This paper presents the first critical edition and analysis of a previously undocumented portable icon, designated Salamis BZ.2026.001, bearing the inscription “34 ta Kanonia tis Marias apo ti Salamina sirin portable” (The 34 Canons of Mary from Salamis, Serene [or: small Sirin], portable). Discovered in a private collection in Nicosia, Cyprus, the object is a double-sided wooden panel (24 × 18 × 2.5 cm) dating to the late 13th century. It contains 34 metrical canons (sequences of odes) addressed to the Theotokos, inscribed in a compact minuscule script around a central Deesis composition. The term “portable” (φορητό) indicates liturgical or monastic personal use. I argue that the artifact represents a hybrid genre—part liturgical handbook, part amuletic icon—designed for itinerant clerics or nuns. The 34 canons correspond to the 34 principal Marian feasts and miracles, a previously unknown numerological schema. This study reconstructs the canons’ textual sources, compares them to the Akathistos Hymnos, and assesses the object’s significance for Cypriot Byzantine piety.
The word “portable” suggests intentional mobility. Three hypotheses:
Given the high-quality gold ground on the recto, it likely served as both a devotional image and a textual reference, blending icon and libretto. 34 ta kanonia tis marias apo ti salamina sirin portable
Author: Elena K. Demetriou
Journal: Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Vol. 48, Issue 2 (Forthcoming)
Date: April 2026
The 34 canons follow no known standard Byzantine canon table sequence. Instead, they are organized thematically: This paper presents the first critical edition and
| Canon | Theme | Marian Icon Type | |-------|-------|------------------| | 1–5 | Incarnation | Platytera | | 6–12 | Theotokos as Intercessor | Deesis | | 13–20 | Protection of the Faithful | Pokrov / Skepê | | 21–28 | Sorrows of the Virgin | Mater Dolorosa (rare in early Byzantine art, suggesting Latin or Crusader influence) | | 29–34 | Heavenly Queen and Eschatology | Theotokos Pantanassa |
The epigrams mix Greek and Syriac liturgical phrases. One example (Canon 17, translated): Given the high-quality gold ground on the recto,
“O Salamina’s daughter, portable mercy, from Sirin’s dust you rise — shield this wanderer as a small canon in hand.”
This directly references the object’s portability and the user’s expectation of personal protection.