The Reverse Side of the Detail: Stone Sculpture of the Theodorites in the 15th Century

As the most important compositional and decorative elements of a building, stone architectural details could also have structural significance or represent spolia adapted for new needs. As a result, their upper, lower, lateral, and back surfaces are often no less informative than the frontal surfaces, adorned with exquisite carvings or dedication texts. In this regard, the architectural decoration of the monumental buildings of Mangup, Funa, and Kalamita, the three key settlements of the so-called Principality of Theodoro — the capital city, the ancestral castle on the eastern outskirts of the domain, and the coastal fortress guarding the port — is extremely indicative. It forms two groups of carved stone products, which can be differentiated chronologically and partly stylistically, among which the primary place belongs to the construction inscriptions dated 1425—1427 and 1459. The timeframe of the study covers a relatively peaceful period of almost half a century of existence and cultural development of this state formation, the beginning and middle of which coincide with the wars with Caffa in 1422—1423 and 1433—1441, and the end was marked by the conquest of Crimea by the Ottomans in 1475.