April 1, 1983
Archaeologist and Byzantinist Georgios Mastoropoulos, while researching the icons and relics of the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Ermoupoli, reveals the icon of the 'Dormition of the Theotokos', signed 'DOMINIKOS THEOTOKOPOULOS O DEIXAS'.
The 'Dormition of the Theotokos' is one of the earliest paintings by Doménikos Theotokopoulos. It belongs to his early period, specifically the time before he left Greece and traveled to Venice and then to Toledo, where he lived until the end of his life.
Although the painting displays many Byzantine elements, such as the stern forms and colors, it presents characteristics that would later make the art of El Greco famous worldwide.
The creation of the painting is placed in 1565-1566, while the exact date of when the painting was transferred from Crete to Syros has not been clarified. The most likely scenario is that it was transferred by the people of Psara after the destruction of the island and the massacre of its inhabitants by the Ottoman army in June 1824.
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