s meaning was

14 Ibid., p. 113.

3. Gold solidus
of Justinian t,
reverse, mint
of Constantinople,
375-378,
Warsaw,
Muzeum Narodowe
(Phot. Kazimierz Balakier,
Hanna Kruszewska)

28
lost. The proof for this assertion is, according to Skjerbaek Madsen, the
fragment of a text from the Coptic encomium ascribed to Eustathius, which
gives an account of the story of the pious Euphemia. According to the story,
Euphemia saw an archangel who was holding a trumpet in his right hand and
in the left a kind of a chariot wheel with a cross on it.
There is another interpretation of the mentioned object in Cyril Mango’s
article entitled “St. Michael and Attis”.15 16 Eie claims simply that, “the medieval
Byzantines could offer no reasonable explanation of the iconography of
archangels and seemed to be unaware of its meaning”. 7 Mango supports his
claim with several primary sources in which the spherical quality of the object
under discussion was once explained as the speed with which archangels
move. A different source characterises it as a symbol of knowledge of God,
a knowledge having no beginning and no end. And yet another describes it as
a symbol of power over the World.
The opinions of these three scholars reveal how different the function of
the object held by archangels can be interpreted. Moreover, the differences in
interpretation and in the name given concern not only the secondary sources
but primary sources as well. It seems, therefore, that to analyse properly
the function of the object in the Faras painting, one must begin with an
investigation of how the object itself relates to certain iconographie elements such
as the archangel’s dress and other attributes as well as the function of the archangel
as specified in the inscription, if any such inscriptions have survived. The actual
location of the paintings in the Cathedral may provide more pointers.
One of the very earliest works in the Faras Cathedral is the painting of the
Three Youths in the Fiery Furnace,17 18 presently located in the National Museum
in Warsaw (inv. no. 234040 MNW; field inv. no. 80) [Fig. 4]. It dates from the
first coat of plaster and was located on the south wall of the south nave, near
a staircase entrance. Only a part of the painting has survived. Best preserved
is the sole figure of an archangel, though nearly all of the head has suffered
damage. According to the archaeological records, two youths were represented
on the right-hand side of the archangel, and one youth on the left. All of the
figures are standing and rendered frontally. The youths were in the orant pose.

15 Ibid., pp. 108-109.

16 G. Mango, op. cit.
17 Ibid., p. 39.
18 It seems that the problem of dating the Faras wall paintings requires an individual study. At
present the earliest of the Faras paintings have been dated to the beginning of the 8th century and
the latest of the paintings discussed in this article is from the 13th century. The painting catalogued
as field inv. no. 20 is dated from a later period. In light of its poor condition however, it is difficult
to determine a definite date. Cf, for example, K. Michalowski, Faras, Wall Paintings..., op. cit,
pp. 92, 95-101, 122-124; idem, Faras, die Katedrale ans dem Wüstensand, Zurich 1967, pp. 114,
138-141, 149; W Godlewski, “The Early Period of Nubian Art. Middle of 6th- Beginning of 9th
Centuries”, in: Ch. Bonnet, ed., Etudes Nubiennes. Conferénce de Geneve, Actes du Vile Congrès
international d’études nubiennes 3-8 septembre 1990,1, Genève 1992, pp. 277-305; Ibid., “Some
Remarks on the Faras Cathedral and its Painting”, Journal of Coptic Studies, 2, 1992, pp. 99-116.

29
 4. The Archangel
from the scene,
Three Youths in
the Fiery Furnace,
painting from the
south wall of the
south nave of the
Foras Cathedral,
Warsaw,
Muzeum Narodowe
(Phot. Zbigniew Doliriski)
 The archangel is standing with his feet parted. In his left hand, arm bent at
the elbow, he is holding an orb, grasping it from below in such a way that his
fingertips are showing. The archangel’s right arm is raised and extended to
one side. The right hand has not survived, but nevertheless it can be assumed
that it held a long staff topped with a cross, which protected the youths from
the flames. The archangel is dressed in a long tunic, lightly folded at the waist,
which comes down to his ankles and has two orbiculi at the knees. Thrown
over the tunic and clasped at the shoulder with a fibula is a cloak which falls
across his back, revealing the right arm. The shoes he is wearing have decorated
toes and heels. His wings are full of feathers marked with rows of short vertical
dashes running between horizontal lines. The object in the archangel’s left
hand is not in any way decorated, nor are any letters or symbols on it. As is
common of the early Faras paintings, it is painted flatly, as are both the entire
figure and the gown.
In order to comprehend what the function of this attribute was, we must
reach for its literary source, that is, the Bible. In the Book of Daniel (Ch. 3,
8-30), the story of three young Hebrews - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedneg
- is told. On the order of the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, the young
men were brought to the king’s court. When Nebuchadnezzar ordered an image
of gold to be made, and then forced his subjects to worship it, the three refused
to do so. As punishment they were thrown into a burning-hot oven. Although the
king’s servants did not cease in their efforts to build the fire higher and higher,
the flames did not reach the young men, who were saved by an angel. This made
such an impression on the king that he paid tribute to the God who had
performed such a miracle.
It seems logical that the person who created Three Youths in the Fiery
Furnace attempted to render the archangel1 9 in his full glory as God’s messenger.
In his hand he wields the attribute which is a testament of his high position.
This brings to mind the text of the Coptic encomium of Eustathius in which
the function of the angel’s attribute is clarified: “For no man will fulfil the
behest for which any soldier has come from the Emperor; neither will he by
any means receive him (the figure of the Cross), unless he bear the token of
the Emperor; and, moreover thus is it with the letters which the Emperor
sendcth forth from his kingdom, no man believeth that they are genuine unless
they be sealed with the Emperor’s seal; and thus also is it with the angels who
come upon the earth, for if the figure of the Cross of the King of Glory be not
with them, men will not believe that they are angels, but they will flee from
them [believing! them to be devils; and especially in the case of Archangel of 19

19 I use the term archangel here because in the inscription of another representation of the Three
Youths from the Faras Cathedral (field inv. no. 94) the archangel is identified as Michael.
Martens-Czarnecka and Rassart-Debergh also use the term archangel in this case. Cf M. Martens-
Czarnecka, “L’archange Michel sur les peintures de Faras” loros, Etudes et Travaux, Travaux du
Centre d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences, XII, 1983, (171-193)
p. 172; M. Rassart-Debergh, “Les Trois Hébreux dans la fournaise en Egypte et en Nubie
chrétiennes”, Rivista degli Sudi Orientali, LVIII, 1-4, 1984, (141-151), pp. 148-149.

31
all the angels, for how could he come upon the earth without bearing the
armour of the seal of salvation of his Emperor?”20
The next item of interest from the Faras Cathedral is a no longer existent
wall painting which was situated on the east wall of the north nave.21 The
archangel portrayed was on the right of the Virgin Hodegetna; on the left-hand
side of the Virgin a saint was represented. The condition of the painting was
extremely bad: a part of the figure’s torso minus its right shoulder was all
that was visible. The archangel was rendered frontally. In the left hand he
held a sphere in a similar manner to the painting discussed above (no. inv.
234040 MNW), grasping it from below with his fingertips showing. He was
dressed in a cloak and in a tunic, which was fastened with an ornate belt. The
wings were full of feathers marked by rows of short lines. An identical set of
wings appears in the painting on the south wall of the south nave, a fact which
may indicate that the style and iconography of both works are related. If both
the Virgin Hodegetria and the archangel were painted around the same time,
the archangel’s function is clear: he is accompanying Mary, just as on the back
of the ivory sceptre top of Teo VI. The attribute he is holding therefore
may be a symbol of his status and of his important function, which was to be
Mary’s attendant.
The next two paintings, both of which are in the National Museum in
Warsaw, bear inscriptions identifying the two archangels depicted as Michael
and Gabriel (inv. nos. 234051 MNV( 234052 MNW; field inv. nos. 98, 99)
[Figs. 5,6]. Both renderings were located on the west wall of the Cathedral’s
narthex, Michael on the right of the entrance, Gabriel on the left. With the
exception of some missing pieces, both have survived in good condition. Both
figures are rendered standing and frontally. In his right hand, Michael has
a trumpet and in his left a sphere; Gabriel is wielding a sword in his right hand,
and like Michael, a sphere in his left. Their hair is pinned up on the tops of
their heads. Each is dressed in a tunic which comes down to the ankle, and in
a loros decorated with rectangles and circles which imitate precious stones.
Gabriel is wearing ankle-high shoes; (Michael’s feet have not survived). The
archangels’ wings are covered with an eye-shaped motif. Both works have been
rendered using the same range of colours. Their faces are a white similar to
that of the edge of the loros; the contour is painted black and dark-red; the
tunics are of a light violet colour, while the wings are yellow. The manner
in which the archangels are holding the orbs differs from that of the paintings
discussed above. There, the object is held in raised hands, in front of the
figure. In these wall paintings the archangels’ hands are lowered and slightly
to the side. The sphere is being held, not from the bottom, but from the
side. It is apparent that an attempt was made to render the object three-

20 E. A. Wallis Budge, Samt Michael the Archangel. Three Encomiums, London 1894, pp. 97-98.
21 1 wish to thank the Mediterranean Archaeological Institute of the Polish Academy of Scien-
ces for allowing me access to the archaeological records of the no longer existing Faras Cathed-
ral paintings.

32
5. The Archangel
Michael, painting
from the south
wall of the Faras
Cathedral's narthex,
Warsaw,
Muzeum Narodowe
(Phot. Zbigniew Doliriski)
 6. The Archangel
Gabriel, painting
from the west
wall of the Faras
Cathedral's narlhex,
Warsaw,
Muzeum Narodowe
(Phot. Zbigniew Dolinski)

dimensionlly. In the center it is white, and near the circumference a yellow

pigment was used.
Despite the differences in the manner in which the object is being held, it
seems that its meaning is the same. As in the other examples, it is a symbol of
the function that the angels perform at the Heavenly Court. This function is

34
7. An Archangel,
painting from
the south wall of
a staircase of the
Faras Cathedral,
Warsaw,
Muzeum Narodowe
(Phot. Zbigniew Doliriski)
further emphasised by their hairstyles and dress: each is clothed in a loros, that
is, m attire which was worn by Byzantine emperors and high state officials.
There is no doubt, therefore, that the artist was concerned with rendering the
archangels in ceremonial robes and that the objects they are holding were
meant to compliment this likeness.
The painting that was located on the south wall of the staircase, now located
in the National Museum in Warsaw (inv. no. 234044 MNW; field inv. no. a84),
is also of an angel wearing a loros [Fig. 7]. The painting is in good condition,
though a large piece - running through the figure’s face, right shoulder and
wing - is missing. The paint is badly damaged and worn. A thin painted frame
surrounds the figure, only two sides of which survive: the bottom horizontal
and the vertical left side adjacent to the right wing. Adjoining the lower side
of the frame is a wide painted strip on which the figure is standing. The angel
is rendered frontally and is standing with his feet parted. In his lowered right
hand he is clutching a long staff-like object, which is probably a sceptre; in his
left hand there is a large spherical object which he is holding from the bottom
in such a way that his fingertips are showing from below. The object is divided
into four parts by two sets of perpendicular lines. In the centre, where the lines
intersect, there is a large solid circle. The upper sections of the circle probably
contained the monogram of Christ; the letters IC which survived in the
left-hand side section are still visible. It appears that the artist managed to
render the figure three-dimensionally. This is supported by the semi-circular
folds of the tunic and the hems of the loros. And yet the lines on the object
being held are straight. It seems to me that this is so because the artist was
attempting to render a flat object, not a spherical one, and in which case
a more appropriate term for the object would be disc. In comparison to the
previously-discussed paintings, this object is enriched by the addition of letters,
lines and the circle at the junction of the two lines. This enrichment is not
limited to the disc alone, but to the entire iconography of the painting. This
is the earliest instance of an archangel portrayed with a halo; the figure’s head
is wreathed by an ornate gem-studded crown. A delicate ornament adorns the
loros and fringes are sewn to one of its borders. Such fringes were not present
on the earlier Faras wall paintings, though they can frequently be found as an
element of the loros in Byzantine art, as for example in one of the Hagia Sophia
mosaics, showing the Emperor Alexander, which dates from the 10rh century.22 23
The archangels’ style of dress, the crown and the sceptre undoubtedly refer
to caesarian iconography. Colette Lamy-Lasalle termed this type of wall
painting “l’ange en basileus”.2j The monogram, refers to Christ, similar to the

22 Cf. P Underwood, E. J. Hawkins, “Thé Mosaics of Haghia Sophia at Istanbul. A Report on

Work Done in 1959 and 1960. The Portrait of the Emperor Alexander”, Dumbarton Oaks Papers,
XV, 1961, pp. 189-217.
23 Cf. C. Lamy-Lasalle, op. cit., p. 189.

36
 8. The Archangel
Michael, painting
from the west wall
of the tomb of Bishop
Johannes (Phot, in situ),
the National Museum
in Khartoum,
(neg. the archives
of the Mediterranean
Archaeological
Institute of the
Polish Academy
of Sciences)

disc held by the Archangel Michael in the paracclesion of the Kariye Djami in
Constantinople from the 14th century. Sirarpie der Nersessian characterises the
attribute in the following way: “The discus is the ‘seal’ of Christ, held by angels
as ‘ministers’ of God”.24

24 Cf. S. der Nersessian, op. cit., p. 324.

37
 On the west wall of the tomb of Bishop Johannes (field inv. no. 104) there
was a wall-painting of the Archangel Michael [Fig. 8], which is today in the
collection of the National Museum in Khartoum. The lower part of the
painting is severely damaged. The surface is missing numerous pieces and the
paint is worn. The figure is rendered standing frontally. His gaze is directed
forward toward the viewer. In his right hand he is clutching a long staff topped
by a cross, which is pointing upwards slantwise. In his left hand there is a disc
which he is grasping from the front. The archangel is dressed in a long-sleeved,
belted tunic and a cloak, clasped at the shoulder by a cross-shaped fibula.
There is what appears to be a collar around his neck and his hair is pinned up
on top of his head. A crown topped with three crosses and decorated with
precious gems is placed on his head, around which there is a halo. His wings
are filled with single peacock feathers. The figure’s face and tunic are white;
the cloak is yellow; the outline of the wings and the halo is red; the
ornamentation on the cloak and eye-shadows are green; the outline of the figure
is black. At the centre of the disc Michael is holding there is a circle. Double
concentric lines wrap around its circumference and the strip in between is
decorated with dots. The circle and dotted strip in the centre is in turn
surrounded by a wide band that is filled with petal-shaped elements. At the
disc’s circumference, another set of double concentric lines forms a second
dotted strip. The disc’s centre circle is white, the wide band is grey, the lines
are red, and the dots are white. When compared with the previous examples
the object held by the archangel - including its individual elements and colour
- is much more ornate. On the other hand there are no letters inscribed on it.
The archangel is accompanied by an inscription which identifies him as
the Archangel Michael, Archi strut egos, merciful and good; additionally the
inscription contains a plea for help.“ ' Because this painting was located in the
tomb, we can conclude that Michael appears here as the protector of the dead,
which was one of his functions.20
A similar disc to the one described above is held by the archangel in the
scene of Three Youths in the Fiery Furnace (Field Inv. No. 94) [Fig. 9]. This
mural was located on the west wall of the narthex; today it can be found in
the National Museum in Khartoum. The Archangel Michael is standing and
represented frontally; his face is turned slightly to the left of the viewer. On
his right-hand side are two youths, who as the inscription tells us are Meshach
and Shadrach, while on the left of Michael is Abednego.“ All three of the
youths are in the orant pose. The archangel is holding a cross-topped staff
in his right hand. The cross is directed downward toward the bottom-left
corner of the painting in such a manner that it cuts diagonally across the entire
composition. With his left arm, the archangel is pressing a disc against his chest.

25 Cf. K. Michalowski, Paras, Die Kathedrale aus dem Wüstensand, Zürich-Köln, 1967, p. 149.
2b Cf. C. Detlef, G. Müller, Die Engellere der koptischen Kirche, Wiesbaden 1969, pp. 10-11.
27 Cf. Michaiowski, Die Kathedrale, op. cit., pp. 138-140; G. Vantini, “The Faras Mural of the
Three Youths in the Fiery Furnace - Some Observations”, in: Etudes Nubiennes, op. cit., II, pp. 255-257.

38
The fingers of his left hand are pointing downward. Michael is dressed in
a long-sleeved tunic which drops down to his shoes, slightly shorter over-tunic
with elbow length sleeves and a long cloak which is heavily draped at the
bottom and around his shoulders. There is what appears to be a collar around
Michael’s neck. The archangel’s head is wreathed by a crown and surrounded
by a halo. The lifted wings are spread out above the youths’ heads. Single
peacock feathers are woven into the wings.

9. Three Youths in the

Fiery Furnace, painting
from the west wall of the
Faras Cathedral's
narthex, the
National Museum
in Khartoum, (neg.
the archives of the
Mediterranean

Archaeological
Institute of the
Polish Academy
of Sciences)

As mentioned above, this disc resembles the one in the representation on

the south wall of the tomb (field inv. no. 104). A narrow strip decorated with
dots surrounds a large circle at the disc’s centre. Surrounding the circle and
the narrow strip is a wide band decorated, like the disc located in the tomb,
with petals radiating from the centre. The centre of the disc is white, while
the surrounding band is blue. The inscription below the figure identifies him as
Michael, Archistrategos, the merciful. It appears that the archangel’s function,
as that of the object he holds, is analogical, as is the case in the scene from the
Three Youths (inv. no. 234040 MNW).
Undoubtedly the object with the most fully-developed form is the one in
the left arm of the archangel in the mural that was on the eastern wall of
the narthex (field inv. no. 89) [Fig. 10].2S This painting has not survived
unfortunately. The bottom and top of the figure were already damaged when

39
it was excavated. The archangel was standing and represented frontally. In his
right hand he was holding a staff vertically. In the left hand there was a disc
which he was holding against his body. He was dressed in a long-sleeved tunic,
an over-tunic, and a loros richly decorated with rosettes, rombs and circles.
An ornate belt with three cross-shaped pendants complemented the whole.
The archangel’s wings were filled with single peacock feathers and eye-shaped
elements. The disc had a shape similar to the last two discs that were discussed
above: a central circle surrounded by a wide belt ornamented with petal-shaped
designs. In the centre, however, there was an anagram in the shape of a cross,
which has been deciphered as BOH0COC 29 and is presumed to refer to God. 11
There are two more murals of an archangel holding a disc, one is today
located in the National Museum in Khartoum (field inv. no. 22). The state of
its condition is so bad that it tells us no more than that the object was held in
the figure’s left hand. The same concerns the second mural wmch is currently
in the National Museum in Warsaw (inv. no. 234002 MNW; field inv. no 2).
In summary one can conclude that the function of the object being held by
the archangels underwent a progressive change over time. In the beginning it
emphasised the archangels’ position as God’s messenger and assistant at the
Heavenly Court. Gradually it became a symbol of Christ and his Resurrection.
Over time perhaps its function was no longer entirely understood, to which the
changes in its appearance attest, namely, the ever increasing ornamentation.
On the other hand, the trend towards richer and richer form in the late period
of the Faras paintings does not concern just the attribute under discussion; it
concerns the other iconographie elements as well as dress.
Taking into account the fact that the wall paintings were located in the lower
sections of the Cathedral, and particularly in the west section, it does not seem
to me that the archangels depicted could have served a liturgical function in
the Cathedral’s iconographie program. In Byzantine churches, archangels
fulfilled a liturgical function either in scenes of the Communion of the Apostles
or scenes of the Holy Liturgy. Both of the scenes were located in the upper
part of the edifice - the former in the apse’s concha, and the latter most
commonly in the cupola’1. Moreover, the archangels in the Faras Cathedral
are represented in such a manner - rendered standing, frontally and without
movement - that they do not at all resemble the archangels in either of these
scenes.
In the Hermeneia of the Dionysius of Fourna, there is the following
description of how the Holy Liturgy should be represented: “A domed canopy,

28 This painting dates from the second layer of plaster; it was painted over the top of another
painting, also depicting an archangel, which is now located in the National Museum in Warsaw
(inv. no. 234046 MNW; field inv. no. a89), see Fig. 10.
29 Cited from K. Michalowski, Faras, Fouilles Polonaies 1961-1962, Varsovie, 1962, p. 106.
30 Or to Christ, cfr. M. Martens-Czarnecka, “Les éléments décoratifs sur les peintures de la
Cathédrale de Faras”, (Faras, VU), p. 76. Apparently a monograph on this interesting anagram
has yet to be done.
31 Cf. for example, C. Walter, Art and Ritual of the Byzantine Church, London 1982.

40
with an altar beneath it, and the holy gospel on the altar. Above it is the Holy
Spirit and nearby is the Eternal Father seated on a throne and raising his sacred
hands in blessing; he says on a scroll: ‘I brought thee forth from the womb
before the morning.’ On the right of the altar Christ is standing in bishop’s robes,
blessing, and in front of him are the other choirs of angels, in priests’ robes,
and forming a circle round to the left hand side of the altar. Christ appears
again standing at the left hand side of it, taking a plate from the head of an

10. An Archangel,
a no-longer
existing painting from
the east
wall of Faras
Cathedral's narthex,
painted over an earlier
painting that also
portrayed an
archangel, (Phot.
in situ; neg. the
archives of the
Mediterranean
Archaeological
Institute of the
Polish Academy
of Sciences)

41
angel in the garb of a deacon. Four other angels are nearby, two swinging
censers before Christ and two holding candelabra. Behind them another angel
in the garb of a priest holds a chalice, and behind these are other angels, one
holding a liturgical spoon, another a spear, another the reed with the sponge,
another a cross, and others hold lamps”.32
As is apparent from this passage the archangels are actively taking part in
the liturgy: one of the archangels is holding a plate, others are holding
candelabra, others spoons, and yet others are swinging censers, and so on. The
context of this scene, however, is entirely different from that of the Faras
murals. Thus, it seems that making a connection between oblation and the
disc, or sphere, being held by the Faras archangels is groundless; nor are there
any grounds for describing the object as a patena.

Translated by Michael Thaxton

32 E Hetherington, transi, The “Painters Manual” of Dionysius ofFourna, Wheathampstead 1974,

(repr. 1989), p. 45.