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Projection of women and girls in their portraits and inscriptions in the churches of the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th c. in the region of Peloponnese (Doctoral thesis)

Κιλτζανίδου, Αικατερίνη/ Kiltzanidou, Aikaterini

In the Ph.D. dissertation entitled: "Projection of women and girls in their portraits and inscriptions in the churches of the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th c. in the region of Peloponnese" have been collected, for the first time, the donor portraits and dedicatory inscriptions connected with adult women and young girls in ecclesiastical institutions in the Peloponnese between 1204 and 1571. The study and grouping were based on the state administration of the area. The research criteria are specifically limited to the architectural type, establishment, and use of religious institutions, dating and placement of portraits and inscriptions, search for other donors in the same church, iconography of portraits, sartorial choices of female donors depicted, analysis of the inscriptions as regards the persons listed and the social roles of the devotees, age, social status, political orientation and ideology, origin and place of residence of devotees, types of donations and the art workshops recruited. Comparisons with portraits and inscriptions of the wider Balkan area, the Aegean islands, Cyprus, Türkiye, Italy, and Romania are indicative. This research aims to understand how women and their families perceived their position in the family, social, and political life of their time, their capabilities, abilities, attitudes, desires, and fears. The examination of portraits and inscriptions can make a valuable contribution to the fields of gender studies and the broader history of the Peloponnese region.