Abstract:

The subject of this study is the bird figures and iconographies seen in the votive mosaics unearthed during the Sinop Balatlar Church Excavation. Balatlar mosaics, consisting of 10 different panels, which were unearthed as a result of the excavations carried out between 2016-2021, were made for the vows of certain people, as understood from the Greek inscriptions. The place where it is located and the purpose of its construction constitute the most important key point in shaping the iconography of these mosaics. As in all of the early Byzantine mosaic art, which aims to gain a Christian identity by getting rid of the effects of paganism, it is seen that the figures are depicted in the restricted areas within the simplification and geometric forms in the mosaics of the Balatlar Church. It is seen that 42 birds figures from 10 different species are depicted in Balatlar mosaic samples, which do not encounter any figurative ornaments other than the bird figure. In the mosaics in which eagles, pigeons, partridges, roosters/chickens, doves, parrots, storks, ducks, and various songbirds take place, it is seen that these figures have various iconographic meanings depending on the composition in which they are depicted alone or together. As it is known, bird figures, which are identified with many different meanings in world art history, are symbolic figures that have gained various meanings in line with some of their different characteristics in Christian art, as in every period. The aim of the study is to determine the types of bird figures in the Balatlar Church Mosaics and to identify the Torah and Bible-based iconographic interpretations by combining their iconography with historical development.