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Culture Traditional forms of Art - Professions Hagiography - Painting Kapesovo hagiographers Epirus Kapesovo

Tsepelovo, Church of Aghios Nikolaos (1786) Icon of Aghios Nikolaos and the enthroned Virgin Mary on the iconostasis of the church. Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)
Tsepelovo, Church of Aghios Nikolaos (1786) Aghios Merkourios (Mural on the north wall). Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)
Tsepelovo, Church of Aghios Nikolaos (1786) Scene from the Old Testament (Mural on a dome in the sanctuary area).Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)
Kapesovo Church of Aghios Nikolaos (1793) «The flaming ascent of the Prophet Elias». Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)
Tsepelovo, Church of Aghios Nikolaos (1786) «The preparation for death», (detail from a depiction of the Second Coming). Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)
Tsepelovo, Church of Aghios Nikolaos (1786) The kings Darius, Poros and Nabouchodonosor, the prophet Moses and the flaming river of Hell with the damned (detail from a depiction of the Second Coming). Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural assoc
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)
Kapesovo Church of the Repose of the Virgin Mary (1763) The Great Supplication on the iconostasis of the church. Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)
Kapesovo Church of the Repose of the Virgin Mary (1763) The upper section of the wood sculpture for the iconostasis. Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)
Tsepelovo, Church of Aghios Nikolaos (1786) The parable of the prodigal son. Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)
Tsepelovo, Church of Aghios Nikolaos (1786) The Supper of Simon the leper. Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».
(Photo: Source: «The Kapesovo artists, Kapesovo cultural association, Alexis Noutsos».)

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Geographic map of Ioannina Prefecture with the works of Kapesovo hagiographers
Geographic map of Ioannina Prefecture with the works of Kapesovo hagiographers

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Hagiography - painting of Chionades
Hagiography - painting of Kapesovo
Chionades hagiographers
Kapesovo hagiographers
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14/11/2006
The names of the hagiographers

Triantaphyllos Sioulis

© Prefecture of Ioannina
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On the basis of research, the names of the Kapesovo artists that have survived in inscriptions have commenced from one family, that of Ioannis Kaloudis who painted hagiographical works from 1728 until 1841.
In relation to their names and their number, a dispute has prevailed that is due to the fact that in the inscriptions, we read that some of them in the course of their lives became monks, deacons or priests, since they had already acquired children and had changed their name. As a consequence of this their children, who are initially referred to in the inscriptions by their father with his first secular name, in due course the same children are again mentioned in the inscriptions by their father, but now by his new name, subsequent to the tonsure.
Consequently, we shall refer with some reservation to the names, commencing with the hagiographers, the sons of Ioannis Kaloudis, who are the following: 1) Konstantinos priest, whose name we encounter in murals from 1728 until 1745. From what we know to date, he did not have any descendants who became involved with; 2) Anastasios Ioannis Kaloudis, who worked as a hagiographer between 1728 and 1779. He initially worked with his brothers and subsequently with his children and alone; between 1763 and 1769, he possibly became a widower, he was tonsured as a monk with the name of Athanasios; he continued however to work with his children, who on some occasions signed as the children of a monk; 3) Nikolaos Ioannis Kaloudis, who worked with his brothers as well as alone between 1728 and 1742. He is also mentioned as «Nitzos», a nickname for Nikolaos, whilst by 1774 he has passed away, since he is mentioned as the «late».
Amongst the children of Ioannis Kaloudis we have the following descendants (his grandsons), by his son Anastasios: 1) Ioannis Anastasiou, who worked between 1745 and 1806. It is possible that at the first date he was at a young age and he initially worked with his father and his uncle, subsequently solely with his father and his brother and finally only with his son or alone. He initially signed his name as «Ioannis Anastasiou» and subsequent to the tonsure of his father as «Ioannis Athanasiou monk». The name «Bongas» refers only to him from his son; 2) Georgios priest and steward, who worked together with his father, his brother and his children between 1759 and 1797. He was ordained a priest between 1777 and prior to March 1778, whilst between 1781 and 1786 he was awarded with the ecclesiastical rank of steward, which was also employed as a surname by his children.
Next we have Ioannis Nikolaou, the son of Nikolaos Ioannis Kaloudis, whose works are not very well known. He worked between the years of 1764 and 1774 on murals as an associate of other painters.
Subsequently there is Anastasios Anagnostes son of Ioannis, in the capacity (Anagnostes = Reader) about whom we read in inscriptions from the beginning of his activity. He worked between 1786 and 1819 together with his father as well as his uncle. In 1806 at Artsista, where he was painting with his father, subsequent to which we do not find him again in a church inscription. We can however identify him with Anagnostis Bongas, if we accept that the genitive of «Ioannis» in the icon of the Archangels at Monodendri, gives us his father’s name. We may namely consider that Ioannis son of Anastasios, as well as other Kapesovo painters had the surname «bongas», which they initially declined to us, but which with the passage of time became accepted by the actual painters. This event may explain the reason why we encounter this name in only three icons, but the hagiographers of Kapesovo were known until the 20th century as «Bongades» or «Bongates».
We continue with Anastasios Anagnostis son of Georgios the priest and steward, who worked with his father, as the foreman of the crew together with his brother and his son, as well as alone, between 1790 and 1837. From 1812 and subsequently he is called Tsepelovites, a fact that may be due to his possible migration to Tsepelovo. We encounter him in 1804 at the monastery of St. John the Baptist at Rongovo taking order from Tsepelovo residents.
Konstantinos Oikonomou, son of Georgios the priest and steward, collaborated with his brother Anastasios or he worked on the hagiography of icons alone between the years 1801 and 1816.
Georgios, son of Anastasios Anagnostis the son of Georgios, we encounter on only one occasion with his father, who is also referred to as Tsepelovites, in 1818.
There followed, Nikolaos Anagnostes, possibly a son of Ioannis Nikolaou. His solitary work is an icon at the church of Aghios Nikolaou Bessane at Ioannina that is dated 1818.
The final Kapesovo artist, whose name has been preserved in an inscription, is Ioannis, with his solitary work being at the Monastery for the Birth of the Theotokos at Kepoi in 1841. Because we are not aware of any of his other works it is difficult to deduce his genealogy. In the inscription of the work we read that he collaborated with Theodosiοs, who is also the foreman of the crew. He could possibly be a son of Anastasios the son of Anagnostes Ioannis.