Association International des Études Byzantines (AIEB) International Association of Byzantine Studies (IABS)
Commission pour l’Histoire de l’art byzantin (CHAB) Commission for the History of Byzantine Art (CHBA)
The International Association of Byzantine Studies (Association Internationale des Études Byzantines – AIEB) was established in 1948 aiming at promoting Byzantine studies at an international level (https://aiebnet.gr/). In addition to the International Bureau (https://aiebnet.gr/international-bureau-2/) there are established National Committees that represent the actual status of Byzantine studies in their countries (https://aiebnet.gr/national-committees/). The AIEB has also established a number of special Commissions in order to support and to promote particular specialist areas of research in the field of Byzantine Studies (https://aiebnet.gr/commissions/).
The Commission for the History of Byzantine Art (CHAB/AIEB) was revived in 2016 on the initiative of Jean-Michel Spieser. Its primary aim is the co-ordination of efforts for the promotion and advance of the study of Byzantine Art and the dissemination of knowledge not only among Byzantinists but also the wider community of mediaeval art historians East and West. More specifically, the Commission is working towards: (1) The development of research and educational tools; (2) The collection and the dissemination of information drawn from various research projects whose outcome, though significant, at present, remains scattered and therefore relatively unexploited; (3) The fostering of international and interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars, institutions, and initiatives active in the field.
Members of the CHAB/AIEB (2016-2022):
- Jean-Michel Spieser, Switzerland (co-ordinator)
- Sophia Kalopissi-Verti, Athens-Greece (co-ordinator)
- Maria Panayotidi-Kesisoglou, Athens-Greece (co-ordinator)
- Nancy Ševčenko, USA
- Annemarie Weyl Carr, USA
- Catherine Jolivet-Lévy, Paris-France
- Miodrag Marković, Belgrade-Serbia
- Dragan Vojvodić, Belgrade-Serbia
- Maria Parani, Nicosia-Cyprus
- Giorgos Philotheou, Nicosia-Cyprus
- Ioanna Bitha, Athens-Greece
- Anastasia Drandaki, Athens-Greece
- Vicky Foskolou, Athens-Greece
Collaborator: Manuel Castiñeiras, Barcelona-Spain
Members of the CHAB/AIEB (2022-2026):
- Nancy Ševčenko, USA (Chair)
- Catherine Jolivet-Lévy, France (Deputy chair)
- Ioanna Bitha, Greece
- Manuel Antonio Castiñeiras González, Spain
- Anastasia Drandaki, Greece
- Vicky Foskolou, Greece
- Liz James, UK
- Ivana Jevtić, Turkey
- Miodrag Marković, Serbia
- Sophia Kalopissi-Verti, Greece
- Maria Panayotidi-Kesisoglou, Greece
- Maria Parani, Cyprus
- Vasiliki Tsamakda, Germany
- Dragan Vojvodić, Serbia
- Asnu-Bilban Yalçin, Turkey
Honorary members of the CHAB/AIEB (2022-2026):
- Jean-Michel Spieser, Switzerland
- Annemarie Weyl Carr, USA
Chalke-Gate Contributors (2023-2024):
- Anna Takoumi, PhD, Independent scholar, Greece
- Ourania Perdiki (on behalf of Thanasis Vionis), PhD, University of Cyprus
- Maria Parani, University of Cyprus
- Michael Peyton-Polachowski, PhD candidate, University of Cyprus
- Ivana Jevtić, Koç University, Turkey
- Asnu-Bilban Yalçin, Istanbul University, Turkey
- Damla Dalgiç, undergraduate student, Koç University, Turkey
- Manuel Antonio Castiñeiras González, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
- Ivana Lemcool, PhD, National Museum of Serbia, Belgrade
- Nancy Ševčenko, Independent scholar, USA
As a first step towards achieving its goals, it was decided by all the members of the Commission the creation of an open-access web portal where electronic material on Byzantine art and material culture would be gathered, organized, and be made easily accessible to all (proposal of Vicky Foskolou). Such a much-needed resource will serve as a valuable research and teaching resource, and as a means for updates, communication, and scientific collaboration. This open-access web portal was named according to Foskolou’s proposal: ΧΑΛΚΗ ΠΥΛΗ / CHALKE GATE: A Portal to Byzantine Art and Material Culture.
The “Athens Team” (Ioanna Bitha, Anastasia Drandaki, Vicky Foskolou, Sophia Kalopissi-Verti and Maria Panayotidi-Kesisoglou) was in charge to hold meetings and discuss proposals for the creation and function of the Web Portal, which later was communicated and discussed with the other members of the Commission.
After long discussions and search for a host for the portal, the Christian Archaeological Society, a Hellenic Scientific Society for the Study of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Archaeology and Art, founded in 1884 (Χριστιανική Αρχαιολογική Εταρεία, ΧΑΕ, www.chae.gr) accepted to serve as host for the portal and offer the amount collected in the memory of its member and donor of the ChAE Dr Stamatia T. Kalantzopoulou (1959-2019) for the construction of the portal.
The construction of the portal was executed by LP-Development and the feeding of the portal still in progress is being carried out by the Archaeologist-Byzantinist Anna Takoumi, PhD, NKUA, under the guidance of the “Athens Team”.
The members of the CHAB and occasionally the members of each National Committee will contribute to the feedback of the portal with the relevant information concerning their countries.
Our thanks are due to the Institutions which kindly provided us with photographs.
Athens, June 30, 2022
