About face: A medusal spoil in the church of the assumption of the blessed virgin in Smederevo

Abstract

Situated in the vicinity of the medieval fortress on the site of the old city cemetery in Smederevo, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin represents the only preserved sacral monument from the medieval town of Smederevo. The fortress in Smederevo was built during the reign of Despot Djuradj Brankovic between 1428-1456, as part of the capital of medieval Serbia. There are no written records that speak of the construction, function or ktetor (founder) of the church. The church is of a small dimension, with a narthex, nave, two conches on its north and south sides, and a polygonal apse. The uneven stone and brick construction technique found on the facade suggests that its builders were interrupted or in a hurry. On the basis of stylistic characteristics, it can certainly be concluded that it belongs to Moravian architecture and was built in the first half of the fifteenth century. What is particularly startling on the church's west façade is a roman spoil embedded in the upper north part of the wall, next to the main entrance to the church. The spoil consists of an upper part of a roman stele with a gable featuring a representation of Medusa's head en face with two birds in the corners. With limited evidence concerning the founder of the church and its exact date this paper will try to elucidate one possible reason for embedding the spoil in the church wall in Smederevo. Also, it will discuss the purpose of Medusa in Early Christian and Medieval art. The question that will be asked is was it simply a decorative element, or do it retain its ancient symbolism and meaning.