A seal of Athansius, Patriarch of Constantinople from Pereslavl’-Zalesskii

This article describes the recent find of a unique seal, bearing a representation of the Mother of God and a Greek inscription over several lines, and discovered in one of the oldest lime-stone churches of the Volga-Oka region, in Pereslavl’-Zaleskii. Byzantine lead seals are rare finds at the sites of medieval Rus’, especially in its north-eastern regions, which remained aside the main ecclesiastic centres which maintained connections with Byzantium until the second half of the 12th century. In contrast with the greater part of medieval seals and metalwork obtained in Russia in the recent decade through metal detecting, the seal from Pereslavl’ was found via a test-pit in the church building and has reliable documentation providing an archaeological context. Personal attribution of the seal is based on the inscription with the name of patriarch Athanasios. The attributes of the seal and the historical context of the find are also explored, and an argument is presented for its connection with the council of the 1309-10 in Pereslavl’, a significant event in Russian Church history. The seal find also corroborates written sources, which indicate patriarch Athanasios’s representative as a participant at the council.