A Greek island church held an El Greco for 150 years
In 1983 archaeologist Georgios Mastoropoulos discovered El Greco’s signature on a small tempera painting of the Dormition of the Virgin in the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Hermoupolis, Syros. The 1565‑66 work marks the end of El Greco’s Cretan period and blends Byzantine iconography with early Italian Renaissance influences. The painting was likely brought to Syros by Psarian refugees after the destruction of Psara in the Greek War of Independence, and its provenance was confirmed after the signature was found. After conservation at the Byzantine Museum in Athens it was returned to the church in Syros, where it remains a venerated icon.
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A small icon of the Dormition of the Virgin in a Syros church was identified in 1983 as an early work by El Greco. Painted in Crete around 1565–1566, it links the artist’s Byzantine training with the Renaissance influences that shaped his later career, while remaining an object of worship rather than a museum piece.
The tempera-and-gold painting, measuring approximately 24.2 by 17.7 inches, hangs in the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Hermoupolis, on the Cycladic island of Syros. For about 150 years, local Christians venerated it without knowing its creator.
In 1983, archaeologist Georgios Mastoropoulos examined the image and found the signature “Doménicos Theotokópoulos” at the base of the central candelabrum. The name identified the painter later known as El Greco.
The painting was probably brought to Syros by refugees from Psara after the island was destroyed during the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s. Some accounts connect it with a monastery on Psara dedicated to the Dormition, although its full route from Crete to Psara and then Syros remains undocumented.
After its authentication, the work was sent to Athens for conservation at the Byzantine Museum and later returned to the Syros church.
El Greco painted the work near the end of his Cretan period, shortly before leaving for Venice, probably around 1567. It follows the conventions of the Cretan school of icon painting, where he received his initial training.
The scene depicts Mary lying on her bier, surrounded by the apostles, while Christ stands at the center holding her soul as a small swaddled child. This imagery represents the Dormition, or “falling asleep,” of the Virgin—a feast observed on August 15 in Eastern Orthodoxy, corresponding to the Catholic celebration of the Assumption.
Although closely based on Byzantine tradition, the painting also contains restrained Renaissance influences associated with Italian art and engravings circulating in Venetian-controlled Crete. It therefore reflects El Greco’s position between Orthodox iconography and the artistic developments he would encounter in Italy.
Before the signature was discovered, El Greco’s early Cretan period was poorly documented and partly theoretical. The Syros painting helped establish the basis for authenticating other early works, including the Modena Triptych, St. Luke Painting the Virgin and Child, and The Adoration of the Magi.
The icon also provides an early example of the combination that characterized El Greco’s later work: Byzantine spiritual depth alongside Renaissance movement and compositional energy.
Scholars have identified a structural relationship between the Syros Dormition and The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, painted in Toledo in 1586. Both works organize a lower earthly scene beneath a heavenly vision, with gathered figures serving as witnesses.
Unlike many historically important paintings, the Syros Dormition of the Virgin has not been transferred permanently to a museum. It remains in the church where it is venerated, preserving both its artistic significance and its original religious function.
Does the Greek Church’s veneration of El Greco’s icon reflect continuity of Catholic iconographic tradition?
Yes—provided “the Greek Church” means the Greek ecclesial tradition and the object is being venerated as a sacred image rather than merely admired as art, this reflects continuity with the wider Catholic iconographic tradition.
The theological basis is the teaching of the Second Council of Nicaea (787): the honour shown to an image passes to the person represented, while adoration (latria) belongs to God alone. This principle is shared by East and West; both defended sacred images because rejecting the image of Christ could imply rejecting the reality of the Incarnation.
El Greco’s style is distinctive—elongated figures, expressive movement, and strong colour—but artistic style does not by itself break continuity with tradition. What matters is whether the icon directs prayer toward Christ, the Virgin, or the saint portrayed. Eastern Catholic teaching describes the icon precisely as an image that raises the mind from the visible representation to its prototype and is governed by the Church’s faith.
There is, however, a nuance: not every painting by El Greco is technically a Byzantine icon. His work reflects both his Cretan Orthodox formation and the Western Renaissance and Spanish Catholic environment in which he later worked. Thus, veneration of an El Greco image can express continuity with Catholic tradition at the level of theology and devotion, even when its visual language is not strictly Byzantine.
In short, the continuity lies less in copying a particular artistic style than in the Church’s enduring conviction that sacred images make the persons represented present to Christian memory and prayer.