Guardian of Eden, Guardian of the City: The Lost Mosaic of the Archangel Michael in Hagia Sophia of Constantinople

Abstract

This contribution aims to shed light on the lost mosaic of the Archangel Michael with a drawn sword once set, according to Niketas Choniates, in a πρόναος of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. After an overview of previous hypotheses, I will argue for a position just outside of the south-west vestibule of the church in the 10th century. Such a location and dating would be in line with the connotation of the Archangel as defender of a sacred space, perceived as a sort of Eden in Byzantine textual and visual sources. The spread of similar representations confirms the role of a reference point that the mosaic soon acquired by virtue of its position at the ceremonial entrance of the most important church of the Empire, not to mention its political importance. The ideological character of the Archangel went a step further during the last centuries of the Empire. A unique use of the First Arab Siege of Constantinople as a stage for St. Michael’s role as sword-wielding guardian in a 14th century Serbian painting is more broadly reflective of a theme throughout Byzantine artistic tradition in varied media. This representation reflected the duty of the Archangel not just as guardian of Hagia Sophia, but also of the emperor, Constantinople and the Empire in a broader sense.