Evidence ID
E00919Saint Name
Konōn, martyr in Isauria (south-eastern Asia Minor) : S00430
Konōn, martyr in Iconium of Lycaonia (central Asia Minor) : S00429
Konōn, gardener martyr in Magydos of Pamphylia : S00177
Kyrikos, 3rd c. child martyr in Tarsus, son of *Julitta : S0000Saint Name in Source
Κό[νων]
Κό[νων]
Κό[νων]
Κο[ίριχος]Image Caption 1
From: MAMA 1, no. 251., better image?Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)Evidence not before
500Evidence not after
800Activity not before
500Activity not after
800Place of Evidence - Region
Asia MinorPlace of Evidence - City, village, etc
Laodikeia Katakekaumene / Laodicea CombustaPlace of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Laodikeia Katakekaumene / Laodicea Combusta
Nicomedia
Νικομήδεια
Nikomēdeia
Izmit
Πραίνετος
Prainetos
NicomediaCult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs
Prayer/supplication/invocationCult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives
Other lay individuals/ peopleSource
A bluish limestone plaque found in the apse of a church at Laodikeia Katakekaumene/Laodicea Combusta (Pisidia, central Asia Minor). H. 0.42 m; W. 0.35 m; Th. 0.12 m; letter height 0.0125-0.035 m. Decorated with a low relief carving of an elaborate cross. The inscription is written above its horizontal arm.Discussion
The inscription is an invocation of a saint, whose name is mentioned at the end of line 1. William Calder restored the name as Κο[ίριχος], which he understood as a corrupted version of the name Κύρικος. François Halkin suggests a much better completion: Κό[νων].
There are three Anatolian saints, who bore the name Konon, and we don't know which one is referred to. *Konon, martyr of Isauria (south-eastern Asia Minor) was said to have lived in the times of the Apostles (1st/2nd c.). He enjoyed the special protection of *Michael the Archangel and led a life of holiness. He was credited with working many miracles. *Konon of Magydos (Pamphylia, southern Asia Minor) was a gardener and martyr under the emperor Decius. It is claimed that he came from Nazareth and was a relative of Christ (if this declaration is to be taken literally, and not as a metaphor for the Christian religion, creating a bond between the followers and the Saviour). *Konon, martyr of Iconium (Lycaonia, central Asia Minor) died under the emperor Aurelian (270-275).
Dating: This kind of invocation with the 'servant-of-saint' formula is usually dated to the 6th/8th c. or later. The formula is certainly common in the middle Byzantine period.Bibliography
Edition:
Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua I, no. 251.
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 394: http://www.epigraph.topoi.org/ica/icamainapp/inscription/show/394
Further reading:
Destephen, S., "Martyrs locaux et cultes civiques en Asie Mineure", in: J.C. Caillet, S. Destephen, B. Dumézil, H. Inglebert, Des dieux civiques aux saints patrons (IVe-VIIe siècle) (Paris: éditions A. & J. Picard, 2015), 93.
Halkin, F., "Inscriptions grecques relatives à l'hagiographie, IX, Asie Mineure", Analecta Bollandiana 71 (1953), 331.
Tabula Imperii Byzantini, vol. 7, 327.
Reference works:
Bulletin épigraphique (1954), 27.
