Dedicated to mom Poli and dad Nikola

 

 

 

 

                                 

      

 

                                                                     "Dora's paintings  are the synthesis of the most archaic and vivid static world  of the

                                                                      Byzantine iconography tradition.

                                                                      She represent this tradition in the newest manner  of today's expressionism  and surrealism".
                                                                                                                        Oscar Magnan,S.J.,PhD (Full Professor in the Fine Art Faculty

                                                                                                                                                                                                    of St. Peter's College,New Jersey, USA).

 

 

    Dora Nikolova Bittau graduated in scenography at the

    Fine Arts Academy of Sofia. She's lived and worked in Rome since 1979.

     Her paintings are in private collections and public institutes, mostly in the USA:

·        Georgetown University Chapel,  Georgetown University , Washington; DC;

·        The Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle University, Seattle, WA ;

·        The Church of St. Catherine of Siena, Hillside, New Jersey;

·        Novitiate, Portland, Oregon; 

·        Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA;

·        The Chapel of the Three Companions, Gonzaga Preparatory School, Spokane, WA

·        Laguna Art Museum, California;

·        Regis University Chapel, Regis University, Denver, Colorado;

·        Marquette Uniersity, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, reproductions of paintings from Seattle University;

·        among others

The Triptych shows the most important episodes in the lives of the two Brothers from Salonica

 Saints Cyri l and Methodius, the creators of Slavonic alphabet. For their extraordinary

 work in civilizing the Slav peoples, Pope John Paul II proclaimed them Patrons of Europe.

 

The pictures have been used as illustrations for:

·        the Book:”The Brothers from Salonicaby Slav Karaslavov ;

·        the  documentary Film “The bulgarian Monasteries”, produced by RAI 3 (Italian Radio Television)

 

 Collection:

 MARYMOUNT International School Rome

 

 

                 Saints Cyril and Methodius

 

                                                   Patrons of Europe

 

                                                                    Triptych

 

 

         

                    A                                        B                                        C

 

            A

                                      A1.Childhood of Constantine (Cyril) and Methodius.

 A2. Constatine (Cyril): Scholastic preparation by Photius.

 A3. Polycron Monastery:creation of the Slavonic alphabet.                  

 A4. Cyril and Methodius with Saracens.

 A5. Cyril and Methodius in the Crimea, with the discovered remains of St. Clement.

 A6. Cyril before the Byzantine Emperor Michael III.

 A7. On the road to Moravia.

 A8. Arrival in Moravia

 A9. Dispute with the supporters of the “trilinguist” dogma in Venice.

 

                39”x48.2”

 

                                                                 “Seven Saints” 

              B                                                    B1. St. Cyril

                                       B2. St. Methodius 

                                       B3. St. Nahum

                                                B4. St. Clement of Okhrida

                                                B5. St. Angelarius

                                                B6. St. Sabas

                                                B7. St. Goraz

                                                B8. the Glagolitico alphabet

               

   39”x48.2”

  Photo: James E,Dunn

                                                                   

          C                                                                                                                   

 C1. Cyril and Methodius in front of Pope Adrian II

 C2. The Pope Adrian II welcomes Cyril and Methodius, blesses the sacred books and Slavic scriptures

 C3.The death of St. Cyril

 C4. The trial: Ludwig II against Methodius 

 C5. The torture of Methodius

 C6 The death of St. Methodius 

 C7. The disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius at the slave market in Venice 

 C8.  The disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius expelled  from Moravia 

 C9. The disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius before the court of  the Bulgarian King Boris I  

  39”x48.2”

   Mixed technique on wood, 1984

 

 

                          A1.

                   

                                                                        A1. 1                     A1. 1                                 .                             A1. 2

        

                                                                                                                                   A1.Childhood of Constantine (Cyril) and

                                 A2.

                

                                                                 A2. 1                                                                   A2. 2

 

                                                                                                                     A2. Constatine (Cyril): Scholastic preparation by Photius.

 

                           A3.                     

                    

                                                                  A3.1                                           A3.2

 

                                                                                                               A3. Polycron Monastery:creation of the Slavonic alphabet

                  AA4.

                   

                                                                                                   A4.1                                         A                        A4.2

 

                                                                                                                                                A4. Cyril and Methodius with Saracens.

 

A                       A5.

                       

A                                                                                                   A5.1                                                                      A5.2

 

 

                   

                                         A5.3                                                            A5.4                                                                     A5.5 

 

                                                                            A5. Cyril and Methodius in the Crimea, with the discovered remains of St. Clement.

               

                        A6.

                   

                                                                   A6.1                                            A6.2 

 

                                                                                                                             A6. Cyril before the Byzantine Emperor Michael III.

                            A7.                                    

                       

                                                                       A7.1                                                                    A7.2

 

                                                                                                                                                                 A7. On the road to Moravia.

                             A8.                             

                    

                                                                         A8.1                                                                      A8.2

 

                                                                                                                                                                          A8. Arrival in Moravia

                               A9.                       

                        

                                                                                       A9.1                                                                    A9.2

 

 

                       

                            A9.3                                                               A9.4                                                               A9.5

 

                                                                                                    A9. Dispute with the supporters of the “trilinguist” dogma in Venice.

                            B

                           

                                             Foto: James Dunn              sSt. Methodius                St. Cyril                                       St. Cyril

 

               

                                    sSt. Methodius                                                         sSt. Clement

 

 

                                      

                                                                       sSt. Clement

 

                               

                              

                      St. Nahum (from left)                                      Glagolitico alphabet                                                St. Angelarius(           

 

                                                                                                                       “Seven Saints  -Sedmocislenici

                                 C1.

                              

                                                                         C1.1                                                                  C1.2

 

                                                                                                                                         C1. Cyril and Methodius in front of Pope Adrian II

                                C2.   

                              

                                                     C2.1                             C2.2

 

                                                                                                                             C2. The Pope Adrian II welcomes Cyril and Methodius,

                                                                                                                                     blesses the sacred books and Slavic scriptures

                              C3.

                        

                                                                          C3.1                                                                      C3.2

 

                                                                                                                                                                             C3.The death of St. Cyril

                         C4.

                      

                                                                                                                C4.1                                                                  C4.2

 

                                                                                                                                                    C4. The trial: Ludwig II against Methodius 

                           C5.

                          

                                                                             C5.1                                                                      C5.2

 

                                                                                                                                                                             C5. The torture of Methodius

                            C6.

                          

                                                                                                                C6.1                                                                       C6.2  

 

 

                         

                                C6.3                                                                 C6.4                                                                   C6.5

 

 

.       .  .          

                              C6.6                                                                   C6.7                                                                  C6.8

 

 

                                                                                                                   C6. The death of St. Methodius 

                  

                          C7.

                           

                                                                            C7.1                                                                 C7.2

 

 

                        

                               C7.3                                                                 C7.4                                                               C7.5

 

 

                       

                               C7.6                                                                    C7.7                                                             C7.8

 

                                                                                           C7.  The disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius at the slave market in Venice 

 

                                 C8.

                               

                                                                                                                        C8.1                                                                        C8.2

 

 

                         

                              C8.3                                                                   C8.4                                                                C8.5

 

 

                                             

                                                      C8.6                                                                  C8.7

 

                                                                                                             C8. The disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius expelled  from Moravia 

 

 

 

                           C9.             

                    

                                                                                     C9.1                                                                 C9.2

 

 

                     

                                C9.3                                                               C9.4                                                               C9.5

 

                                                                                   C9. The disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius before the court of  the Bulgarian King Boris I . 

 

 

 

                                                                                        ***

 

 

                                      Monochrome

 

              The Saints Cyril and Methodius

 

nocro                                                          

                A

                      

                                                                             A1                                                                              A2

 

 

                    

                                             A3                                                                   A4                                                                   A5

 

 

                   

                               A6                                                                    A7                                                                    A8

 

                                                                                                                                                                           On the road to Moravia.

 

          B                                          

              

                                                                           B1                                                                    B2

 

 

                     

                         B3                                                                  B4                                                                 B5

 

 

                

                            B6                                                                    B7                                                                    B8

 

 

                                                                 Arrival in Moravia

                                                                                                 B9

                       

          C     

         

                                                                          C1                                                                  C2

 

 

                     

                                 C3                                                                        C4                                                               C5

 

 

                  

                                   C6                                                                     C7                                                                  C8

                                             

                                                                                                                                                                         The death of St. Cyril                                             

                                                                                          

               D                

                 

                                                                                           D1                                                               D2

 

 

 

                   

                                  D3                                                                  D4                                                               D5

 

                                                      

 

                   

                                   D6                                                             D7                                                                        D8

 

                                                                                                                                                            The death of St. Methodius 

                                             

 

                                                                                        

 

              E

                       

                               Foto: James Dunn                       E1                                                           E2

 

 

                

                                 E3                                                                      E4                                                                        E5

 

 

                            

                                      E6                                                           E7                                                   E8

                                                                                    

                                                                         The disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius expelled  from Moravia 

 

 

 

             Boris I,  the baptism of the Bulgarians

 

                                               Triptych

 

                                                                                         

       

                            A                                                                  B                                                               C                 

                                                                                                                   mixed technique on wood: 68’’-1/2’X38’’-1/2’

 

 

 

                                

                                      A1                                         A2                                                            A3

 

 

                                  

                                                      A4                                                                                A5

 

 

                               

                                                        B1                                                                        B2                                                         B3         

 

                               

  

                                             

                            C1                                         C2                                           C3

 

 

 

                     Boris I, Simeone I

 

                     A                                                      B

                                               

                                                                                                                                   Collection: Reali

 

 

                     

                              A1                                                                              A2                                                                         A3

 

 

                       

                                      B1                                                              B2                                                                B3

 

 

                                                              

                                                                                    B4

 

 

              Variants and other paintings

 

 

                                              1                                      2

                                                     .

                                                                                                                2.1

 

 

                                       3

                                 

                                                                                                     3.1                                                             3.2

  

          

                                            

                               

                                                 3.3                                                  3.4                                                        3.5

 

                                                                                  3. Prisoners released by Saints Cyril and Methodius

 

 

 

                         4                          5                               6                            7                        8                         9

                                                          

 

 

                       10                          11                      12                       13                         14                           15

                                            

 

 

  

    

                                                                  16                                                       17 

                                                          

 

 

 

                                       

                          18                      19                      20                       21                      22                       23

                                     

 

 

 

                                                                                24                     25

                                                                  

 

                                      24, 25. The Book:”The Brothers from Salonicaby Slav Karaslavov .

 

 

 

                                                                                                      From “Complete Works of Dora Nik. Bittau

                                                                                                      By Prof. PhD. Arch.  Nelly Nikolova