The Virgin Nativity Cathedral
Medallions

The Southwestern Pillar, the Western Facet

Dionisy's frescoes. The Southwestern Pillar, the Western Facet

In the medallion (75 cm in diameter) there is a flower-leaf ornament against a grey background. The geometrical pattern of the ornament is built of four circumferences of half the medallion diameter symmetrically positioned around the centre on the axes perpendicular to each other and a smaller circumference in the centre of the medallion. The intersecting arcs form a “flower” with four narrow “petals” in the centre of the medallion while the smaller circumference divides the segments between the “petals” into two parts. A “small leaf” (traces of pink ochre) with wavy edges and three red (ochre) strokes in the centre” is inscribed in each “petal”. In between the “small leaves” there are blue (azurite) equilateral fan-shaped “leaves” with wavy edges and a semicircle in the middle of the edge. The outside halves of the four circumferences contain twin ochre “leaves” with wavy edges facing the circumference and brown shading. On the outside of the circumferences, along the border of the medallion there are mirror images of narrow fan-shaped blue “flowers” with wavy edges facing each other. The bases of the blue elements have dark thin traces of shading. All the colour elements of the ornament including the wide border (3 cm) between the two thin ones have a white outline (white chalk ground). In the centre of the medallion there is a trace of the leg of a compass. Light green cloth folds are painted over the ornament. Condition: thin cracks all over the medallion. Pigments are well preserved except for the losses of shading on the blue elements and pink ochre on the central petals. The surface of the ornament has dark runs of paint. Conservation: 1998, restorer E.M. Christie.