Doula Mouriki
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Doula Mouriki ( el, Ντούλα Μουρίκη, 1934–1991) was a Greek Byzantinologist and
art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today, ...
. She made important contributions to the study of
Byzantine art Byzantine art comprises the body of Christian Greek artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome and lasted u ...
in Greece.


Education

Doula Mouriki was born in 1934 at Ampelokepi (near
Aigio Aigio, also written as ''Aeghion, Aegion, Aegio, Egio'' ( el, Αίγιο, Aígio, ; la, Aegium), is a town and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, on the Peloponnese. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipal ...
). She earned degrees in history and archaeology in 1956 from the
University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...
. From 1956 to 1957, she received a scholarship to visit the
École pratique des hautes études The École pratique des hautes études (), abbreviated EPHE, is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is highly selective, and counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions. It is a constituent college o ...
and the
Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris n ...
, where she studied under André Grabar and Paul Lemerle. Afterwards, she returned to the University of Athens to earn a degree in
French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than F ...
in 1958. In the early 1960s, Mouriki was first hired as a temporary staff member by the
National Archaeological Museum of Athens The National Archaeological Museum ( el, Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο) in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is ...
and shortly thereafter as a principal research assistant under Manolis Hatzidakis at the
Byzantine and Christian Museum The Byzantine and Christian Museum ( el, Βυζαντινό και Χριστιανικό Μουσείο, links=no) is situated at Vassilissis Sofias Avenue in Athens, Greece. It was founded in 1914, and houses more than 25,000 exhibits with rare ...
. She later attended
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
, studying with
Kurt Weitzmann Kurt Weitzmann (March 7, 1904, Kleinalmerode (Witzenhausen, near Kassel) – June 7, 1993, Princeton, New Jersey) was an American art historian who studied Byzantine and medieval art. He attended the universities of Münster, Würzburg an ...
. At Princeton, Mouriki earned an MFA in 1968 and a PhD in 1970, completing her doctoral dissertation on miniatures in Byzantine manuscripts of
Cosmas Indicopleustes Cosmas Indicopleustes ( grc-x-koine, Κοσμᾶς Ἰνδικοπλεύστης, lit=Cosmas who sailed to India; also known as Cosmas the Monk) was a Greek merchant and later hermit from Alexandria of Egypt. He was a 6th-century traveller who ma ...
' ''
Christian Topography The ''Christian Topography'' ( grc, Χριστιανικὴ Τοπογραφία, la, Topographia Christiana) is a 6th-century work, one of the earliest essays in scientific geography written by a Christian author. It originally consisted of fiv ...
''. She holds the distinction of being the first woman to earn a PhD from the university's Department of Art and Archaeology.


Career

After receiving her PhD, Mouriki taught at the National Technical University of Athens, where she remained for the rest of her career. She was the first woman to receive the title of professor in the university's School of Architecture. Mouriki also served as a member of the administrative council of the Greek Archaeological Society, as a corresponding member of the Istituto di studi bizantini e neogreci, and on an advisory committee for the
Greek Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture and Sports ( el, Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Αθλητισμού) is the government department of Greece entrusted with preserving the country's cultural heritage, promoting the arts, and overseeing s ...
on the preservation of historical monuments at
Mistra Mystras or Mistras ( el, Μυστρᾶς/Μιστρᾶς), also known in the ''Chronicle of the Morea'' as Myzithras (Μυζηθρᾶς), is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Situated on Mt. Taygetus, ...
. Mouriki's areas of research included
late medieval The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
Cypriot
icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The mos ...
s, Middle Byzantine-period
mosaics A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
, and Palaiologan-era monumental
painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...
programmes in Greece. She also produced two papers on Georgian fresco cycles. Many of her publications focused on Byzantine and Orthodox iconography, including that of the
Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
, as well as the development of "regional schools" of medieval Orthodox painting. Her 1985 monograph on the mosaics of the
Nea Moni of Chios Nea Moni ( el, Νέα Μονή, lit. "New Monastery") is an 11th-century monastery on the island of Chios that has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located on the Provateio Oros Mt. in the island's interior, about 15 km f ...
was awarded the Gottfried von Herder Award. Mouriki died on 25 November 1991 in Athens, Greece.


Publications

* ''The Frescoes of the Church of St. Nicholas at Platsa in the Mani,'' Athens, 1975 * ''The Mosaics and Frescos of St. Mary Pammakaristos (Fethiye Camii at Istanbul),'' with Hans Belting and
Cyril Mango Cyril Alexander Mango (14 April 1928 – 8 February 2021) was a British scholar of the history, art, and architecture of the Byzantine Empire. He is celebrated as one of the leading Byzantinists of the 20th century. Mango was Koraes Professor ...
, Washington, D.C., 1978 * "Stylistic Trends in Monumental Painting of Greece during the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries," ''Dumbarton Oaks Papers,'' vol. 34/35 (1981): pp. 77–124 * ''The Mosaics of Nea Moni on Chios,'' Athens, 1985 (Gottfried von Herder Award, 1987) * ''Thirteenth-century Icon Painting in Cyprus,'' Athens, 1986 * ''The Twilight of Byzantium: Aspects of Cultural and Religious History in the Late Byzantine Empire,'' editor and contributor with Slobodan Ćurčić, Princeton, 1991


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mouriki, Doula 1934 births 1991 deaths Greek Byzantinists National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni Princeton University alumni Women art historians 20th-century Greek women writers 20th-century Greek writers 20th-century Greek historians Herder Prize recipients People from Achaea Scholars of Byzantine history Women Byzantinists Women medievalists Historians of Byzantine art