Architecture and patronage in the age of John II

Abstract

In this chapter I shall look at three interrelated building projects, all associated with John II Komnenos, his Hungarian wife Eirene-Piroska, his brother the sebastokrator Isaac, and his son and successor Manuel I.1 I shall present the evidence for each of these projects, all of which were intended to house the tombs of their founders. As I shall argue, new architectural forms developed in this period bear witness to the increased significance accorded to privileged burial.2 Because the development of new forms of privileged burial is related to the architectural transformations of the period, I shall also include some comments on the construction histories of the three major buildings. © 2016 The Centre for Hellenic Studies, King's College London