Congratulations to our new STARC Ph.D. Despina Papacharalambous

Congratulations to our colleague Despina Papacharalambous on the successful defense of her doctoral thesis last week!

Despina’s thesis, titled “Visual Narrative and church identity in the Cathedral of Saint John the Theologian in Nicosia: Art History and digital mapping of The Visitor’s Experience,” explored the unique iconographic program of the 18th-century wall paintings in the orthodox church of St. John the Theologian in Nicosia.

The visual narrative of the wall decoration reflects the political endeavours of the Church of Cyprus, which were aimed at the reinstatement of its autocephalous status after centuries of suppression while Cyprus was under Latin rule (1192-1571).

Through a sophisticated interdisciplinary approach, Despina’s project discusses and maps the iconographic scenes related to the history and position of the Church of Cyprus, as well as those iconographic particularities that were inserted into the conventional program of the cathedral.

Despina’s research provides a new level of understanding with regard to the development of the related narrative thanks to her efforts to digitally document and simulate its spatial dimension, positioning, and visual experience of these scenes in the context of the building’s interior.