Saint Theodore the Tiro

The icon was originally painted on a flat wooden panel, but due to the poor condition of the wood the painted surface was transferred to cloth and cleaned in 1960. The saint is portrayed at full-length and frontally, wearing a roman armor. In his right hand he holds his sword and in his left the empty scabbard. A large triangular curved shield can be seen on his back, suspended from this chest. This representation of Saint Theodore, in which he holds an upraised swοrd rather than a spear, does not imitate the typical icons of military saints. The conscious attempt at a realistic portrayal along with the three-dimensional treatment of the breastplate can only be found in late 12th and 13th century works, and consist part of the ‘modern’ art of this period. All these features lead to the attribution of the icon to the period circa 1200 and to a workshop of high quality, in touch with contemporary trends.