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Document Details :

Title: Parasceve iunior Epibatis
Subtitle: Een leven in beelden
Author(s): DIVJAK, Dagmar
Journal: Journal of Eastern Christian Studies
Volume: 53    Issue: 3-4   Date: 2001   
Pages: 155-199
DOI: 10.2143/JECS.53.3.1051

Abstract :
Among the saints which are venerated in a particular way within the Orthodox tradition, Parasceve (Petka) occupies a special position. She can even be regarded as one of the most popular of woman saints in the Balkans. The spread of her cult was supported by the fact that the veneration for her comprises Christian as well as pre-Christian elements. Moreover, her solitary life fit the hesychast policy the Tãrnov Patriarchate pursued during the fourteenth century against the advancing Ottomans. The combination of her enormous popularity and the politico-historical circumstances made her and her life an object of depiction on icons, though this is not imperative in the evolution of a cult. Precisely in this area, there is much confusion: a lack of knowledge of the written tradition caused errors in attributing icons to Parasceves. This article wants to be a guide for the study of iconography regarding Parasceve iunior Epibatis.