Cross-cultural and artistic dialogues in the seventeenth century constantinople/istanbul: The Iconography of Madonna della Misericordia and the Galata Icon

From its foundation to today, Constantinople/Istanbul has always been the threshold of cross-cultural interactions between the East and West. This thesis examines these interactions from the perspective of a Marian icon in the city, bearing the inscription of SS.V. Odighitria, kept in the church of Saints Peter and Paul in Galata/Pera, known but insufficiently studied. This composite icon is made of two components: a 13-14th century, now highly deteriorated, wooden panel that arrived at Constantinople/Istanbul by Caffan Dominican friars who translocated to the Ottoman capital in 1475, and a very elaborative silver revetment applied to the artwork at the end of the 17th century (1698-1699). As an object whose spatial and historical contexts were altered, this icon embodies cross-cultural interactions - between Byzantium and the Latin West and later between the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe. Along with its hybrid medium and polymorphic historical narrative, the iconographical formula on its metal revetment, Madonna della Misericordia, which underlines the Virgin Mary's merciful nature by displaying devoted Christians gathered under her miraculous mantle, further addresses interactions in question as an iconography that developed in the synthesis of particular Eastern and Western features. By utilizing this icon as a case study, this thesis demonstrates the catalyst role of the Virgin Mary in the long-standing cross-cultural interactions between both spheres. Furthermore, this thesis emphasizes how this Marian icon has historically been misinterpreted and offers an entirely novel perspective by designating it as the Galata icon and addressing cultural perspectives that have been effective in its representation. Moreover, it demonstrates how the Galata icon enriched the iconography of the Madonna Misericordia with references to 17th-century society. By analyzing it from the perspective of enduring cross-cultural interactions, this thesis elaborates on the Galata icon as a unique visual and cultural testimony of the multicultural identity of Constantinople/Istanbul. Keywords: Marian icons, Madonna della Misericordia (Virgin of Mercy)/Schutzmantelmadonna, Constantinople/Istanbul, Pera/Galata, Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, Dominican Order, Genoa, Caffa, Venice, Byzantium, Ottoman Empire.