The sole surviving portrait of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last emperor of the Byzantine Empire, was unearthed during the restoration of frescoes at a monastery in the Peloponnese, Greece, the Greek Ministry of Culture said in a statement. The portrait was produced when he was alive.
It was uncovered in Katholiko, the main church of the Old Monastery of the Archangels of Aigeialia (Palaia Moni Taxiarchon Aigeialias), a few kilometers outside the town of Aigio in Achaia, situated in the western part of the Peloponnese.
Archaeologist Dr. Anastasia Koumousi, the head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Achaia, the region where the monastery is located, spotted the portrait on the second layer of a fresco, which, according to the ministry, dates back to the mid-15th century. There are two layers of Byzantine-era frescoes of high artistic value conserved at the historic monastery. These reflect the aesthetic trends of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) at the time.
“The portrait relates to the last emperor of Byzantium and it’s the sole surviving portrait created during his lifetime,” says Lina Mendoni, the Greek Minister of Culture. “The painter must have [produced] the facial features of the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI Palaiologos, [from] a direct observation, meaning his model was not an official imperial portrait, but rather the emperor himself.”
The details of Emperor Constantine Palaiologos’ newly-found portrait
On the fresco, there is a face of a mature man, bearing imperial “insignia.” This consists of a luxurious belt over a light-colored sack and crown. The emperor holds a scepter with a cross. His bright red cloak, sewn in gold, is decorated with medals containing double-headed eagles with a crown between their heads.
The double-headed eagle is the emblem associated with the Palaiologos family. The presence of the double-headed eagles, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture, along with the rest of the insignia, allowed viewers to undoubtedly identify the man in the portrait as an emperor.
The portrait precisely portrays the facial features of the last Byzantine emperor and is quite realistic in nature. The Greek Ministry of Culture confirms that it belongs to Constantine XI Palaiologo, the brother of the despots Demetrios and Thomas, who financially contributed to the restoration of the monastery.
According to the Greek Ministry of Culture’s statement, the portrait is of what seems to be a mature man with a slim face, emanating nobility and serenity. The artist of the second layer was probably from Mystras, the castle town in the Peloponnese, where Palaiologos was despot for five years prior to taking over the throne.
Who was Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last emperor of Byzantium?
Constantine XI Palaiologos was born on February 8, 1405 and was the eighth of ten children of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos and his wife Elena Dragases, daughter of the Serbian ruler Konstantin Dejanovic.
Little is known about Constantine’s life prior to taking over the throne of Byzantium. He was a skilled general, and he and his brothers commanded the Despotate of Mystras in Moreas, today’s Peloponnese.
From 1427 to 1428, Constantine and his brother Ioannis fended off an attack on Moreas by Carlo II Tocco, the ruler of Epirus, and, in 1428, Constantine was proclaimed as Despot of Moreas. He would rule the province along with his older brother Theodore and his younger brother Thomas.
Together, the Palaiologos brothers extended Byzantine rule to cover practically the entirety of the Peloponnesian peninsula for the first time since the Fourth Crusade, which had taken place more than two hundred years earlier.
They rebuilt the ancient Hexamilion Wall, which defended the peninsula from outside attacks, and from 1444 to 1446, Constantine personally led a campaign into Central Greece and Thessaly in an effort to extend Byzantine rule further into Greece.
The Byzantine Empire was in decline when Constantine was proclaimed emperor on January 6, 1449 following the death of his brother Ioannis. It was a time when the Ottomans were on the rise, conquering land that had been under Byzantine rule.
Constantine attempted to unite the Orthodox Church with the Catholic Church in the hopes that the Catholics would provide military aid to halt the advance of the Ottomans. However, ultimately, nothing came of this strategy.
Four years after assuming power in Byzantium, Constantine Palaiologos was called upon to counter the third siege of Constantinople by the Ottomans—a siege that began on April 15, 1453 and ended in the fall of the city on May 29th of the same year.
The last battle and death of Constantine XI Palaiologos
It is said that the last emperor of Byzantium had realized he had insufficient military power to prevent the conquest of Constantinople by the army of Mehmed the Conqueror. Shortly before the fall, Palaiologos visited Hagia Sophia, where he took Holy Communion. He then said his final goodbyes to his family prior to going into battle.
When the Ottomans invaded the city, some advised Palaiologos to flee to save his life. Nonetheless, testimonies say he insisted on staying—and he undoubtedly fought until the bitter end. He was killed in battle, apparently being beheaded by an Ottoman soldier.
It is said that Mehmed II ordered a search for his body. When it was found, he mourned and buried the remains. However, Palaiologos’ grave was nowhere to be found in Constantinople.