18th Century - Greece - Icon - San Demetrio Kills A Moor

Greek icon from the 18th century, egg tempera on a gold-ground tablet.

The icon depicts the Holy warrior Demetrius of Thessalonica while, with a long spear, he pierces and kills a Moor (Arab soldier), par excellence the “enemy”, here a metaphor for the “evil one”.
In reality, legend has it that Saint Demetrius appeared miraculously during the siege of his city, Thessalonica, by the Bulgarian army, and killed King Kalojan with his long spear. This notion has slipped away over time, to be replaced by the more generic killing of “a Moor”, a soldier who is a symbol of the “enemy” of the time but also and above all by virtue of this, a figure used as a metaphor for the “evil one”. 

18th century
13.8 x 8.6 cm