Art historian and PhD candidate Olympia Nelson will deliver a free public lecture titled Cretan Churches and Their Emotional Echoes: 14th-Century Frescoes of Kantanos-Selino, on Thursday, 13 March 2025, at the Greek Centre. This event shines a light on Crete’s understudied Byzantine and post-Byzantine frescoes, offering new insights into their artistic and historical significance.
The seminar will focus on three key themes:
- Five Churches of Kantanos-Selino: Nelson will present findings from her recent fieldwork in this remote region of Crete, highlighting five churches that exemplify the area’s unique artistic heritage.
- Iconography and Style: The lecture explores the frescoes’ iconographic programs—depicting religious narratives, saints, and symbolic motifs—and analyses stylistic trends that blend Byzantine, local Cretan, and Venetian influences.
- Fieldwork Challenges: Nelson will discuss the logistical difficulties of documenting these sites, including their inaccessibility and preservation risks, while emphasizing the rewards of uncovering marginalized art.
Despite their cultural value, many of Crete’s medieval churches remain overlooked in mainstream art history. Nelson argues that integrating these works into the broader canon enriches our understanding of the Eastern Mediterranean’s visual traditions. Her research also connects the frescoes to her broader investigation of emotion in Byzantium, examining how these artworks reflect spiritual devotion, communal identity, and societal norms.
Olympia Nelson is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Modern Greek & Byzantine Studies at the University of Sydney and the Early Career Researcher Representative for the Australasian Association for Byzantine Studies. Her work intersects visual art, literature, and emotion studies, with a focus on gender, monastic life, and dietary practices in medieval Eastern contexts. By tracing emotional expressions in art, she reveals how Byzantines navigated feeling in both sacred and everyday settings.
Event Details
- Date: Thursday, 13 March 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM
- Location: The Greek Centre (Mezzanine Level, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne)
- Admission: Free
- Sponsor: Greek Australian Society (GAS)
