The Murals of the Cave Church of the South Mangup Monastery: the specifics of the iconography and the features of the composition

In the paper the specifics of iconography and features of the compositional solution of fresco paintings (first half of the 15th century) of the cave church of the Southern monastery of Mangup fortification are studied. The Mangup settlement was the capital of the principality of Theodoro during the second half of 15th – 1475. The interior of the monastery did not reveal any noticeable alterations. The murals were located in the apse (in the niche and the conche), on the arch, bordering the altar and the frieze above the arch. The Southern Monastery and its cave church from the second half of the 19th century mentioned in guidebooks and other popular literature. Nevertheless, not so much serious scientific literature is known about the murals of the cave church of the South Mangup monastery. The authors analyze the description of the iconography of the fresco paintings, compiled by A.S. Uvarov, N.I. Repnikov, O.I. Dombrowski and other scholars with their field observations. The research was based on the studied historical and scientific descriptions of the frescos of the cave church of the South Mangup monastery. It was determined by the authors that the theme of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the leitmotif. Probably, this theological and liturgical content was extremely important for the Theodorites. The study of the painting program of the cave church of the Southern monastery of the Mangup settlement allowed presenting a scheme for the reconstruction of the painting.